The first part of this article aims to outline some theoretical and conceptual aspects on the transversal axes referred to the field of didactics. In the second part, a methodology is suggested that allows articulating the cross-cutting themes of the curriculum and how to make this link an effective instrument for those higher education institutions that have in their educational plans, the task of reinforcing the process of formation of values.
Justification
The presence of a transversal axis dedicated to the process of formation of values is justified by the crisis of values that exists in Colombian society. Every day, society demands more from the universities, competent professionals with comprehensive training, which depends not only on the knowledge and skills acquired in the teaching faculties but also on the convictions, feelings and ethical values that regulate professional performance. of the graduate, which requires a solid axiological training.
First part: theoretical framework on transverse axes
Mainstreaming has become an articulating instrument that allows the educational sector to interrelate with the family and society. In the contemporary world, many institutions have been designing strategies for the formation of values using the instrument of transversal axes in order to give an integrative approach to their curriculum, provide comprehensive training to their students and formulate an ethical foundation for the operation of the institution itself..
The issue of mainstreaming took off after the publication of the so-called “Report of the International Commission on Education for the 21st Century”, which was disseminated by UNESCO in 1996. Since then, some institutions have adopted this instrument in their curricular designs ”.
The definition on the transversal axis is complex, therefore it will be preferable to issue the following concept: They are globalizing instruments of an interdisciplinary nature that cover the entirety of a curriculum and in particular the entirety of the areas of knowledge, disciplines and themes with the aim of create favorable conditions to provide students with more training in social, environmental or health aspects.
The transversal axes have a globalizing character because they cross link and connect many disciplines of the curriculum. This means that they become instruments that cover subjects and themes that meet the objective of having an overall vision.
The transversal axes then become foundations for pedagogical practice by integrating the fields of being, knowing, doing and living together through concepts, procedures, values and attitudes that guide teaching and learning. We must insist on the fact that the cross-sectional approach does not deny the importance of the disciplines, but rather forces a review of the strategies traditionally applied in the classroom by incorporating into the curriculum at all levels, a meaningful education for the student from of the connection of these disciplines with the social, ethical and moral problems present in their environment.
The transversal axes interact interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary, for which reason it is necessary to introduce changes in mentality, beginning by openly questioning the patrimonial character that faculties, didactic departments and professors have of their subject, of which they consider themselves absolute owners.
The transversal axes are strongly linked to the strategies of innovation and educational participation. For this reason, they constitute a privileged field of experimentation for the year groups, including parents and associations, to collaborate in its implementation through activities to support the classroom and complementary educational character that at some point, may have a spontaneous character but of course they become part of the educational models and projects of the institution.
The transversal axes contribute to the balanced formation of the personality, instilling respect for human rights and other cultures, the development of habits that combat unbridled consumerism and therefore eliminate existing discrimination on the grounds of sex, or belonging to an ethnic minority. However, to achieve this, it is necessary to accompany the transversal axes of methodologies, actions and strategies that make them useful and operational instruments.
Cross-cutting axes and education
The educational sector is called to promote significant changes, in the sense of leading the formation of individuals capable of living together in a society where they operate in a tolerant, solidary, honest and fair manner.
The formation of values constitutes a pedagogical problem, which is only understandable from the psychological analysis of the nature of value in its regulatory function of human performance.
The new curricular models are usually based on the transversality or transversal axes that are inserted in the curricula in order to fulfill specific objectives of providing elements for the transformation of education. The transversal axes allow for an articulation between education based on the disciplines of knowledge, themes and subjects with careers of higher education to train comprehensive professionals.
The Chilean Ministry of Education in its latest educational reform expressed the following: "the dual structure of cross-cutting fundamental objectives truly addresses human formation in its most comprehensive form, permanently seeking convergence of knowledge and morals."
