by Noelia | Sep 23, 2016
Las declaraciones escandalosas de parte de Donald Trump sobre la inmigración, la gente de color y los musulmanes han desconcertado al mundo entero. Como profesora, considero a Donald Trump un ejemplo clásico de alguien que carece totalmente de habilidades interculturales, de la reflexión crítica, y de conocimientos profundos acerca de culturas y perspectivas distintas y de los patrones sociales, históricos y económicos que condujeron a la discriminación y opresión. Por suerte, hay muchos profesores y líderes educativos en todo el mundo que deseamos que nuestros estudiantes sean personas instruidas sobre culturas distintas, experimentadas en la comprensión intercultural y capaces de realizar el cambio social a fin de tener un mundo mejor. Pero, ¿cómo se logra ese objetivo? Un enfoque común en las escuelas es organizar un “Día Multicultural” en el cual los grupos de grado exhiben mapas y artefactos, o presentan algo que refleja lo que aprendieron sobre un particular grupo o país diverso. Sin embargo, ¿cumple ese enfoque con las expectativas que tenemos los profesores y administradores para nuestros estudiantes? Si queremos contestar esa pregunta, debemos analizar qué significa la educación multicultural y qué es lo que se propone lograr a través de ella.
Los investigadores de la educación multicultural la definen como un tipo de educación que promueve la afirmación de diferencias y aborda temas de desigualdad y opresión. Cabe destacar que tener conocimiento de las vidas y costumbres de otras personas es meramente una parte de la educación multicultural mediante la cual los estudiantes no alcanzan una comprensión profunda de los patrones complejos de interacción humana que condujeron a la polarización y marginalización que actualmente afectan el mundo a nivel global.
James Banks, líder en el campo de la educación multicultural, desarrolló un modelo que describe el enfoque de educación multicultural menos eficaz (no hace más que tocar la superficie) hasta el más eficaz (brinda una comprensión profunda junto a habilidades de interculturalidad y reflexión crítica). El primer nivel de los enfoques de Banks se llama el Enfoque de las Contribuciones, conocido también como el de los Héroes y Festividades. Ese enfoque no requiere de modificaciones curriculares por tratarse únicamente de eventos singulares durante los cuales los niños aprenden sobre otras culturas. El segundo nivel, el Enfoque Aditivo, se parece al anterior ya que los maestros “agregan” información sobre un grupo cultural a ciertas unidades de estudio. No obstante, el grupo se representa de la perspectiva del grupo dominante. Por ejemplo, sería presentar a los grupos indígenas dándoles una bienvenida calurosa a los “exploradores” y omitir las consecuencias negativas que conllevó aquel encuentro. Los dos niveles finales, tanto el Transformativo como el de la Toma de Decisiones y Acción Social, se distinguen notablemente de los demás. Según los últimos dos, los profesores indagan y recolectan materiales a fin de incluir tanto las perspectivas como las voces que tradicionalmente no se presentan en el currículo y que exploran las raíces históricas del racismo y la opresión. Al nivel de la Toma de Decisiones y Acción Social los profesores van más allá, cooperando con los estudiantes a adoptar medidas para realizar cambios positivos. Los enfoques se incorporan al currículo y se integran a través de las áreas de contenido.
A pesar de que un “Día Multicultural” puede resultar divertido para todos los involucrados, las investigaciones demuestran que, más que nada, se perpetúan estereotipos desgastados en lugar de desarrollar habilidades de interculturalidad y reflexión crítica. Nuestro mundo necesita urgentemente que las actuales y futuras generaciones de ciudadanos y líderes se dediquen a crear un mundo inclusivo, equitativo y justo para todos los habitantes. Por lo tanto, la educación multicultural debe extenderse durante el año lectivo entero y a todas las áreas de contenido.
by Noelia | Sep 23, 2016
The world has been taken aback by the outrageous statements made by Donald Trump about immigration, people of Color, and Muslims. As a teacher, I see Donald Trump as the non-example of one possessing cross-cultural and critical thinking skills with a deep understanding of different cultures and perspectives, and social-historical-economic patterns of discrimination and oppression. Fortunately, like me, teachers and school leaders around the world want their students to become knowledgeable about different cultures, skilled in cross-cultural understanding, and able to work toward social change for a better world. But how is this accomplished? A common approach taken by schools is to hold a “Multicultural Day” during which classrooms of students create displays of maps and artifacts, and sometimes present a performance, that reflects what the students have learned from their study of a particular “diverse” group or country. But, does this approach to multicultural education meet the goals that teachers and school leaders have for their students? To answer this question, it is important to look at what multicultural education is and the goals it hopes to accomplish.
