Support Innovation in Vulnerable Schools

With the help of donors like you, Educación 2020 is bringing innovation to vulnerable classrooms throughout Chile. Today we wanted to share the progress being made at in two schools in particular, the Colegio de Santa María in Melipilla (near Santiago in Chile's central region), and the Escuela Angol in Malleco (in Chile's southern Araucanía region).

Both schools are working with Educación 2020 on the implementation of Tutorial Relationships, a UN-backed methodology that allows students to become the protagonists of their own learning process.Colegio Santa María and Escuela Angol are part of a 30-school network implementing Tutorial Relationships in Chile. Using this methodology, teachers change the paradigm of teaching and learning by training their students to "tutor" peers in areas of personal interest. Tutoring sessions allow students to learn topics linked with the national curriculum through a participative process that has been shown to create lasting results in a variety of international contexts.   

Students at these schools will: 

• improve oral communication skills
• develop self-esteem and confidence
• increase motivation to learn
• learn how they learn best ("metacognition")
• increase creativity and engage in in-depth learning
• improve classroom atmosphere and respect among peers

Tutorial Relationships is implemented gradually at each school, and is now in process with a pioneer group of ten 4th grade teachers at both Colegio de Santa Maria and Escuela Angol. These ten teachers are trained in the theory and practice of the Tutorial Relationships method, and are now preparing to train ten pioneer students to become tutors. One history teacher from the Escuela Angol said of the Tutorial Relationship training: 

"This experience was different, unexpected, and I enjoyed it a lot because I learned in a totally different way. I learned through conversing with another person (during the tutoring session). I think this will have a really positive effect on the students."   

Not long from now, the methodology will launch in classrooms and eventually spread to other grade levels! It's an exciting time for these schools, and we will continue to keep you in the loop as their journey toward classroom innovation continues! Thank you for making this possible.

Un abrazo, 

The Educación 2020 Team

Links:

• Profesores de Angol experimentan innovadora metodologia

The first week of March marks the return to school for Chilean students, and we have been busy over the last few months preparing teachers and students for a fantastic 2017 filled with excitement and innovation!

Educación 2020 is getting closer and closer to the goal of 50 schools participating in our Tutorial Relationships pilot project. We will work with teachers, administrations, and students to bring this UN-backed methodology into vulnerable schools throughout Chile, and in doing so improve learning outcomes for thousands of students.

The first step in joining the pilot program is a training workshop that provides educators the tools they need to implement Tutorial Relationships and connect it to standardized curriculum. 

One example of this process unfolded in Curacaví, a rural town outside of Santiago. Teachers from the Nuestra Señora del Carmen school participated in three days of Tutorial Relationships training.  "They are enthusiastic, preparing their tutoring topics for the 7th graders that will soon join the project," says Mercedes Alvarez, Project Coordinator for Educación 2020.

One professor shared his experience: "I felt comfortable and motivated to link this experience to the school curriculum. It's a positive evaluation." Another shared, "I discovered the different ways to innovate, to modify the learning process."

Teachers at Nuestra Señora del Carmen and many other schools throughout the country are returning to the classroom this March with a new outlook on learning and creating 21st Century citizens. Stay tuned to see how classroom innovation changes the paradigm for these students!