Cooperation

Knowledge Bank

In the upcoming months ITEN will be developing a knowledge bank in response to the increasing interest and need of member States in the region to exchange experiences in the field of the teaching profession. This bank will consist of an online database that will allow member States, particularly ministries of education, to share resources on policies and practices related to the teaching profession. Member States will be invited to share documents, papers, projects, case studies, reports, among other key documents featuring their experiences that will be made available for other member states to learn from. More information on the knowledge bank will be available shortly.

Technical Cooperation Missions

The First Study Visit for Knowledge Exchange on the Teaching Profession, sponsored by the Inter-American Teacher Education Netword (ITEN) of the Organization of American States (OAS) was held from the 5th to the 7th of June of 2013 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Recognizing teachers’ essential role in the quality of educational processes and results, the ITEN invited those responsible for policies relating to teachers in the sectors of the Ministry of Education to participate in a series of activities, with the aim of promoting horizontal cooperation on matters of the teaching profession. During the Study Visit, the representatives of the Ministries had the opportunity to analyze teaching strategies to promote effective instruction and to examine experiences in which the education systems have strengthened pedagogical practice. Additionally, the representatives had a chance to try the platform of the Regional Bank of Teacher Policies and Practices, which was developed by the OAS within the Inter-American Teacher Education Network (ITEN), in response to the mandate of the Ministers of Education during the VII Inter-American Meeting of the Ministers, which was held in Suriname in 2012.

The Study Visit was made possible by the participation of the representatives of the Ministries of Education of Dominica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Minister of Education of Belize. As part of the meeting, a field visit was carried out where the representatives learnt about the project “Pedagogical and Institutional Procedures of the Regional 10,” which was organized by a civil society organization. The Centro Cultural Poveda, along with the Ministry of Education of the Dominican Republic.

In addition, representatives participated of the Third Technical Meeting on the Teacher Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean, organized by UNESCO’s Regional Office of Education for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNESCO/OREALC), the Ministry of Education of Dominican Republica, and the National Institute for Professional Development of Teachers (INAFOCAM).

This initiative was brought about by the Office of Education and Culture (DHDEC/SEDI) of the OAS with the collaboration of CECC-SICA, PREAL, and UNESCO-OREALC and is funded by the Permanent Mission of the United States in the presence of the OAS.