Teachers that made a difference

2011-10-19T23:08:00.003-03:00

Paolo Freire (1921-1997)

As the starting point of his theory, Freire choses the thesis " that humans are subjects in and with the world". According to him, consciousness is determined by the socio-economic and political context, and also by cultural conditioning through one's upbringing, education and religion. In other words, it is an interchange between economical and cultural structures.

In addition to that, he distinguishes the level of critical consciousness, which involves making connections with the socio-economic contradictions in society. That means looking at reality and recognizing such contradictions as a real fact.

The culture of silence is one of the most important concepts in Freire's theory. He explains that the oppressors overwhelm the oppressed with their values and norms, which effectively silences people. Therefore, in this scenario, critical consciousness must be developed in schools by educators who dare face these long term situations and make learners be aware of their own values and rights.

On the contrary, some thinkers state that Freire's ideas are utopical, and cannot apply to the present state of things. Social classes are strongly set, making the idea of equality almost impossible to occur. Nevertheless, it is our duty as teachers to educate people for freedom and responsibility to change the world towards fair opportunities.

2011-10-13T23:46:00.001-03:00

Maria Montessori was the first woman physician in

Italy

. She worked very hard toachieve her goals. She started teaching children in 1907. Although theconditions were not the best, she found an alternative way to traditionalteaching.

While working with her children, she realized thatthey learned using their senses, so she started to develop games and tools thatallowed children to learn subjects like maths and language by using differentmaterials.

Maria Montessori was a great educator and anincredible human being who believed in the human race and never gave upfighting the injustices of life. Having a sad and complicated life, she devotedherself to education.

Maria Montessori is a model to follow. The respectand admiration to other human beings, especially to children, is one of thethings that surprised me the most. She is certainly one of those people whomade a great impact on me.

2011-10-07T07:57:00.004-03:00

Freire is a brazilian educator who works with illiterates. He relates education to social issues such as racism, sexism and explotation of workers . It is very interesting his struggle: he wants the learners to be critical people who have freedom because they have learnt to liberate themselves from oppression. In order to empower learners, he considers dialogue and communication are essential tools.

When I read about Freire, I realized that what he asserts should be taken into account by teachers because helping learners to develop into independant self-regulated individuals must be a priority. If we help students to express themselves in a critical way, they will be able to modify the unfair society we are living in. That is why the activities that teachers plan must encourage creativity, freedom, criticism and social interaction. I have learnt that we should we aware of this when we work not only with adults, but also with teenagers and children.

John Dewey (1859-1952)

2011-09-29T23:29:00.002-03:00

Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform.
He thought that education and democracy are intimately connected. That's why he not only worked to improve education but he also cared about the well-being of the community.
He changed the curriculum center education to a student center education. He thought teachers should help children develop the character, the habits and virtues, that would enable them to achieve self-realization.
He created "The Laboratory School". This was useful as a testing ground for his ideas on education. In this school children learned throught experience and practical work.
What I learned about him is that it is very important to focus on the students and provide them the tools to help them develop as members of society. It is a very difficult task, but as teachers we should try to apply this.

On María Montessori

2011-09-26T19:03:00.000-03:00

There are so many things I have learned from María Montessori... In the first place, she was an extraordinary woman. She was definitely ahead of her time, a true pioneer... She was the first woman physician in Italy! Go figure! She devoted herself to special children, those who were labelled as mentally retarded or handicapped just because they could not adapt to the so called "traditional way of learning"... Having started as a physician, she then turned to psychiatry and finally to education. That encouraged me, because it is never too late to find your own path in life.

In the second place, she was also an amazing educator. She never gave up on anyone, concentrating on helping every single child´s development by all means possible. María soon found out that this "impossible cases" only required a different method to acquire knowledge and skills. And she made that happen. She created special material to stimulate kids´ senses in order to facilitate their learning process. Listen to your students, get to know them... Do not give up, there is always a way. You just need to find it. Try to create a friendly and suitable environment for them, and they will react accordingly. They will even surprise you!

If you ever have a little time to spare, my advise to you is that you learn more about this outstanding pioneer and her fascinating method and remarkable life... You will not regret it!

John Dewey

2011-09-22T19:07:00.003-03:00

John Dewey was a pioneer of education. He tried to change the standardized view of education, which was curriculum-centred, and proposed a different view of education, which was student-centred. He created a special school called "The Laboratory School" in where he tested his own ideas of education. In this school, classes consisted of theoretical work and practice, and activities were based on practical experiences. He believed that the aim of education should be the realization of one's full potential and the ability to use those skills for the greater good. He also believed that democracy and school related to each other. He defined democracy as a way of living. That's why he believed that schools should help students to learn to live and to work cooperatively with others.
I would like to apply his ideas with my students. I believe they are the most important factor in education. I think a good teacher is that one who guides students and shows them the way in order to make them learn by themselves. In addition, they also learn how to learn.

http://www.slideshare.net/joakuncai/john-dewey-9382725

Imagine...

2011-05-22T15:55:00.003-03:00

RENE GERÓNIMO FAVALORO

Although he is not usually associated to education, I believe this person is worth writing about. For his pioneer work in Coronary surgery, Rene Favaloro is considered one of the most important Argentinean figures in the field of medicine. Nonetheless, his achievements as a doctor are not the only teachings he has left to our society. This surgeon devoted his life to the provision of free, quality health services in Argentina. He was a man of immense integrity who preferred to share his knowledge with his colleagues in his country than becoming incredibly rich in the United States of America, where he a was very prestigious professional. He promoted the country’s growth by training young doctors in remote regions of Argentina such as Jacinto Arauz, and by fighting to get social equality in health services. I think his kindness had no limits and his example is a great teaching to our society. He left us with more than a bunch of celebrated feats; he taught us that we should work all together to build up a better society by eradicating individualism and irresponsibility.

Read more: Rene Favaloro: 1923-2000: Heart Surgeon Biography - Interest In Medicine Began Early, Returned To Argentina, Clinic Struggled With Financial Difficulty http://biography.jrank.org/pages/3864/Favaloro-Rene-1923-2000-Heart-Surgeon.html#ixzz1L9zByMFw

Who was Francisco Pascasio Moreno?

