Rumo a uma avaliação com abordagem intercultural: Uma perspectiva do Instituto Nacional de Avaliação da Educação no México

The National Institute for the Evaluation of Education (INEE) in Mexico has begun to meet the challenges in evaluating indigenous children and teachers and the educational programs and policies targeted to them. Several evaluation projects are described in this paper. One is the “Previous, Free and Informed Consultation of Indigenous People,” which focuses on quality of education they receive. A second is the design of a protocol for reducing cultural and linguistic bias in standardized tests, which requires oversampling of indigenous students and the involvement of anthropologists, linguists and indigenous teachers in item development. A third is an indigenous language evaluation for candidates for entry into the teaching profession, which they must pass before they can work in indigenous schools. A fourth is the development of a qualitative instrument for evaluating teacher performance. The instrument asks evaluated teachers to contextualize their planning; scorers decide whether the plan is adapted to the cultural context and the characteristics of the children. The projects described are only a starting point. In the near future, several dilemmas, such as the apparent trade-off between contextualization and quality, have to be faced and solved.El Instituto Nacional para la Evaluación de la Educación de México ha empezado a enfrentar los desafíos que presenta la evaluación de niños y maestros indígenas y los programas y políticas educativas que se dirigen a ellos. Varios proyectos de evaluación se describen en este artículo. Uno de ellos es la Consulta Previa, Libre e Informada a Pueblos y Comunidades Indígenas que se centra en la calidad de la educación que reciben. Un segundo proyecto es el diseño de un protocolo para reducir los sesgos culturales y lingüísticos en las pruebas estandarizadas, que requiera una sobre representación de estudiantes indígenas y el involucramiento de antropólogos, lingüistas y maestros indígenas en el desarrollo de los reactivos. El tercero es la evaluación en lengua indígenas para los candidatos para ingresar a la profesión docente, que deben aprobar antes de poder trabajar en escuelas indígenas. El cuarto es el desarrollo de un instrumento cualitativo para evaluar el desempeño de los maestros; el instrumento solicita a los maestros evaluados contextualizar su plan de clase, los evaluadores deciden si el plan se adapta al contexto cultural y a las características de los niños. Los proyectos descritos son apenas un punto de partida. En el futuro inmediato, varios dilemas tales como la tensión entre contextualización y calidad deberán enfrentarse y resolverse.O Instituto Nacional de Avaliação Educacional do México começou a enfrentar os desafios da avaliação de crianças e professores indígenas e programas de educação e políticas que os abordam. Vários projetos de avaliação são descritos neste artigo. Uma delas é a Consulta Prévia, Livre e Informada a Povos e Comunidades Indígenas, que se concentra na qualidade da educação que recebem. Um segundo projeto é o desenho de um protocolo para reduzir os vieses culturais e linguísticas em testes padronizados, exigindo super-representação de estudantes indígenas ea participação de antropólogos, lingüistas e dos povos indígenas no desenvolvimento de professores reagentes. A terceira é a avaliação em língua indígena para candidatos a ingressarem na profissão docente, que devem passar antes de poder trabalhar em escolas indígenas. A quarta é o desenvolvimento de um instrumento qualitativo para avaliar o desempenho dos professores; o instrumento pede aos professores avaliados contextualizar seu plano de aula, os avaliadores decidir se o plano é adaptado ao contexto cultural e as características das crianças. Os projetos descritos são apenas um ponto de partida. No futuro imediato, vários dilemas, como a tensão entre contextualização e qualidade, terão de ser enfrentados e resolvidos

Knowledge-driven actions: Transforming higher education for global sustainability

