Isfodosu hosts visiting scholar from Universidad de las Américas de Chile to deepen academic ties

Santo Domingo.- The Instituto Superior de Formación Docente Salomé Ureña (Isfodosu) welcomed Professor Silvia Castro from Chile’s Universidad de las Américas (UDLA), marking the latest step in a growing collaboration between the two institutions. Castro’s short‐term academic stay included a series of strategic meetings, campus tours and hands‐on observations of Isfodosu’s teacher‐training programs.

Upon arrival, Castro met with Isfodosu’s Rector, Dr. Nurys del Carmen González, and Academic Vice‑Rector Dr. Carmen Gálvez, alongside Cristina Rivas, Vice‑Rector of the Santo Domingo Eugenio María de Hostos campus, and representatives from the Office of Curriculum Development. They reviewed each university’s educational mission and explored opportunities for future exchanges in faculty mobility, student placements and joint research.

Castro then toured Isfodosu’s San Juan de la Maguana campus (UM) and the EMH campus in Santo Domingo. At each site, she examined the network of teaching‐practice centers, observed physical education curricula, and learned about the institution’s athletic clubs and administrative‐pedagogical management. Her visit also included a day at Escuela General Antonio Duvergé in the Honduras neighborhood, one of Isfodosu’s official practice schools. There, Academic Director Maestro Antonio Delgado outlined the school’s mentoring process, classroom interventions and the role of Isfodosu interns in daily instruction.

During her stay, Castro engaged in a roundtable discussion with Isfodosu academic leaders, including Dr. Yoselin Taveras (National Coordinator of Teaching Practicum), Master’s Coordinators Navia Peña (Early Childhood Education) and Lucía Quezada (EMH Practicum), and Curriculum Development lead Juana Cabral.

“This experiential exchange underscores our shared commitment to excellence in teacher education,” said Dr. González. “We look forward to expanding collaborative research, faculty visits and joint training programs with UDLA.”

Professor Castro echoed that sentiment: “Meeting Isfodosu’s faculty and seeing its innovative practice centers has been invaluable. I am excited about the potential for our universities to learn from each other and strengthen teacher formation across Latin America.”

Showcasing the Isfodosu publishing imprint

Professor Juana Cabral also escorted Dr. Castro to Isfodosu’s Publications Department, home to the institute’s own editorial imprint. There, Miguelina Crespo, the department head, and Adrian R. Morales, senior copy editor, proudly showcased a diverse catalog of textbooks, academic publications and literary anthologies, each a testament to the institute’s rigorous standards and creative vision. As Dr. Castro thumbed through a freshly printed volume, she remarked, “I’m genuinely impressed by the breadth and quality of your publications. Such ingenuity and attention to detail are truly commendable.”