Video

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Champions Of Change.mp4

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Giulia Vittoria Ferrero → www.linkedin.com/in/giulia-ferrero97

Mrunal → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrunaldeokar/

Brenden Mokwena → Brenden Mokwena | LinkedIn

Azeez Oladele Rafiu → www.linkedin.com/in/azeez-rafiu-610889252

Summary Section

Problem Summary → Teachers as Catalysts for Change in Bello’s Underserved Communities

Teachers in underserved border areas of Bello lack adequate training, support, and resources to effectively address the complex needs of their students. Many classrooms face challenges such as low student motivation, irregular attendance, and the impacts of poverty and crime, yet teachers are not equipped with strategies to manage these realities. Limited access to professional development, outdated teaching methods, and a lack of institutional support further reduce teaching effectiveness. As a result, even when students attend school, learning outcomes remain low. Without targeted investment in teacher training, the education system struggles to improve, reinforcing cycles of poor performance and limited opportunities for students.

Solution Summary → Sustainable Solutions for Quality Education in Bello

Our solution focuses on equipping teachers in Bello with practical, accessible training that improves both teaching quality and student engagement. This includes a blended approach of mobile-based learning, peer mentoring, and in-class coaching to support teachers in real classroom environments. Training will emphasize inclusive teaching methods, trauma-informed practices, and low-resource strategies that work in underfunded schools. To ensure participation and sustainability, the program will offer certifications and incentives while partnering with NGOs and the Ministry of Education for support and scalability. By strengthening teachers’ skills and confidence, the solution aims to improve learning outcomes, increase student retention, and create a more supportive and effective education system.

Practical Humility Clause → Acknowledging Our Limitations

We recognize that as designers, we are not part of the Bello community and may not fully understand the lived experiences of its teachers and students. Our assumptions may overlook important cultural, social, and systemic factors. Therefore, this solution is intended as a starting point that must be continuously shaped through collaboration with local teachers, NGOs, and the Ministry of Education. We will prioritize listening, feedback, and adaptation to ensure the approach is relevant, respectful, and truly meets the needs of the community.

We also admit that 'Training' will not be like a silver bullet to poverty. As much as we enable teachers to become catalysts, we are cognizant of the fact that their performance is directly connected with the physical security of the territory. Our action research would aim at reinforcing the inner strength of the teacher, as well as at lobbying the outer digital infrastructure to occupy the gap in the state.

Further Explanation Section

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1. The Success of Teacher-as-Catalyst. By the global standards (Gray-Lobe et al., 2022), informal settlement programs aided by technologies and delivered by teachers can boost learning by 2 years of schooling per 1 year of educational success. This confirms that our "Blended Approach" is the most effective means of stopping the cycle of poor performance.
2. Adopted Strategy - The TPACK Digital Bridge. We use the TPACK Framework in order to make mobile -base learning effective (Mishra and Koehler, 2006). This makes our training not just the content on phone, but a particular combination of (Technology, Pedagogy and Content) that is low resource and where the teachers are not formally supported by an institution, this is due to the Institutional void; absence of government support.
3. Parental Commitment to Education and Its Impact on Outcomes
   1. Our proposed solution is reinforced by evidence from the Brookings Institution (2021), a leading global policy research organization, which highlights that Colombian parents place strong value on education and are deeply invested in its quality. Their large-scale survey of 1,800 parents found that families prioritize not only academic achievement but also broader developmental goals, including self-knowledge and personal values (31%), preparation for university (26%), and civic responsibility (25%) . The report also shows that parents trust and actively engage with teachers, positioning educators as key actors in shaping student success. This evidence strengthens our approach by demonstrating that improving teacher training and support directly aligns with both parental expectations and student needs, particularly in underserved communities, thereby increasing the likelihood of meaningful and sustainable impact. The report also states that parents in Colombia DO value and support education, BUT systemic inequality, resource gaps, and structural barriers in informal settlements prevent that support from fully translating into equal educational outcomes.
4. National Policy Focus on Teacher Professionalization (MEN & ISCE)
   1. The Colombian Ministry of National Education (MEN) has prioritized teacher professionalization as a central strategy for improving educational quality, particularly through the implementation of the Synthetic Index of Educational Quality (ISCE). This policy framework not only evaluates institutional performance but also promotes continuous improvement by encouraging the adoption of innovative pedagogical practices. In this context, MEN supports teachers through targeted professional development initiatives, the provision of pedagogical tools, and the establishment of standards aimed at strengthening classroom instruction. Such efforts reflect a systemic approach in which teacher capacity-building is directly linked to broader national goals of educational quality enhancement and accountability (OECD, 2016).
5. Key Stakeholders in Educational Improvement
   1. Key stakeholders include the Ministry of National Education and local authorities (policy design and implementation), teachers and school leaders (delivery of pedagogical improvements), students and families (direct beneficiaries), and external actors such as international organizations and researchers (support, evaluation, and guidance).
6. Proven Success: The Escuela Nueva Model in Rural Colombia
   1. In rural Colombia, the Escuela Nueva model transformed low-performing, under-resourced schools by shifting from traditional lecture-based teaching to student-centered, collaborative learning. Teachers were trained to act as facilitators rather than lecturers, using group work, peer learning, and flexible pacing. Despite limited resources, students in Escuela Nueva schools consistently outperformed peers in traditional rural schools in both academic achievement and civic skills.
   2. Importantly, the model also increased teacher motivation—educators reported feeling more effective and connected to their students, while parents became more engaged because they could see tangible improvements in learning and participation.
   3. The Escuela Nueva - The active learning led by the teacher that our solution focuses on is a digital rebuilding on the Escuela Nueva in Colombia. Studies indicate that this model is effective in promoting student performance in rural/vulnerable districts by as much as 30% (Psacharopoulos et al., 1993). By computerizing this, we guarantee high-quality pedagogy does not go through the Institutional Void.
7. Likely Impact - Resilience to Trauma, toxic stress prevents learning in the high-crime borderland of Bello. After the model of the “Healing Classrooms” established by the international Rescue Committee (2014), our training will also focus on the psychosocial assistance. This minimizes burnout secondary traumatic stress of the teachers and provide a safe emotional space to students to concentrate in this area with high crime like Bello. </aside>

Bibliography