Each institution may be interested in privileging or emphasizing a theme that gives character and identity to the cross-cutting axis, for example: education for education, environmental education, sexual education, road and transport education, education in urbanity, consumer education and Education in values. However, these themes are of three types: social, environmental and health.
Based on the foregoing, students of transversality suggest talking about three classifications like this: a) social cross-cutting axes when referring to topics such as: values, urbanity, consumption, human rights, respect and coexistence. b) cross-cutting environmental axes when allusion is made to: respect for nature, animals, plants and the universe and c) cross-cutting axes of health, when we refer to the care of the human body, good nutrition practices, prevention against drug addiction and sexual education, among others.
However, the specific objectives of the transversal axes that are inserted in the curricula of higher education have generally been identified based on acute problems that afflict the society in which they live and therefore it is necessary to create awareness in individuals, to achieve a solution to them.
Institutions can take advantage of the cross-cutting themes to characterize and define their own identity, according to the guidelines they wish to impart, for example; In the same city, there can be two educational institutions and each of these offer a law degree. However, while one of them is of a pontifical nature and is run by the archdiocesan clergy, the other is of a public nature and is directed by rectors appointed by public authorities. It is a fact that although the graduates of both universities will be lawyers, the orientation and regulations of each of these teaching centers are different and therefore the transversal axes of training will have a different orientation and identity.
Of course, incorporating the transversal axes in the educational curricula requires planning and design that allow the disciplines, subjects and subjects of the degree to be articulated, so that this union is done in a rational and coherent way. Therefore, a methodology is required that shows the stages or steps necessary to gradually connect the years, semesters, disciplines, subjects and themes with the dimensions, indicators and scope proposed in the institutional educational plans or models.
Another of the transcendental aspects in the subject of transversality refers to teacher training. In contemporary educational systems, teacher training must include not only knowledge instruction but an integral education of the subject, which is to include in their training ethical, moral and axiological themes as essential categories to achieve comprehensive training. But this comprehensive training is not only for the teacher, it is also essential that it falls on the students.
In relation to the training issue, Professor Viviana González has stated that: “Working values education in the curriculum of higher education requires a series of conditions, among them, the psycho-pedagogical training of teachers, since for no one is a secret that this teacher is a specialist in his profession but lacks psycho-pedagogical preparation ”.
The other application of the transversal axes that was proposed at the beginning of the theoretical framework consists of improving the ethical foundation of the institution itself, incorporating regulations for coexistence and ethical codes that benefit respect and behavior in the educational faculty.
Second part: transversal axes and formation of values
As explained previously, one of the classifications of the transversal axes is the one that deals with the social issue. In our case, we will refer to the structuring of the transversal axes as an instrument that contributes to the formation of values and as a starting point or principle. It is good to explain that this article is aimed at higher education teaching centers whose interest is to introduce transversal axes to strengthen education as a deeply humanizing task.
The achievement of the humanizing task can be achieved using the transversal axis as an instrument, so that through it, conditions favorable to the contents are created, in such a way that allows students to understand human reality, identify and analyze the problems that In it they manifest themselves, and find and develop solutions or alternatives so that in this way, in the environment that surrounds them, they try to build a happier, more convivial and more human world.
The methodological steps to follow to assemble the transverse axis of values are explained below.
Methodology to structure the transverse axis of values
The Methodology to structure the transversal axis of values comprises four steps, as follows: 1) Orientations. 2) The graduate's profile. 3) The value system articulated with the graduate's profile, and 4) Administrative management actions.
The starting point is to establish basic guidelines. Then proceed to define the institution's own value system, which should be based on the profile of the graduate you want to train. Once the profile of the graduate has been defined, the system of values on which the educational action will focus will proceed; the one that supposes a process of reflection, dialogue, definition, agreement and commitment with the group of the year, which must be made explicit in the Institutional Pedagogical Project as one of its essential components.
In this way, the triad: Basic Orientations, Graduate Profile and Values System constitutes a kind of enveloping fabric that covers the transverse axis, which in turn, crosses the entire curriculum; thus providing the institution with a tool that contributes to supporting the humanizing task.
