Not a great night either. Up all night with stomach issues. Whether related to the altitude sickness or the small amount of garlic I ingested on the bruschetta by mistake, I don't know. Breakfast at 8 isn't fun. I would rather not eat at all, but I force myself to drink more copa tea and eat yogurt. I think that's all I could keep down. 9 a.m. and our debriefing from our 10 day in-country visit with our partner begins. Each group presents a 6-7 minute presentation with on line photos and narrative of our time in schools and in our cities. It's very interesting to listen to everyone. Groups travelled to Pereira, Cartagena, Armenia, Barranquilla, Bucaramamba, and Manizales., Some people were at rural schools, urban schools, and even a private all girl's Catholic school. The amount of English taught at the schools varied, but 1-2 hours a week wasn't enough, as evidenced by students too scared to speak in English to our groups. Many of us noticed culture to be a prominent part of the curriculum, with special dances, posters, and music performed for us.
Nelson Suarez, the education coordinator at the U.S. embassy, who we met earlier, asked us what we would do to improve education in Colombia. Here is what we said:
1. lower class size 2. have professional development for teachers and administrators Especially work on moving from teacher centered classrooms to student centered classrooms. 4. open technology for the students 5. special education training 6. equity for resources- rich vs. poor schools 7. start bilingual programs in the primary grades 8. make English learning more engaging and relevant for the students in and out of the classroom so they are motivated to learn it 9. get air conditioning to replace fans 10. accreditation- line up high schools courses with the university requirements so there is a smooth transition and not so much remediation 11. provide hot lunches for students who can't afford them
After this, we worked on our own research questions and it was interesting that most of s chose different research questions and we were very passionate about them.
We had a wonderful lunch at the hotel and then took off for the presidential palace in Bogota. Think the White House in the U.S. We were told the president, Juan Manuel Santos, was in Venezuela at the moment, so we were unable to meet with him. We were not allowed to photograph the palace and were escorted on a personal tour with guards.Beautiful fresh flower bouquets were all over the palace to represent Colombia has the most beautiful flowers in the world. Ornate furnishings and wallpaper were incredible to look at. And oh yes, just like I talked about earlier, there was the original painting La Monja ( The Nun) proudly on display by Colombia's most famous painter, Botero. Simon Bolivar, the 1st president of Colombia, had several painting of him in the palace, as well.
Nelson Suarez, the education coordinator at the U.S. embassy, who we met earlier, asked us what we would do to improve education in Colombia. Here is what we said:
1. lower class size 2. have professional development for teachers and administrators Especially work on moving from teacher centered classrooms to student centered classrooms. 4. open technology for the students 5. special education training 6. equity for resources- rich vs. poor schools 7. start bilingual programs in the primary grades 8. make English learning more engaging and relevant for the students in and out of the classroom so they are motivated to learn it 9. get air conditioning to replace fans 10. accreditation- line up high schools courses with the university requirements so there is a smooth transition and not so much remediation 11. provide hot lunches for students who can't afford them
After this, we worked on our own research questions and it was interesting that most of s chose different research questions and we were very passionate about them.
We had a wonderful lunch at the hotel and then took off for the presidential palace in Bogota. Think the White House in the U.S. We were told the president, Juan Manuel Santos, was in Venezuela at the moment, so we were unable to meet with him. We were not allowed to photograph the palace and were escorted on a personal tour with guards.Beautiful fresh flower bouquets were all over the palace to represent Colombia has the most beautiful flowers in the world. Ornate furnishings and wallpaper were incredible to look at. And oh yes, just like I talked about earlier, there was the original painting La Monja ( The Nun) proudly on display by Colombia's most famous painter, Botero. Simon Bolivar, the 1st president of Colombia, had several painting of him in the palace, as well.