Universities and, more broadly, higher education institutions (HEIs), need to use the knowledge they produce and their education of new professionals, to help solve some of the world´s greatest problems, as addressed by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out by the United Nations (UN). Humanity is facing unprecedented challenges, most strikingly so in relation to climate change and loss of nature and biodiversity, as well as inequality, health, the economy, and a suite of issues related to the 2030 Agenda. Given this new reality in which the future of humans, along with other species, is at stake, it is time for HEIs and their stakeholders to systematically rethink their role in society and their key missions, and reflect on how they can serve as catalysts for a rapid, urgently needed and fair transition towards sustainability. The complexity of the issues at stake means that solutions should be part of a radical agenda that calls for new alliances and new incentives. It is also time for HEIs to make sustainability and SDG literacy core requisites for all faculty members and students. Sustainability education should bring students into contact with real-world problems an immersive experiences. Appreciating the greater good of both people and planet, and contributing to values beyond mere monetary gain will further enthuse and inspire students and faculty mentors alike. Ultimately, the educational culture at universities and HEIs needs to encourage students to learn via experimentation and critical thinking from multiple perspectives. This report is undoubtedly about the SDGs; however, it is important to realize that these will expire in 2030. We thus strongly recommend that HEIs, while being a part of that agenda, should also look ahead – not only to implementing the SDGs, but also to being intensively involved in crafting the next steps and goals beyond 2030. A long-term perspective needs to be adopted for both HEI activities and policies. The call this report makes is for universities and HEIs to play an active part in an agenda that has the consensus of 193 countries and aims to resolve some of the world’s most pressing problems, as stated in the 17 SDGs. The challenge is for HEIs to embrace the 2030 Agenda, because if they do not it will be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve the SDGs. The SDGs represent a unifying challenge for all universities and HEIs, and this must be reflected in plans and actions for research, education and outreach. HEIs have played a crucial role as bringers of societal enlightenment and change over the centuries, maintaining their role as free and critical institutions while also – to varying degrees – aiming to perform a service within societies. It is essential to maintain and encourage these important roles and enable HEIs to combine their traditions of critical thinking with problem-solving activities, while also adjusting their role in the light of societal changes. The future of humanity and our planet is under threat, and the need for critical thinking and societal change is therefore more pressing than ever. HEIs should inspire societal change when necessary, taking a leading role in the transitions necessary for humankind and emphasizing that the need for change is immediate. This also implies that HEIs should think critically about their own practices, curricula and research, and about how to motivate their employees, students and society at large to do the same

Learning at the bottom of the pyramid : Science, measurement, and policy in low-income countries

