SEVENTH TASK

 CHALLENGES OF COLOMBIAN ENGLISH TEACHERS IN THE RURAL CONTEXT.

              The learning process in rural contexts has not achieved the same level of development as in urban areas. In addition, this issue worries about when it refers to learning a second language because there are not many English language teachers willing to improve conditions by taking action in the field. Policies in Colombia related to the teaching of English give to teachers an idea about how to teach in urban areas but it is not focused on the needs in rural contexts. As a result, there is a lack of motivation for learning

and teaching English in rural contexts for both teachers and students.

       Nowadays, traditional education is not valid for this society. Modern technology and the higher standard of education are factors that make possible this notion and therefore, it makes people be competitive in any way. It is necessary for educators to teach since reality and society. As Paulo Freire stated, “One of the fundamental tasks of the educator who is open-minded are to be attentive and sensitive about the way in which a given social group reads and rereads its reality, so as to be able to stimulate progressively a generalized comprehension of this new reality” (2001). Thus, the teacher profile could achieve development in a cooperative education with a new method, organization of teaching and, educating can change the model of the traditional school. 

The acquisition of English has become increasingly necessary and so it represents a specific need for students. For that reason, the English language needs to have the same importance in schools as any subject and it requires the guidance of professional teachers. Since 2004 when the National Bilingualism program in Colombia started, educational institutions all over the country have been undertaking actions to try to reach the goals that the program has set out. Schools and universities have implemented new strategies, have increased the number of hours to learn the subject matter, and have even included strong changes in their curricular organization. Likewise, the aforementioned linguistic policy has generated a series of social and cultural implications by requiring every Colombian citizen in rural and urban areas to be instructed in English. In this context, the role of language teachers played in the national educational system is paramount. Therefore, it is necessary to fully understand the significance of the teachers’ work. (Miranda, 2016)

        Nowak Fabrykowski analyzed Freinet’s theory which was focused on the teacher's personality and practice is illustrated through teaching practice and psychological theory.  The theory presented  basic forms of the teacher behavior such needs, skills and temperament that is called like “pedagogic talent”. Taking into account this perspective, one of the main features of teachers is that they should like children, like helping (have altruistic values), like learning, and like leading, as well as possess initiative and responsibility. (Trow, 960). To support this idea, Freinet argued that the elements constructing the teacher's personality are psyche, intelligence, and work. For him, psyche consists of instinct, needs, temperament, and feelings. In L'éducation du travail (1967), he defines "intelligence" as the ability to assimilate experience from different areas of life and specifies the following types of intelligence: artistic, abstract (in the forms of words and concepts), creative, manual, cognitive, political, and social. He explains "work" as the development of one's own pedagogical style and methods. For him, work enriches the personality and helps conquer weaknesses. Moreover, he stresses that in order to execute abilities, a teacher should possess a dynamic personality and a rich interior life. Those traits are required for everyday work, which links all domains of knowledge and the need for all kinds of skills. The teacher should be a creator, inventor, poet, builder, writer, artist, and musician as well as a psychologist and philosopher; thus, teachers must try to shape themselves and their methods continuously. 

       As society is continuously changing, being critical remains paramount at the moment of expressing ourselves in any circumstance. Consequently, educators’ commitment towards the endorsement of students’ critical thinking becomes a must in the learning process. Celestin Freinet emphasized that the importance of the teacher profile is to be critical. The educator with a democratic vision or posture cannot avoid in his teaching praxis working on the critical capacity, curiosity, and autonomy of the learner. In this way, the educator has to be able to lighten the curiosity of the learner. Likewise, as learners present an innate curiosity that needs to be explored so that it can flourish outwards, it is the duty of a teacher to serve as a guide of the process itself.  Paulo Freire (2001) described the human curiosity as a phenomenon present in all vital experience; it is in a permanent process of social and historical construction and reconstruction. It is precise because ingenuous curiosity does not automatically become critical that one of the essential tasks of progressive educational praxis is the promotion of a curiosity that is critical, bold, and adventurous. (p. 18)

SIXTH TASK

"Where is the indignation?" Critical pedagogy in dark times

It is not unusual, in an educational system that does not adapt to sociocultural changes or the demands of a society as critical of the teaching task, as educators in their vocation. In the profession, in recent years, in the state, the firm, labor, salary and political conflicts, the teaching vocation is what allows us to continue with the daily task. However, this does not imply a resignation or indifference. On the contrary, it means fighting to build a school that can be transmitted to our principles, in the effort and perseverance, the values ​​that prevail.

For a long time, even today, education has been the main source for people to access the world of work, but also to the arguments of Mr. Giroux education should be beyond putting people at the service of others . Education must understand in the field to open doors to understand and overcome the current crisis both in social policy and in the economic policy that faces young people today and that a better future must be generated. 
For this reason it is the need to use education to make students think critically and constructively. 
The importance of all these social problems and the adoption of measures.
Self-realization is essential to undertake and deliver the best to youth. This document must include their activities in a personal, professional, professional and professional work.
How is it going? believe the unimaginable.
defender of education. for more information.

