Más allá del género

Recibido 06 de setiembre de 2010 • Aceptado 09 de marzo de 2011 • Corregido 22 de mayo de 2011      El propósito del presente ensayo es describir, desde la cotidianidad, la influencia de la palabra en las canciones populares y destacar, al mismo tiempo, cómo lo cotidiano, lo que vemos, escuchamos y vivimos son poderosas herramientas de aprendizaje duradero en la construcción de las representaciones culturales relativas al género. Se destaca la influencia de las letras de las canciones populares en la construcción de la identidad masculina. Además, cómo esto determina las relaciones entre los sujetos, sean hombres y mujeres. Se plantea la necesidad de romper con modelos sexuales estereotipados que generan la violencia contra las mujeres y algunos hombres, en un contexto de una sociedad patriarcal, en procura de una sociedad más democrática y equitativa, sobre la base del principio de igualdad.

Lenguaje: Algo más que un mecanismo para la comunicación

Recibido 04 de agosto de 2010 • Aceptado 31 de agosto de 2010 • Corregido 09 de octubre de 2010      El propósito de este artículo es reflexionar acerca de la importancia del lenguaje en el proceso de aprendizaje de las personas, en contraste con la visión tradicional con la que se ha orientado la enseñanza de la lengua y su incidencia en el campo educativo. Para ello, se hace un análisis desde distintas perspectivas y visiones que aportan diversos estudiosos, quienes han abordado el tema del lenguaje, sus implicancias en el aprendizaje escolar y en el que realizan los seres humanos a lo largo de su existencia. Ante este contexto, el artículo plantea la necesidad de establecer mecanismos pedagógicos que aborden una nueva visión de la enseñanza de la lengua en cualquiera de sus áreas, visualizando el lenguaje como herramienta para el aprendizaje y como vehículo para alcanzar la expresión integral en todas las modalidades de la educación.

Una mediación ética, psicológica y ecologizante

Recibido 10 de noviembre de 2010 • Aceptado 09 de marzo de 2011 • Corregido 04 de mayo de 2011    En este artículo hago hincapié en la importancia de la mediación pedagógica en el proceso educativo y paso a señalar cómo la mediación se enriquece si se toman en cuenta consideraciones de tipo ético como la legitimidad del otro; de tipo psicológico, rescatando del valor de la empatía, y de tipo ecologizante, resaltando la importancia de la contextualización como medio pedagógico.

La atención a la diversidad: experiencia del Proyecto UNA Educación de Calidad, de la Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica

Recibido 16 de julio de 2010 • Aceptado 31 de agosto de 2010 • Corregido 04 de octubre de 2010  Debido al marco jurídico actual, en los últimos años, el sistema educativo costarricense ha experimentado cambios significativos, tanto en los niveles internacional como nacional. Estos van desde la promulgación de la Ley 7600 Igualdad de Oportunidades para las Personas con Discapacidad en Costa Rica (Costa Rica, Asamblea Legislativa,1996) hasta el planteamiento de la Ley 8661 Convención sobre los Derechos Humanos de las Personas con Discapacidad (Costa Rica, Asamblea Legislativa, 2008). Por lo anterior, el espacio temporal en el que emergió el Proyecto UNA Educación de Calidad, en 1998 y el contexto en el cual estaba inmerso el Sistema Educativo Nacional, particularmente, en el ámbito universitario, la propuesta pedagógica que se presenta da muestra de una transición entre el modelo rehabilitador y el modelo social, específicamente, dentro de cada uno de estos, el respectivo abordaje educativo, que abarca desde los procedimientos de la integración a los de la educación inclusiva. Desde esta perspectiva, se presenta las vivencias y estrategias desplegadas desde el Proyecto UNA Educación de Calidad. El fin es proporcionar apoyo y seguimiento, en su formación profesional, a un grupo de la diversidad, constituido por los estudiantes con necesidades educativas matriculados en la Universidad Nacional. De esta forma, se pretenden hacer efectivos sus derechos de acceder a una educación superior de calidad, de acuerdo con sus características personales y sociales, y promover su permanencia e inserción socio-laboral. Los retos que impone la atención a la diversidad en el contexto universitario son un desafío plasmado en el quehacer cotidiano del Proyecto UNA Educación de Calidad. Estas transformaciones se vislumbran en la constante reconstrucción de las estrategias utilizadas, al tener, como aspectos esenciales, el empleo de equipo tecnológico y programas de computación especializados. Estos les permitirán a los estudiantes acceder a la información y a la comunicación; la asesoría y la capacitación de los académicos y del personal administrativo; el establecimiento de estrategias de apoyo colaborativo entre los miembros de la comunidad universitaria, así como, la búsqueda de cooperación en el ámbito nacional e internacional para el desarrollo de nueva iniciativas.

