Teaching that transforms: Teachers share lessons and challenges of pedagogical support
SANTO DOMINGO. - “Teacher narratives are a strategy for investigating and interpreting school practices, but also a path toward radically transforming educational culture,” said teacher Arelis Gómez, while giving the lecture “The Power of Teacher Narratives.”
Gómez spoke about the transformative value of personal stories in educational practice and how these can become tools for change in the classroom when participating in the seminar "Teaching that Transforms: Narratives, Learning and Challenges of Pedagogical Support with a Gender Perspective", a conference organized by the Center for Gender Studies of the Area of Social Sciences and Humanities of the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (CEG-INTEC), the Ministry of Education and the National Institute for Teacher Training and Development (INAFOCAM).
The activity brought together nearly 100 master's students from the Regionals of San Juan de la Maguana (South Axis) and Santo Domingo (Metropolitan Axis), who are taking the Master's Degree in Gender and Equality Policies in EducationPedagogical advisors and a broad academic team also participated, highlighting the achievements of the training process and projecting new teaching practices with a critical and gender-sensitive approach.
During her lecture, Gómez quoted Canadian scholars Connelly and Clandinin, stating that "education is the construction and reconstruction of personal and social histories." In this sense, she asserted that sharing their experiences helps teachers better understand themselves as teachers and generate profound changes in the classroom and in the school.
In an atmosphere of reflection, creativity, and commitment to educational transformation, Desiree del Rosario Sosa, coordinator of the master's program and CEG-INTEC, highlighted the importance of these spaces for recognizing the professional and personal growth of the teaching staff.
The academic explained that the seminar's objective was to strengthen the pedagogical training of the master's students by sharing their experiences, learning, and transformations during their mentoring, promoting the integration of a gender perspective and developing reflective and collaborative communities of practice that contribute to their graduate profile as teachers who promote transformation.
Corina Montero, director of Postgraduate Studies at INAFOCAM, also addressed the teachers who have decided to pursue the master's degree, as it represents a commitment to them and to Dominican education.
One of the most moving moments was the panel discussion, where four master's students from different regions of the country shared their experiences about the lessons learned, challenges, and changes they experienced during their mentoring. This session was moderated by members of the pedagogical mentoring team, who also presented a collective video with personal reflections on the process, highlighting the impact of the gender approach and situated pedagogy.
During the afternoon, a Teachers' Narrative Gallery was held, in which each student presented their story at an individual station, promoting horizontal exchange with the other participants. This dynamic allowed for recognition of the diversity of backgrounds and the commitment of each student teacher to critical and contextualized teaching.
The seminar was a milestone in the training of transformative teachers, consolidating learning through a participatory, feminist, and situated methodology. It also highlighted the valuable role of the team of pedagogical coaches as agents of educational change, and the institutional commitment to training that centers the voices, experiences, and knowledge of preservice teachers.
The Master's Degree in Gender and Equality Policies in Education is offered by INTEC's Department of Social Sciences and Humanities. It focuses on developing skills that enable its graduates to develop and implement educational plans and programs that promote equity between women and men, in order to respond to the demands for respect and equality without discrimination. To date, four cohorts of the program have been developed, and eight Regional Education Programs have been impacted.