2011-04-19T00:12:00.003-03:00

I decided to write about this educator when my little sister had to look for information about him for a school project. The name had not rung a bell for either of us but when we realised he was known as “Perito” Moreno, we knew he was really important in our history due to the glacier, the town and the National Park in Santa Cruz.
Francisco Moreno was a scientist, an explorer, an educator, a politician and a “perito” (which means expert or specialist) in Argentina. He was born in 1852 in Buenos Aires and he was interested in nature at a very young age. He founded a Natural History Museum in the city, he embarked on different scientific expeditions to the Patagonia and discovered many rivers, lakes and even Mount Fitz Roy. He is well known for the role he played when he defended Argentina against Chile in relation to the boundary disputes between the neighbouring countries.
Francisco was also genuinely interested in children education. He became vice-president of the National Committee of Education in Argentina and one of his main contributions was “La Obra Patria”. It was an institution of social inclusion whose main aim was to provide shelter to poor children to teach them school subjects and also different skills so that they could have a job later on. Moreno pointed out that if the State made the child go to school, then the State itself had to feed and support him when parents were not able to do it. Today, more than a hundred years later, this is something that still needs to be taken into account. Primary school and also now secondary school are compulsory, however, families find it extremely difficult to afford children’s education. Moreno later created another institution, the first Argentinian Boy Scouts Association. He claimed that it was a useful means of stimulating students’ interests in nature and of transmitting values such as honour, loyalty, humbleness and love.
Perito Moreno also considered that Adult education was of great importance. He presented two projects in the National Committee. First, he proposed building “Evening Schools for Adults” to give people the opportunity to learn skills and crafts according to their needs. Later, he suggested the project of “Schools for Cinderella” in which teachers could go from house to house to teach girls and young women who had to stay home to take care of their children or younger siblings. Consequently, what Francisco did was to provide adults with centres of cultural and practical learning to give a possibility to improve their individual growth. Now, this is also absolutely necessary in our society, especially for adults who did not have the chance to study before.
In view of this, we can conclude that this educator paved the way for further developments in education and also paid attention to key issues that still have to be considered these days. “Where schools and work reign, prisons close.” said Moreno.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Moreno
http://www.aquimontserrat.com.ar/genuinos/pmoreno/PeritoMoreno.htm
http://www.fortunecity.es/sopa/cejas/785/rionegromoreno.htm

Mathematics, are you there? English, are you there?

2010-03-11T00:08:00.015-03:00

It was not difficult to decide who I wanted to write about. From the very beginning, I knew it wouldn't be an educator from the past, since several volumes must have been written about them, for sure. Consequently, I decided I would write about a contemporary educator, someone who has surprised me because I was not used to seeing him in that role. As a matter of fact, Adrián Paenza (for it is Mr Paenza I am writing about) is well known in the world of sports as a TV reporter, journalist and commentator, who has especialised in football and basketball. He has a vast experience in the media, having worked on the radio, TV and press. However, Mr Paenza is also a brilliant Mathematician, a university professor and the author of the best-selling books "Matemáticas, estás ahí?". Adrián Arnoldo Paenza was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on May 9th 1949. He was 5 years old when he started 2nd form, and only 14 when he started university (NB: in Argentina, the average age for children in 2nd form is 7, while students start university when they are about 18). He's got a BSc in Mathematics, as well as a PhD in the same field of studies, and he was awarded the Konex Prize on two occasions (the Konex Platinum in 2007 in the field of Science, and the 1997 Konex in the field of sports) apart from being part of the jury for sports in the year 2000. He is also the host of a TV programme called "Alterados por el pi" which has recently been awarded a Martín Fierro Award for cable television. An impressive record for a man whom most people used to associate exclusively with sports. However, what made me choose him as the topic for this essay was not his academic success. Besides being a sharp observer of reality, he has managed to get the attention and arouse the interest of thousands of children and adolescents who now see mathematics in a different light. Quoting Paenza, "Why does Maths pose so many problems for students? The problem lies in us, teachers. We provide answers to questions which the students have never asked. How boring it is to listen to someone who provides the solution for problems we do not have!... A teacher is not just someone who is there to provide answers, but to generate questions." In his opinion, education should be in charge of the best qualified teachers. Furthermore, he acknowledges the use of technology in the classroom, and compares "not being able to use a computer with having to study without books. With a clear view of today's education, Adrián Paenza embodies the teacher of the XXI century: someone capable of succeeding in different fields; somebody who loves teaching and doing research; a person who makes a difference. What he feels for Maths is what I feel for English. They are not that different anyway. It is not a question of providing answers, but of generating in students the need to ask questions. Touché, Mr Paenza.

http://es.wikipedia.or/wiki/AdrianPaenza
http://contexto-educativo.com.ar/2001/6/paenzahtm
http://www.fundacionkonex.com.ar/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t01SBUqmgQ

Manuel Belgrano, the educator

2009-12-23T11:25:00.002-03:00

Manuel Belgrano (1770-1820) is often acknowledged as an active member of the Argentinian independence movement, a pragmatic military man, and an insightful politician. Having studied law in Spain, he was renowned as an illustrated economist at the Consulate of Buenos Aires for his reformist ideals, which were largely influenced by the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. However, he is not usually remembered for his important initiatives and deep concern for education. Belgrano believed that the true wealth of countries was in their formation, and that the best way to promote industrialisation was through education. In 1799 he created the Nautical School, the Commerce School and the Geometry and Drawing Academy. He created the Commerce School to influence future merchants into working towards the best interests of the nation, and the Nautical and Drawing ones to provide the youth with prestigious and lucrative jobs. Those last ones worked under the same institution, next to the Consulate, so that Belgrano could easily supervise their development. Those schools worked for three years and were closed by the Spanish monarchy.
One of Belgrano's main ideals was popular and free education for all. For example, among the regulations for the Drawing and Nautical schools, he established that special consideration should be given to the 'natives' or indians, and to the orphans, as they were the most dispossessed people in our land. At a time when having a 'good' name was fundamental in the social array, Belgrano thought that a boy who went to an orphanage remained 'marked' for the rest of his life. In order to combat this situation, he proposed a scholarship system for the less favoured.
Belgrano was one of the first promoters of women's education in the River Plate. Inspired by the ideals of the French Revolution, he proposed the foundation of schools for girls, which was quite original for a time when women were banished from these activities. Although he did not look for 'intelectual' women, for he aimed at educating them with a practical bent for becoming mothers, he was nevertheless concerned with teaching them to read and write - quite revolutionary for the time!
To conclude, Manuel Belgrano was a clear example of commitment with the common good, particularly in the field of education. To him, education was a fundamental and necessary engine for the progress of a society. Though it is true that some of his views towards the less favoured groups may sound outdated nowadays - such as his views on the poor and women - it is important that we contextualise his thinking. In fact, for his historical context, he was certainly advanced and revolutionary in his initiatives, which indeed met considerable opposition at times. In view of this, we can regard him as the first initiator and promoter of free schooling and education for all. He was, in my view, an early believer in the transforming power of education and its potential for allowing learners to free themselves from social stigmatisation.

The Power of Being an Educator: Ernesto Sabato's view on Education

2009-12-17T20:31:00.003-03:00

Ernesto Sabato, one of the most renowned writers in Argentina, has devoted his life to learning. First, he got his PhD in physics and, after working several years as a researcher in Europe, he came back to Argentina to start his writing and teaching career. Either as a student, researcher or teacher, Ernesto Sabato has always been concerned with education. After reading his essay on Education in Latin America, I realised how much he has learnt throughout his life and, most importantly, how much we can learn from this amazing words. One of the most interesting aspects of his writing is the fact that, even though he has always been involved in high education, he is really concerned about elementary education (both primary and secondary). He claims that such education is vital for the lives of our children and adolescents and that it is during those years that students learn the most: to become full human beings. That is why Sabato emphasises the importance of what students are taught during that period. What are we teaching to our students? What is the relevance and usefulness of what they are taught? Two questions that we, as teachers-to-be, need to answer.

