Teachers’ Voices was created to amplify the lived experiences of educators, especially those working in low-resource and underserved contexts, whose stories and expertise are often absent from global education conversations. While teachers are central to learning and child development, their voices are rarely heard beyond their classrooms. Most narratives about education are shaped by policymakers, researchers, or external observers, leaving a gap in understanding what truly happens on the ground.
We saw the need to shift this paradigm by creating a platform where teachers could reflect on their practice, challenges, and insights in their own words. The goal was not only to celebrate their resilience and creativity but also to make their experiences accessible to other educators, researchers, and stakeholders who can learn from them.
This innovation also responds to the need for more context-specific professional learning tools. Audio storytelling is a low-cost, high-impact method that transcends literacy and language barriers, making it especially powerful in diverse and multilingual communities.
By pairing these stories with expert reflections in our podcast, we connect practice with evidence, bridging the gap between global research and local realities. Ultimately, Teachers’ Voices was born out of a belief that listening to teachers is not just respectful, it is essential for building more effective, inclusive, and equitable education systems.
In practice, Teachers’ Voices operates as both a digital repository and a podcast series, designed to bridge ed research and teaching practice in an accessible and inclusive format. The core of the innovation is a collection of short, first-person audio stories recorded by teachers and researchers from diverse regions and contexts. These stories are captured using simple laptops or mobile tools, allowing educators to share reflections on challenges about diverse topics gender equity, student well-being, local innovations, and teaching strategies.
Interviews are slightly edited for consistency and clarity, but research insights remain teacher-driven and teachers stories authentic. All is uploaded to an open-access platform where educators, NGOs, researchers, and policymakers can listen, search by theme or country, and use them as a professional resource/inspirati
Alongside the repository, the Teachers’ Voices podcast features international experts who listen to the stories and respond with evidence-based insights. Episodes explore the intersection of teacher narratives with research in areas like socio-emotional learning, play-based education, and inclusive pedagogy.
The innovation is being used in teacher workshops, learning circles, and academic settings. Organizations use the stories to spark dialogue, enhance training, and promote peer learning across borders. Its design is low-tech and cost-effective, making it easy to scale and replicate in new languages and contexts.
Teachers’ Voices is produced by Bold.science, which spreads all its content on its web, newsletter and social media. It has also grown organically through word of mouth and partnerships. It began with pilot recordings with teachers from Nina´s network. Thanks to Bold.science support, it gradually included voices from all continents. We’ve collaborated with education and teacher networks, and researchers who share valuable research insights that can support teaching practice that improves students' learning and development.
The podcast and repository have been shared widely through social media, newsletters, webinars, and global education networks. Teacher training institutions and nonprofit organizations have started using the stories in workshops, reflection exercises, and online courses, recognizing their value in sparking dialogue and contextual learning.
International experts featured on the podcast also help amplify the project’s reach by sharing it within their academic and practitioner networks. Several stories and episodes have been spotlighted in global forums and events focused on education and child development.
We’ve seen interest from organizations wanting to replicate the model in new languages or regions. The growing collection of stories, with increased visibility, has allowed Teachers’ Voices to build a cross-cultural learning community that continues to expand through collaboration, curiosity, and a shared respect for the teaching profession
Several months ago (august 2024), BOLD.science and Nina Alonso created the repository so that all stories included in podcast episodes could have its own searchable space.
To try Teachers’ Voices, simply visit our open-access digital repository and podcast series. The repository is freely available online, and you can start exploring the audio stories by searching for themes, regions, or specific topics that resonate with your interests. Whether you're an educator looking for inspiration, a researcher seeking real-world insights, or an organization wanting to integrate the stories into your professional development resources, everything is ready to access at your fingertips.
If you’re a teacher interested in sharing your own story, you can submit your audio through our easy-to-use platform. We provide guidance on how to record and share your experiences in a simple, accessible way, making it possible for educators in any context to participate.
Additionally, our podcast series is available on most major platforms (e.g., Spotify, Apple Podcasts) and can be used as a resource in classrooms, workshops, or informal learning circles. We encourage educators, NGOs, and education networks to use the podcast episodes in their training or peer-learning initiatives.
To get involved further, you can also join our social media channels or sign up for our newsletter to stay updated on new stories, episodes, and opportunities for collaboration. If you’re interested in bringing Teachers’ Voices into your region or network, reach out to us for more information on partnership opportunities and how you can help scale the initiative in new languages or areas.