In this volume, a diverse group of authors discuss and analyse the scientific tensions in understanding learning among poor and marginalized populations in Low- and Middle-income countries (LMICs). Four broad areas are considered: how to define the BoP; how to measure and assess learning outcomes across diverse populations within a country; variations in learning across the life-span; and the implications for international education policy. Each of the 12 chapters is complemented by two commentaries, thus there are a total of 36 contributions. In the social sciences, learning is defined most commonly as a change – such as in knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values – based on experiences of some kind.Thus, schooling is not the same thing as learning. While schooling is usually designed to foster curriculum-based learning in classrooms, research increasingly demonstrates that much of what we presume is learned in school is not, and that a great deal of learning takes place outside of schools. There is a large and diverse empirical research base in the area of human learning. However, much of the available research is limited by constraints of various kinds. Most prominent among these is the limited ability to generalize from findings in one population or context to others. In Chapter 1, Schmelkes considers common elements to human learning, in and out of school, including important cultural variations that are large and often poorly understood. She concludes that much more should be done to improve educational policy and address such contextual issues. A second key priority is to determine what populations are meant by the phrase BoP. How do populations differ in LMICs – both across and within countries? As pointed out by Montoya in Chapter 2, there are at least six prominent dimensions through which populations at the BoP may be described in low-income countries, and each is important for considering the ways that young people can escape from persistent poverty. Building on the first two chapters, Crouch (Chapter 3) lays out a conceptual model, buttressed by data from international assessments, that describes how to flatten the learning pyramid to ensure more equitable learning outcomes for all by focusing on the poorest learners. Overall, these three chapters provide a framework for considering the nature and extent of BoP studies of learning. There are many critiques of the educational assessment enterprise, the beginning of which is sometimes attributed to the French psychometrician Alfred Binet. In order to support the expansion of public schooling in France, Binet famously created assessments through which he could predict which children would have the most difficulty in school. In this section, we consider contemporary approaches to learning assessments, with a specific focus on the socio-cultural determinants of who succeeds and who does not at the BoP. Kanjee, in Chapter 4, takes a broad perspective by reviewing the purposes of international assessment studies, suggesting that assessments have only limited impact on supporting BoP learning achievement. He concludes that assessments can better address the learning needs of poor and marginalized learners by reporting results through formative evaluations that can impact children before learning gaps widen. In Chapter 5, Willms describes a conceptual model for improved learning over the life-course, empirically supported by research in Uruguay among preschool children, and in Canada with young indigenous children. One of his findings is that in order to succeed in school, children need to learn to read with confidence during the primary grades, and use language to think critically, solve problems, and create new knowledge. He concludes that national and international assessments can serve to establish standards, assess the extent of inequalities among various subpopulations, and provide a framework for basic or theoretical research, but that there should be greater focus on changing classroom practice. One way to understand the inner workings of assessments and use them to promote learning at the BoP is provided by Vagh and Sharma (Chapter 6) in their action research project in Allahabad, India. This project sought to develop and evaluate a local language literacy and numeracy programme for children from low socioeconomic backgrounds in government school primary grades, using measurement and assessment to drive programme change. It highlights some of the strengths and challenges of localized assessments. Moreover, it suggests that assessments can be used by teachers to support early reading. Finally, in Chapter 7, Maddox asks a seminal question: To what extent are learning assessments able to identify and include individual and cultural differences, without reproducing relations of disadvantage? These issues are described in terms of test fairness and procedures for anticipating and removing sources of test bias. In a series of ethnographic studies, Maddox advises the reader to pay close attention to how assessments are carried out in situ, and how questions are interpreted by the person tested. Serious problems can and will ensue without such care in local contexts. Another approach to BoP issues is through a life-span perspective. How do measurement tools on learning and learning outcomes vary for young children, students in school, as well as among youth and adults? Three chapters in this section consider such age-related differences. Dowd and Pisani, in Chapter 8, have been deeply involved in the field of assessments of young children before they reach school age. Their chapter reviews the application of the International Development and Early Learning Assessment (IDELA) instrument to explore young children’s skills at the BoP and identify learning gaps in early academic, physical, and social-emotional development. Based on the broad findings from more than 20 LMICs, and closer analysis of particular contexts, the authors make that case that there is much variation in early childhood learning within countries, particularly between urban and rural contexts. They argue that national policies in support of early childhood need to be guided by disaggregated data in order to ensure that children at the BoP receive adequate support. In Chapter 9, Care, Robertson, and Ferido describe how well-designed assessments for school-aged children can provide individualized information that can support school-based learning. These assessments build on the skill levels that children bring to the classroom. Through what they term a ‘learning progression model’, they present data on children in the Philippines who are best able to learn from specifically guided instruction tailored to their particular skill level. They conclude that learning assessments can and should be inclusive of diverse groups within any larger target population. Finally, Oketch (Chapter 10) focuses on youth and adult learning in subSaharan African, pointing out that rapidly changing demographics and economies in the region require significantly greater attention. Further, the population of low-skilled youth is growing dramatically, even though more African children are going to school than ever before. This chapter describes the importance of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and non-formal education as two known methodologies for directly providing instruction and learning outside of the classroom in support of out-of-school youth and adults. The problem remains, according to Oketch, that there is a paucity of research in this domain, and in particular among populations at the BoP. In Chapters 1–10, authors and commentators present multiple views on scientific definitions, measurement tools, and life-span approaches for understanding learning at the BoP. This final section of the volume considers the kinds of educational policy implications that need to be considered by both national and international decision-makers. Benavot (Chapter 11) raises a key issue in supporting learning at the BoP, notably the need to move beyond easily accessible measures of learning – namely, school-based surveys of a narrow range of learning outcomes at the primary and lower secondary level – and engage with the broader and more comprehensive learning agenda proposed in the SDGs. He points out that many of the UN goals contain diverse elements of learning, and the specific targets for each goal may vary a great deal across diverse populations. Further, he notes that many of the key markers of disadvantage in education (such as socio-economic status, SES) are very difficult to change. He concludes that a serious focus on learning at the BoP will require greater clarity of definitions, and a more deliberate approach to building evidence on how best to improve relevant learning outcomes for the disadvantaged. In Chapter 12, Van Damme provides a global policy perspective supported by the findings of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) international learning assessments. He asserts that international educational policies can only be inclusive and sustainable if those at the bottom of the social and educational pyramid benefit from them. To support this perspective, Van Damme presents findings that demonstrate how higher levels of economic growth are driven by more years of education and greater learning achievement within countries. By disaggregating data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 assessment, he reminds us that students with very low proficiency tend to drive down national averages (similar to the findings by Crouch in Chapter 3). He concludes that countries need to focus on raising average learning outcomes to desired national standards while at the same time narrowing the distribution of national learning outcomes