Content is the main concern, if not the only one, of most of the school’s syllabi. However, is content everything our students need? Or are there other aspects that need to be tackled? In my humble opinion, I must admit that I do agree with Sabato. Even though content is important, it is by no means the only thing our students need. He calls for an integrative approach to teaching in which students are guided towards self-discovery and integration of what they have learnt into their lives. We should not teach English to our students but give them the learning tools with which they will go on learning after their schooling is over. He says that instead of knowledge students should be given only the essential contents from which they will build their own knowledge. Teaching does not finish when we give our students the information. On the contrary, teaching should start there. Information and content can be taken, nowadays, from many sources, but the ability to think, reason and criticise can only be incorporated if our teachers foster and encourage them. We do not need to teach our students every single thing we know but what we teach should be done passionately and with the intention to form full human beings as the main goal.

We are teachers but, above all, we are educators. We have the possibility and the responsibility to make the best out of the role we have chosen. Teaching only English can be the easiest path but teaching people how to make use of all the potential they have will definitely be more enriching both for us and for our students.

“Not Information But Formation” is our main challenge, if you believe, as Sabato does, that education goes certainly beyond learning.

2009-11-02T17:01:00.000-03:00

MARIA MONTESSORI: A LIFE DEVOTED TO EDUCATION

We have all used some kind of materials to work with at kindergarten or primary school but have you ever thought about the importance of the materials we used? Why is it so important to provide materials learners can work and learn with and at the same time enjoy ?
These questions, which we have seen have influenced many classrooms, were explored by the Italian educator Maria Montessori. She certainly left her mark on education, and her method is still used in many schools.
Maria Montessori believed that children learn directly from the environment, and from other children—rather than from the teacher. Children were to be scientifically observed, observations recorded and studied by the teacher. Children learnt from what they were studying individually, but also from the amazing variety of work that was going on around them during the day. When the environment meets all of the needs of children they become, without any manipulation by the adult, physically healthy, mentally and psychologically fulfilled, extremely well-educated. The teacher functions as a designer of the environment, resource person, role model, demonstrator, record-keeper and observer of each child's behaviour and growth, facilitating learning and providing a good working environment and sensorial materials. Furthermore, the Sensorial materials are also designed to indirectly prepare children for work in other curricular areas. For example, many of the Sensorial materials contain ten pieces which prepares children for the decimal system. The left-to-right, top-to-bottom order of most Sensorial presentations prepares the child for directionality in reading and writing.
Despite what many people think, Montessori’s method does not apply only to children, in fact she set useful guidelines for learners different ages. Taking everything into consideration, I believe that it is extremely important to create a have good working environment and to create activities that will help our learners to develop to their full potential and enjoy while they learn.

NAYLA PERALTA

Maria Montessori

2009-10-29T21:18:00.004-03:00

Maria Montessori was an Italian educator who devoted her life to the education of children from six to sixteen. Her method mainly consisted in letting children work with specific materials within a rich environment that had been carefully created by the teacher. For instance, children at kindergarten would work with materials that foster the development of autonomy and organizational skills. Then at elementary school, they would work with timelines and charts in order to develop abstract reasoning abilities. Nowadays, Montessori´s ideas can be seen applied at Kindergarten when children are allowed to choose self-correcting materials to play and games that involve the psychosocial and academic functioning. For instance, doing the ironing, cooking, shopping, etc.
As a teacher to be, I would like to try the use of timelines, charts and connective narratives in order to enhance imagination and ability of abstraction in the learners. Last but not least, I would like to be a Montessori teacher in the sense of being a facilitator of learning rather than the source of all information.

http://www.montessori-namta.org/NAMTA/geninfo/devcont1.html

Learning through real experiences

2009-10-27T23:21:00.007-03:00

John Dewey`s contribution to education was very important. I myself experienced at least one of the activities related to his significant ideas when I was at school. Let me tell you all about it:
When I was 8 years old, we were told to carry out an experiment observing the germination and growing of seeds, keeping a record as regards the way in which seeds germinate showing a chain of changes that resulted into the development of the plant. In accordance with Dewey, this encouraged "learning by doing" through experimenting within a natural process, keeping in mind that, as the American educator himself said, experiences do not happen just because, we relate them with previous ones and this allows us to experiment.

As a teacher to be, I would like to live up to Dewey`s call to encourage students to develop creative and artistic abilities to help them reach their full potential. I think that learning through experimenting is likely to have lasting effects upon students`life.

" To "Learn from experience" is to make a backward and forward connection between what we do to things and what we enjoy or suffer from things in consequence. Under such conditions, doing becomes a trying, an experiment with the world to find out what it is like, the undergoing becomes instruction-discovery of the conection of things"
JOHN DEWEY www.infed.org/thinkers/et-dewey.htm

Experience,education and life.

2009-10-26T22:10:00.006-03:00

Dewey was a philosopher, psychologist and an educational reformer.He was the most famous proponent of hands-on learning or experiential education.He emphasized learning through various activities.He believed children learned more from guided experience than authoritarian instruction.He held that learning is life not just preparation for life.
He considered that it is important to integrate social experience with educational ones.For example when I was at school it was usual to see that some teachers teaching Chemistry by investigating the natural processes involved; and students learning History by experiencing how people lived.These were concrete activities with practical importance in which students participated and felt that they went to school to do things which gave them real, guided experiences.
.The teacher acted as a "midwife", a guide through the process of constructing knowledge.
As a teacher -to-be,I believe that the development of critical,socially engaged intelligence and respect for diversity is very important.We as teachers should respect different ideas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dewey

VICTOR MERCANTE (1870–1934)

2008-12-12T16:14:00.002-02:00

This Argentinean educator was born in Buenos Aires in 1870. According to him, Education had to be based on observation and experimentation in order to prepare children for life. He wanted to achieve a practical and utilitarian education that helped students to manage life.
What I found interesting about him is his preoccupation in developing an effective pedagogic method for the whole population. Isn’t it great that someone started being interested in how to teach so many years ago?
He also developed some laws about education which would be the principles used by teachers. The ones that I found more interesting are:
Universality Law: he thought that everyone had the need and the aptitude to learn, in short, that education should be for everyone.
Autonomy Law: he said that the teacher should help students develop autonomous thinking.
Integrity Law: education should try to foster the integrity of the student, not only psychologically speaking but also related to the integrity of the knowledge.
Finally, I would like to point out his interest in universal education, his taking into account the affective life of students and also his contribution to the renewal in pedagogy of the 20s and 30s.

