"When teachers have a strong sense of professional community their morale is better and teacher commitment is higher. Professional community helps support teaching practices, and helps teachers address the uncertainty that accompanies nonroutine teaching of the sort encouraged by many school reform initiatives."
Adam Gamoran

It is often said that the most important asset of any enterprise is the talent and enthusiasm of its workforce. Education is no exception to this premise.
Being teachers such a vital element in the educational process, when designing policies aimed at getting better academic results, what policymakers must not forget is that teachers are no different from employees in the private sector. They want to succeed in their jobs and they demand the tools, the respect, and the sense of empowerment necessary to reach this goal.
As University of Washington scholar Dan Goldhaber stands, "It appears that the most important thing a school can do, is to provide its students with good teachers".
But teachers are known to improve when they analyze, evaluate, and experiment with colleagues in purposeful learning communities (Fullan, 2001). Fullan also suggests that the school level change strategy is developing professional learning community within schools and emphasize the importance of strong teacher community. Therefore, teachers need to be enabled and encouraged to establish a community of learners among themselves (Lave & Wegner, 1991). Maclaughlin and Talbert (2001) also indicated that a collaborative community of practice in which teachers share instructional resources and reflections in practice appear essential to their persistence and success in innovating classroom practices (p.22).
Building up organizations that are able to learn – according to Kofman and Senge- requires basic changes in the ways people think and interact. “The heart of the learning organizations are communities of commitment. Without communities of people genuinely committed to the organizations’ goals, there is no real change”.

ARTIGAS, URUGUAY

"Shapers" 2007: the net is officially born

"Shapers" 2007: the net is officially born

NEW MESSAGE. CHECK IT OUT!


domingo, 7 de junio de 2009

Yesterday’s Sala was a huge success! 4 PADs attended (Salto, Rivera, Tacuarembó and Artigas) and teachers from Bella Unión and Artigas shared a whole day at Centro PAOF, working on very interesting topics.
Many people made this event possible: some of them from the distance (thanks, PADs Alice and Andrea, for your priceless contribution!) and some others by literally being there (Aldo, Sandra and Anthony, THANKS A LOT! Myriam, WHAT A WONDERFUL SURPRISE! Aldo, my friend "todo terreno", what can I say to you? Knowing that you are always there is ... WONDERFUL!)
We would also like to thank all the teachers that contributed in one way or the other to making this dream come true (María Noel and Andrea, I am SO PROUD of you! You were GREAT, not only with your "talk", but also in the organization process. I love you! Nidia, Raquel, Teresita, thanks for your support at liceos number 2, 3 and 4 and with the Sala! Luis, you were great, too! Gina, thanks for being the "link" with Bella Unión! We loved having you here with us!).
To all the teachers who attended ... we (the organizers) are very happy to have had the opportunity to share this Saturday with you. BE PREPARED! There's more to come!
(pictures will be uploaded soon)
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