The Current State of Teacher Training in Latin America

• In Event: Comparative Studies in Teacher Education - PART 2

Proposal

The education systems of Latin America rank low in international comparisons of student achievement on standardized tests. Of the 10 Latin American countries that participated in PISA 2015, nine received “Poor” scores (McKinsey 2017). Over the past several decades a variety of reforms have been attempted, but none has yet resulted in a system-wide improvement. Although each country’s history is shaped by a variety of unique features, there are common elements that impact efforts to improve education. Failure of reforms to generate system-level improvements implies a failure to attend to those factors essential for success. Three recent major studies have attributed the low achievement of Latin American students to characteristics of those who became teachers (Bruns & Luque, 2014; Elacqua et al., 2018; Torres Hernández & Lozano Flórez, 2019). Alternatively, there is evidence that student achievement can be raised significantly by changes in methods of teaching.

The reforms and conditions of teacher education in Latin American are illustrated in seven country case studies five from the largest countries including Argentina, Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia and Brazil, and two smaller countries Bolivia and Ecuador that are attempting reforms radically different from the others.

This review suggests several directions for a more detailed study. First, stimulated by low results on international tests, almost all countries in the region have over the past 20 years introduced reforms intended to raise achievement levels. Results, while positive, are not impressive; the region continues to lag. One possible explanation is that interventions have not been comprehensive or coherent. The competencies recommended by international agencies gave too little attention to the improvement of teacher training (Fernández, 2018). Second, emphasis on accountability and assessment contributed to centering attention on teaching and learning of a fixed and narrow curriculum. Teacher training emphasized direct instruction methods rather than critical thinking (Bellei & Morawietz, 2016). Third, the nature of schooling, especially in a diverse, highly differentiated and evolving society, makes it difficult to codify the complex knowledge and skills required. The knowledge taught today has a relatively short half-life of relevance. Learning has to be a continual process. Practical experience is a valuable source of that knowledge, as relevant as research and scholarship linked to abstract theory.

There is some evidence that learning outcomes can be raised significantly by changes in methods of teaching. For example, one large experiment worked with rural teachers in Colombia to identify lesson plans and materials that produced learning. Over time a new curriculum taught by rural teachers enabled students from poor, less-educated families to achieve learning outcomes higher than those of urban students. A second innovation trained teachers in Chile to prepare materials that students would study at home in preparation for active class participation. The effect was improved attendance and learning. Neither of these alternatives, however, has yet been carried out at a national level.

Author

• Noel F McGinn, Harvard University