Addressing inequalities from the global south involves reflecting on how they are taught to be understood and how economic reality is perceived. In this regard, the Teaching component of TREES seeks to strengthen questions about inequalities in the field of education. The goal is to look inward to promote self-criticism, generate collective reflections, and rethink teaching from a situated perspective. This is vital for seeking creative solutions that can break down inequalities within and through education.
In Colombia, education is not generating the expected social mobility, probably because it reproduces power dynamics and societal privileges. This is a significant challenge that all positions and stakeholders in the education sector must confront," explains Jimena Hurtado, an economist, Vice-Rector for Research and Creation at Universidad de los Andes, and creator of the Teaching component. To address this challenge, TREES aimed to establish a Community of Practice that seeks to:
- Reflect on the teaching of inequalities in educational settings, whether formal or informal.
- Create a resource bank with tools, curricula, courses, and articles on this topic.
- Organize meetings, workshops, and dialogues that enrich the conversation and interaction among stakeholders in the education sector.
The TREES Community of Practice functions as the heart of the Teaching component," explains Juan Sebastián Lemos, a student in the Master's in Economics program at the Universidad de los Andes and a researcher in the Teaching component of TREES. A community of practice is a group of people whose common goal is to create transformative actions. In this case, it focuses on how to teach about inequalities. "What we are working on in the Teaching component is the creation of a community that can put concepts and strategies into practice collectively. More than just learning, the Community of Practice will be focused on enabling teachers to use knowledge in their daily work," says Lemos.
It is an initiative that advocates for the union of theory and practice, reflection and transformation of education, and the certainty that, to address inequalities through teaching, it is necessary to thoroughly review education from an interdisciplinary approach.
To achieve this, a first step that the initiative has set is the vindication of knowledge built collectively. As Juan Pablo Castilla, coordinator of the Teaching component, states, "collective creation is far superior to any individual creation." Castilla further reflects that it is crucial to consider where this community is speaking from: "If we are going to talk about inequalities, it makes a lot of sense to do it from here. It is a community that emerges from the global south and seeks to have a diversity of perspectives.
Emphasizing that conversations and initiatives tackling inequality emerge from the global south holds significant importance. Jimena Hurtado stresses that this knowledge goes beyond accessing data and sources. It is shaped by individuals intimately acquainted with the complexities of living in a social reality where inequality is an integral part of daily life. "Our thought processes and analyses aren't abstract; they are deeply influenced by our surroundings," explains Hurtado, highlighting the authentic nature of the insights derived from this context.
Understanding inequality from the global south involves being aware of a specific history, culture, and geography. This means that TREES researchers and educators participating in the Community of Practice have the potential to provide a structural, profound, and distinct perspective for researching and teaching inequality in its various dimensions.
Jimena Hurtado defines the dream of the Teaching component as follows: "To create a vibrant, active, relevant practical community, composed of diverse and committed individuals dedicated to transforming education. A community that serves as a space for discussion, construction, and dissemination of forms we have not yet tested or imagined, but that are transformative.
It's essential to mention that while the Community of Practice is being built in Bogotá and is an initiative of TREES, originating from the Faculty of Economics at the Universidad de los Andes, it doesn't intend to stay limited to this environment. Consistent with the essence of building an open, dynamic, and integrative space for diverse perspectives, the goal is to invite educators from other universities, schools, and, in the medium to long term, from regions across Colombia, Latin America, and the global south.
Until now, the Teaching team has conducted interviews with relevant figures in the country's education sector, engaged with professors from public and private universities, and private schools in Bogotá. This is aimed at validating objectives and beginning to establish dynamics among the community participants. Castilla explains this process: "Currently, we are defining an agenda for the community and are in the process of compiling what we have learned." The Community of Practice is in formation, and the expectation is for evolution and change because its essence lies in collective construction, which is only possible with a diversity of actors, voices, and perspectives.
The Community of Practice is not built only for economist. Although initially, the audience that will mostly make up the Community is indeed this, there is an eventual expectation to include multidisciplinary researchers and educators who will enrich the conversation about teaching inequalities.
Focusing inward, working in community, and speaking from the global South will enable TREES to fulfill the purpose explained by Hurtado: a diverse practical community with the ability to pose relevant questions, construct novel ways of thinking about inequalities, and provide creative solutions that transform society.
If you are a teacher or part of the academic community in the global south, interested in the teaching of inequalities and you believe that knowledge is built collectively, sign up to be part of the TREES Community of Practice.
