Building

Capacity for Teaching and Learning: Participant Reflections

A Teachers Without Borders blended teacher professional development program, offered with the support of the Department of Human Development, Education and Culture (DHDEC) at the Organization of American States.

This workshop allowed me to break barriers and to eliminate borders in regards to the sharing of knowledge, whatever the culture may be. This workshop has allowed me to assess my strengths and my weaknesses. It allowed me to test my working style, by putting an emphasis on pedagogy and methodology. As a learner, I was really interested in debates in regards to the different themes that stemmed from colleagues and from the facilitator. I really appreciated the engaging method used by the facilitator. I learned a lot from my colleagues, their working styles, their approaches. The working environment was conducive to learning. In this workshop we discussed the importance of creativity, innovation, experimentation, and active and creative mind that we will have to stimulate in every student. The facilitator was very experienced, thorough, and competent. In these last three days I benefited from learning about the teaching theories and methods. I have been waiting for a moment like this for a long time. The facilitator did a really good job of making sure the teachers were comfortable in the workshop. Methods were student-based rather than teacher-based. One of the methods that really hit home for me was Constructivism. This method covers all the steps involved in teaching. Of course, I would like to share my knowledge with other teachers in order to help develop education in my country. I only hope that we who attended the workshop will carry the torch. We will work very hard in order to change the methodology of transmitting knowledge and change the educational system based on TWBs approach for it is said that a nation can only be as good as its education. All the participants were very friendly, ready to participate in animated discussions in regards to the workshop. People were able to build on each others ideas. It felt like we were complementing each other.

The environment was conducive to teaching/learning. We could rearrange the chairs, and it was easy to work in small groups. The facilitator could walk around the room. During these last two days, as a learner, I went back to the basics of pedagogy designed for better learning. I also learned to take time to reflect and understand before acting. During each meeting I played a constructive role since there were a lot of opportunities to talk. My colleagues were really good and always managed to make each discussion more interesting. The workshop has restored my hope in good quality teaching that would help develop the students potential with teachers that could act as guides. Ive learned that a teacher remains throughout his career a researcher. He no longer acts as a teacher when he stops studying and stops conducting his research. It is imperative that he participates in workshops related to his profession, that he reads to stay informed in regards to changes that are taking place in education. That way he will have the tools to deal with certain problems pertaining to technology, pedagogy, and teaching in general. As a learner, Ive learned that my ideas and my experiences can enlighten other colleagues, that I have to be tolerant respectful of others that ore more reserved, that I have to give people enough time to reflect after they have been asked a question. I am more aware of theories pertaining to the left side of the brain and the right side of the brain. The facilitator was dedicated, coherent, competent, and understanding. He was always on point, he had a way with words. He was always respectful and reasonable in order to encourage other participants to agree on debatable responses. I was given the opportunity to learn with my colleagues by doing group work and working by ourselves by reading and commenting on readings that were given to us, to participate in discussions in a great atmosphere conducive to teaching and learning. The facilitator was calm and patient. He was humble and intellectual. One could really learn from his patience and trustworthiness. One of the things I learned in this workshop is that group work is really important when it comes to learning. In addition, as a teacher I have to establish a good relationship between the learner and the teacher. Finally, the teacher has to create an atmosphere that will help student love each subject matter. The facilitator worked in a way that really encouraged participation and cooperation from all the participants. He also created a situation that was conducive to interaction between participants. 2

This workshop was beneficial for me because it helped me improve my professional abilities. I went over certain notions that I learned a few years before and I also learned theories on teaching and learning. These new theories are mainly about multiple intelligences and experiential learning. I also learned about the characteristics of good teaching and the qualities of being a good teacher. Participating in the workshop has allowed me to play a role in building knowledge with colleagues that were very friendly and a facilitator that was one-of-a-kind. It should be mentioned that the atmosphere was fairly pleasant. To me what was interesting was that after each class, the facilitator asked us to share our impressions.