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

Session Submission Type: Group Panel

Description of Session

The Secretariat of Education of the District of Bogotá, Colombia has embarked on an ambitious project to train over 4,000 practicing public school teachers through the provision of scholarships to earn master’s degrees and doctorates in 16 of Bogotá’s top universities. The Secretariat envisions that these scholarships will provide rich opportunities for the city’s teachers to learn the latest research in their areas of concentration, to develop knowledge and experience in relevant research practices, and to conduct research that leads them to examine and improve their teaching practice. These scholarships are designed to lead to dramatic improvement in the skills and knowledge of Bogotá’s teachers, which will contribute directly to increased learning of children in Bogotá’s public schools.

Teachers pursing their master’s degrees with support from the Secretariat work directly with advisors at their universities to develop research proposals and conduct research projects that they will develop into master’s theses. Each of the 16 universities has its own requirements and objectives for the master’s theses. While some universities emphasize theoretical work, others focus on the empirical examination of classroom practice and instructional improvement. Regardless of these varying objectives, the Secretariat’s objective is clear: to increase student learning through research-based improvement of teaching practice. Toward this end, the Secretariat established an International Research-to-Practice Advisory Network (IRPAN) to work with teachers and their thesis advisors to ensure that teachers’ research examines and improves their practice, using empirical examination of their teaching and relating it to student learning.

The objective of IRPAN, which consisted of eight international scholars from across North and South America, was to improve and make more relevant teacher research and to strengthen student-advisor relations through the support of international educational scholars. To accomplish this objective, IRPAN members performed the following functions: (1) provided initial guidelines to develop a research-based plan to translate thesis research into classroom practice; (2) advised selected master’s students—in partnership with thesis advisors—in developing their research proposals and conducting their research; (3) advised teachers on the development and implementation of a 5-page “research-to-practice” memo that was required of all participating teachers.

The objectives of this panel are to: (1) present and describe the IRPAN advisory experience, (2) draw lessons related to cross-national, inter-institutional collaboration in educational improvement, (3) offer reflections related to teacher research and translating research to practice in complex and challenging settings, and (4) identify successes and challenges of the advisory experience, drawing on perspectives of participating teachers. This work provides important perspectives and lessons learned for both researchers and practitioners of international comparative education, non-governmental organizations, and classroom teachers. Most importantly, the panel offers recommendations for how multiple actors and organizations can cohere around a single unifying objective—improving classroom instruction and student learning—in a complex and challenging environment like Bogotá, Colombia.

In the first presentation of the session, the general coordinator of the advisory project, who represents the Colombian non-governmental organization that coordinated IRPAN—the Fundación Escuela Nueva Volvamos a la Gente—will provide a brief introduction to the advisory experience, including a description of the objectives and design of the project. This will be followed by a discussion of the challenges and opportunities of educational collaboration across countries, institutions, and universities to offer a rich advisory experience for classroom teachers. The second paper examines the issue of teacher inquiry and translating research to practice in a complex and challenging environment. The third paper draws on reflections of participating teachers to offer reflections and lessons learned for future cross-national advisory projects aiming to improve classroom instruction and student learning. Finally, a discussant who participated in IRPAN as a research advisor will conclude with critical reflections on the three presentations and the project as a whole.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Chair

• Thomas Luschei, Claremont Graduate University

Individual Presentations

• Overview of the International Advisory Project and Reflections on International, Inter-Institutional Collaboration - Giselle Navarro, Claremont Graduate University; Cecilia Borges, University of Montreal; Thomas Luschei, Claremont Graduate University

• The International Advisory Experience as a Case to Reflect on the Potential of Practice-Oriented Classroom Research - Adam Sawyer, Bard College; Monisha Bajaj, University of San Francisco; Paula Razquin, Universidad de San Andres

• Assessing the International Advisory Experience from the Teacher Perspective - Laura Vega, Fundación Escuela Nueva Volvamos a la Gente

• Higher education and its humanist and multicultural role: a case study - Ana Canen, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro; Giseli Pereli de Moura Xavier, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

Discussant

• Nancy Kendall, University of Wisconsin-Madison