We train community and education facilitators in the Escuela Nueva and Escuela Activa Urbana models and strengthen and develop training programs and learning networks.

FEN uses a variety of training strategies, combining short-term workshop-based processes with longer-term processes that provide ongoing training and reinforcement of training content.

Training Workshops

Training workshops serve as educational forums and participants are primarily teachers, administrative staff and pre-service teacher trainees.

The workshops are consistent with the Escuela Nueva Escuela Activa methodology; they promote individual, pair and small group work and the trainer is a learning facilitator that uses a variety of resources. Each seminar includes 30-40 participants per trainer, meets eight hours a day and 40 hours a week. However, the daily schedule can be adapted depending on the needs and environment of the schools participating in the training.

Workshop 1: Introduction to the Escuela Nueva Escuela Activa Model

In this workshop participants identify and learn to organize an environment where the Escuela Nueva Escuela Activa model and its techniques can be implemented.

Workshop 2: Using Learning Resources and Materials

This workshop reinforces content from the first workshop and teachers learn to work effectively with the learning guides and other teaching and technological resources.

We also offer additional workshops on managing learning resources in classroom libraries and work stations, techniques for promoting the development of literacy, competencies and standards, and the use of ICT technologies and tools.

Teacher Study Groups

Escuela Nueva Escuela Activa teacher study groups are a key strategy for continuous professional development. Study groups serve to:

• Maintain the quality of the model through the identification of opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Strengthen teachers’ capacity to reflect on teaching practices and share experiences, achievements and difficulties that occur during the teaching process, especially those connected with the Escuela Nueva model.
• Follow up on processes connected with implementing the model.
• Share experiences, thoughts, innovative techniques and solutions.

The study groups meet once every month or two and are organized based on content from the training workshops or at the beginning of a semester.

School Visits and Demonstration Classrooms

The process of training teachers also includes visits to observe demonstration schools or classrooms who have achieved a certain level of skill in implementing the Escuela Nueva model. These demonstration schools and classrooms are centers for best practices and reference points for the teachers that are just starting to implement the model.

Mentoring and Evaluation

The mentoring and evaluation process is a training strategy which follows up on training in classrooms and educational centers.

This follow up is done by a FEN advisor, who observes classes and provides feedback on successes and challenges encountered while implementing the Escuela Nueva Escuela Activa model. The advisors and the teacher work together to identify goals that improve teaching and assure that the model is effectively implemented and that instruction continues to be relevant and interesting for boys and girls. The frequency of follow-up visits depends on the needs of each educational institution.

Internships

Internships are supported by visits to demonstration schools and conferences dedicated to reflection and analysis of the implementation process.

This strategy is recommended for the induction of teachers transferred from schools not using the model, or teachers who have just begun working in education. Local authorities can identify schools who are effectively implementing the Escuela Nueva model (for teachers that will be working in rural schools) or individual teachers who are effectively implementing the model (for teachers who will work with Escuela Activa Urbana in urban areas).

ReNueva, the Escuela Nueva online Community

FEN has been responsible for the Red de Aprendizaje (Learning Network) initiative since 2008. It consists of a web portal (www.renueva.org) that provides Escuela Nueva implementers and the communities where they work the opportunity to interact, share, exchange ideas and build knowledge about Nueva Escuela in a forum that can accessed no matter where they are located.