Abstract:

This paper presents the activities of an intra/inter Chair Seminary for Teachers (CST) for the teaching of Mathematical Analysis I (MA-I) course in all engineering careers dictated at Nacional Technological University (UTN-FRRo), from an interactional perspective, linked to competence approaches -focused in students learning-, so as to overcome the current instructional model.

CST seeks ways of thinking through new logicians that perceive the knowledge as an organization, as a contextualized process, where learnings are products of “node” connections of the cognitive system, giving meaning to what is learned. It focuses on implementing a teaching model that promotes social interaction among students and teachers, adressing the class in a dialogic learning framework, where knowledge emerges from the accomplishment of a planned activity and the error is considered a source of learning and not a reason for penalty.

CST is carried out from four different logics: from a curricular model, that perceives Engineering as an applied science (to know mathematics to make engineering and not vice versa); from the teachers one, who educate providing contents to be applied (blindness of mathematical teachers itself); from the context (complex socio-environmental problems call for new professional skills for engineers); and from the logic of trends, such scenarios of technological convergence like Nano/Bio/Info/Cognitives (NBIC) in USA or The Convergence of Technology Science and Society (CONTECS) in Europe.

The Seminar began at the end of 2018 at UTN-FRRo classrooms. It was carried out at extra-class hours and involved four modules:
In module I, theoretical framework was exposed (tendencies and contexts in engineering education).
In module II, teachers debated in groups about paradigmatic changes from the previous module and discussed new educative activities. As a result, the development of a preparatory-diagnostically-leveling course was proposed, where logical reasoning, language appropriation, consolidation of concepts based on problem solving, and symbol and graphics management were privileged.
In module III, the execution of the proposals that emerged from the brainstorming of tutors was considered and a complete competency-based model was designed.
In module IV (evaluative phase), the evaluation and the didactical process were integrated, considering the student as a subject who is learning. Students were the evaluators of the evaluative proposal; they examined their own performance and that of their classmates; the teacher acted as manager, consultant and advisor.

We consider that educators of different backgrounds (teachers, graduates, doctors, engineers) should continue optimizing our training with this type of CST, where the shared work will enable us to achieve the goals proposed in the curriculum. Taking into account that the evaluation highlights the teaching model and its conception, we expect a collective reflection that helps to ponder from what logic we look at change.

Keywords:

Educational strategies, Mathematical education, Competences-based mathematic, Evaluation, Interactional model.