Assessing the International Advisory Experience from the Teacher Perspective

• In Event: Translating teacher research to improved practice in the Bogotá, Colombia School District: Reflections on an international advisory experience

Abstract

The more than 200 Colombian teachers participating in IRPAN represented a diverse set of schools, grades, classroom contexts, university training, and research topics. Teachers’ research related to, among many other topics, physical education, early childhood education, science and math education, citizenship education, gender in education, public policy, educational technology, language and literacy, and environmental education. These teachers received initial research training in 16 diverse institutions across the city of Bogotá, each emphasizing a unique approach and conceptualization of educational research. Yet the design of IRPAN required that each of these teachers be placed in an advisory group with one of only eight international advisors. Although these advisors represented a diverse set of research expertise and experiences, they could not offer expertise in each of the research areas pursued by the teachers. Given this context, we must examine the level of satisfaction of teachers with their research advisory experiences, as well as their general perceptions of the value of the advisory experience as they set out to translate their research into practice. This presentation describes the results of a comprehensive evaluation of the IRPAN project undertaken by nearly 100 participating teachers. Evaluation items cover multiple aspects of the project, including experience with international advisors, advisory structure, the virtual platform through which most interactions took place, and general observations. The evaluation includes both likert-style items and opportunities for open-ended reflections. After describing the diversity of the participating teachers and their topics, this presentation provides a descriptive analysis of the evaluation results and a summary of teachers’ open-ended comments. The presentation concludes with a set of lessons learned and recommendations for future international advisory projects.

Author

• Laura Vega, Fundación Escuela Nueva Volvamos a la Gente