Competencies Required in Education Research and Teaching Systematization according to Students from the Preschool, Primary and Secondary Education Programs of the University of Costa Rica

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of two online forums carried out with the participation of 42 students of the Licenciaturas  in Preschool Education, Primary Education and Secondary Education of the University of Costa Rica. The main purpose of the forums was to determine the insights of the participant students about the competencies they have achieved in the field of education research, and which have been the essential tools for them to systematize their own teaching practices. The discussion forums were part of the course FD5091 Métodos de Investigación Educativa [Education Research Methods] of the School of Teacher Education, delivered from March-April 2010.  Of the sample, 60 percent were students of the Preschool teaching program, 35 percent were from the Primary Education teaching program and 5 percent were from the Secondary Education teaching program in the fields of Science, Mathematics and Social Studies. According to the insights and beliefs showed by the participants –both, the future teachers and the profession practitioners–, there are no opportunities for research or systematization of their own teaching mediation, in the current work situation.(1) Translator’s Note: In Costa Rica, the “Licenciatura” is a one-year post-Bachelor study program, usually including thesis. “Primary Education” refers to students from the 1st to 6th grades, and “Secondary Education” refers to students from the 7th to 11th grades.

MAPAS COGNITIVOS APRENDIZAJES DESDE LA VIVENCIA ESPACIAL

El artículo integra los marcos teóricos de la Geografía de la Percepción y el aprendizaje significativo mediante una secuencia didáctica para la enseñanza de la cartografía en el curso Didáctica de los Estudios Sociales para educación Básica, de la carrera Diplomado en pedagogía con acento en I y II ciclos de la Educación general Básica, Universidad Nacional.  El objetivo general se centró en analizar la utilidad del mapa cognitivo en la enseñanza de la cartografía, para contrastar con otos métodos tradicionales.  Los resultados revelan que las configuraciones espaciales representadas en los mapas cognitivos se asemejan muy poco a las representaciones cartográficas convencionales, no obstante la metodología implementada produce aprendizaje significativoPalabras claves: Geografía de la Percepción-Aprendizaje significativo-Secuencia didáctica-Mapa cognitivo-Enseñanza de la cartografía.Abstract:The article comprises the theoretical frameworks of the Geography of Perception and significant learning by means of a didactic sequence for the teaching of cartography in the Didactic course of Social Studies for Basic education, the Diploma course of study in pedagogy with emphasis on cycles I and II of general Basic Education,  Universidad Nacional.  The general objective is focused on analyzing the usefulness of the cognitive map in the teaching of cartography in order to contrast it other traditional methods. The results reveal that the spatial configurations represented in the cognitive maps bear little resemblance to the conventional cartographic representations. Nevertheless, the methodology implemented produces significant learning.Key Words: Geography of Perception, significant learning, didactic sequence, cognitive map, cartography education, cartography.