By: María José Nevárez, Co-Director Harvard Alumni for Education LATAM
On January 15, 2026, the Harvard Alumni for Education LATAM hosted Eugenio Severín for the presentation of his latest book titled, Otra Educación: Aprender en el Siglo XXI (Another Education: Learning in the 21st Century), which synthesizes research from neuroscience, pedagogy, cognitive psychology, and learning sciences to promote a deeper, meaningful and transformational learning. Eugenio, who is also the CEO of Tu Clase Tu País, an education non-profit based in Chile, wrote this book because he felt that there was a need for clear and more up-to-date definitions of learning, especially considering the advancements happening in neuroscience and cognitive psychology in the last thirty to forty years. The first half of the book Otra Educación seeks to define what it means to learn and how it happens, and the second half offers insights on how this research can be converted into learning experiences for children, youth, and adults.
During the conversation, Eugenio defined learning as a combination of biological, social, and cultural processes occurring in the mind to help us make better decisions and improve our lives. Learning is a complex process and educators in Latin America have an enormous task to produce learning in others despite local challenges. Otra Educación argues that a transformational learning experience requires changes in its pedagogical core to transform classroom learning, and restore its deeply human dimension. Besides the importance of meaningful relationships between students and teachers, Eugenio emphasized the fundamental role of parents and caretakers in learning processes from early childhood through adulthood. For this reason, it is necessary to cultivate trust between educators and parents to allow a deeper and more human type of learning.
We also discussed the impact of technology in learning environments, and Eugenio mentioned that its impact has been relatively modest in the past thirty years while emphasizing that technology should not be a solution on its own, but that any meaningful improvements in education will depend on human decisions about how to enrich educational experiences. In Latin America, for example, Eugenio highlighted the importance of moving away from hierarchical and standardized approaches towards more active and engaging learning experiences. In a region, where traditional learning often involves the transmission of information from teachers’ papers to student notebooks, educators should instead create learning experiences that activate the student and teacher brains to learn at the same time, and therefore, encourage lifelong learning.
The discussion could not conclude without the audience hearing about Eugenio’s perspective on Artificial Intelligence (AI). In his view, AI represents a significant shift in education, and it is already replacing certain human capacities, but not necessarily extending them. Stressing the importance of maintaining a critical distance and human sovereignty when using this type of technology, and inviting educators to think of AI as an exoskeleton that can help them think in new ways without replacing the human connection of education. Eugenio emphasized that educators should establish human connections, truly know their students, and ensure that learning is actually taking place in students’ minds.
“Learning is not a technical process, but a human encounter.”
~ Eugenio Severín ~
Watch the recording here: https://youtu.be/m49e70SBSPg?si=dFY70Wf51_PA2uzJ