Globalización, poder y educación pública

Uno de los aspectos de mayor relieve sobre los problemas y dilemas encerrados en cualquier reflexión en torno a la “Globalización, el Poder y la Educación Superior” consiste en el reconocimiento, desde el inicio mismo de esta conversación, sobre la indispensable apertura a la teorización no sólo económica sino también política y social que toma en cuenta los eventos emergentes en un mundo en constante cambio. El enfoque interdisciplinario permite mayor fortaleza explicativa y por lo tanto, puede facilitar una mejor comprensión, tanto sobre la compleja gama de variables involuctradas, como de su posible desenvolvimiento en el tiempo. Abordar así este fenómeno es al mismo tiempo una tarea difícil así como azaroza. Existe una motivación personal para abordar esta temática que se sintetiza en un nombre, Don Mauro Fernández, el discípulo de Herbert Spencer y Ministro de Educación de Costa Rica que a finales del siglo diecinueve introdujo en esa nación centroamericana el concepto de laicización universitaria y de la educación pública, gratuita, universal y obligatoria.También existe una motivación política: la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) hoy en día la institución universitaria de mayor envergadura de América Latina, está sometida, junto con todo el sistema de educación media superior y superior de la región a un ataque sistemático de sus fundamentos y de la tradición de libertad de cátedra y de investigación que se cimentó durante siglos: la autonomía, fundamento del concepto humanista y de la libertad de cátedra e investigación desinteresada que caracterizan a la universidad clásica, están siendo puestos en la picota, no por las “exigencias del mercado” o de una globalización en abstracto, sino específicamente por el Banco Mundial (BM) y los poderosos intereses domésticos e internacionales que se articulan desde ese centro institucional de poder imperial.

La población estudiantil en el sétimo año de la educación pública costarricense

Seventh grade students share personal characteristics that are analyzed in this paper based on the teachers´ performance of the proper mediation for the students´ learning. The results of an investigation done with the model of teachers´ profiles at this level will be the basis for this paper (Alfaro et al, 2008a). We conclude that the biopsychosocial development and maturational stage of the transit-preteen-teen children must be the domain of faculty at this level, as well as, the socioeconomic context of family and social contexts of their students.

Espacios vitales de aprendizaje: su ecología en el sétimo año de la educación pública costarricense

The present article is the result of an investigation between CIDE-UNA to build a desirable profile for teachers that might teach seventh grade in Costa Rican public education schools. This article evidences transparency in the ecology of learning spaces, known as the environment, the actors involved and their complex interrelations. There is also a description of these spaces and their incidence in the permanence and promotion of the students population, in the singular moment in which the educational system imposes them the first and rough institutional changes coinciding with physical transformations and social and familiar relationships.

Diversidad estudiantil en el 7° año de la educación secundaria pública costarricense

The Proyecto Perfiles, Dinámicas y Desafíos de la Educación Costarricense executed by CIDE at Universidad Nacional researches the topic of students’ diversity and equality in the seventh grade of Costa Rican Secondary Public Schools. The article includes recommendations given by seventh grade teachers from different regions of the country to address diversity in the seventh grade classroom.

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.

Librarians, professionals and paraprofessionals

Ms. Van Patten Elia Maria de Ocampo attended the Ninth International Conference on City Library Associations Guyana from 14 to 17 July 1980, Venezuela. Elia was very inspiring to see that the Costa Rican school library system up to the head of the whole region. There are big plans in other countries but have not been able to practice in that it has successfully done in our country. This told us Elia Maria:  Venezuela was chosen by the International Association of School Librarians to host its ninth Annual Conference. The event was held in Ciudad Guayana from 14 to 18 July 1980 and its importance lies in the fact that he offered an excellent and unique opportunity to meet and exchange ideas on the situation of school libraries in America and other regions . Conference was attended by 160 delegates from 13 different countries. Representing the school libraries of the Ministry of Education and with funding from the OAS through the Multinational Project on School Library Resource Centers that attended this important library activity.

