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An Innovative Project for Chilean Education
Colegio Amancay de La Florida
Background
The educational system is changing in Chile. In the past 30 years many problems have been solved and new challenges have arisen. The country now has a 95% literacy rate, 100% of children have access to the elementary school system, and 70% to education at the High School level. The school system is organized on a decentralized basis, giving the municipalities and the private sector -- families, teachers, foundations, and corporations -- the responsibility to manage the schools. A subsidy system finances both municipal schools and a high percentage of private schools. But criticism remains, focusing on the low quality, rigidity, inequity and inefficiency of the system.
A national program of educational assessment found poor results in reading and basic math operations, principally in municipal and private-public funded schools. Rigid curriculum and formal and teacher-centered methodology, based in teacher dissertation and student memory also were observed. A very unequal distribution both of resources and results between private (family paid) schools, private (public funded) schools and municipal schools was documented. In addition, family-paid schools are oriented toward high-income families (17% population), while private, publicly funded schools are oriented toward middle-income families (30% population). The municipal schools serve principally low-income and very poor families. (Indeed public subsidies only permit courses of 45 students.) The whole system is oriented as a "road-to-university" in a very competitive culture, so that an "adverse selection" results for those students with learning disabilities or poor performance. Many good students, intelligent boys and girls are being missed by this system. All schools had only 800 hours a year of teaching-learning activities until 1997. In addition, the National Association of Teachers identified teachers' education and training and their remuneration as primary problems facing the Chilean education system.
Since 1990, the Chilean government has improved quality, resources, curriculum and management of its educational system through a broad and deep educational reform process. Rigid curriculum is being changed to a flexible one called Programmatic orientations and basic contents for Chilean education. Funds have been assigned to increase teacher salaries, support innovative projects, upgrade facilities, extend students' time in school (as to get 1,200 hours a year of teaching-learning activities) and provide teacher training programs.
An Innovative School
Colegio Amancay de La Florida ("Amancay Elementary School of La Florida"), Santiago, Chile, is an innovative project for Chilean education. It was created in 1995 as a space in which teachers, families and students could find new and renewed forms of teaching and learning. "Amancay" means "The flower of the daybreak" in Aymara language.
Today there are about 150 families and 200 students in the school. There is only Elementary Education (8 grades, one course for each level) and one course of prebasic education.
Amancay is a private-public funded school, located in La Florida, a community in the Southeast part of Santiago. Our facilities are in two little buildings, one for pre-basic and the first five elementary levels, and other for the last three elementary levels.
What is Our School's Philosophy?
We believe that education is a responsibility mainly of the family, and that our commitment is to create the best conditions to give children a "space for learning", adapted to their specific capabilities and individual conditions.
We define ourselves as:
A small educational community. We have classes of no more than 28 students each and a total population of 200 students for all the 8 elementary grades in the school. (Most of municipal and private-public funded schools have 40 to 45 students in the classroom.)
An innovative school centered on the individual student, which enables a personalized methodology. In the classroom, teachers work with "learning plans" that are developed by every student individually, and differential instructional and evaluation plans for those students who are need additional challenges or extra help.
A school that develops a very affective but well structured educational environment. We have an daily routine that begins with the welcoming of each student in the front door of the school in the morning, and ends with a personal good-bye at the end of the day. Interpersonal relationships are informal, nevertheless, there are clear rules for inter-student and student-teacher relationships. Our school philosophy emphasizes acceptance of differences among persons and the nonviolent resolution of conflict by way of conversation and agreement.
A community that values achievement in a context of respect and solidarity. We are oriented toward those families who seek for their children an educational program in which every boy or girl will be recognized as a special and different person, respecting their individual rhythm of learning, and stimulating their specific interests and capabilities in intellectual, artistic and sports activities. This is possible only in a small, affective school, since in a larger one, of many hundreds or even thousands of students, any child can be lost within a crowd.
We have created an interpersonal environment and methodology even though we have modest facilities and technological equipment.
How Does the School Work?
We have created a model based on personalized education, using Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences theory of and are now beginning to add Reuven Feuerstein's theory of Structural Cognitive Modifiability in the form of a Workshop for students with ADD.
When a student is enrolled in the school, an initial diagnostic test is administered to determine if he has a learning disadvantage or behavioral problem. While the family has the primary responsibility to help and give support to their son or daughter if he or she has a problem that impedes his progress in learning, the school will provide special psychopedagogic diagnosis and support to those students identified as having ADD or other learning difficulties.
What Is a Typical School Day?
The school has a routine that begins with the daily welcome for every student at the front door of the building. This is followed by the "encounter circle" in every classroom where each child talks about his previous day or his family activities, or the group discusses topics posed by the teacher or children themselves. After the circle, we begin the "silent reading time", in which everybody in the school reads quietly. Some classes -- mainly for the youngest children -- begin with some physical activity as preparation for the learning activities.
Classes are developed with "learning guides", and the next activity a Personal Workshop in which each boy and girl works alone, with the support of the teacher. Questions are raised about the issues and instructions in the learning guide, and end with a discussion of the activities developed, along with clarifications or an exposition by the teacher.
Next, activities are developed in groups. Teachers structure activities with awareness of the different abilities of students. In the afternoon, students work in workshops or special activities related to their "other intelligences", such as arts, painting, dance, soccer (very popular in our country), research, and journalism.
Teachers have freedom to create their "learning guides" and other curriculum activities, under the supervision of the school's Technical Coordinator who helps them coordinate with the Curriculum and Learning Programs. In addition, this year teachers are involved in a "Program of Educational Projects Preparation, Evaluation and Management" organized and developed as an in-school activity.
Special School Traditions
Every year there are special, educational activities that are becoming school traditions. Examples are "The Week of the Arts", in which we have a day "The Children Talk With Writers", and another one for "The Children Paint With Painters". Also we have "The Scientific Week", with an exposition of "The Students' Inventions", "The Sea Month" and so on. We emphasize the personal and practical approach of each student to the issues that we are dealing with. Last year the school organized an exposition of three years of student paintings made during the arts week activity "The Children Paint With Painters". Another tradition, during the year every student in the third grade has a "special week", with the participation of their parents, in which he or she is celebrated by his class as "our friend."
Summary
We are a new school, a strong and innovative team, a very motivated group of teachers and families, working in an educational environment that is being reformed, building a model educational community for our country. As we are in the initial stages of this new project, we are learning and enriching concepts and practice every day.
A beautiful challenge!
This article was contributed by Ximena Gundian and Carlos Anrìquez, on the staff of Colegio Amancay. The school's staff members are Ximena Gundian, Professor of History and Social Sciences and Educational Orientation Post-Titled, director of the project team and Principal of the school. Carlos Anrìquez, Public Administrator, Diploma in Political Sciences and University Professor, is the General Manager. The team also includes Ms. Pamela Valenzuela, Elementary Professor, (Academic Coordinator and Assistant Director), Ms. Alberta Gutierrez, Elementary Professor (Technical Coordinator), Ms. Pamela Sotomayor, Spanish Professor (Workshops coordinator), and a staff of 13 Elementary and High School professors, two assistant professors, one secretary and three other workers.Please send questions and comments to Ximena Gundian or Carlos Anrìquez at: canrique@minsal.cl. Or contact them at:
Colegio Amancay de La Florida
Costa Rica 9342
La Florida, Santiago, Chile
Fono 56-2-287 7433
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