Working together for children in Colombia
Teacher Training Challenges and
Solutions in the Colombian Context
 Background
 Main Challenges in Teacher Training
System and Practice
 Examples of Save the Children
Approach
 Conclusions
Context
BOGOTA
TUMACO
NARIÑO
Education Net Enrolment: ColombiaTumaco
Education Coverage
Nacional
Tumaco
97.20%
89.70%
70.10%
61.80%
58.90%
43.80%
39.70%
16.30%
Transicion
Primaria
Secundaria
Media
National test: :SABER 9
Situation Analysis Tumaco: Challenges
Identified in Teaching Practice
Lack of learning
objetives or
verification
Traditional teacher
focused approach
Little contextual
relevance in class
content
Limited variety in
activities or
materials
Focus on
memorization
Causes of Ineffective Practice- Key
Challenges
Save the Children approaches in
Colombia
Municipal Planning & Quality
Circles
“Diverse Languages in the
Clasroom” strategy for
literacy training
Indigenous Awa training
Challenge 1: Structural
Schools in
certified
municipalities
Investment
in teacher
training:
Impacts
Schools in noncertified
municipalities
Positive
impacts:
increase in
1% students
level in
national test
SABER 11
No impact
1% in
mathematics
and 0,8% in
language
Structural Challenge: Decentralisation without capacity
building for rural areas
•
•
•
•
SECRETARIATS:
NARIÑO: 220 schools
(1,881 satelites)
TUMACO: 26 schools
IPIALES: 38 schools
PASTO: 52 schools
Alternative : Rural Quality Circles
School
School
Identify
good
practice
Research
School
Teacher
support,
training,
exchange
Identify training
needs
School
Challenge 2: Methodological
Common challenges
• Training as a moment
• Passive transmition
• Standarized mass
training
• No contextual
diagnostic of learning
• Not building on
experience
• Lack of practice and
production
• Online training
Result
Understanding concepts but
not practice
Teachers not seen as students in a
learning process
• Learning concepts but not practice
PERCEPTIONS OF THE MOST FREQUENT ACTIVITIES:
STUDENTS VS TEACHERS
Students
Teachers
91%
75.50%
69%
67%
59.40%
59%
54.70%
41%
35.80%
29%
27.40%
11%
Copy from the
blackboard
Teachers
explanations
Play
Groups activities
Activities in pairs
Individual activities
Challenge 2: Alternative
Common challenges
• Training as a moment
• Passive transmition
• Standarized mass
training
• Not building on
experience
• Lack of practice and
production
• Online training
Alternative
 Process of long term support
 Locally relevant and locally
defined
 Interactive construction of new
project and plans
 Building on what exists
 Training in person
Challenge 3 : Content
Challenge 3: Alternative
Common challenges
• Over focus on
traditional subject
knowledge
• Separation of
traditional subjects
and integrated
child development
• Lack of focus on
pedagogy and
learning processes
• Shortage of
qualified local
trainers
Strategies
 Training focused on
students´ learning
process
 Integration of life
skills into other areas
 Use of university
students & interns
 Classroom
management
Strategy: Diverse Languages
Diagnostic & Feedback
Construction of Alternative
Observation, follow-up & support
Practice of Alternative
Diverse Languaes- Diagnostic &
Solution
Diverse media training
Common problems
Identified
• No creative production of
texts, oral recitation
• Over focus on phonetic
parts
• No recognition of
intention or real
communication
• Texts only for evaluation
• Over-focus on stories
•
Networks of real, related
texts and their use and
meaning
•
Significant communicative
situations- galeries, texts for
home, school, or community.
•
Focus on why, by who and for
whom
•
Production of diverse mediamaps, puzzles, stories, articles,
scientific tables and diagrams
•
Anticipation strategies
Diverse Languages: Methodology
Year 1
Phase 1 : Initial workshops
Diagnostic & Planning
Year 2
Phase 3: Follow up Modelling,
Practice and Observation
Laboratories
Phase 2: Implementation &
Classroom Visits
Contextual Diagnostic : Factor Analysis
Useful to recognise complex contexts , build a base line on specific
situation and strategies according to needs identified.
Diagnostic: Factorial Analysis
FA
Prevent learning
Promote learning
Increase or deacrease of
the risk in learning process
Diverse Languages
Teacher Diagnostic:
Bugs and Insects- Network of Texts and
Projects
Arts
Values and
citizenship
Maths
TEXT
Poems
Puzzles
Family projects
Sciences projects
• Interest and
confidence
• Family-student
integration
• Increased
learning
outcomes
Bugs and Insects: Student and Family
Reflections
Bugs and Insects: Student
Reflections
Contextually Relevant Training:
Indigenous Awa
Context
• Armed conflict &
forced recruitment
• Imposition of
Western Curricula
• School strikes
Indigenous Gender Equality
Training
Contextually Relevant Training:
Gender with Awa
Simple Tools for Building Class
Plans
CONCLUSIONS
Common challenges
Lack of local capacity,
research, design and
support.
Strategies
 Localized teachers
support networks
 Advocay and capacity
building with local
goverment
 Use interns or
trainees in the field
CONCLUSIONS
Common challenges
• Training as a moment
• Passive transmition
• Standarized mass
training
• Not building on
experience
• Lack of practice and
production
• Online training
Strategies
 Process of long term
support
 Locally relevant and locally
defined
 Diagnostic of students
context
 Interactive construction of
new project and plans
 Building on what exists
 Training in person
CONCLUSIONS
Common challenges
• Over focus on
traditional subject
knowledge
• Separation of
traditional subjects
and integrated
child development
Strategies
 Training focused on
students´ learning
process
 Integration of life
skills into other
areas
 Classroom
management
THANK YOU
Trabajando juntos por la niñez colombiana
If time…
Trabajando juntos por la niñez colombiana
Factor analisys: Risk model
FA
Prevent learning
Promote learning
Increase or deacrease of
the risk in learning process
Play as a tool for wholistic
learning
• Natural vehicle for learning
and a therapy tool
• Application of competencies
in practical contexts
• Student centered Model
where the child is his own
vehicle of learning.
Example of Game Based Strategy:
The supermarket
Example of Game Based Strategy:
The supermarket
Language
Maths
STORE
Arts
Social
Sciences
Citizenship
Improve skills
throught play
The store: Impacts
Peace in the Classroom
Key components
Curricula content
integrated in
language material
Activities focused
specific emotional
competencies
Teacher
classroom
management
Specific
interventions with
high risk students
and families
2 year program
Biweekly
classroom visits
Support with
interns & trainees
Teacher Discipline Style
Care
Permissive
Negligent
Assertive
(authoritarian,
democratic)
Authoritarian
Structure
Agressions observed (per hour)
0,45
0,4
0,35
0,3
Febrero
Junio
Octubre
0,25
0,2
0,15
0,1
0,05
0
Mariana
Andrés
Diego
Sergio
Otros
Following instruction in the classroom
(per hour)
0,35
0,3
0,25
0,2
F ebrero
Junio
O ctubre
0,15
0,1
0,05
0
M ariana
A ndrés
D iego
S ergio
O tros