If you want to know more about this educator visit the following page:

http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:pR0XFUKVYIgJ:www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/archive/publications/ThinkersPdf/mercantes.PDF+victor+mercante&hl=es&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=ar

Joaquín Víctor González

2008-11-30T16:01:00.003-02:00

As a brief contribution to this blog, I’ve decided to tell in brief the biography of Joaquín V. González, a teacher that made the difference in our country education. He was a prominent politician, historian, philosopher and educator.
Joaquín Víctor González was born in La Rioja on March 6th, 1863. He was Governor of his province and minister several times; he also founded the University of La Plata and the most prestigious Teachers’ Training College in Buenos Aires, which today bears his name. He was member of the Royal Spanish Academy and the Permanent Court of International Arbitration at La Haya. He died a Senator in Buenos Aires on December 21st, 1923.
In 1887, being one of the most prominent jurists from Argentina, Joaquín V. Gonzalez was appointed member of the Constitutional Reform Commission and was in charge of drafting the constitution for his province. That same year he published his first work of historiography: Revolución de la Independencia Argentina and he also started working in La Prensa de Buenos Aires newspaper and was appointed the first professor in Derechos de Minas at the University and in 1894 he was appointed head of department of Leyes de Mina. In 1896 he became a member of the National Council of Education and academic head of the Arts College at the University of Buenos Aires.
The president Manuel Quintana appointed him new Minister of Justice and Public Instruction in the Pedagogical Seminary, later called Instituto Nacional del Profesorado Secundario in Buenos Aires, which had a large staff of foreign professors. The following year he created the modern University of La Plata, according to the scientific progress of the time. After the death of Quintana, President Figueroa Alcorta gave him the position of head of the University, which was later known as Rector (a position that still remains in today’s Universities). I hope you’ve found this educator’s life as interesting as I’ve found it. To me, he is a great example of a political change that started in the classrooms. And that was, is and will be my motif to try everyday to become the best teacher I can.

Reference

Biblioteca Pública Digital (educ.ar)
La “Universidad Nueva” de Joaquín V. González y el proyecto de 1905; Crispiani, Alejandro; editorial Universidad Nacional de La Plata, ISBN/ISSN:950-34-0130-5.
Wikisource

Dewey

2008-08-05T11:12:00.003-03:00

John Dewy's ideas made me think about my own experience as a teacher... What I found interesting was the role of the teacher which was to guide students to give birth to new knowledge. Teachers cannot do it for their students, they only can guide them to do so through motvation. When children do, perform, they experience and learn through this experience.
According to Dewey reality is full of confussing information and it's also complex, that's why teachers should simplify it and make students understand how it works and encourage them to put into practice their skills and capacities to co-operate and contribute within the school as well as members of the society.
At school students should learn about cooking, sewing, chemestry (among other things) since they are thought to acquire knowledge by doing and schools should foster students to enlarge these experiences within the school in order to prepare them to carry them out in the society.
Students are not considered to be blank slates. On the contrary, they are seen as active learners who have the ability to do on their own.
I would like to apply these ideas with my students since in my opinion a good teacher makes their students feel confident about their potential.

Montessori

2008-07-29T15:49:00.003-03:00

I am not sure whether I am supposed to write here but I think this is the right place.
If I had to say in what way Montessori has influenced me I would say: as everyday I work with little children I tend to find it easier and safer to do things for them, help them all the time and tell them what to do ( most of the time). After learning about Montessori´s method I have changed ( little by little of course!) this attitude. I try to encourage them to do things by themselves, I try to let them find answers alone and I try to help them be more independent. Of course, in some aspects I still think I HAVE to be there to help them and I still try to be right next to them to guide them. I still impose ( sometimes) what i think is best for them, but I do it in a more flexible way and " helping them to put their coats on" and not " doing it for them" as I used to!

Daniel Filmus, The new "beowulf" in the educational field

2008-02-07T21:11:00.000-02:00

I would like to choose an educator that firmly believes in education. It was necessary to me to choose a contemporary one, because educators that belong to the past means just that: they were inmerged in an era that nowadays will be difficult to understand. Technology has proved to be one of the most important reasons by which I decided not to talk about Sarmiento, for instance, but Daniel Filmus, whose career has been identified as brilliant by many of the people who are also educators like him.
While browsing through the pages in the Monitor magazine, I decided to choose an article written by him by which he shows his belief that being an educator means to prepare people to become integrated citizens, where solidarity and wisdom go hand by hand. He also says that being critical is one of the premises that a student should follow in order to be.
Evolution in all human beings bring also pain in our daily life, and Filmus tries to show how a teacher suffers during all the teaching carrer, trying to show the process of learning, trying to share experiences with his or her peers and how to act in different situations that will help to get rid of bad experiences. In his research Filmus claims that every single teacher deals with pain as best as they can. The case of Carlos Fuente Alba was one of the best example of how teachers deals with pain and how they joined when he unfairly died. He also claimed that we will never forget how violence got a victim, in this case an innocent person that wanted to claim for something fair or that they considered as fair.
Finally we certainly do not have to forget that there are many carlos Fuente Alba in every province of our country an that his death would not have been necessary if the goverment had given them at least fifty percent of what they were claiming. It is necessary to get rid of violence not only between teachers but also among our students, trying to establish the DIALOGUE as the only premise in order to fulfill all we need. We are educators, so we need to come to an agreement with all our necesities, priorities and commitments in order to make our daily work free from pain and lived with happyness, or at least we should try it, don't we?
Copywright 2008 by Osvaldo Mammino

Juana Manso (1819-75)

2007-12-18T10:50:00.000-03:00

We,educators, are not utopian. We know that social levelling is impossible, since money will always divide men into classes’

Juana Manso (1819-75)was born in Agentina and as an educator she had two main concerns: that education in all its dimensions should reach women (and vice versa) and that it should not to be dogmatic Catholic education.
She was the initiator of a movement for coeducation as a method based on the recognition of equality between men and women. Also, she was one of the first women concerned about children’s rights.
Schools with progressive methodologies
. Manso complained that in Argentina the teaching profession was exercised in a humiliating fashion. Because of that, she sent to the Legislature of the Province of Buenos Aires a bill for an Organic Law for Common Education in which she asked for professionalism, appropriate salaries with periodic increases, and so on.
She proposed educating children in keeping with their nature. To do so, she proposed dividing childhood into four periods: the first, attention and observation; the second, attention and comparison; the third period for exercising memory; and the last one for applying the imagination.
Maria Montessori once said ’teaching through the paths of joy and love makes learning enjoyable.’ Juana did believe in that saying and she also, as Montessori did, encouraged teaching through play.
She was buried in the English cemetery. Friar Junior proposed the following epitaph: ‘Here lies an Argentine woman who, in the midst of the night of indifference that enveloped the country, preferred to be buried among foreigners rather than defile the sanctuary of her conscience

For more go to

http://www.ibe.unesco.org/publications/ThinkersPdf/mansoe.pdf

Rosario Vera Peñaloza

2007-12-17T20:28:00.000-03:00

As a final assignment for School Management, we were to find out something about an educator in Argentina that made the difference. While doing my research, I found out about Rosario Vera Peñaloza. It was really hard to summarize or focus just on some aspects of her life so as to make it fit in the blog (as we all know, an entry should not be too extensive), because she led a very motivating life. Just to mention a few things about her:

She was born in Atiles, Valle de Malezán, La Rioja on 25^th December 1873
She was orphan when she was a child and her maternal aunt was the one who brought her up and taught them her first letters.
She founded the Kindergarten attached to Escuela Normal from La Rioja.
She toured through the country encouraging popular teaching to transmit new techniques for teaching and found libraries.
She created the subject on folklore studies to keep the national character in a country with lots of immigrants.
Not only did she follow Froebel’s and Montessori’s principles, but she also studied, compared and adapted them to the reality of Argentina.
She placed a lot of importance on children using their hands as a way of activating the brain and expressing themselves.
She died on 28^th May in 1950 and from then on, to pay homage to her, the National Kindergarten Day was installed.

