What Cambridge Training Taught Me About Children’s Learning

Standing outside the British Council in Bogotá before delivering the Focus on Progress training.

Last week I spent two days in Bogotá working with teachers from across Colombia as part of the Focus on Progress course in my role as a Cambridge accredited trainer, delivering Cambridge International training. The sessions centred on Maths, English language teaching and Science, and the energy in the room was a reminder that progress looks remarkably similar wherever you are in the world. Different contexts and different curricula, but the same commitment to clarity, curiosity and steady learner growth.

The universal threads that appear everywhere

Across subjects and countries, I see the same patterns emerge. Teachers want practical strategies they can use immediately. Learners benefit from clear modelling and structured routines. Misconceptions surface in familiar ways, even when the curriculum looks different. The emotional labour of teaching and learning, the patience, the attunement and the constant decision making involved on both sides of the classroom, is universal.

Three insights that travelled home with me

Teachers engaging in practical activities during the Focus on Progress training in Bogotá.

Maths

In Bogotá, we explored how progress becomes visible when learners move confidently from concrete to pictorial to abstract. Slowing down the transition between representations helped teachers see the steps in thinking more clearly. It was a reminder that progress is not about speeding through content. It is about revealing the journey beneath it. English language teaching

With multilingual learners, progress often shows in small but significant shifts. Clean input, intentional pacing and structured routines gave learners the space to take risks and refine their accuracy. Whether in Colombia or the UK, progress grows when clarity and confidence grow together.

Science

Hands on exploration created powerful moments of progress. As teachers tested ideas, questioned outcomes and refined their explanations, we saw misconceptions turn into understanding. Science learning moves forward when curiosity is paired with precision, and when learners are encouraged to revise their thinking.

What the teachers taught me

Every group teaches me something. Their questions, their reflections and their willingness to try new approaches sharpen my own practice. International work is never one way. It is a conversation. And it is a privilege to learn alongside teachers who care deeply about their learners. How this strengthens my wider work

The insights I gain through international training sit alongside my work with Wigan Local Authority and the bespoke commissions I deliver for schools and early years settings. Each context sharpens the next. Seeing patterns across countries and phases keeps my practice grounded in real classrooms, not theory alone.

What this means for the tutees I teach

My tutoring is shaped by the same principles I use in training rooms. I weave the best research and most effective pedagogical approaches into every lesson. Because I am constantly upskilling myself through Cambridge aligned training, local authority work and school based commissions, my tutees learn with someone who is always refining, updating and strengthening their approach. We learn together, and that shared curiosity is part of what makes the work so rewarding.

The full group at the end of two days of collaborative learning in Bogotá.

A gentle close

I am grateful to the teachers in Bogotá for their openness, their questions and their commitment to their learners. Experiences like this deepen my practice and remind me why I do this work. Great teaching is universal, and we all grow when we learn from one another. If you’d like support with mapped tuition, training or classroom practice, you’re always welcome to get in touch.

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