Conclusions

I going to present the conclusions separated in four categories to know: Components of

the structure, learning community, classroom practices according to the learning

community’s contribution and impact in the institutional practices.

Components of the structure

As to the components worked in the structure proposed in the learning community, in

the first one, “THEORETICAL REFERENCES” I can conclude the teachers did not know

nothing about those references not even the standards of competences. After the work in

learning community they can plan their English classes taking into account basic references

as methods to teach English and standards and competences to develop for level with

property and authority.

This is an important matter if we taking into account the planning is fundamental to

guarantee in high percent the success of classroom practices, not only in English teaching

but also in any area. The planning gives the teacher the security to face the challenges can

appear during the practice and to manage effectively the time.

Other conclusion about theoretical references is the plans and programs have not been

consistent, they have changed with each new government that distorts the before purposes

and subtracting importance to teaches’ efforts in order to give responses to students and
government expectations. This influences the fact of they are not enough disseminated and

they can be good but teachers do not know them and they are whose have to.

In the document analysis inside learning community, we conclude the documents are

built by people with a good intention but without knowledge of Colombian contexts and

situations, they are based on statistics and plans executed in other countries with very

different conditions to Colombia. Non to mention the rural area and methodology Escuela

Nueva are never taking into account. This results in a disinterest of teachers and students

for something that seems very far and unreal for them.

The second component, DISCIPLINAR we can conclude the teachers do not receive the

basic competences in English when they study their grades, it means, the purpose of the

government to strengthening of the English component in all bachelor´s degrees exists only

in their minds and the paper but it is not true in daily life.

According to above, the elementary school teachers’ training in English has to begin in

the most elemental level not only because they are going to teach in primary school, but

also they do not know not even the simplest things about that language.
 Thirdly, the METHODOLOGICAL component showed us that, when we are going to

teach English it is not enough with know just one method or kind of strategy, but it is

necessary to mix several of them and to do it, it is fundamental to know them deeply. The

experience of all but specially of the leader, allows us avoid mistakes and to choose better

materials and activities and including the use of ICT tools.

The building of materials inside the learning community allow the teachers a deep

understanding of the application of methodological purposes and all classes where planned

and previously applied between the same teachers to find difficulties and to take better

decisions before taking them to the classrooms.

With a few of will of the part of teachers, they can do interesting things in their schools

with materials in the environment or simple tools, it is not a huge work and English can be

the vehicle to integrate several areas in the classroom practices favoring the management of

the time. To get motivation, developing the skills and better conditions of work to the

teachers affect the students’ results.

The fourth component, CURRICULAR INTERVENTION showed us the elementary

schools in rural area of Urrao do not have any plan or curricula established to teach

English, even worse, the local secretary of education does not have a municipal plan to

education in English.
 The building of a guide for second grade have been an excellent idea in order to

establish the same orientations to all rural elementary school teachers in order to improve

their English classroom practices. It allows us to make a dialogue of knowledge between

participant teachers and they can see their contribution in each planned class.

Learning community

According to the work made in the learning community we can conclude that is a very

appropriated strategy to produce new pedagogical knowledge and to exchange experiences,

strategies and failures reaching get better classroom practices and to share knowledge and

perspectives.

Learning community needs high commitment, and the help of principals and local

education managers in order to generate spaces that guarantee the continuation of the

process and makes them consistent and become them in a “real policy”.

Inside the learning community the teachers can be real policy makers and materialize the

purposes in the classroom reality. It allows the teachers to personalize the purposes

adapting them to each specific context along the diverse territory of Urrao, and why not? Of

Antioquia and Colombia.

 The government should to take advantage of this strategy that allows it group teachers

and to speed up the processes of training and divulgation of plan and programs to solution

diverse lacks in English teaching.

Learning with others as learning community purpose, is an assertive way to think and to

see the strategies, plans and programs, experiences, materials from a very broad

perspective, because it is not the perspective of one person but it is the perspective of

several people with very different situations, knowledge of contexts, students and ambitions

and ideas.

Learning community gives the teachers a focus in the importance of teach English to

their students in early age in order to improve their results in higher grades, and the most

important, to develop the competence in second language to use it in real communicative

situations.

Classroom Practices

The learning community made the teachers enlarge their knowledge and methodological

portfolio in English teaching, the comprehension of how little children learn another

language and the tools that they can use to get better classroom practices.
 We cannot say the practices get better because really, the practices emerge in most of

cases in which teachers manifested they not even taught English in their schools because of

their lack of training, curricula, materials, and orientations to avoid make mistakes.

Better practices were evident in students’ perception that is the main indicator. The

students manifested interest and motivation to be in English class over and over, they

learned songs, new words, basic dialogues based on real situations of communication and

label the school with colorful images, expressions, poem and vocabulary in general.

English class began to be visible in the school and other cultures began to appear in the

mind of students of rural areas in Urrao. The students understood that exists other linguistic

code that they can learn in any moment and will serve them as a vehicle to know other

people, other cultures.

Impact in institutional practices

The principal recognized English training-teaching as a new priority in her school and

its venues. In June of 2017 she oriented her teachers to participate in learning community

and as principal, she would take into account as request time in the school, I mean,

participant teachers in learning community did not have to attend to regular meetings in the

school, in exchange of that they attended to the learning community.

 Other areas as technology and computing, artistic, Spanish and social sciences could be

integrated with English through several activities thought to be valued in two or three of

them in order to give it sense and reducing students´ work.

The participant teachers conditioned for the first time the CRA (Centro de Recursos de

Aprendizaje por sus siglas en español) of English in each classroom and a digital binder to

the students use in autonomous way when the guide refers them to it.

The municipal learning community “Lenguajes de la globalidad” signed and sent a

release to the four academic council of urban educational institutions with the aim of

conform a new learning community with at least one representative of elementary school in

each school, in order to replicate the successful experience lived with the rural school.

That invitation has been received with liking for all principals whose have been looking

for create a space inside of academic day, in order to guarantee the permanence and

participation of chosen teachers and also they want to get it will be done from local

secretary of education to count with the whole help along the time, as local policy.

As in Urrao urban schools are trying to replicate the experience with some modifications

according to urban schools do not use methodology Escuela Nueva or guides to self -
directed learning, this meaningful experience can be applied in other contexts in

departmental and national order.