Summer 2011 Workshops for Teachers Offers Rich Academic Experience for Participants

The “Summer 2011 Workshops for Teachers," sponsored by Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE) and the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD), concluded on Wednesday, August 10.  Classes had been held August 8th, 9th, and 10th in Santiago, Santo Domingo, and San Pedro de Macoris, respectively.

Paul Goris, FUNGLODE’s director of Education and Technology, said that he was pleased with the types of meetings which took place because they help to facilitate educational and cultural exchange among Dominican teachers and thereby promote progress in the Dominican Republic. He explained that this initiative aimed to allow New York City teachers to share experiences as well as successful
practices and strategies and with their Dominican colleagues.

The workshops opened with a lecture titled "A Matter of Attitude" by Professor Leyti de los Santos and continued with "Using mathematical puzzles to build conceptual understanding of mathematics through cooperative learning and differentiated instruction," "Workshop on negotiation and mediation: Conflicts in the classroom," and "Rubric: an
assessment tool," by professors José Alfonseca, Adrian Bordoni, and Milagros Hinojosa, respectively.

Each guest teacher had at least ten (10) years of teaching experience, which provided for very interesting discussions on education, benefiting both the Dominican teachers and guest participants.

The objectives of these workshops were ultimately to offer a rich academic experience that may enhance teaching practices; to acquaint the
participants with teachers’ experiences in other countries while providing a forum for comparison and discussion; to identify the differences between the Dominican and New York City education systems; and to promote educational exchange beyond the workshops.