La experiencia creativa como experiencia de vida

La escultora costarricense, Marielos Miranda, expone sobre su trabajo artístico. Su experiencia creativa, que logra plasmar en diferentes materiales, nos ofrece su mirada íntima desde la concepción de la obra hasta la culminación del proceso: el hacer público su creación mediante la exposición de una obra artística terminada.IntroductionCosta Rican sculptor, Marielos Miranda, tells about her artistic work process.Marielos creative experience gets to show in different materials. She allowsus an intimate glance it from the very conception of a piece up to the ultimatemoment when the creation is made public through an exhibition.

Actitudes hacia la enseánza de las lenguas indígenas

[Enseñanza de las lenguas indígenas en Costa Rica]

Comparison of multiple intelligences in children from schools with different pedagogical models

The purpose of this research was to apply a test that measures different multiple intelligences in children from two different elementary schools to determine whether there are differences between the Academicist Pedagogical Model (traditional approach) established by the Costa Rican Ministry of Public Education and the Cognitive Pedagogical Model (MPC) (constructivist approach). A total of 29 boys and 20 girls with ages 8 to 12 from two different public schools in Heredia (Laboratorio School and San Isidro School) participated in this study. The instrument used was a Multiple Intelligences Test for school age children (Vega, 2006), which consists of 15 items subdivided in seven categories: linguistic, logical-mathematical, visual, kinaesthetic, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. Descriptive and inferential statistics (Two-Way ANOVA) were used for the analysis of data.  Significant differences were found in linguistic intelligence (F:9.47; p < 0.01) between the MPC school (3.24±1.24 points) and the academicist school (2.31±1.10 points).  Differences were also found between sex (F:5.26; p< 0.05), for girls (3.25±1.02 points) and boys (2.52±1.30 points). In addition, the musical intelligence showed significant statistical differences between sexes (F: 7.97; p < 0.05).  In conclusion, the learning pedagogical models in Costa Rican public schools must be updated based on the new learning trends.

Learning math through movement: physical education as another alternative

The purpose of this study was to determine the cognitive effects of applying physical recreational activities to two groups of pre-school students, related to mathematics to one of the groups and recreational games to the other.  A total of 27 subjects (13 girls and 14 boys) of 5 and a half and 6 and half years of age participated in the study.  The instrument used was a questionnaire including basic math concepts such as geometry, basic operations with concrete elements, and how to read the clock, based on the topics established by the Costa Rican Ministry of Public Education.  Once the instrument was developed, a plan of physical recreational activities related to math was prepared and applied to the experimental group (pre-school B) for one and a half months, while the other group played recreational games.  Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.  Positive and significant effects were found in the physical recreational activity program regarding student performance in 10 of the 12 items that were applied to assess mastery of basic math concepts.  In conclusion, using physical education as another instrument to teach other disciplines represents an excellent alternative for pre-school teachers that try to satisfy the learning needs of children that will soon be attending school.  Using movement as part of guided and planned activities plays an indispensable role in children’s lives; therefore, learning academic subjects should be adapted to their needs to explore and know their environment.

Quality of life, sense of coherence and levels of sedentarism of faculty and staff from the Presbítero Benjamín Núnez, U.N.A.

The aim of this study was to analyze the quality of life of faculty and staff of the Presbítero Benjamín Núñez Campus of Universidad Nacional (UNA, Costa Rica) as well as to assess the influence of two factors, sense of coherence and physical exercise, in the quality of life of the subjects.  A group of 37 faculty members and 30 staff members participated in the study.  The SF-36 Questionnaire, the Sense of Coherence Scale, and a survey to measure physical exercise habits were used.  In general, results showed a relatively good quality of life and similar scores were found in the Sense of Coherence Scale.  Additionally, significant connections were found between certain factors related to sense of coherence and quality of life.  Data confirmed that persons who practice physical exercise have a better quality of life than those who are not physically active.  It was concluded that, although quality of life and sense of coherence were relatively good, new proposals must be designed and implemented to improve both aspects.  In this sense, physical exercise proved to be one of the pillars in the development of innovative proposals aimed at bettering health in university employees, all of this within the “Healthy Universities” concept.

