This quality was emphasised by the teachers, support professionals, management teams and the school principals of the 14 schools in Vicuña and Paihuano that are part of the early English teaching programme We Learn, which Fundación Educacional Oportunidad has been implementing for 12 years in the Elqui Valley.
Analysing data at classroom, school and Improvement Network level; sharing learning and successful experiences of schools; defining what a We Learn classroom and school is based on the work carried out in these two years by the Improvement Network; were some of the objectives of this 3rd Learning Session 2018 of the We Learn English programme.
Paulina Sepúlveda, English teacher from Vicuña, said: "I found this session very motivating and I really like these instances where we can share our experiences outside and inside the classroom. I love the spirit of camaraderie that is generated". Claudia González, local coordinator and teacher of the programme in Paihuano, said: "I am very happy to see that most of the schools have met the goals and that this session allows us to network and listen to the different advances in the teaching of English".
One of the activities that attracted the most interaction and opinions was defining what a We Learn school and classroom is. Teachers and directors defined it as: innovative and playful, sharing networking, involving families, promoting interactions, encouraging students to play a leading role in their learning process, involving the community in English, seeking to incorporate this foreign language in other subjects and making decisions based on their data.
Regarding the involvement of families, Macarena Matus, principal of the María Isabel Peralta rural school in Cochiguaz, said: "I think this programme is wonderful, because it is not only for the students, it also includes the parents so that they can participate in their children's learning. Many times when there are tests or activities they come to help us at school and that's wonderful.
Since 2017, the We Learn English programme of Fundación Educacional Oportunidad has incorporated the Continuous Improvement methodology, which is based on collaborative work, where each educational community tries out ideas for improvement in their own context, and after applying them, analysing them and studying their results, they make the necessary adjustments and if the idea is successful, they share it with their peers through the Improvement Network that accompanies the Foundation.
Susana Toledo, coordinator of the Foundation's continuous improvement area, explained that for 2019 "we want to maintain the achievements made with first and second grade, sustain the strategies and manage to install them in the educational community, and we also have the challenge of taking this improvement process to other levels such as third and fourth grade".
Susana Toledo, coordinator of the Foundation's continuous improvement area, explained that for 2019 "we want to maintain the achievements made with first and second grade, sustain the strategies and manage to install them in the educational community, and we also have the challenge of taking this improvement process to other levels such as third and fourth grade".