FIFTH TASK

6.18 False premises

Five percent of people got married last year and five percent of the previous year. This means that ten percent of people get married every two years. Therefore, in twenty years, all married.The part of the population is not eligible to marry, for example, children, babies and adolescents. In addition, adults may not be ready to marry, it is not about maturity.

6.2 Underlying assumptions

According to overture.com, more people seek information about the modern scientist, Emeagwali, on the Internet than any other scientist. The number of pages downloaded is the equivalent of a best-selling book. Everyone must have heard about their discoveries at this point.According to that people who search the Internet with great frequency should have knowledge of what is happening. Maybe it is correct, but there is also the possibility that other people have not heard of Emeagwali. In addition, there may be several people.

6.6 Implicit assumptions as reasons.

People used plants as a method to cure diseases for centuries before the advent of modern medicines. The pharmaceutical industry often uses the same plants as the basis of the medicines we use today. Medications are now expensive to produce and buy. It would be better if we went back to traditional methods, using leaves and roots of plants instead of mass-produced pharmaceuticals.Conclusion: it would be better to go back to the traditional methods of using the leaves and roots of plants in place of mass production pharmaceuticals.The implicit assumptions I recognize 2: 1. The use of medicinal plants is more accessible and healthy than current medicines. In modern medicine, despite the use of plants to create their pharmaceutical products, a more concentrated amount can be used with chemicals than plants.2. The methods of medicinal plants have been as effective as modern medicines. The passage has not been evidenced as a pharmaceutical center ..

6.26 Implicit arguments

The people in our country believe in honesty and decency. We do not believe in stealing or cheating the state. Now, services are better than two people migrate here from other countries.Migrants are more likely to not tell the truth. There is no evidence to support it.

6.8 Stereotypes

We should have expected problems since there were a lot of football fans in the crowd.The fans of soccer fans are generators of problems.

7.4 Identification of the nature of the link.

Reason 1: Sugar destroys the waste of teeth recently.Reason 2: Children eat a lot of sugar.Reason 3: Children's teeth deteriorate rapidly.Conclusion: Children's teeth deteriorate rapidly due to the sugar they eat.When children consume too much sugar, it can destroy the tooth and create cavities in children.

7.10 false analogies

As the basis of an argument, premises are like the foundations of a building. If the premises are not well founded, the argument is likely to collapse.The comparison is valid because in both cases, if the base is solid, as a result, they can be unstable and then collapse.

FOURTH TASK

Dangerous dogs or bad education of the society?

Several studies have shown that dog attacks are not related to a certain breed, but to the way they are raised or have been victims of abuse, abuse and abandonment before. The attacks of dogs are not only due to the so-called Potentially Dangerous Dogs, but any dog ​​can get to bite before certain stimulate of the surrounding environment, either by instinct of its own protection or its owner.

Moreover, many of these breeds of dogs are attributed traits of loyalty and protection, acting as "caretakers" for the sweetness with which they treat children.

It is important that society is linked more with the responsibility of the owner of the dog and not so much in it, that it is completely free of guilt, leaving the stereotypes.

We must educate in responsible tenure and sanction irresponsible owners, if necessary, but without prohibitions that directly or indirectly affect dogs, since they are not responsible or are not to blame for our actions.

For this reason, I consider that there are no potentially dangerous dogs, but potentially irresponsible owners. It seems logical to think that it is about the latter over who should treat the regulations, as well as the coercive and sanctioning measures.

Every decade we bring evil to a different breed, Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Rottweiler, among others. When humanity accepted the guilt?

Personally I have a so-called PPP by society and I can attest that since childhood it has been as sweet and faithful as any other dog. The love and protection felt with me as owner and with my family as their support makes them have the tranquility and certainty of not feeling the need to attack someone for being deprived of their freedom or being trained to attack third parties.

It's time to leave the stereotypes aside. have an open mind.

THIRD TASK 

Summary of Stephen Brookfield on creative and critical thinking.

At the beginning of the conference Stephen argues that a good teacher is anyone who defines himself as a thief of knowledge in the good sense of the word. According to this comparison, it shows it in the following way: teachers must know how to enter the classroom and quickly analyze what is valuable and necessary to take it, adopt it and modify it in favor of its practice. It should be noted that teachers have a link with the experience of both the training of their career and the relationship created with each of their students. 
For this reason he considers that the pencil and paper tests that determine who passes or loses should not standardize the individual's abilities. The fact of giving a role of participation and freedom when it comes to expressing their ideas, makes the students feel comfortable in the surrounding area and feel the desire and comfort of showing others their knowledge. After his experience with the exams, he made the decision to change the standardized tests for something more flexible; because teachers should not teach their students to pass an exam, nor should students learn (memorize) just to take an exam.