1) Orientations
Now, it is worth reflecting, what are the guidelines that must be explicit on the cross-cutting axis to achieve the humanizing task? In accordance with what has been outlined so far, three fundamental orientations are suggested: 1) Connect higher education with life, 2) Integrate teaching and learning processes with the main ethical values, and 3) Provide students with the necessary skills to know and interpret reality and to be able to act on it.
Connecting higher education with life is achieved when the institution instructs in knowledge through: its curricula, content, disciplines or the so-called academic areas. Scientific-technical knowledge that comprises the store of conceptual, procedural and attitudinal content that students can discover and learn systemically and progressively throughout their educational process, and that make up what we could qualify as the knowledge of today.
Connecting higher education with life also consists of creating favorable conditions to form the personality of the individual. The student's personality is formed when the higher education institution is fully opened to reality, showing the friendly or complicated face of life, for which, it is necessary for the student to know his environment with: strengths and weaknesses, its organized spaces and marginal, its formal and informal activities. This knowledge is necessary so that the student becomes mentalized and can take sides and act. But, this teaching-learning of reality must respond to clear guidelines of the transversal axis so that it is done in an orderly manner and the integral formation of the student is achieved, which is one of the proposed objectives.
In relation to the subject of personality, professors Victoria Ojalvo Mitray and Viña González G. have pointed out: “Moral education, as a construction of personality, is achieved through the tools of deliberation and moral direction that each one acquires from throughout its development. In this process, personal and collective analysis of moral problems and moral problematization are of fundamental importance ”.
Integrating teaching and learning processes with the main ethical values consists of closing the gap between the contradiction that exists between education and instruction. It is necessary to put aside the current trend of placing a greater emphasis on instruction in relation to education, which is why the integral formation of the student has weakened. It is about seeking a balance between the two, it is as important to educate as it is to instruct. It consists of connecting the contents contributed and developed in the academic areas with all those that spontaneously emanate from everyday life.
Integrating teaching and learning processes with ethical values is achieved when students become individuals capable of transforming reality, but this is only possible with a better understanding of it, acquiring knowledge, but at the same time, analyzing in depth the phenomena that happen in everyday life. It is about the student assuming a critical and constructive attitude in favor of the development of ethical values, that is, of those basic values for life and coexistence that underlie the democratic system.
Provide students with the necessary skills to know and interpret reality and be able to act on it, this is achieved when technicians and professionals who graduate from higher education institutions acquire comprehensive training and are able to influence reality. That is: improving the environment, discovering new procedures, finding new techniques and transforming daily activities, formulating useful programs and projects for society, belonging to study and research groups contributing to the discovery of new knowledge, proposing solutions to socio-economic problems. In short, it is about transforming life, for life and for life.
Provide students with the necessary skills to know and interpret reality and be able to act on it; It is achieved when the institution supported with the instrument of the transversal axis based on the formation of values manages to articulate the basic processes of: teaching-learning, learning to live together, learning to know, and learning to be. If this is so, the institution will achieve the development of humanizing education, integrate teaching and learning processes with ethical values.
2) The graduate profile
The contemporary world brings with it demands on the profiles of technologists and professionals who are trained in higher education and, therefore, institutions must carefully establish them, according to the objectives of each career and the mission of each institution; without forgetting that the profile should be oriented to fulfill the basic objectives of the triad: teaching, extension and research
According to professor Mayra Rodríguez Morales: mainstreaming contributes to: “promoting the development of critical thinking of students. Strengthens the student's abilities and skills through living research experiences and by studying topics that respond to their personal, communal or social needs and interests and promotes the construction of knowledge ”.
