Sociocultural context as a facilitator of student learning of function concepts in mathematics

In Costa Rica, many secondary students have serious difficulties to establish relationships between mathematics and real-life contexts. They question the utilitarian role of the school mathematics. This fact motivated the research object of this report which evidences the need to overcome methodologies unrelated to students’ reality, toward new didactical options that help students to value mathematics, reasoning and its  applications, connecting it with their socio-cultural context. The research used a case study as a qualitative methodology and the social constructivism as an educational paradigm in which the knowledge is built by the student; as a product of his social interactions. A collection of learning situations was designed, validated, and implemented. It allowed establishing relationships between mathematical concepts and the socio-cultural context of participants. It analyzed the impact of students’socio-cultural context in their mathematics learning of basic concepts of real variable functions, consistent with the Ministry of Education (MEP) Official Program.  Among the results, it was found that using students’sociocultural context improved their motivational processes, mathematics sense making, and promoted cooperative social interactions. It was evidenced that contextualized learning situations favored concepts comprehension that allow students to see mathematics as a discipline closely related with their every-day life.

Educación del traductor como pensador crítico

     Adoptando la premisa de que el traductor requiere abilidades de toma de desición e investigación excepcionales, se propone que el buen traductor y estudiante de traducción debe interiorizar ciertos comprotmientos propios del pensador crítico.  Partiendo de un enfoque constructivista, se postula un modelo de curso como forma de promover el pensamiento crítico dentro del salón de clase. Dicha propuesta se basa en la implementación de una metodología de análisis y práctica de la traducción bajo circunstancias reales.

The Analogy as a Cognitive Strategy that Encourages Reading Comprehension in Expository Texts

This research arises from the current state of reading in Mexico, because the contextual situation to local and national level has become critical on this issue. Results on standardized tests such as ENLACE (National Assessment of Academic Achievement in Schools) and PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) have shown that Mexican basic level students have text comprehension problems. Given this reality, this is a qualitative descriptive study on the use of analogies in reading as a strategy for reading comprehension, through application of an ethnographic survey, a questionnaire and the application of a pedagogical model for the use of analogies in reading. The study incorporates the theoretical tenets of Constructivism, referring to Piaget (1969), Vygotsky (1997) and Ausubel (2002). The results show that the use of analogies promotes reading comprehension in 4th grade students, from an expository text that compares the evolution of man and the metamorphosis of a butterfly.

UN ESPACIO LOGÍSTICO: EL POLO INDUSTRIAL-EXPORTADOR DE GRANOS Y DERIVADOS DEL GRAN ROSARIO

  En Argentina, el principal polo exportador de granos y subproductos se ubica en una franja de 80 km. a lo largo del río Paraná, denominada Gran Rosario. A partir de la década de los noventa, por diferentes causas, se ha producido un notable aumento en el volumen producido y exportado a nivel nacional. Las exportaciones de granos, aceites y subproductos llegaron a su máximo histórico en la campaña 2006/2007 con 75.7 millones de toneladas (MT) exportados, saliendo alrededor de ¾ partes por estos puertos. Este crecimiento plantea una serie de interrogantes pues existen obstáculos que pueden afectar el fluido movimiento de mercadería hacia los puertos. El objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar la dinámica de construcción de ese espacio y las limitantes que presenta. Se trabajó utilizando el enfoque de la geografía económica y del constructivismo social a partir de fuentes secundarias y entrevistas semiestructuradas a grupos sociales relevantes. Los resultados demuestran que el desarrollo de ese espacio exportador se ha ido consolidando a través de un proceso de construcción social, con idas y venidas de los actores relevantes en busca permanente de un consenso que permita asentar los pensamientos críticos para la base y el desarrollo del sistema.