ATTACHMENT I

TEACHING EXCELLENCE AND ACHIEVEMENT (TEA) SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM

FINAL REPORT OUTLINE

Every recipient of a TEA Alumni Small Grant must submit a program report, at least three pages
in length and no more than ten, no later than 30 days after the project completion’s date. These
reports help IREX to communicate alumni achievements to ECA. Please be as complete as
possible when reporting the significance and content of your project. Use the outline below as a
guide, making sure to include detailed information on the outcomes of your project. Remember
to submit training materials, publications, articles, conference materials, and other resulting
products from your project with this report or as soon as they become available. Any grantee
that fails to submit this report will be deemed ineligible for future IREX grants.

General Information

A. Name ………………GUILLERMO ALONSO LOPEZ OSSA

B. Country…………..COLOMBIA
C. Title of project ……...AQUILINO BEDOYA SCHOOL COMMUNITY
AT A BILINGUAL 3 DAYS SERVICE LEARNING PROJECT
D. Project dates……………10/26/2010-10/28/2010

I. Financial Information (in U.S. Dollars)

A. Award amount (total amount funded by IREX)………….
$4.471.50
B. Cost share amount (total amount funded by applicant or
other donation)…………..$270.oo
C. Total spent on the project (including all expenses and all
cost share)…………..$4.741.50

II. Project Description:

Provide a summary (one or two paragraphs) that includes the following information:

A. Description of the context where the project was implemented.

B. Explanation of the need(s) addressed by your project
C. Objectives of your project
D. Description of the activities implemented in your project
E. Description of the different roles played by you (and your collaborator(s) if
applicable)
F. Brief explanation of the impact and results of your project (one or two
sentences)

The project was implemented at the Centro de Idiomas in Pereira, Colombia for an
audience of teachers and students from public schools from Pereira and Armenia
cities.
Since the statement of need concluded that there were two barriers to have a
successful learning –teaching process, which were, first, the difficult economical
conditions at home, and second, the lack of satisfaction, quietness and joy to make the
students feel a desire to learn English, the workshop we conducted was guided to make
teachers and students aware of those two barriers, and how through service- learning
projects could help to pass those barriers on.
 The main objective of the project was to train a team of leader teachers and students
to make them able to motivate their communities to optimize their difficult economical
situation and their students to show satisfaction, quietness and joy in the learning-
teaching process of English as a foreign language. As secondary objectives of my
project we looked, first, for an awareness of leadership skills and positive habits, then,
develop classroom strategies and norms of collaboration, as well as students taking
responsibility, setting goals and establishing priorities.
As activities implemented we started with a PowerPoint presentation about Service
Learning .Teachers worked in groups to discuss how Service Learning could help them
with EFL (English as a Foreign Language). We used an article to discuss how
assessment should be more for learning than to punish or separate students and the
importance of setting up experiences where students can build on successes. After
that, teachers worked in small groups on defining problems and creating solutions by
looking at some common fairy tales and evaluating the problems addressed by each
one. We discussed skills common among strong leaders to prepare the teachers to go
back and be leaders in their schools and communities as they make the changes we
are helping them to make. We involved students on discussing characteristics of
strong students and the characteristics of struggling students. We then used small
group activities with the students to work on developing skills common with successful
students based on research. Next, students were introduced to the concept of Service
Learning and teachers led students in the fairy tale activity teacher did the day before,
to begin identifying problems and coming up with solutions. We closed by having the
students brainstorm a list of problems in their schools or communities. We also shared
resources with the teachers and helped them use the list of student concerns to
develop projects combining what the students want to do with what the teachers have
to teach.
I was in charge of organizing the project about logistics, facilities and, in general
getting everything we needed. I , also, helped with the translation from English to
Spanish for some students and teachers because they needed support with
comprehension. Finally, I created a blog to keep participants in contact in order to help
with possible projects they initiate, and others we can plan together.
Brian was great at his job. Everything he did, as the presentation, explanations,
guiding the process during the three days, were the best part of this project. He helped
a lot to teachers and students, and he shared about his school, family, hometown ..

Project Impact

We trained 18 teachers and 21 students. They were teachers and students from 8
different schools . Seven from Pereira and one from Armenia. These eight schools with
a population of approx. 8.000 people among families, students and teachers. All them
are indirect beneficiaries of the project.
The project was an impact to education in my city. They didn´t know about service-
learning, and it is not very often to assist here to a workshop with an English native
speaker teacher. Teachers and students are interested in continue working service-
learning projects. We hope to share ideas, projects and experiences on
http://bslwinpeicol.posterous.com/ . It is a private blog. The password to watch it, is:
servicelearning.
At the blog I also have uploaded scanned documents from the workshop such as
evaluations and exercises from participants, contents and certificates . Educational
authorities in Pereira want to know more about service learning. They want me and
participants to share our projects with more teachers from other schools. We are
finishing 2010 school year, so it will be next year. We will start to investigate about
how to set up a bilingual resources center at my school, Deogracias Cardona. It would
be a great way to sustain the learning that was achieved during the workshop.
 I am grateful because of this small grant. I learned how to implement a project. It
worths the work. We TEAchers have now a call to be participants on these
opportunities in order to become agents of change in our educational systems. In
Colombia we need to change many things if we want to progress as a Country.
Although, I feel satisfied, in general, there´s always something to improve. I think I
could have invited more teachers and students from more schools. Maybe some other
project.

III. Personal Impact

This small grant project is connected to the training I received when in USA on the TEA
program because it was then when I first heard about service learning, and I think it is
well connected to what I call AFFECTIVE ACTION in the TRIPLE ACTION (communicative,
cultural and affective actions) I use to teach EFL. The best way to feel affective action is
through service to others. Now, I am other teacher here in Pereira. Before ,I used to
concern only in my classroom activities. Now, I am concern not only about that, but also
about projects and research to make my work better and help others also. It makes me
feel better as a foreign language teacher, and of course I now consider myself more
secure and able to lead projects on behalf of education in Pereira.

Attachments (please attach the following to your report narrative)

All of this can be found on the blog http://bslwinpeicol.posterous.com/ . PW:

servicelearning

A. List of program participants, including their names, titles, and place of employment
B. Event/activity agendas
C. Copies of any materials developed or produced, including any good photos

Please email your report to teaalumni@irex.org , and write “Final Report” in the subject line.