This paper aims to make a contribution to understanding the process of renewal of Venezuelan education, from the study of the work of one of its main protagonists: Alejandro Fuenmayor.His work, during the first half of the 20th century, was characterized by the following terms: teacher of teachers, pioneer of the paradigm of critical reflective teaching, philosopher of the renewal of education, forger of educational institutions and innovative teaching practice.This is a hermeneutical interpretive perspective of the life and work of a philosopher and pedagogue, in a social historical context of reference.Through the work of this venezuelan leader we can have a view of the transition from traditional pedagogy to the new school, in Venezuela.