Promotion and diffusion of tha career Bachelor and Licenciature of Mathematics Teaching in rural areas of Costa Rica project: effects and results

This article describes the purpose and activities of the project Promoting Mathematics Education in Rural Areas of Costa Rica. The activity has focused on two objectives. First, supporting and monitoring students who have expressed interest in studying a mathematics teacher. To achieve this, it has been working with students who have an ideal profile for the career, mainly from rural areas. The second objective is to conduct training workshops for high school in-service teachers, to strengthen and improve their knowledge in the area of mathematics. Among the results of the project, it can be highlighted a significant increase in the enrollment of students in the career of Mathematics Education in 2010 and 2011, and the training processes in the field of Real Functions of Real Variable and Geometry at different regional areas mostly rural as Aguirre, Sarapiquí, Coto, Buenos Aires, Limón, Cañas, Pérez Zeledón, Nicoya, Los Santos, Turrialba, Puriscal, Desamparados, San Carlos, Puntarenas, Limón, Liberia, Santa Cruz y Upala.

Contributions of Neuroscience to Develop Teaching Strategies and Learning of Mathematics

The goal of the present work is to develop some strategies based on research in neurosciences that contribute to the teaching and learning of mathematics. The interrelationship of education with the brain, as well as the relationship of cerebral structures with mathematical thinking was discussed. Strategies were developed taking into consideration levels that include cognitive, semiotic, language, affect and the overcoming of phobias to the subject. The fundamental conclusion was the imperative educational requirement in the near future of a new teacher, whose pedagogic formation must include the knowledge on the cerebral function, its structures and its implications to education, as well as a change in pedagogy and curricular structure in the teaching of mathematics.

Experiences from the course “Pedagogical Intervention in Preschool Education”: the vision from the faculty trainers, preschool teachers and students

As part of the educational formation of students from II level of the Associate dregree, from the Pedagogy major with an emphasis on preschool teaching from Universidad Nacional. There is a course named “Pedagogical Intervention in Early Childhood Education” which carries out the process of the intensive practicum. In this article you will find a review of the program’s objetives, experiences and challenges, taking the experiences from the academic team, who have guided this process over the past two years, and the point of views from students and preschool teachers.

¿Equidad de género en la enseñanza de las Matemáticas?

Recibido 02 de setiembre de 2011 • Aceptado 23 de febrero de 2012 • Corregido 21 de marzo de 2012    La enseñanza de las Matemáticas se ha visto influenciada por la presencia de ciertos estereotipos que han determinado el comportamiento y afectado el rendimiento del estudiantado en dicha disciplina. Diversas investigaciones han señalado la relación de inequidad que hombres y mujeres poseen respecto a las matemáticas y la responsabilidad que el profesorado tiene en su construcción. Por tal motivo se plantea la necesidad de llevar a cabo acciones concretas que permitan la construcción de relaciones de equidad en dicha disciplina, basadas en los principios de respeto, solidaridad y ayuda mutua entre los géneros.

Keys on the Formation and Human Development in Pedagogy

This paper is based on the experiences of the author, who has worked in the various levels of the Venezuelan educational system. This has been a very important platform to understand the ideas of education and human development within the Venezuelan institutionality in the educational field. The idea of education that we have, as teachers, should be rethought in order to consider the personal stories of those who share with us their time, interests and willingness: children, young people or adults, all with particular identities, differences and coincidences. The teachers, the schools and the State cannot consider an education for someone they do not know. In this sense, we provide some reflections resulting from our ethnographic work, based on the school life, interviews, class analysis, observations, and stories, among others. Our thoughts are classified as formation, hope, dialogue, attitude, and school life.

Strategies to Promote Research and Logical Reasoning in the Teaching of Mathematics in the Schools

The purpose of this paper is to raise a debate on the urgent need for teachers to generate innovative situations in the teaching-learning process, in the field of Mathematics, as a way for students to develop logical reasoning and research skills applicable to everyday situations. It includes some statistical data and possible reasons for the poor performance and dissatisfaction of students towards Mathematics. Since teachers are called to offer meaningful and functional learning experiences to students, in order to promote the pleasure of learning, teacher training should include experiences that can be put into practice by teachers in the education centers. This paper includes a work proposal for Mathematics Teaching to generate discussion, curiosity and logical reasoning in students, together with the Mathematical problem solving study.