National History Prize 2012 talks about disciplinary and pedagogical training

jorge pinto 1

''Disciplinary training and pedagogical training in our Universities'' was the title of the conference given by Dr. Jorge Pinto Rodríguez, 2012 National History Prize winner and academic at the University of La Frontera, in the Pentagon room of the University of La Serena. The activity, organized by the Faculty of Humanities, was part of the commemoration of the thirty-third anniversary of the state campus and was attended by a large number of members of the university community, especially Pedagogy students.

The ceremony began with the welcoming words of the academic vice-rector, Dr. Jorge Catalán, and the dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Dr. María Zúñiga, who thanked the academic for his presence. Subsequently, Dr. Pinto Rodríguez referred to the strong bond that unites him to the University of La Serena and its academics, after which he spoke with those present about the strengths in the training of teachers and the challenges at times when the Education is in the public debate.

jorge pinto 2Based on his experience in teacher training, Dr. Pinto Rodríguez commented that there is a distance between disciplinary progress and the delay in the contents taught in educational establishments. ''Hence, it is very important to discuss this because of the importance attributed to education in the country's processes of change,'' said the guest speaker, who added that teachers ''are attributed this ability to induce the changes, progress, to intervene in the training of our students; and although this task is not paid as it should, there is tremendous pressure on teachers.''

Regarding the strengths in teacher training, the 2012 National History Award highlighted the quality of the students who are coming to the Pedagogies; the changes in the academic staff, with academic staff highly trained to assume teaching at the university, many with a track record in research and with national and international recognition; and finally, the material conditions in which teachers operate.

One of the challenges posed by the academic is the distance between what is taught at the university and what is taught in educational establishments, ''if we do not solve this problem, we will stagnate pedagogy, education and we will not have a way to respond to society," he said. He also mentioned shortening the distances in disciplinary and pedagogical training, an alternative being that students combine disciplinary training with what teachers provide in the Schools of Education. ''I believe that our first responsibility as university professors is to provide our students with the ability to achieve autonomy, which is key in the exercise of a profession,'' he indicated. To the above, he added the preparation of teachers to operate in the reality of educational establishments and insist on the training of teachers with high management skills. 

''We are facing a scenario that is tremendously challenging, but that is tremendously hopeful; I believe that today the conditions are in place for us to transform education into the lever of change,'' the academic concluded, adding that ''in you young people lies the future of the country (...) and I hope that we teachers are up to it. the height of their demands, if we are up to the task we will be in a position to respond to a country that has to solve the problems of inequity, inequality, abuse of the environment in which we operate and of natural resources.''

Finally, the ULS academics, Dr. Érika Zúñiga and Dr. Fabián Araya, spoke, who reflected on the topic presented by Dr. Rodríguez.