As you can see, there were many things this wonderful teacher did and maybe we do not know about her as much as we should. Lots of teachers have made a difference and there will be many more in the future and that is why we need to think and investigate about their lives. They worked hard to leave a mark on students, colleges and people in general, and maybe it is time we start learning from them.

María Lorena Recio

P.S. By clicking here you can go to another blog to read a poem that is really good about teachers making the difference

Cecilia Braslavsky (1952-2005)

2007-11-29T15:54:00.000-03:00

She was an intellectual, but above all, an educator. As the daughter of a school teacher, and since the apple does not fall that far from the tree, she devoted her life to the betterment and quality of education in Latin America.

She was an avid researcher, and in the year 2000 she became the first Argentinean woman to run the International Bureau of Education of UNESCO. During her term she tried to raise awareness in Europe of the particular needs of Latin American countries.

Throughout her life she wrote a great amount of papers. Unfortunately, I have not read all her work, but I have to say that the first one I read was an interesting piece of research. Diez estrategias para promover la calidad de la educación en un mundo en movimiento (2004) is a monograph that summarizes in ten "simple" items the necessary factors to guarantee a better education in this day and age. Dealing with issues ranging from the sense of belonging of those involved in the educational process, to the importance of teamwork among different institutions, to criticizing the way in which the quality of education is controlled.

The topics are presented simply, and seem appeal to common sense, but someone once said that this is the least common of all senses. I agree. Many people know what it takes to do things right, but they can never get those who have the power to do it... to do it. She has appealed to those in power in several international Congresses and has presented her ideas to people who will carry on with her legacy. Her struggle for the improvement of the educational possibilities in Latin America has crossed the boundaries of continents and cultures trying to bring about a better future for students.

For a brief biography and detail of her life's work, I have included a link at the end of this entry (see Interesting links). I hope you take the time to read through it, and learn more about one of the many people who, still after they are gone, produce a lasting impression on their field and a desire to better the best of possibilities.

Interesting Links:

- Homenaje a Cecilia Braslavsky. (Número especial de la Revista Electrónica Iberoamericana sobre Calidad, Eficacia y Cambio en Educación (REICE), por Inés Dussel)http://www.sc.ehu.es/sfwseec/cecilia.htm

- C. Braslavsky, Diez estrategias para promover la calidad de la educación en un mundo en movimiento (2004). http://www.fundacionsantillana.org/Contenidos/Publicaciones/SemanaMonografica/Ponencias/XIX/ponencias_19.htm#- In memoriam of Cecilia Braslavsky. UNESCO.

http://www.unesco.org/bpi/cecilia_braslavsky/index.html

Domingo Faustino Sarmiento

2007-10-29T17:03:00.000-03:00

I can see the ideas of Sarmiento in the very existence of the school in our country. I think that is fundamental for a country to educate its people no matter what class or religion they belong. Education is the base for everything (though politicians prefer a non-educated society to be able to domain it easily). As a teacher-to-be, I would like to respect each culture and make no difference among my students for them to learn about equal opportunities, and help them build their self confidence as well as their intelligence.

Rousseau's impressions

2007-10-26T18:35:00.000-03:00

What impressed me most about Roussea's ideas is that he argued that what the educator needs to do is to facilitate opportunities for learning. As a teacher, I would like to act as a helper in the child's educational process, paying attention to the student's environment, because their families and interests are involved in the process. I would like to invite their parents to some classes in order for them to see how their children work at school. Also I would include topics related to my students' interests.

I also thought it is interesting tha Rousseau divided development into five stages. To me, this concept means that teachers should take into account these physical and psychological stages, in accordance with the students' ages and needs, for example, the material used and the topics and activities developed in the classroom. As I have been studying in developmental Psychology, Piaget said: "the developing cognitive understanding is built on the interaction between the child and the things which can be observed, touched, and manipulated. Besides, if students are not particularly interested in them, the class will be boring for them, and consequently the students lose interest about learning the language.

In conclusion, I believe Rousseau influenced my teaching because I try to pay attention to my students' interests, needs and ages also I try to plan my lessons according to these concepts.

Romina

MARIA MONTESSORI

2007-09-27T15:28:00.000-03:00

Montessori Method is characterized by an emphasis on self-directed activity on the part of the child and clinical observation on the part of the teacher, who plays the role of a guide. It stresses the importance of adapting the child's learning environment to his developmental level, and of the role of physical activity in absorbing academic concepts and practical skills; children learn through discovery, so didactic materials that are self-correcting are used as much as possible.

I have seen some of the ideas advocated by Maria Montessori regularly applied in pre-school years, when the teacher shows different materials to the students, teaches them how to manipulate them and then each child, together with these “instructions”, lets their imagination fly. I have also seen this kind of prepared environment for the children in which the size of the furniture is in accordance with the size of the children. And a couple of times I´ve experienced specific procedures related to my Chemistry classes in secondary school that helped me to understand some concepts by seeing them concretely, but they were like exceptions rather than a whole plan to integrate different topics.

As a teacher-to-be, I would like to try everything I have read about the Montessori Method, but one of the areas that has interested me the most was farming. The way in which the students get involved with elements of farming as an economic enterprise so that they can start being aware of the mechanics of society. This was really interesting for me because it has a direct connection to reality and at the same time the children can be in contact with nature, which in some cases is something unusual. I also like the way the method integrates different areas such as the arts, sciences, geography, history, and language; and the use of concrete material to represent mathematical concepts. I was also surprised to see the interest that the children showed in doing the activities and how they seemed to enjoy learning without knowing they are doing so. So I would like to be able to give them freedom to choose their work from among the self-correcting materials and be there to guide them through the process of learning without any pressure.

Teaching for freedom

2007-09-22T15:49:00.000-03:00

In my experience, the ideas suggested by Freire are not often seen at schools today. What I mean is tha most teachers seem to work individually, without taking into account the learnes' own ideas and thougths. It seems to me that many teachers today are not really concerned about creating a will in their students to express themselves and give their opinions.

As a teacher to be, I would like to appy Freire's ideas, because I think it is very important to reduce learners' oppression; and to educate strong future adults, or already adult people who will not be ignorant anymore.

Paula!!

