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Dr. Persis
Rickes visited Bogotá, Columbia in November
2011, having been invited to deliver the
keynote address at the First International
Conference for Environments and Learning
Experiences. Often referred to as the
“Athens of South America”, Dr. Rickes deeply
enjoyed her introduction to Bogotá, and was
struck by the architectural contrast that is
so evident between the traditional and the
modern throughout the city.
During her
visit, Dr. Rickes was fortunate to have the
opportunity to tour the campus of The
University of the Andes and learn more about
Columbian higher education. In addition to
the impressive new buildings which comprise
The University of the Andes, remodeled
industrial and religious buildings add to
the character and culture of the campus.
Founded in 1948, the University enrolls
17,000 students and is a top tier
institution of higher education in Latin
America.
The
invitation to keynote followed the
collaboration between Dr. Rickes and Kassani,
a premier manufacturer of furniture aimed at
the education sector, on a book: Aula 360˚
(Classrooms 360˚). This well-received book
includes a chapter by Dr. Rickes entitled,
Classrooms for Collaboration and Engagement.
Her keynote
presentation built upon the book chapter,
providing a review of various classroom
styles and associated pedagogies, classroom
utilization approaches, an examination of
how today’s students learn, and the
characteristics of “good” classroom
environments. Conference attendees included
educators and administrators from throughout
Latin America and abroad.
Dr. Rickes
was also featured in a segment on Columbia’s
major television station.
See the interview here.
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