BBVA Aprendemos juntos 2030

A doctor in physics and professor of educational technology at the University of Newcastle (United Kingdom), Sugata Mitra became world famous when TED, the organization that promotes technology, education and design, chose his talk as the most inspiring and with the greatest potential for change in 2013. He is also known for his “Hole in the Wall” experiment, which inspired the novel that later became the movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’ Today, his educational proposal, SOLE (Self-Organized Learning Environments), has experiences in schools of over 50 countries.

A doctor in psychology and philosophy, Tal Ben-Shahar currently holds the record for the largest enrollment in an undergraduate course at Harvard University: over 1400 students per semester. His Positive Psychology course quickly earned professor Tal Ben-Shahar his “Happyness Professor” nickname among students. His theories, which draw on science to propose methods to live life with enthusiasm and happiness, have resonated far beyond his classrooms, and his books have become global bestsellers. Can one learn how to be happy? Ben-Shahar’s answer is that “yes, we can change our levels of happiness,” but he doesn’t stop just there and argues that we should teach children how to be happy at schools.

Dutch therapist and writer Eline Snel is Europe’s leading voice in mindfulness applied to education. Snel method’s, also known as the “frog” method due to its focus on attention and breathing taking cues from amphibian behavior, is applied in primary and secondary schools in countries such as France, Germany, Singapore and also Spain. According to Snel, although mindfulness, “is not a magic wand”, teaching it at schools is beneficial for children and teachers, one of the most demanded professionals in the world, she explains.

He is better known as the founder of the world’s most important collaborative projects: Wikipedia. His contribution to the promotion and dissemination of human knowledge has been recognized on many occasions including a Princesa de Asturias Award for international cooperation in 2015. Jimmy Wales is passionate about education, especially about the possibilities that informal learning currently opens up for people’s education. Named the sixth most influential person in the world, Wales believes that, thanks to technology, learning is no longer restricted to schools and colleges, and that we all the need to keep learning throughout our lives.

Esther Wojcicki, periodista y profesora con más de 30 años en Palo Alto, comparte su enfoque educativo innovador. Habla sobre la importancia de enseñar comunicación, pensamiento crítico y creatividad en las aulas actuales. Resalta cómo los estudiantes deben liderar su propio aprendizaje a través de proyectos mediáticos que fomenten la colaboración. También aborda la alfabetización mediática y el uso responsable de la tecnología, enfatizando el rol de padres y educadores en guiar a los jóvenes en un mundo digital sobreexpuesto.

A distinguished professor at the University of Massachusetts and holder of a PhD in Philosophy, Robert Swartz is considered one of the most influential voices in education. Head of the Center for Teaching Thinking (CTT), Swartz is the creator of the Thought-Based Learning method (TBL), that teaches students to make decisions through critical thought and to think creatively and autonomously. For Swartz, thinking and reasoning properly is a social function, which is why it is so important that, at schools, students develop, share ideas, and learn by working together.

Matt Goldman is internationally renowned for being one of the three members of the New York theater company Blue Man Group. He explains, “As artists, we had the feeling that culturally, something was missing in schools.” Concerned by the future of society and education, in the year 2006 the Blue Men founded the Blue School in New York. “We realized the many aspects of the Blue Man Group, like social conscience, collaboration and the research approach could fit perfectly in the environment of a different school,” he explains.

It is one thing to think and study about ways to improve education, many people devote their lives to it. But only a few can actually talk from experience. Richard Gerver is one of them. The winner of “Best Head Teacher” in the British National Teaching Awards, Gerver is regarded as one of the most innovative and inspiring educational leaders of our time. He’s been asked to share his vision on education and human potential by many organizations and top-level athletes across the world. He’s written three books “Creating tomorrow’s school today,” “Change,” and “Simple Thinking”. For this PhD in Education, teacher and author, "the key to education is helping children discover what they're passionate about.”

Marc Masip es psciólogo, director del Instituto Psicológico Desconect@ y experto en el tratamiento del uso abusivo de las nuevas tecnologías. En su libro ‘Desconecta’ plantea las bases de una “dieta digital” para superar nuestra elevada dependencia al móvil y mejorar nuestra relación con las pantallas. “España es el país con más adicción adolescente a Internet de toda Europa”. El problema de esto es que conectamos con algo o alguien virtual, pero desatendemos y desconectamos nuestras relaciones reales y humanas”, reflexiona.

For Kiran Bir Sethi, one thing’s clear: If there’s one thing that children should learn at school, that’s how to change the world. How? This Indian educator’s proposal is Design for Change, a movement that fosters children’s creativity and initiative to solve problems in their community, and that currently is present in over 60 countries. Sethi is also a founder of the Riverside schools, and there, she helps little students grow by saying ‘I can!” And of course, to the beat of a Bollywood tune.