We are happy because from now on the books we present will have their ownhistory. Will the student of pedagogy and teacher trainers who will accompanythem in the coming time and will ultimately be the students of our schools andcolleges who receive their ideas, concepts, illustrations and models, recreatedin the hands of their professors.
With these words, Patricio Felmer, Project Director Fondef, Tools for theTraining of Mathematics Teachers of Middle School,” welcomed the audience tocrowd the auditorium of the Faculty of Law at the launch of the unpublishedpapers for students at pedagogy at the University of Chile presented to thenational community on 2 June.
It is about 15 books published byEditions Northeast Communications Limited and to be acquired in bookstoresaround the country and can also be purchased in e-book through the site buscalibros.cl.
Let's construct as a whole the road of the equity
Víctor Pérez Vera, Rector chaired the event and shared with attendees her pridearoused by this project was born from the essence of the work done in thisUniversity. The University of Chile is strongly committed to making the initialtraining Teachers shaft of his work. Is the capacity and the disciplinarypowers attached, but also the essential condition of a love for education.”
Special words of gratefulness had the Rector for Patricio Felmer, SaloméMartínez, Leonor Varas and all persons who participated in this historicalinitiative.” What we have seen today, is the tremendous effort of academicians,with many passion for advancing in the quality together with heightening thetremendous fondness dedicated to those to which this project is.”
In the occasion, the Rector contextualized this important contribution with thescene that lives through our country. “We talk much about education. Foryears I have been saying that is the core of the development, but we see someinconsistency with the results,” observed the noted academic authoritywith “the great effort made by this team of scholars Universidad de Chileand other universities, who worked with passion to further improve the qualityof initial teacher training and that is the center of what can be a real reformto improve the quality of education in the country “.
Along these lines, the academic authority issued a call to the Chilean State toadvance in a combined work to build spaces of equality and quality, so thateveryone can move forward with the same opportunities.
“If we want to improve the quality, I argue that the state allows these books to bedistributed to all students of Education in Mathematics and so be part of theroad of equity,” he concluded.
Combined work
Roberto Nahum, the Dean of the Faculty of Law and host of the ceremony,addressed the audience to share their full support to the actions beingundertaken within the Universidad de Chile to defend and improve publiceducation. He also urged to continue working together to advance this matterand expressed its satisfaction that the Universidad de Chile takes a leadingrole in education in Chile, supporting the management of the Rector Pérez Veraand its actions to develop an institutional project on this line.Meanwhile, Mrs. Violeta Arancibia the Director of the Centro dePerfeccionamiento, Experimentación e Investigaciones Pedagógicas of Mineduc,welcomed the contribution of U. Chile and said the country “needs manymore initiatives such as those released today.”
New networks, new leadership
The materializationof these monographs convened the formation of a team of mathematicians and matheducators “who were willing to share the table for discussion. Not easy,considering that in Chile we had our own 'war of mathematics'. A generousattitude and enthusiast we find in academicians from various universities,today our friends and collaborators, we call in the project, team, “theDirector of this initiative, an academic at the FCFM, Patricio Felmer.
On the occasion, the professor also highlighted Chile's momentum in this area.”Our country is not doing well in education, not doing well inmathematics. Our system is socially segregated, we are not giving opportunitiesto all, too many lack access to quality education. We are responsible for whatwe have, administrative and political authorities, teachers, universityauthorities and academics, “said the scholar urging a collective work andgenerous.
In this context, the work of this Fondef project not only bore fruit in thepublication of the first 15 books to support the training of middle schoolteachers in the history of our country, but promoted the formation networksthat serve as a platform for continuous updating of this project. “We puttogether a team of more than 40 academics from different universities,different experiences, and different views. We work together, discuss, analyze,we discuss once again and finally created a new situation. We help bring newplayers to the field of education, contribute building bridges betweenmathematicians and math educators, building bridges among mathematicians. Thisis an active network now takes other forms, which are reorganized into newprojects, which is organized and articulate, in new ways, according to emergingneeds and the emergence of new leadership, “said Professor Felmer.
“When youstudy successful experiences in any kind of things, but especially ineducation, you realize the importance of the formation of leaders, teams andnetworks in achieving the goals. We are happy to be contributing to thisproject to reach higher levels of coordination, synergy and working together inpursuit of a common goal, “he said.
Professor Felmer devoted a special time to thank everyone who made it possibleto finish this project, noting the decision of the editor Juan Carlos Saez, supportthe publication of these books.
Enchant with math
For its part, the Assistant Director of Monographs, Salome Martinez, describedthe process for the construction of these books, and a profile of content thatis in every one of them, thanking each time the work of academics in charge ofeach subject.
“The collection covers subjects such as Algebra, Geometry and calculuswhich have always been a mainstay in the training of teachers. There are alsofour books on probability and statistics, an area of mathematics that has becomevery important in the current curriculum and that should be reflected in theinitial training of future teachers. It is also addressed in the monographcollection issues related to applied mathematics and mathematical modelingwhich are intended to demonstrate the future teacher plays the role ofmathematics in solving real-life problems, as it helps us to formulate modelsfor understanding the world, and as the study of mathematical models promotesthe development of new theories. This collection covers a wide spectrum oftopics, but not exhaustive. The texts can be used in curricular organizations,the papers were designed to be flexible, allowing each institution to give astamp to their graduates, “he noted.
“We think the training of a teacher should be diverse. They must not onlyensure that young people can meet curriculum objectives, but also must be ableto love with mathematics to children with varied interests. Some marvel at pureknowledge while others with more concrete, “the academic said.
For more details onthe materials of each edition, click here.
Photographies: Jorge Salas
