Education in Cuba

All the schools in Cuba are subsidized not private schools or universities are permitted.
Historically, Cuba has had some of the highest rates of education and literacy in the World, especially after the revolution.
Cuba has maintained high standards of educational development. A 1998 study by UNESCO reported that Cuban students showed a high level of educational achievement. Cuban third and fourth graders scored 350 points, 100 points above the regional average in tests of basic language and mathematics skills. The report indicated that the test achievement of the lower half of students in Cuba was significantly higher than the test achievement of the upper half of students in other Central and South American countries in the study group.
School attendance is compulsory from ages 6 to 15 or 16 (end of basic secondary education) and all students, regardless of age or sex, wear school uniforms with the color denoting grade level. Primary education lasts for six years. Secondary education is divided into basic secondary education and pre-university secondary education. The curriculum in primary and secondary schools is based upon principles of "hard work, self-discipline and love of country". At the end of basic secondary education, pupils can choose between pre-university education and technical and professional education. Those who complete pre-university education are awarded the Bachillerato. Technical training leads to two levels of qualification - skilled worker and middle-level technician. Successful completion of this cycle gives access to the technological institutes.

learning to learn

The main idea of this program is to increase the effectiveness of student's natural abilities to solve problems, increase their academical performance and comprehension.
Learning to Learn is a research-based learning and thinking skills system. LTL has significant, lasting impacts on:
students’ academic performance across the curriculum;
critical thinking skills;
reading, writing, math and science skills; and
scores on statewide standardized tests
LTL students move away from rote learning towards inquiry-based learning. They also acquire skills that help them use their natural visual learning abilities.
Continuous application of our strategies to content coursework allows students to internalize the LTL strategies and integrate them into their own system of learning. LTL helps students excel in all their subject-matter work and addresses their individual learning needs.

Education 2020

Education 2020 is a movement that wants to recluit people in order to promove a change in chilean education, The main objective is to increase in a 20% the poorest student's quality of education

To achieve this purpose educacion2020 drives the following proposals:

-more and better kinder gardens.
-meaningful change for the teaching statute.
-unequivocal and transparent teaching evaluation.
-advanced and decent early retirement for many teachers.
-high quality tranining and certification for all teachers that have potential.
-inmediate selection process for a post held for life headmasters from state schools who still are in the educational system.
-pedagogic carrers closing which give academic qualifications to non-qualified people.
-intensive usage of educational televison and new technologies in the classroom.
-number of students reduction where is necessary.
-bilingual teachers immigration.
-schoolarships and high remuneration.
-servicio-país in loss-making schools.

Debates

Mr. Litman show us a power point concerning about main characteristics about debates and the importance of this topic related to our development, because this kind of activities are going to improve our speaking, critical thinking and to be informed about what kind of things are happening in the world mainly with the education, we must investigate to have solids arguments and create a debate between our classmates.

The last week Mr. Litman talked about some things that we read in a newspaper; about the strikes against the agreement of LGE, and we talked too about if more computers at school increase the quality of learning and we gave our opinion mainly about the first one about the strikes of the teachers, and I believed that LGE is not the best,. But at least is a progress, so these are examples of questions that could be present in a debate.

After Rodrigo, Dreny, Eduardo and me, began with the debates, our topic was about LOCE, first able we made a little presentation then we divide the course in two groups some are in pro and others in cons then two groups share opinions and they create a debate about this controversial topic.

María Música

Today we began our second semester with an issue that happened during the winter holidays, I am talking about María Música Sepulveda who doused ed. Minister Mónica Jiménez. When I saw this new I realise the depression in our education concerning meanly with the students (the futures professional of our country) but I was thinking about what’s going on with the students? Meanly with the high school students and I was talking with many teachers of my university about this topic and I realise that students do not have any referents of superiority as many people that normally respect their parents, family, teachers, or any other adult person, maybe I sound like an older person that is talking but I think the respect is a great values that must come from ours homes and in the home of this girl is clearly that it does not happen.

I was thinking about a punishment for this girl but maybe no one could be meaningful for her education, as a future teacher I would like to talk with her and try to investigate the real reasons for their behaviour but I think the only way is to talk with her and obviously with her mother, but is for her mother to find a solution for this problem is difficult because she said to María that her reaction was good and justify, but the government, the minister, the education in general said that her reaction was unsuitable. So now I am sure that María has a great confusion in her mind about who has the reason.

A second topic was related to learning strategies and we focus on one that nowadays is the most effective student success programs in higher education in the USA.