The training was framed in the implementation of the Applied Pedagogical Research (IPA) project “Observation of Teaching Pedagogical Practices with a focus on the treatment of Cognitive Skills of Reading Comprehension in pre-basic students in Kindergarten, first and second grade of Carlos School Condell de la Haza of the city of La Serena” developed under the aegis of the Integrated Management Unit of Pedagogies (UGIP).

Identifying variables of teaching pedagogical practice, in the development of cognitive skills of Reading Compression, was the main objective of the project carried out by Professor Dr. Alejandra Torrejón, Vice-rector of Economic and Administrative Affairs, together with the Management and professors of the Carlos Condell de la Haza School.

The research included carrying out different workshops, directed by Dr. Torrejón and Professor Jorge Carvajal, in which they addressed topics related to cognitive skills and reading comprehension strategies at their different levels and stages of development.

“We feel pleased as a working group, since we established pedagogical dialogues to find possible answers to a series of questions that we initially posed (…). Some instruments were formulated to collect information and thus see what was happening in daily practice with educators and teachers regarding early reading processes and, on the other hand, see how it can be visualized that early reading skills were indeed being developed. giving (…) therefore these workshops allowed us to establish a self-analysis regarding pedagogical practices,” explained the Vice-Rector.

For her part, the director of the school, Nelly Vilches, who actively participated in the investigative work, positively valued the realization of these collaborative instances between the University and the establishment. “There is an urgent need in education to reuse this practice of researching what we do. The Carlos Condell de la Haza School is a public educational center located in a territorial sector that needs a training and educational pedagogical proposal relevant to the context (...). The view that we always have is the relevance that the school has in the territory, because more than an infrastructure, it is an engine of development (...). Those who gained the most were our boys and girls, and for them we are always looking for ways to update ourselves,” said the director.

One of the important aspects of the IPA projects is that it considers the participation of academics, teachers from the school system and undergraduate students from the University of La Serena. In that sense, the teacher-in-training of Ped's career. in Basic General Education, Diego Muñoz, had a fundamental role in the work carried out with the members of the school. “Research is a duty of the University, and on this occasion, the importance that I want to highlight is that we are considered as pedagogy students in a research of these characteristics. This gives it a seal that not all research has, as students we contribute not from experience, but from curiosity and the desire to learn. We are all responsible for generating knowledge from the place where we are and I also want to thank the institution for generating these opportunities,” he stated.

In this way, the training culminated in a ceremony in which a certificate of recognition was delivered to the 27 teachers who attended the project workshops.

“The participation I had in the project was very fortunate, because that allowed me to improve some aspects of how to teach reading to children, they gave me some strategies that I implemented until the end of the year and thus the children could understand better and achieve a better development in reading and writing,” said the first cycle teacher, Patricia Rojas.

The same was stated by her colleague, Camila Zamarca, who stated that “the research made us understand in a different way how to teach children, with different structures, and thus enhance their abilities. We didn't think that being so small we could take advantage of the texts, which was what surprised us, we started to implement it and it has gone very well for us."

It should be noted that the main purpose of Applied Pedagogical Research projects is, precisely, to respond to real problems presented by the actors in the school system themselves. For this reason, there are already eight projects that are being developed in the different communes of the region. “We have to continue working together, for mutual benefit, advocating for cooperation and joint work between the institutional community and the educational system,” emphasized Dr. Fabián Araya, alternate executive director of the Integrated Management of Pedagogies Unit, who coordinates the execution of all IPA projects.

Source: Integrated Pedagogy Management Unit (UGIP) – PMI FIP ULS1501 | CM ULS1755