By Brittany Brown | Sustainability Team
Happy September!
“Everyone can be both a learner and a teacher!” This was the conclusion of community members who attended the Mega Learning Festival at the Pontifico Menor School in Santiago´s Las Condes neighborhood to learn more about the “Tutorial Relationships” methodology. This festival brought together 180 students and teachers from schools throughout Santiago that are implementing Tutorial Relationships in partnership with Educación 2020 and through the generosity of donors like you.
Let’s hear from one of the attendees that experienced Tutorial Relationships for the first time! Exequiel Vargas is an English teacher at the Municipal High School of Salamanca. He shares:
"When they invited us, I thought I was coming to a seminar. I even brought a notebook to write things down. When we sat in a circle and I saw the students explaining the Tutorial Relationships topics they had prepared, I thought-- it looks like something different is going to happen here! It was incredible when I saw that the tables were turning and a student was going to teach me. At that point I left my distrust aside, and I ended up having an unforgettable experience.
I chose a topic called “What is your favorite sport?” that was offered by a nine-year-old girl. I thought it would have to do with P.E., but when the tutoring session began, she asked me questions like “how much would I spend buying 10 athletic shirts that cost $19,000 pesos each?” Then I understood that it was a topic related to mathematics.
She did not let me use a notebook so I had to do mental math (which I had not done in years!) At first it was difficult, but she took pauses, guided me, and made sure that I understood before moving on to the next challenge. At one point, I forgot our age difference. To put it simply, she taught and I learned.
It was an enriching experience, because I also learned about a new way of teaching that I can apply in my classes, and it will allow me to have more visual contact and conversation with my students. I think that the Tutorial Relationships methodology can be the beginning of a radical change in the Chilean education system."
Thank you for being a part of this change!
Un abrazo,
The Educación 2020 Team
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