Factores que influyen en la elección de las carreras de pedagogía en Colombia

Resumen El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo identificar los factores que influyen sobre las motivaciones, la satisfacción y expectativas en torno al ejercicio profesional en estudiantes de las facultades de Educación y ciclos complementarios de Escuelas Normales Superiores (ENS) en Colombia, tomando caso de estudio la región Caribe de este país. Para ello, se aplicó un estudio de tipo cuantitativo, cuya muestra estuvo integrada por 805 estudiantes de programas afines a los antes mencionados, quienes estuvieron a cargo del diligenciamiento de una encuesta orientada a la medición de los factores que influyen en la elección de estos estudios, de acuerdo con la escala FIT-choice (Factors Influencing Teaching choice), desarrollado por Watt y Richardson (2007). Los resultados obtenidos no solo nos permiten establecer un perfil socioeducativo de los futuros maestros analizados en este trabajo; sino también, facilitan la identificación de los factores vinculados a los principales tipos de motivaciones que tienen mayor peso, al momento de elegir carreras relacionadas con la Pedagogía; siendo las motivaciones de tipo altruistas e intrínsecas las más valoradas por los estudiantes encuestados. Las motivaciones extrínsecas, relacionadas con el salario y la conciliación, por ejemplo, tuvieron una valoración menor, con la excepción del factor relacionado con la seguridad del trabajo. La satisfacción de la elección es elevada pese al bajo salario, la falta de estatus social y una alta disuasión social.This paper aims to identify the factors that influence motivation, satisfaction and expectations about the professional practices among students in education colleges and postsecondary education colleges in Colombia, studying the case of the Caribbean region, based on a quantitative study with 805 students linked with the programs mentioned above, who were in charge of measuring the factors that influence the selection of teaching careers, according to the FIT-choice scale (Factors Influencing Teaching choice), developed by Watt and Richardson (2007). Findings not only allow us to establish a socio-educational profile of future teachers analyzed in this work, but also help us to identify factors linked to the main types of motivations that mostly affect the choice of education careers. In this case, the altruistic and intrinsic motivations are the most valued by respondents, compared with extrinsic motivations, related to salary and time for family, for example, whose valuation was lower. Satisfaction with choice is well valued despite low salaries, lack of social status and high social dissuasion

Educación para un México intercultural

Este trabajo sitúa la necesidad de una educación intercultural bilingüe de calidad y con pertinencia cultural y lingüística para los pueblos indígenas, en todos los niveles educativos, y la de una educación intercultural para toda la población, en el marco de la definición de México como país pluricultural y frente a las lamentables condiciones de vida de la población indígena en nuestro país. Si bien la educación para un país intercultural es sólo una forma de combatir las injusticias históricas que se han cometido con los pueblos indígenas, la educación contribuye de manera importante a ello. Se reconocen algunos avances en materia de educación intercultural en el país y se define lo que se entiende por educación intercultural y sus fundamentos. Se precisa lo que ello significa para la población indígena y también para la nacional. Se finaliza dibujando dos escenarios: uno en el que se siga relegando a la población indígena como se ha venido haciendo hasta la fecha, y otro en el que se intente construir un país intercultural. Para este último, se esquematizan los retos educativos y se destaca la conveniencia de la activa participación de los pueblos indígenas en el proceso

LA CALIDAD EDUCATIVA Y LA FORMACIÓN DE DOCENTES

Nadie pone en duda que el factor más importante en la determinación de la calidad de los resultados educativos es la calidad del docente. Dicha calidad, sin embargo,no se refiere solamente a la solidez de sus conocimientos disciplinarios y pedagógicos, ni a lo adecuado de sus habilidades propiamente didácticas. Es, al parecer, una calidad integral, que hace referencia al docente como persona, y que incluye, desde luego, los aspectos cognoscitivos pero también, y de manera muy importante, los afectivos medidos, en diversos estudios, como actitudes hacia la docencia, hacia sus alumnos, hacia la comunidad en que trabaja. Más aún, diríamos que las exigencias que recientemente se vienen formulando socialmente sobre el sistema educativo, y que tienen que ver con la capacidad de dicho sistema de formar para la protección del medio ambiente, para la democracia, para los derechos humanos, para la paz y la comprensión internacional, en síntesis, para formar en valores exigen al docente una integridad humana: un claro esquema valoral y una gran congruencia entre lo que cree y cómo actúa.