Stephen mentions within the key points of his lecture critical thinking as a process and skill by which he allows us to realize the assumptions that frame the ways in which we think, as well as the way we think about the beliefs of the society, and the assumptions that generalize the way we act. On the other hand, he highlights the creativity that allows us to encourage and analyze ideas from multiple perspectives. Thinking critically and creatively according to Stephen Brookfield is important because we stop seeing things from the obvious point of view, where nothing surprises or impresses us anymore.

He presents a triple classification.

PARADIGMATICO: common sense that is taken for granted.

PRESCRIPTIVE: Assumptions about how things should be.

CAUSAL: "My guess is that it results in this particular result"

"The problem with critical thinking is when we use this term we are working from the point of view of different intellectual traditions."

The fourth most common tradition:

ANALYTICAL PHILOSOPHY: When a student thinks critically, he has the ability to construct and deconstruct his own and too many arguments.

HYPOTHETICAL: The application of critical thinking will always generate new hypotheses.

CRITICAL THEORY: The student does not allow the ideological manipulation of a topic.

PRAGMATISM: a critical thinker is someone who has knowledge as something that is constantly reinvented and that is open to new ways of thinking new ways of practicing.

Critical and creative thinking occurs gradually; which can not expect its students to have a good development of critical and creative thinking if it has not been put into practice. The second, the teacher must present a situation that takes the students by surprise (in front and responds a "disorienting dilemma" (Mezirow))

SECOND TASK

The reflection tasks proposed by Stella Cottrell (2005) in her paper "What is critical thinking?

REFLECTION 1: EMOTIONAL SELF-MAGENEMENT

*For me, the emotions that are most difficult to manage when others disagree with me are:

I feel impatience many times when I know my answer is true or I have the evidence to prove it and other people insist on contradicting me insistently. Sometimes I feel disappointed that I do not have enough arguments to defend my point of view before that of another colleague in a debate.
I get angry that those who are opting about a topic, do so rudely or with encouragement to offend others.

*I deal with these by: In most cases it is important to analyze what kind of person is reactive to our arguments and by this I mean that we do not have the same type of beliefs whether religious, cultural, social or any other type , for that reason it is understandable that someone does not agree with us, and that they support their ideas of agreements to their personal experiences.

REFLECTION 2: INFLUENCES ON MY THINKING

* For me, the influences on my own thinking that I need to be aware of these are prejudices and thinking: // * I will deal with this by:

When I come to support my ideas and not letting me influence, perhaps because of the argument of others, I try almost always to read, watch videos and interact with people who have a wide knowledge about what I need to express, likewise, trust in myself, be sure that my thoughts are valid just like the rest.

REFLECTION 3: CHALLENGING MY OPINION

* For me the things I found most difficult about the opinions of other people are: // * I will deal with this by:

For me, it is difficult to challenge the thought of another person because usually those who are contradicted tend to see defense arguments as something rude and I feel a little scared maybe when judged in a bad way
It is necessary to understand the field in which the discussion of a topic is developed (context such as classroom, conference, meeting among friends, etc.), which factors surround the person's critical thinking, ie types of beliefs, origin, management of language and on the part of both thinkers, how well the subject is being understood, if the correct meaning is given to what one wants to question.

REFLECTION 4: Do you recognize anything of yourself in Bodner's description of students? What effect would the approach suggest on your learning and understanding?

*Do you recognize anything of yourself in Bodner's description of students? What effect would the approach have suggested on your learning and understanding:

It is necessary for students to develop critical thinking skills, participate in critical dialogue with their own arguments, this helps increase participation and leave fear aside.
Students need to develop the ability to constructively critique, evaluate themselves and evaluate the work of others.
Because of the things generated in the students' confidence, that they know what is the reason why they are being asked to analyze a specific topic.
Bodner (1988) suggests that, instead of focusing primarily on standard chemical calculations in books, students should be looking for answers to such questions as' How do we know? . . ? 'and' Why do we believe? . . ? '

 REFLECTION 5: Consider what you could do to manage these barriers in the next few months.

To remove a little of the critical learning obstacles I think it is important that the topics to be analyzed are of the liking and pleasure of the students, that they have knowledge about it and if it is not, generate them in a didactic and creative way information about what It wants to show. It is well known that practice makes the teacher, so the more you carry out critical thinking activities, the more you encourage this type of thinking is the students.

FIRST TASK

My initial perspective on the Critical and Creative Thinking concept.

Critical thinking evaluates the veracity of existing events, and creative thinking tries to produce new concepts; Critical thinking is based on principles such as logic and rationality and creative thinking seeks to put into practice traditions and paradigms of society.

Both types of thinking when working together create in the human being skills that allow him to have problems, develop productive analyzes in any type of area and not only that, the imagination takes a very important role in generating original and creative ideas. 
There is evidence that shows that there is an improvement of the students in the performance in the conventional tests when their creative abilities have been enhanced (Amabile, 1996)
For this reason it is important that as a teaching role create environments conducive to critical and creative thinking, because these two raised thoughts encourage reflexive thinking, and an open mind is needed to accept without judging paradigms and beliefs.