Maria Montessori

2007-09-17T06:42:00.000-03:00

Montessori's method reminds me of my days at kindergarten. As in Montessori's schools, my classroom was arranged according to subjects (cooking, housekeeping, gardening, and a reading corner). Apart from that, we were always free to move around the room isntead of sitting at desks. And there was no limit to how long we could work on something we had chosen.
As a teacher-to-be, I think this is a good method for our educational needs. The Montessori method is philosophically and practically different from other educational methods, and also very different from my personal educational experience, but I'd like to do my best to apply it. I'd like to teach my students how to respect individual differences, and to emphasize education as a way of seing children as they really are. One of the ideas I have in mind when I remember her method is the calm of the environment where children can work with activities of their own choice. Finally, the most important thing about this method is it gives us the opportunity to help children self-construct their minds and personalities.

Contributed by Mariana Fernández

Paulo Freire

2007-09-14T20:02:00.000-03:00

Paulo Freire was a Brazilian educator. His first years paralleled those of the great depression and he became aware of the problems of the world around him, since many of his friends lived in extreme poverty.
He believed that the role of the educator was to enable students to analyse the world around them and to see themselves as able to transform it. Freire was concerned with teaching reading and writing to illiterate adults so that they could have a voice and accept responsabilty for social change.
Freire's ideas were revolutionaire and I really like the fact that he made use of those experiences that are relevant to the student, like everyday situations, making the process of learning more likely to take place. His ideas are a great inspiration for teachers. I think that his ideas can cause revolutionary changes in people's points of view about society and about the world. I believe that he reminds us that education is not objective and that we, as teachers, can give more from ourselves than what is usually expected and make our contribution to a fairer society. Even though I have never seen Freire's ideas applied at school, I would like to put them into action if I ever have the chance.

Domingo F. Sarmiento

2007-09-13T11:33:00.000-03:00

Domingo F. Sarmiento was an Argentinean president in the late 1800s. He travelled to different countries in Europe and to the United States studying their educational systems. His educational policies included opening non-secular, public schools for everyone as a means to create one uniform society.

For him education was the way to form prolific citizens as he believed education to be the way to improve the country’s economy. Both the government and the people were to work together to develop the country’s situation as a whole, not just its economy.
He believed that the maximum emphasis should be made in primary schools as for him children were the citizens and workers of tomorrow.

As a teacher-to-be I would like to incorporate into my lessons Sarmiento’s idea that everyone is entitled to be educated. No matter how young, old, rich or poor everyone has the right to be educated, especially as this opens doors to the improvement of their selves and their professional lives.

L@U F.S.

Maria Montessori

2007-09-01T14:32:00.001-03:00

Having read about Maria Montessori, I know that her method is very different from the ideas applied at some Argentina´s schools. One of the reasons can be tha way the classroom is organized or the amount of students in each classroom, which sometimes makes things more difficult.

But I find that Montessori method marks similarities with Argentina kindergartens, where classes are not as structured as the ones at primary or high school.

Having looked at the photographs at Montessori sites, I remember the way children sit at kindergarten, the table at which they can interact and share different experiences. They absorb what is in the environment, where the things they learn are forever and true for them.

Another point of similarity is that parents are closer than at any other stage at school. They are really involved and volunteers of any situation. The Montessori method recognizes parents as a child´s first and most influencial teachers so that teacher and parents join together to facilitate the education of the learners.

As a teacher-to-be, I find this method especially interesting. I think it will be enjoyable for the learners and for me too, because they learn through personal experiences and concrete situations. In this way, it is easier to acquire knowledge because they do not know they are learning but they are enjoying coming to school and being part of it.

Maria Montessori said:

"We must help the child to act for himself, will for himself, think for
himself; this is the art for those who aspire to serve the spirit."

As a teacher -to-be this is one of the ideas I want to keep in mind when teaching a learner.

Sarmiento and his educational system

2007-08-31T20:03:00.000-03:00

Domingo Faustino Sarmiento was an Argentine educator, man of state and writer. He was president of Argentina from 1868 to 1874 and he traveled extensively to learn about educational experiences.
Sarmiento´s ideas were quite interesting since he wanted to make a change at those days. Although his educational system was more related to the country’s progress rather than building equality among people, he wanted a society to cooperate with his plan: to educate people so as to improve the country’s economic situation.
He wanted people and the government to work together taking their responsibilities. To me, this idea should be also taken into account because I think that if we want to improve, each of us should cooperate and do what we have to with responsibility, without forgetting that we all form part of the same country or society, which without help and cooperation wouldn’t go ahead.
As a teacher-to-be, I would like to reflect in my lessons what Sarmiento thought about children: that they are the basis of a country’s development.

Born to educate

2007-08-25T14:58:00.000-03:00

Click on the image to enjoy a slideshow on Calasanz's life- in Spanish.
Make sure your speakers are on, not to miss the wonderful background music!

This year I've started working for a Scolopi school. If you'd asked me about the Scolopi (or Piarists) just one year ago, I'm afraid I would have been clueless... shame on me! Not just thinking of me as a Catholic teacher (though being a Catholic, I'd never worked for a religious school before, you know). I'm actually thinking of all Argentinian teachers.

Let's begin at the beginning. You may be unaware that their founder (St. Joseph Calasanz - aka Calasanza and Calasanctius) has been proclaimed "protector of all State primary and secondary schools" in Argentina ( National Law Nº 13 633/49). If there was general agreement on the importance of his contribution for our educators then, I wonder, how come his figure has gradually vanished from the curricula at Teacher's Training Colleges to the point of my never having heard about him in all my years at schools and training colleges?

This "teacher of teachers", as Calasanz has often been called, opened (back in November 1597) the first public free school in Europe. He worked all throughout his life to teach children in general, and poor children in particular. I've heard he discovered his calling to educate the underprivileged as he walked around some of the poorest neighbourhoods in Rome. I can't help thinking he would feel but quite the same if he walked around Buenos Aires, my city, today... He was, nevertheless, quite optimistic about the power of education:

“if from the time they are of tender age the children are instilled with piety and the arts, one can expect, beyond all manner of doubt, a happy tenor their whole life through" (Constitutions of 1622, n. 2 - as cited by J.Ma. Lecea)

Piety AND Arts. An education in values PLUS the access to information. At times where many equated "teaching" with "instruction", this visionary grasped an unquestioned truth today (at least in principle): "to educate" does not merely mean "to transmit knowledge"; education is what makes us (both learners and teachers) human.

Joseph Calasanz was born exactly 450 years ago. Four centuries ago, he gave a step that would influence worlwide education forever... Let his passion for education and for the poor and unlearned go on living in every teacher's heart for long!

Gladys

John Dewey

2006-11-15T14:07:00.000-03:00

There are many features of Dewey's ideas that are quite interesting... First of all, the fact that what he most expected from schools was to form citizens. When I was at school it was usual to see children looking down on other students because they were "different". I remember one of my teachers used to encourage us to listen to each other and respect our differences (e.g. we used to have problems in the classroom regarding the clothes we wore...). I would like to apply this idea of "no discrimation" starting in the classroom, so that my students can apply them in their lives both inside and out of school. I would really like to foster communication among my students to break the differences between them.
However, I believe that Dewey's idea that "the fewer hours children spend at school, the better (just enough to acquire just the minimum concepts)" is quite an exaggeration. I believe that the bases of education are both values and knowledge... so if we leave knowledge out of school... what do we want it for?

