Miradas contemporáneas en educación: Algunos puntos clave para el debate

Abstract

The complex and evolving dynamics of contemporary societies present an ongoing challenge for academic communities, necessitating continuous debate regarding current educational issues. Intellectual engagement within research environments fosters interaction and collaborative work among local, national, and international academic teams, strengthening and enriching the construction of specialized theories and practices. In the field of education research, this can act as a driving force for integrating diverse components of educational knowledge, contributing to problem-solving and expanding understandings of various educational contexts. The "Contemporary Perspectives in Education: Key Debates for Discussion" Seminar has become a dynamic space for interaction among researchers, teachers, students, and the general public interested in educational debates. It has proven instrumental in opening up epistemological, sociological, historical, pedagogical, didactic, and cultural reflections on various approaches and trends in Education Research, from multiple conceptual and methodological perspectives. Consequently, this Seminar is primarily aimed at the academic and educational community of the Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, teachers from schools in Bogotá, and generally, educators from various universities and individuals interested in the diverse subjects discussed therein. This second publication is a collaborative effort, a product of some of the sessions held during the "Contemporary Perspectives in Education" Seminar over the past year. It features seven chapters, each corresponding to a conference delivered by distinguished national and international research professors who participated as guests in the curricular and research developments of the Interinstitutional Doctorate Program in Education, based at the Universidad Distrital. Firstly, Dr. Douglas Verrangia from the Federal University of São Carlos (Brazil) presents his conference titled "Multiculturalism, Ethno-Racial Relations and Science Teaching: Some Challenges." He addresses the multifaceted consequences arising from the implementation of Law 10.639/2003 and CNE/CP Opinion 003/2004, which mandate the teaching of African History and Culture in Brazilian schools. Teachers, therefore, face an epistemological paradox requiring discussion for just curricular implementation and a socio-educational vindication of the Black Social Movement. Verrangia adopts a critical stance to situate African and Afro-descendant intellectual production within the field of Science. The second chapter, "Mathematics and Semiotics in the Classroom: A Necessary Point of View," by Dr. Maura Iori from the University of Bologna and the University of Palermo (Italy), highlights the importance of incorporating Semiotics into classrooms. One of the main obstacles for students to become familiar with mathematics lies in the difficulty they face in interpreting the semiotic representations encountered in class. To address this, Iori proposes an articulated management of Peirce's semiotic-interpretive approach and Duval's semiotic-cognitive approach. Dr. Jorge Riechmann's conference, "Understand, Fight, Love: The Life and Thought of Paco Fernández Buey (1943-2012)," is presented in the third chapter. This provides a detailed study of the life and work of this Spanish philosopher. His conference allows us to recognize a Fernández Buey who embodies a polyphony of life: his experiences as a teacher, his political thoughts, his communist proposals, and even his contributions to the philosophy of science, among many other facets of a man whom Riechmann describes with the words of sociologist Antonio Izquierdo Escribano: "Paco... is a lot of Paco." In chapter four, titled "Historical Research as a Tool to Guide Educational Processes," Dr. María Mercedes Molina Hurtado from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM, Mexico) reflects on the importance of research as a necessary and permanent element for teachers' work. She emphasizes how this must transcend simple academic discussions or inconsequential conferences to become a fundamental part of concrete classroom action. Similarly, the author reflects on the uses, characteristics, and potential weaknesses of Oral History as a research model. Furthermore, Dr. Óscar Eugenio Tamayo from the University of Manizales (Colombia), in chapter five titled "Domain-Specific Didactics and Modularity of the Mind," explores potential relationships between specific and general Science Didactics and the concept of mind modularity, as developed by cognitive sciences. To do so, he approaches the concepts of modules and modularization from a neuroscientific perspective, with constant interventions from Didactics in this dialogue of knowledge. Concepts such as representations, metacognition, and conceptual change, among others, are discussed. Chapter six serves as a recognition from the Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas (Colombia) to Dr. Bruno D'Amore, who received an honorary PhD in Social Sciences and Education from the University of Cyprus in October 2013 for his notable contributions to Mathematics Didactics. This chapter, titled "Learning Mathematics to Use its Language Universally," is the translated version of the speech delivered by the Professor during his honorary doctorate acceptance ceremony. Here, D'Amore describes seven essential points where he discusses, basically, through various historical examples and diverse metaphors, the transcendence of mathematics and its teaching in the development of human knowledge. He continuously highlights the role that Mathematics Didactics has played in Scientific Research. Finally, Dr. Armando Zambrano Leal from ICESI University (Colombia), in chapter seven titled "From Classical Formation to Contemporary Formation," particularly addresses two themes: firstly, he describes the influence of mimesis or imitation in early training practices; secondly, he offers a strong critique of the disciplinarization process that led to Contemporary Formation. The author provides a historical overview describing the factors that contributed to the emergence of Humanism and its particular characteristics, leading to the progressive transformation that eliminated the idea of Classical Formation, primarily using the postulates of Michel Foucault and Phillipe Meirieu as theoretical support. Zambrano presents an important reflection based on his professional and academic experience, as well as recent studies on Education and Formation processes. We can thus affirm that this work presents itself as a highly relevant contribution to academic discussion concerning cultural diversity, mathematics and science didactics, language studies, and historical research. It also holds undeniable value for the various educational communities that engage with it. In this way, the Interinstitutional Doctorate Program in Education of the Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas (DIE-UD) continues to advance actions that strengthen its mission, striving to extend to the community of specialists and interested individuals, developments related to educational contexts through the invaluable contributions of the aforementioned authors.