EDUCATIONAL MAINSTREAMING: CHARACTERISTICS, OBJECTIVES, ADVANTAGES - ECONOMÍA - 2024

The educational mainstreaming refers to a pedagogical approach that humanizes the work of teachers with special emphasis on the development of ethical values of the people they educate.

This educational method seeks that educational institutions get closer to the problems and situations of people's daily life to obtain substantial changes in behavior, with the ultimate goal of building a society with more constructive values.

The main objective of educational transversality is to develop critical analysis and citizen ethics. Source: pixabay.com

The educational mainstreaming has several advantages for students, among which are to facilitate the elaboration of critical visions in the face of certain conflicts, the possibility of self-eradicating the difficulties that do not allow them to achieve just solutions and adopting a creative personality, among others.

Some areas that are considered as transversal are moral and civic education, road safety education, sexual education and environmental education, among others. Due to their changing nature, they deserve that the curricula constantly adapt and manage to prepare citizens for the day to day.

This form of education admits interesting dynamics that can be developed in the classroom in order to pedagogically link students who face different situations.

Among these dynamics we can name the clarification of values, the discussion of moral dilemmas, critical understanding and role play, among others.

characteristics

Educational transversality allows promoting the link between the school and society; in addition, it promotes an optimization in the quality of life of individuals.

In addition, it not only involves attention to intellectual development but also focuses on emotional capacities, integration, social development, motor skills and other vital capacities for the student but which are not the main focus of conventional education.

This transversality is considered to have a humanistic dimension because it responds to social demands and relevant aspects of daily life.

Educational transversality is characterized by promoting the development of different areas of the human being with the use of reflection and attachment to supreme values ​​of a nation, such as freedom and democracy.

It is also considered a renovating proposal of the educational vision, since it proposes interdisciplinarity as a sophisticated way of approaching many situations that would probably be poorly understood if they are observed under the lens of a single discipline.

goals

Among the main objectives of educational mainstreaming, the following stand out:

- Implement knowledge that facilitates critical analysis of those aspects present in a community and that are usually viewed with reservations or fear.

- Develop knowledge and interest in reflection and analysis, especially in those everyday contexts in which social values ​​are put at risk.

- Promote civic ethics so that it also generates interest in democratic values, respect for equals and the environment, and all those principles vital to harmony and coexistence.

- Promote criticism and reflective thinking.

- Motivate concern for the achievement of fair or more favorable alternatives according to the ethical conception of the individual.

- Deepen the humanistic conception of the student.

Advantage

The educational transversality allows to approach the analysis of everyday situations with a global vision using interdisciplinarity as an instrumental interpretation tool. Likewise, it helps the student body to manage the problems that will arise both in the intimate, family and social sphere as well as in the professional one.

This approach provides the possibility of identifying with certain cultural and social values ​​that may be unknown to the student. Thanks to this, it is possible to develop your critical vision and commit to it.

Transversality also facilitates the forging of autonomous beings that freely and rationally manage to observe a reality, and not only stay there passively contemplating but can intervene and transform any unjust reality.

Likewise, educational mainstreaming responds to the individualized needs of students even when they are special situations. In addition to enhancing skills, this guarantees a possibility of entering the labor market.

Examples

Below are some of the different dynamics that can be carried out in a classroom with a view to developing all the objectives set by educational mainstreaming:

Clarification of values

This process begins with the selection of the values ​​with which the students that make up a specific group identify themselves individually.

Subsequently, a phase is passed in which they express the reasons for their selection of values. Finally, specific activities that they consider necessary to enhance these values ​​in everyday life should be proposed.

Discussion of moral dilemmas

Through this dynamic, the aim is to present students with a situation (real or fictitious) in which there is some kind of ethical conflict. The purpose of the activity is to allow them to reflect and / or take a position on this dilemma.

Critical understanding

In this case, the objective is to address a certain reading and, with the teacher's accompaniment, to encourage the participants to express their opinion on different passages of the reading that have previously been determined to have valuable elements for the critical formation of the student.

Dramatization

Basically, role-play consists of placing students in a role-playing position. This is framed with the fulfillment of certain norms and rules.

The purpose of this dynamic is the understanding of tolerance and compliance with specific conditions that allow them to assimilate how other cultures or societies function.

Roleplay

In the role play, it is also dramatized but there is no script to follow, but the student is assigned a position within the dynamics.

Generally, moral conflict is also sought, a situation that is likely to lead them to internally face various dilemmas.

Simulation games

It is about presenting students with different ways to solve a conflict without the teacher taking sides on any of these, so that the student can choose the option that is most favorable according to their criteria.

References

1. Bataller, C. "What is transversality in education?" (2017) in The education blog. Retrieved on June 23, 2019 from elblogdeeducacion.org
2. Fernández, J. "The curricular transversality in the context of higher education" (2003) PDF in Core. Retrieved on June 24, 2019 from core.ac.uk
3. Henríquez, C. "Mainstreaming: A Challenge for Primary and Secondary Education" (2008) PDF in United Nations Public Administration Network. Retrieved on June 23, 2019 from: unpan1.un.org
4. Reyábal, M. «Transversality and integral education» (1995) at Universidad Veracruzana. Retrieved on June 24, 2019 from: uv.mx
5. Tsankov, N. “development of transversal competences in school education (a didactic interpretation)” (2017) PDF in Serbian Citation Index. Retrieved on June 24, 2019 from scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs