The mysterious passengers He saw them get on the bus at the Hangares station and observed them closely: the wrinkled shirts, the black shoes, their neat ties… Both of them were hugging their backpacks to their chests, as if what they carried inside was a deadly weapon, or the very secret of salvation. They didn’t talk much. He turned t...

There are a lot of things that facilitators, coaches, and trainers can learn from video game designers about how to create engaging learning experiences. A quick clarification first: “Engaging” is not the same as “addictive”. You’re engaged when you make an active and focused investment of effort. It has to do more with doing, experien...

Finding curiosity first As a kid, the Sunday paper is what I looked forward to the most. But it wasn’t the sports section or the comics on the final page what made me rush to read it. It was the dominical poem. A tiny couplet. Two consecutive lines that typically rhymed. One day, I grabbed a pen and a notebook and I copied one of the p...

“The number one thing that characterizes any director, any good director, is that he has to make people feel that they can try anything”. This is a quote by Robert de Niro about what it's like to work with Martin Scorsese. As I fell into the internet rabbit hole of movies, stories, directors, and techniques, I learned that there’s some...

Do you recognize this artifact? It's called a cassette tape, and it came into existence in 1962. If you were around before CDs, you probably received one of this from a friend (a crush, maybe?), or even recorded one yourself. If you did, you know that it was a labour of patience and love. You would spend painful minutes, hours, days......

Today I wrote an email to a professor I had 8 years ago to apologize for something I did. I was taking two Philosophy classes that semester. The professor of one of them was a recognized academic. He would enter the classroom and dazzle everyone with his lectures. He had a thing with words that it's hard to describe, but it was very ea...

I remember the silver bottle caps piled on the ground. The pitcher threw them towards the strike target while my older cousin would attempt to hit them with a broomstick. It went on for hours and I remember the street ended all covered up with sparkles of Coca Cola, Sprite, and Fanta. At the time I didn't get it, it was very difficult ...

Even before the first concrete of block was added to the house's construction, my dad managed to transport tons of sand from the beach to build a beach volleyball court. That's how enthusiastic he's always been about sports. First the court, next the house. Just as families invite close friends to be part of their own family rituals (c...

You're 12. Is the first day of school. The teacher walks in and you already know what will be the first instruction of the day. Please introduce yourself by saying your name and what are your hobbies. You're 18. Is the first day of college. You receive the exact same instructions... Here's the thing about those introductions. Although ...

Hi! My name is Stefy. I design learning experiences at p1440 and teach Economics courses at UFM in Guatemala. Previously I was COO at Qüilo, a platform that uses technology to provide low cost insurance. Before, I did business development at Learnhub, a project-based learning platform for alternative schools that was part of Startup Ch...