Contributed by Alejandra de Antoni

Rousseau on Education

2006-11-04T12:37:00.000-03:00

-One of Rousseau's ideas that influences school today is the thought that at the Pre-adolescence stage (12-15) the child should not know about those ideas that are beyond his grasp. Nowadays, when a student makes a question about sth. that is not in the syllabus, many teachers say 'This is a topic for next year,' or 'You cannot understand this now,' and go onto the topic of the day. I don't think this is because the teacher is lazy or not motivated enough to encourage students' curiosity. Perhaps many teachers don't believe in much 'going off track' because they feel the topic is too complex for the students.
-One idea I would like to consider when teaching is that teachers must take into account sex differences (though at all stages, not only at 20-25). With this I don't mean that we should favoured boys or girls, or foster stereotypes. We should pay attention to these differences and encourage students to respect and tolerate each other.
-I also like the idea of 'life as a playground.' I would like to provide an environment in which my students could experience by themselves and make sense of the environment in their own way, not always relying on the teacher. A teacher should cater for children's natural curiosity, thus allowing opportunities for learning.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

2006-09-18T21:38:00.000-03:00

Rousseau´s ideas...Have they been worth it?I think that school has taken a few of Rousseau’s ideas and they have been ADJUSTED into what it is supposed to be education. The most important thing, I guess, is the aim that Rousseau had for education and in some way it has been taken into account: to learn how to live. I know that not in every school this is considered, but in my experience or perhaps modern schools, this is a very important topic. All the subjects that are compulsory in education, have a minimum of morality, that is that will help you to succeed in life. Also, not any kind of living but a healthy, good one, by managing our own social instincs and avoiding individualism.
I supposed that what I would like to try in my own lessons, is the idea of being apart from the ordinary life and trying to get to know another one. I don´t mean studying in the countryside (as Rousseau did with Emile), but I am in favour of trying new things and encouraging my students to learn good habits, physical and intellectual in other environment rather than the one they already know.

John Dewey

2006-09-18T11:28:00.000-03:00

While analyzing John Dewey's ideas, I was able to find a close relationship with the type of education I had at my secondary school, where the purpose was "Not Multa Sed Multum", which means "not many different things, buteach one in the deep". Moreover, a clear trend nowadays is to find teachersthat devote their classes to favouring the personal experience of the learner and their own creations.

Nevertheless, at the same time, the teacher's function as a "midwife" (a guide through the process of constructing knowledge) is sometimes replaced by the "explainer", not even thought of by Dewey. I would like to particularly stress Dewey's concern about the development of critical, socially engaged intelligence and respect for diversity.

As a teacher-to-be, I believe that it is really important to integrate social experience with educational ones, considering Dewey's ideas about socialization, democratization and diversity. It is also important to take into account the idea of emancipating learners and advocating the enlargement of experience, because learners are human beings that are part of a society and they must learn how to manage their experiences.

The Role of Women in Education

2006-09-10T08:31:00.000-03:00

I would like to start with a brief summary about Manuel Belgrano's ideas on education in general and women's education in particular. He had studied Law in Spain and there, he became familiiar with the new theories on education.

These theories had been developed by Frederick Froebel and Johann Pestalozzi, they encouraged the creation of an educational environment that involved practical work and the direct use of materials. These thinkers favoured spontaneous work and self-activity. They said that children should not be given ready-made answers but should arrive at answers themselves. The method was to proceed from the easier to the more difficult (observation-consciousness-speech-measuring-drawing-writing-numbers). The theories favoured the observation of nature in contrast with the popular belief at that moment.

Belgrano, convinced of these ideas, wanted to put them into practice in our country, but he found a great opposition among people in Government. He was in favour of free schools as a means to eradicate ignorance and misery, he wanted to create agricultural schools to teach country people how to better work the soil.

Belgrano was among the first who gave importance to women's education thinking in the role women had at home teaching children. He said that "an ignorant woman raise unable, retarded citizens". He wanted to change the educational system because, he thought, it destroyed children's imagination. He wanted education to be compulsory, with new methodology applied. He also stated that the world was full of books with important and interesting discoveries about agriculture and life in general, but those books did not reach the country people.

Belgrano had the ideas but he did not have the power or the money to make them possible. Around fifty year later, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, who was in favour of the same ideas, and who had the power to put them into practice when he was President, took over the enterprise.

While he was President, the first population census was done and the result was that three quarters of the people was illiterate. To solve this problem he decided to create schools, libraries and to bring trained teachers from America, to teach children applying the new methodologies.

Before being President, he had been Consul in America, and there he had met Horace Mann, a well-known teacher who applied new methodologies, but it was his wife Mary the one who coordinated the import of teachers to our country. Mary recruited sixty-seven trained teachers who came here and impelled the transformation of the country into one of the countries with less illiteracy. This group of teachers were called the "Odisea laica". Lay because Sarmiento was not in favour of mixing religion with education.

Sarmiento also said that it should be taken into account the education of women, because they "destroy what teachers teach at school", meaning that women should work hand in hand with teachers, and to do so, they should be educated as well.

During Sarmiento's government, the Escuela Normal de Paranà was founded and the teachers taught there to form apt teachers for kindergarten and primary school. Mr George Sterns was in charge of the school and Mrs Sara Chamberlain Ecclestone was in charge of the teachers. In this way, "Normalism" began in our country.

The group of teachers of the Odisea Laica was formed, among others, by Sara Chamberlain Ecclestone, Frances Armstrong, who after being at Paranà, went to Còrdoba and founded the Escuela Normal and later the Escuela Normal Mixta in San Nicolàs de los Arroyos, Theodora Gay, Serena Wood, Elizabeth Gorman, Mary O. Graham, Elizabeth Peabody, Frances Hall and Jemie Howard.

Apart from this group of American teachers, Sarmiento trusted in one special woman, Juana Manso. She was a writer and a teacher who believed in the new theories. Sarmiento named her Head of the Escuela Primaria N· 1, the first mixed school in our country. She implemented the new methodology there, which was very much resisted by those who were opposed to her. She cancelled physical punishment and introduced English as a subject of study. She insisted on popular education and civil emancipation of women.

After the exposition of these data, I would like to state that, although we call Sarmiento the Father of Our Education, he carried out the ideas that somebody else, Belgrano, had thought of before. Sarmiento had the opportunity, the power and the money to do that, but this ideas were not originally his.

As regards the similarities between both men, I would state that both thought about the role of women. They said that women should be educated because they are children's first teachers and also as a way of giving them the possibility of emancipation.

In respect to the role of women in education, I would like to state that without that first step, the coming of American teachers, education based on a systematised methodology would have been impossible.

text provided by Irene Da Rold.

