Cossettini Sisters’ Escuela Serena. An Example of Educational Innovation at 20th Century’s Beginning

Abstract

This article aims to present an innovative educational experience, even for our time, despite it had its heyday at the beginning of the 20th century, when it was conducted, designed, and applied by sisters Olga and Leticia Cossettini, at Santa Fe province, Argentina. Their Escuela Serena (Serene School), as they call it, broke an educational paradigm in a time when behaviorism dominated the educational system, not only in Argentina. 

To learn about this experience, bibliographical material has been consulted, testimonial accounts preserved in videos, several writings alluding to the subject, which has allowed the understanding of the methodology of this school —created by women in a world of men during the first decades of the 20th century—, which contributed to changing the social thinking of an era and allocating comprehensive educational processes to generate significant learning. This type of educational innovation remains valid, since the objective of current teaching is aimed at enhancing students' skills and aptitude, in flexible contexts which serve as basis and support to develop meaningful learning.