Three Decades of Insights from the Escuela Nueva School Model

In this episode of Silver Lining for Learning, we will meet with Vicky Colbert, a sociologist from Colombia. She is co-creator of the world-renowned Escuela Nueva model. Escuela Nueva, Spanish for “new school”, is a progressive education model that emphasizes learner understanding over memorization, and strives to foster the development of interpersonal skills. Importantly, instead of a lecture-based approach, it employs a child-centered pedagogy with extensive collaborative learning. Studies show that it improves literacy and numeracy among disadvantaged youth while encouraging the development of active and reflexive learning as well as self-esteem, creativity, and civic and democratic values. The skills fostered by an Escuela Nueva school are meant to help graduates flourish and quickly adapt to the challenges and possibilities brought by the increasing technological world around them. Attend this session to learn about this method and perhaps rethink aspects of your vision of effective schools and schooling.