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.

The Students’ Perspective of Geometry Teaching and Learning in High School

The purpose of this article is to present the results obtained from a questionnaire applied to Costa Rican high school students, in order to know their perspectives about geometry teaching and learning. The results show that geometry classes in high school education have been based on a traditional system of teaching, where the teacher presents the theory; he presents examples and exercises that should be solved by students, which emphasize in the application and memorization of formulas. As a consequence, visualization processes, argumentation and justification don’t have a preponderant role. Geometry is presented to students like a group of definitions, formulas, and theorems completely far from their reality and, where the examples and exercises don’t possess any relationship with their context. As a result, it is considered not important, because it is not applicable to real life situations. Also, the students consider that, to be successful in geometry, it is necessary to know how to use the calculator, to carry out calculations, to have capacity to memorize definitions, formulas and theorems, to possess capacity to understand the geometric drawings and to carry out clever exercises to develop a practical ability.

An Environmental Management Experience Within the Project: Improvement of Educational Opportunities in Rural Environmental Management in Sarapiqui and Guapiles’ Schools

A very important aspect of worldwide education and, particularly for Costa Rican education, is the environmental management as an educational strategy. For this reason, this article describes the experience of the project Mejora de la Oferta Educativa en Gestión Ambiental Rural (MOE-GAR) during its first stage in 2009. The population was comprised by teachers from different areas of the rural school districts of Guapiles and Sarapiquí. As a part of this project, we worked with teachers, different government and nongovernment institutions, throughout the 2009 school year; obtaining as a result, a process of knowledge development in environmental management. Based on this, several proposals were developed in different educational institutions.

Beliefs, Teaching Practice and Proposals for the Attention of Cultural Diversity: the Case of a Costa Rican Teaching and Three Nicaraguans Infants

This article presents data from a research that studied a teacher belief regarding three Nicaraguan students. Specifically, presents findings related to teaching practice and its relation to diverse education proposals. It includes an analysis of four subcategories: daily dynamic of a teacher who works with infants of another culture, students’ assessment in the classroom, discipline strategies to children, and diverse beliefs and proposals. The data shows that, in the classroom, the teacher does not demonstrate different treatment to Nicaraguan and Costa Rican children, suggesting that equal treatment is the strategy per se used by the teacher to solve the issue of cultural diversity in the classroom. On the other hand, discipline is assumed by the teacher with scolding criteria, using a loud tone of voice and aggressive vocabulary.

Sensitization and Disposition to Change Facing the Challenges of the New Educational Circumstances

This article is about the necessity of an up to date vision in teachers’ training. It starts with the latest studies and advances surrounding learning-along-life term. It presents a set of topics inspired in the contributions of new fields of study connected to learning. Such contributions, as neuroscience, should be considered in the decisions related to future teachers’ training, thus favoring the transformation of the pedagogical practice. Awareness and disposition to change are essential requirements for teacher trainers who will drive investigative processes and pedagogical proposals generation; all of this according to the new and dynamic knowledge society.

Skills in the XXI Century Guidance: An Approach to the Costa Rican Reality

During a long time, the term competence has been used in different fields. Among those fields, and one of the most important, we can mention the educational system, from preschool to university levels. The term has to be understood as one person integral behavior, making him/her able to enter the labor force in the most competitive way. Within the university realm, experts have tried to include the model of competences as a transversal axle into the teaching-learning process. In European universities, such model has been implemented in most of them. In Latin America universities, on the other hand, it has been used in a good number of countries. The importance of early detection of competences among target populations in education has been widely discussed. However, it has been highlighted the necessity of considering romantic or subjective competences, which seem to lack of value in this complex and competitive actual world. The term competence has been classified as genetic competence, or common and specific competence. The latter is related to the knowledge scope. Within the counseling field, specifically, the general and specific competences are deemed highly appropriate for good a work performance. This article focuses on the main antecedents of competences and analyzes this approach from counseling field perspective. In regards to this specific aspect, a survey with professionals in counseling was carried out. Such a survey ends up dealing with some of the competences considered unavoidable for an accurate performance of professionals in counseling. It is important to mention that the competences of the survey mainly point out to genetic competences rather than to specific competences.