Multicultural education scholars define multicultural education as education that promotes the affirmation of differences while also addressing issues of inequity and oppression. Knowledge of other people’s lives and customs is only a part of multicultural education and does not provide students with deep understanding of the complex patterns of human interaction that have led to the polarization and marginalization we are seeing played out in our world today.
James Banks, a leader in the field of multicultural education, developed a model for the different approaches to multicultural education that describes the least effective (only scratches the surface) for reaching the goals of multicultural education to the most effective (provides deep understanding and critical thinking and cross cultural skills). Level one of Banks’ approaches is called the Contributions approach, or the Heroes and Holidays approach. This approach requires no alterations to the existing curriculum because one-time events “take care of” teaching children about other cultures. Level two, the Additive approach, is similar to the Contributions approach in that teachers “add” information about a cultural group to units of study but the group is still represented from the dominant group perspective. An example would be indigenous groups being presented as peacefully welcoming “explorers” but leaving out the negative consequences that resulted from this encounter. The final two levels, the Transformative, and the Decision Making and Social Action approaches, differ significantly from the other two levels. In these approaches, teachers research and gather materials to include perspectives and voices not traditionally presented in the curriculum and examine historical roots of racism and oppression. At the Decision Making and Social Action approach, teachers go even further by working with students to take action to make positive changes to address an issue or problem they have studied. These approaches become the curriculum throughout the year and across content areas.
A “multicultural day” can be a fun experience for all involved but research has shown that it is a short walk in a shallow pond that often perpetuates stereotypes instead of developing cross cultural and critical thinking skills in our students. Now, more than ever, we need our current and future generations of citizens and leaders to work to create a world that is inclusive, equitable, and just for all its inhabitants. To achieve this, multicultural education needs to extend throughout the school year and infused into all content areas.
by Noelia | Sep 13, 2016
Danza – técnica y coreografía con Bertha, todos los Martes a las 15hs en Futuro Verde. Abierto a mayores de 8 años.
Gimnasia deportiva – niveles: principiante, intermedio, avanzado con Debbie, todos los Jueves a las 15.20 hs en el gimnasio de Cóbano, frente a Megasuper. Abierto a niños y niñas de 6 a 16 años.
Para más información escriba a stuart@futuro-verde.org
by Noelia | Sep 13, 2016
Dance – technique and choreography with Bertha, every Tuesday at 3pm . Minimum age of 8.
Gymnastics – beginner, intermediate, advance with Debbie – every Thursday at 3.20 pm at the gym in Cobano, opposite Megasuper. Open to boys and girls, ages 6 – 16.
For further details contact stuart@futuro-verde.org
by Noelia | Sep 8, 2016
During the month of September we celebrate Central American and Costa Rican independence.
Students play a very important role in this celebration; they take part in the lantern parade, the Independence Day Parade, etc. Costa Rica’s educational system has always believed that the future of the country’s freedom it is in the hands of young people, which is why patriotic holidays in Costa Rica are an activity for school children to participate in and are not for military groups in our country.
We are pleased to inform you all that our students will have the opportunity to participate in an intimate and school-community based Civic celebration, but still impressive and unforgettable, event at our school site on September 14th, starting at 10:30 am and finishing at 1:45 pm. We are sharing the detailed agenda below, hoping that you will be able to join us for this wonderful celebration.
September 14th*
Regular School Day Schedule, full FV uniform required. Early Release at 2:00 pm
The Running of the Torch: departing from the city government building around 8:30 am, and running towards Montezuma. Sr. Ramírez and select students will participate.
Honor Guard: from 10:30 am-12:30 pm at the city government building in Cóbano, 6th grade and Miss Vanessa
Activities to be Held at FV
Lantern Parade: 10.30 – 11.00 am
Lunch: 11:00 – 12:10 pm, lunch and sales open to the general public.
Special FV Menu – included in your child’s monthly lunch payment: Chifrijo (with pork or vegetarian)
Sales: grilled meat, desserts, natural juices, tortillas, chorreados, pizza, etc.
Civic Act: 12:30 – 1:45 pm
Presentations: Dances, theater, etc.
The Big Reveal “The Barba Challenge”
1:45 – 2:00 pm – students clean-up and get ready to go home
2:00 pm – early release (busses will depart at 2:00 pm)
September 15th
Parade: starting at 8:30 am, departing from the field in front of the city municipality building in Cóbano and going until the town open air gym.
September 16th
NO SCHOOL: Rest day
*Committed to our designation as a Green school with 5-star certification and fully committed to our sustainability goals, we are proud to announce that we will be holding a sustainable event- with no disposable utensils, with recycling and compost options on-site and with food products that fulfill our school nutrition policy.