Paulo Freire

2006-09-07T19:23:00.000-03:00

Paulo Freire was a Brazilian educator, who was born in 1921 in a city called Recife. Due to the Great Depression the country was divided into high and low classes, and as a consequence his parents suffered from severe financial problems that led him to know hunger and poverty at a young age. So, it was in his childhood that he determined to dedicate his life to the struggle against hunger. In 1944, he married Elza Oliveira who was an elementary school teacher. Consequently, his interests in theories of education began to grow and as a result, he did more extensive reading in education, philosophy and sociology of education. Freire began to work as the Director of the Department of Education in Brazil, and his experiences during those years brought him into adult education.
His theories of education gave him international fame as well as political persecution in his own country to the extent that he was imprisoned and subsequently exiled to Chile and the United States. His international recognition was the result of several experiments of literacy training. One of them was called “Bare feet can also learn to read” in which he taught illiterate workers to read and write in 45 days.
In 1965, due to the violent situation in The USA and Southern Asia among other places, Freire found that repression and exclusion of the powerless were a global phenomenon. Therefore, violence became a great concern in his writings leading him to write his most famous work called “Pedagogy of the Oppressed.” In this book, he emphasised the idea of learning as an act of culture and freedom, and he argued that through learning and conscientization people became aware of the oppression, so as to liberate themselves from that oppressive reality.

José Manuel Estrada

2006-07-16T14:13:00.000-03:00

He was born in Buenos Aires on 13th July, 1842. He was a historian, a journalist as well as a publicist. He was one of the most intellectual people in the second half of the XIX century.
When he was young, his parents died, and his grandmother Carmen de Liniers got in charge of his education. His formal education took place in San Francisco school, where he learned philosophy, theology, religion and humanities. In 1815, when he finished primary school, he received an award in a history contest in the Liceo Literario as he had done a very good work related to the discovery of America. It was at this time that he started his career as a journalist. In 1865, Estrada presented his first purely historic work. A year later, he initiated in the teaching profession in the "Escuela Normal". By this time, Sarmiento, who was in power, named Estrada Secretary of Foreign Affairs and he appointed him to teach Civic Instruction in the National School, where he had already taught philosophy.
In 1869, Estrada was named Chief of the General Department of Schools. Two years later, he initiated his career as a politician. Some time later, he was elected representative for Buenos Aires.
In 1874, he was in charge of the Direction of Escuelas Normales and Decanato of the Philosophy and Literature School of the University of Buenos Aires.
In 1880, when Julio A. Roca was in power for the first time, there were strong anti-Catholic ideas. Estrada, being a devoted Catholic started an advertising fight in favour of Catholicism. There were topics being greatly discussed, such as the exclusion of Catholic education from schools, the inclusion of civil marriage and other things related to religious matters.
In 1890, while he was in a lecture in Buenos Aires, he suffered a decompensation that obliged him to retire from public life.
On September 17th, 1894, his illness defeated him and he died in the capital city of Paraguay.

Text provided by Ana Paula Farias

Juana Manso

2006-07-16T01:36:00.000-03:00

"Vosotros, ricos ¿por què no las educais ilustradas, en vez de criarlas para el goce brutal? Y vosotros, pobres ¿por què les cerrais torpemente la vereda de la industria y el trabajo, y la colocais entre la alternativa de la prostituciòn y la miseria?"

This is a quote from one of the most important educators in Argentina: Juana Manso.
She lived in the 19th century and fought for the rights of women and for the improvement of the educational system, within a democratic frame.
If you want to learn more about her life and her contribution to our education system, just click here.

John Dewey

2005-10-28T12:45:00.000-03:00

(October 1859 – June 1952)

The idea we found most interesting was that of “learning by doing” (or by ‘direct living’): learning Mathematics by using proportions in cooking breakfast, and Chemistry by investigating the natural processes involved; learning History by experiencing how people lived. It was important for him that the students participate in concrete activities with practical relevance to their lives, thus keeping them interested and motivated. What is experienced firsthand is more likely to be remembered and internalized. Although this method is interesting and useful for some learners, its limitations are obvious: the level of the knowledge cannot go far beyond basic operations or concepts outside of what is experienced.

Contributed by Cynthia Randerath and Maria Perez Armendariz - 1st year students

Maria Montessori

2005-10-27T12:35:00.000-03:00

Maria Montessori developed an interest in the treatment of children and for several years she worked, wrote and spoke on their behalf. She strongly supported the fact that children learn without knowing they are learning and in doing so pass from the unconscious to the conscious treading always in the paths of joy and love. She always believed that there was nothing impossible for children to learn it through experience.

At the present time we face different realities with each of the students. However, this does not mean that we should give up our efforts to make them understand that we only want to walk with them along the path of learning. So… let us never give up!

Contributed by Carlos Argota and Natalia López - 1st year students

Victor Mercante

2005-08-21T01:51:00.000-03:00

This man introduced a new concept called paidologia, which involved studying the student when he was learning. This concept was described as “psychology without the brains”, that is to say “the psychology of the students’ abilities”. He believed that it was necessary to watch children and teens’ behaviour in the classroom so as to know how they learn and thus know how to teach them. He worked with important people such as Piaget, Fraud, Binet among others in a lab that enabled them to watch learners while working using their bodies as a learning source. He thought that the most important feature in pedagogy was to make students both understand and pay and keep attention instead of only transmitting knowledge to them.

Amadeo Jacques

2005-08-21T01:45:00.000-03:00

French Educator and pioneer of science and culture.

His name is, for ever, linked to the history of the National School of Buenos Aires, where he worked as a teacher and head, and to culture in Buenos Aires and Tucumán.

Jacques was born in France in 1813. He studied at Borbon Liceum and the Teacher Training College in Paris, where he was attracted to Science. He taught in Amiens and Versailles, and at the age of 24 he became a Ph Doctor in Literature, with two thesis: one in Latin and another one in French. A short time later, he became a BA in Science at the University of Paris. He was forced, due to political reasons, to leave his teaching career in Paris and traveled to America.

He lived and worked in Paraná-Entre Rios, Córdoba, Santiago del Estero fostering culture in each city. Later, he moved to Tucumán where he was appointed Head of San Miguel School, his work there was revolutionary as regards systems and pedagogic methodologies. He also worked as a librarian in the school, when he increased the bibliographic collection considerably.

Some time later, he was appointed head of the School of Buenos Aires. In this position, he transformed teaching completely, introducing the new scientific ideas stemming from Europe, but adapted to our circumstances and environment. He also planned primary, secondary and university education on a “universalist” basis, which consisted in preparing students to “learn everything”. He believed that students should not be prepared for a certain university course or career, they should be prepared for any job or activity in life. Specialities should be based upon this general and complete education. This was his main legacy, and exerted an important influence on the organization and orientation of our secondary education.

The National School, under Jacques’s rule, became a model to be imitated by the other schools in the provinces. Together with other contemporary thinkers, like Juan María Gutierrez, he created a very important work Plan the Instrucción Publica, which exerted great influence on the educational plans at the end of the 20th century. He died on 13th October, 1865.

His figure was immortalized by Miguel Cané in his major work Juvenilia.