Nicaragua Certificate

In this tab you'll find an overview of the Nicaragua Certificate Program and the staff and faculty who will support your learning process. In the corresponding tabs you will find the relevant resources for the modules. MyLesley or Blackboard will also be used to upload assignments and engage in analysis with your peers in the discussion board platform. We look forward to working with each of you.  

The faculty and staff of the Nicaragua Certificate Program (Kelvin Ramirez, Meenakshi Chhabra, Samantha Quinon, Dalia Llera, Eleanor Roffman) identified with our partners in Nicaragua theoretical objectives for the modules delivered. The theoretical objectives shared throughout the modules include an overarching focus on:

• fostering critical analysis of Child and Adolescent Developmental Theory and its application within culturally identified context;
• self-reflection and awareness of boundaries, including the ethics of self-disclosure;
• educator centered perspectives regarding professional development
• the cultural relevance, context, socio-political and economic realities that orient and influence an interdisciplinary approach;
• Latin-American Scholars previously identified by participants;
• the enhancement of theory foundations and practical application;
• a systems-based approach that immediately interacts to address educational practice.

Conceptual "Arc" for the Certificate Program

Common threads infused throughout the entire Certificate Program include Collectivist/Community perspectives informed through Self-Reflection, explorations of Social Justice and application of skills within a Nicaraguan context/history. Development Theories were grounded within a Latin-American culture framework and juxtaposed with Euro-Centric Colonial Models. The participant’s individual experience, leadership styles, and pedagogical Approaches differentiate the layered instruction purposefully designed to fit the varied needs of the teachers and administrators enrolled in the Certificate Program.  The integration of the Arts and Technology throughout the Certificate Program serve as both a model for their usefulness in exploring complex educational experiences as well as an alternative form of assessing participant understanding and reflection.  The faculty is cautious to highlight colonial theoretical orientations that silence individuals, explore past colonial histories and current imperialist/populist movements disenfranchise communities.