Sandra Durán

Social-Emotional Health Coordinator

sduran@teachersupgrade.com

Sandra has pursued graduate research studies at Kobe University Japan in the field of TESOL, sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Education MONBUKAGAKUSHO. She has earned her Master’s Degree in TESOL from Southern Illinois University in the US, thanks to a Fulbright LASPAU scholarship.

As Chair of the master’s program at UDB, Sandra supports students in the development of inner peace through the improvement of professional competencies and social life skills. This helps them succeed in their studies. Other experiences involve redesigning the master’s curriculum, consulting services for curriculum innovation and training on competency-based instruction and evaluation. As well as facilitating learning in graduate courses that deal with teaching, evaluation, language learning and human development.

Prior to chairing the master’s program, Sandra coordinated language programs and taught English from k-12 to university level for over 20 years. She has also done research and offered workshops and conferences on language teaching methodologies, Competency Based Learning and evaluation of competencies, both nationally and internationally. She has participated in the design of the curricula for the bachelor’s degree in Language Teaching and for the bachelor’s degree in Language for Tourism at Universidad Don Bosco.

In the last five years with the support of the KWS Foundation and the X+1, Academy in Germany, Sandra has been intensively training in Coaching and Counseling applying principles from Individual Psychology to improve social skills. Today, Sandra is part of a team of coaches who support the program for professionalization and pacification at UDB. She carries one-on-one and group coaching sessions, gives seminars aimed at developing psycho-social skills providing tools that help participants improve their effect on others through self-discipline, contribution and conflict-prevention. Today, thanks to COVID-19 Sandra has developed new competencies for online life-coaching, teaching and training and she is willing to help anyone interested in improving either professionally or personally. 

Disclaimer: This project was funded  by a grant from the United States Department of State. The opinions, findings and conclusions stated herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of State.