In March, we shared with you how, since 2023, we have been building a transformative training process at the Juan Misael Saracho Teacher Training School in Tarija, based on critical thinking and emotional education. In that article, we highlighted the initial achievements with fifth-year teachers, who began to incorporate evaluation criteria that assess the use of Alma Foundation pedagogical strategies in their students’ educational practices. Today, we are happy to share that this first step has led to a broader and more sustained process, in which dialogue, coordination, and shared commitment have been key.
Over the past few months, we have deepened our presence at the ESFM through a systematic process of coordination with teachers and authorities. We held individual meetings with first-, second-, fourth-, and fifth-year teacher training teams, as well as with the Academic Director and the IEPC-PEC Coordinator. In each of these spaces, we share our training proposal, the workshop objectives, and the pedagogical support model. But, above all, we listen carefully to the concerns and contributions of teachers, with whom we build solid agreements that guide our joint actions today.
One of the most significant achievements of this collaborative work has been the incorporation, by six teachers from different specialties, of specific evaluation criteria to assess the pedagogical products developed by students within the framework of their collaboration with the Alma Foundation. These criteria not only recognize the students’ effort and creativity, but also validate the use of critical thinking and emotional education strategies as key tools in curriculum planning, the development of research instruments, and the production of teaching materials.
This progress is especially important because it means that our approach is no longer an external component, but a living part of the training process within the ESFM. Students are now evaluated not only on what they do, but also on how they think, how they plan, and how they ethically position themselves in their educational practice. This represents a profound change in the way we conceive teacher training, and has been possible thanks to the trust built with the academic teams and their genuine commitment to a more critical, humane, and situated education.
We know that challenges remain to fully consolidate this approach, but at Alma we are deeply grateful for each shared step. It is precisely these small agreements and collective decisions that, together, pave the way for lasting transformations. Because, as we expressed in March and reaffirm today: when we combine efforts, we multiply results.
Agreement signed with 4th-year teacher training. ESFM “Juan Misael Saracho”