Relevant Aspects on Teaching Probability and Statistics in Basic General Education

Probability and Statistics were included in the Basic General Education curricula by the Ministry of Public Education (Costa Rica), since 1995. To analyze the teaching reality in these fields, a research was conducted in two educational regions of the country: Heredia and Pérez Zeledón. The survey included university training and updating processes of teachers teaching Statistics and Probability in the schools. The research demonstrated the limited university training in these fields, the dissatisfaction of teachers about it, and the poor support of training institutions to their professional exercise.

METODOLOGÍA DE TRABAJO PARA EVALUAR LOS CONOCIMIENTOS GEOGRÁFICOS DE LOS ALUMNOS QUE INGRESARON A LA ESCUELA NACIONAL PREPARATORIA/ UNAM

Los alumnos que ingresaron a la Educación Media Superior en el ciclo escolar, 2009-2010 realizaron sus estudios previos bajo un nuevo plan y programas de estudios propuestos a través de la Reforma de la Educación Secundaria, en la cual la Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP) da énfasis en la formación de los estudiantes bajo un modelo de competencias. Ante esta situación, un grupo de profesores de la Escuela Nacional Preparatoria (ENP) de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México identificó la importancia de contar con herramientas que permitieran hacer un diagnóstico de los conocimientos y habilidades en Geografía de los estudiantes que ingresaron a la institución, para poder valorar, retomar y dar continuidad a los conocimientos previos y así adecuar las estrategias didácticas empleadas en los procesos de enseñanza. El proyecto consta de tres instrumentos: prueba objetiva de conocimientos, mapas conceptuales y estudios de caso, aplicados a una muestra representativa de los nueve planteles de la ENP. Este trabajo presenta la metodología utilizada en los tres instrumentos diseñados: prueba objetiva de conocimientos, mapas conceptuales y estudios de caso que nos permitirán diagnosticar los conocimientos y habilidades geográficas, aplicados a los alumnos de nuevo ingreso de la ENP de la UNAM.

MODELO PARA LA EVALUACIÓN FINANCIERA DE UNA INSTITUCIÓN PÚBLICA DE SERVICIO DE EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR

El propósito fundamental del presente estudio es la elaboración de un modelo de evaluación cuantitativa de la dimensión financiera para ser utilizado en los procesos de evaluación y planificación de entidades públicas de servicio sin fines de lucro.La propuesta consiste en un instrumento analítico que coincide, en algunos aspectos, con el modelo tradicional de razones financieras, en razón de que el fenómeno en estudio es muy similar. Sin embargo, presenta diferencias importantes, las cuales ponen de manifiesto las características concretas y distantes de la organización de interés. En el caso de la universidad pública, por ejemplo, es indispensable tener presente las características en torno a sus objetivos (sobre todo la poca importancia en la ganancia) y a sus propietarios (especialmente por el fuerte compromiso con los contribuyentes del país).El modelo de evaluación financiera consta de cuatro dimensiones de análisis de las finanzas universitarias: la liquidez o la capacidad de la institución para hacer frente a las obligaciones de corto plazo; la administración de activos; la administración de las deudas; y la eficiencia y la eficacia con que opera la institución. Se pudo determinar que a pesar de la amplia validez del enfoque tradicional en dos de esos aspectos: la liquidez y la administración de deudas, fue necesaria una revisión cuidadosa de los indicadores tradicionales en vista de que las características concretas de la Universidad demostraron la conveniencia del diseño de otros indicadores para lograr una mejor evaluación.Las conclusiones más importantes del estudio son dos: que la evaluación financiera en los términos en que fue planteada no solo es pertinente sino que además es perfectamente factible. Al final se mencionan algunas recomendaciones que persiguen, con los propósitos del estudio, fortalecer el compromiso con el cumplimiento de los objetivos por los que la institución fue creada.