Quality of Life Profile, Overweight-Obesity and Sedentary Behavior in Elementary and High School Children of Guanacaste

The purpose of this study was to identify the quality of life profile, overweight-obesity and sedentary behavior in a group of elementary and high school children of Guanacaste. 635 students participated in the study. The participants completed a protocol by which they were anthropometrically evaluated, and also filled up a questionnaire related to sedentary behavior and quality of life. In general, the findings reflected a prevalence of overweight and obesity of 13, 9%. The most important sedentary activities were, in descending order, the small screen (watching TV, video games, computer), and certain social and cultural activities. The self-reported quality of life index was within acceptable limits but not exceeding 80 points on a scale of 1-100. There was no significant relationship between the rate of the overall quality of life, overweight, obesity and some sedentary behaviors, although some anthropometric parameters like percentage of body fat and body weight showed significant correlation with sedentary behavior and specific aspects belonging to quality of life. The study provides valuable information to health authorities, directors of educational institutions and parents about key issues related to child development.

Communication in the Seventh Grade Classroom

Reflections on communication in the learning process at the level of the seventh year of secondary education based on the methodological and pedagogical approaches, considered in research of a multidisciplinary team of the CIDE of UNA (National University), with the aim of building the “teaching performance profile for the seventh year of Costa Rican education”. It demonstrates the role of teachers to ensure favorable communication links to the learning process, not only to capture the attention and interest of students through varied and systematic motivations, but also by the honesty, openness, personal example and involvement in the task, problems and aspirations of students.

Antecedente nacional e internacional sobre la percepción y los derechos de las niñas, los niños, los y las adolescentes

Until the middle of the XVIII Century, children were considered as miniature adults, but with Jean Jacob Rousseau the study of the development of the human being was started and the foundation was set up for the new science of Paidology (the study of children), wich focuses on the different intellectual and physical conflicts which children face, and also for other sciencies such as Paidofilaxis, Pueroculture and Pediatrics. The Society of Nations, created, in 1919, the Consultancy for the Trafficking of Women and the Protection of Children, and in Geneva, the International Union for Aid was founded in 1920. In Argentina, the First American Congress for Children was organized in 1916, and others followed. The first Declaration of Childrens Right was proclaimed in 1924 and then followed the first Ten Commandments of Childrens Rights. In Costa Rica in 1929, a project was presented for the Constitutional Congress to establish an institution for the protection of children, wich was duly enacted into law in 1930 with the name of National Institution for the Protection of Children (Patronato Nacional de la Infancia, PANI) whose duty was to oversee the welfare of minors and their physical, intellectual, moral and emotional development. In 1930, the first Declaration of the Rights for Costarrican Children was proclaimed. The creation of the PANI, the declaration of Childrens Rights, and the enactment of a Code for Infants (1932), constitute the three events that signal Costa Rica as one of the pioneers countries in Latin American and the World, in the protectionof children and mothers. At the end of the article, some of the crucial events that have happened during the decades that PANI has been working in the country are analized.

Accesibilidad para ingresar a la Educación Superior: desafíos y logros desde el enfoque de la diversidad

Concerning the social role, humanistic mission, professional training and development of knowledge pursued by state universities, this article poses the challenge of valuing the difference and acknowledging diversity as a true commitment to society. From the standpoint of diversity, the article proposes to embrace the population with disabilities from the time of entrance and admission to Universidad Nacional.

Breve reseña histórica de la evolución y el desarrollo del derecho a la educación

This article seeks to illustrate the path that the conception of the Right to Education has followed and the interpretation that has being made of it in the different stages. In each one of these stages, the experts in the subject have categorized this Right from the beginning, locating it among Human Rights in the fundamental place that it deserves, or that should deserve, serving as an entrance door to the enjoyment of a full social citizenship, that becomes aware and guarantor of many other Rights that derive from it.