However, as an example, some attributes that are frequently observed in institutional educational plans are presented that give an idea of the profile of a contemporary technologist and professional, which are synthesized in the following: Form an individual with a positive attitude towards life, in whom knowledge, skills and values are integrated; Able to build his life project, decipher the realities of the time, understand his role in society and generate solutions to problems in his environment, to transform it taking into account the global context and the handling of uncertainties.
He is a respectful and participative citizen, capable of communicating, committed to himself and to society, carried out as a person and who, as a technologist or professional, values the historical and cultural reality of the country, recognizing the universal culture.
He is a person who, according to the components defined in the training process, is capable of interpreting, diagnosing and investigating the problems of his own doing, where logical, creative and systemic thinking, reasoning ability, permanent updating and Responsible information management allows you to manage multidisciplinary projects and create companies that contribute to the sustainable development of the country. It is a full-fledged and competent technologist or professional who highlights the global vision, environmental culture, social projection and entrepreneurial spirit.
The educational institutions in their planning function when designing the professional profile, should take into account that the student is not only trained in the curricular field, he also receives an extracurricular orientation. The Spanish teacher, Concepción Nieto has proposed that it is necessary to: “Make parents understand that the cross-cutting themes are a good instrument to increase their participation by carrying out activities to support the classroom and the educational entity and collaborating in visits, outings and opening the center to the environment ”.
3) The value system
The same observation made for the professional profile is valid for the value system in the sense that each institution must establish them carefully, according to the objectives of each career.
However, as an example, some attributes that are frequently observed in institutional educational plans that give an idea of the profile of contemporary technologist and professional are presented, which are summarized in the following: Responsibility, Honesty, Tolerance, Coexistence, Tenacity, Fortitude, Patriotism, among others.
4) The administration of the process and its administrative actions
Once the steps of Orientations, Graduate Profile and the value system articulated with the profile have been completed, it will be necessary to administer the process with the planning, execution, administration and control functions, according to the administrative actions of the cloister management.
However, it will be of fundamental importance to link the technical-administrative committees to the management process, who will be the guards and guarantors so that the actions proposed through the transversal value axis are successfully developed. In addition, it is necessary to train teachers because they are responsible for directing the process of value formation from the classroom.
Conclusions
The transversal axes are an excellent tool to be used by higher education institutions and thus strengthen the education in values formation of their students. This is possible, thanks to the functions carried out by the axes, which cover the entire curriculum and articulate disciplines and subjects in a systemic and holistic way.
The application of cross-cutting axes has been promoted by UNESCO based on the "Report of the International Commission on Education for the 21st Century", chaired by J Delors since 1996. Since then many higher education institutions have been adopting this type instrument.
In South America there are three paradigms in this regard. The Venezuelan Ministry of education has introduced it in its educational curricular reforms. The National Commission for the Modernization of Education and the Organic Constitutional Law on Teaching (LOCE) of the Chilean Ministry of Education have adopted it in their educational plan. There is a specific example such as the case of the Diego Portales University and the School of Psychology of Chile, through the so-called Tuning project inspired by the European Economic Union.
Another advantage of transversal axes is the possibility of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary interaction. It not only enables the formation of values within the career, but also links other fields of knowledge in both the social sciences and technical areas.
The application of the axes requires a series of methodological steps to follow that can be summarized as follows: 1) Orientations, 2) Graduate profile, 3) The value system articulated with the profile, and 4) Administrative management actions. However, each higher education institution must take care that when applying this methodology, it must carefully analyze the social context in which it is located, the social assignment and the profiles and modes of action of the professional or technician when training professionals.
The transversal axes are designed to contribute through education with the resolution of problems that are latent in society; such as, Disrespect for nature, indiscriminate cutting of forests, irrational exploitation of natural resources, family aggression, citizen intolerance, urban violence, low sex education, inadequate nutrition habits, drug addiction. In general, these themes, which are the ones that have the most application, have led to classifying the transversal axes into three; environmental, social and health. This article emphasizes on one of the themes the social transversal axes, which corresponds to the formation in values.
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