Socio-emotional education and active methodologies for the 21st century: Redefining a global agenda in two educational programs in the Province of Buenos Aires

Abstract

Considering the need to understand the integration of global agendas and their reinterpretation in the local context, this study analyzes the implementation of two educational programs that were part of the innovation agenda in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, between 2015 and 2019. Based on an analysis of state documents and interviews with public officials, we focus on the diagnoses that framed these programs, the experiences and perspectives on the problems that guided policymakers, and the objectives and actions deployed to achieve results. The orientation of the local programs shows common characteristics linked to the promotion of global agendas focused on social-emotional learning and active methodologies centered on collaborative work and dialogic, project-based learning. They also express differences regarding the foundations and visions that guided decision-makers in the program implementation process. In this sense, despite sharing common diagnoses, the local proposals are reinterpreted based on the practical experience of the actors responsible for undertaking, formulating, and implementing these programs. The proposals show limitations due to their focused and segmented scope.