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Pedagogy has to do with the education of the new generations, that is, education as a system of influences directed to the individual's formation. One of the processes that Pedagogy study is the pedagogical one. The conscious direction towards a goal, characterizes essentially this process.
The pedagogical process has been the focus of several theoretical reflections, as in the works of different researchers. Thus, a variety of definitions has emerged on it. M. A. Danilov (1978) defines it as a "[...] process that can be represented as a continuous interaction and mutual assimilation of scientific knowledge and the development of students. The good assimilation of knowledge by the students and the increase of their anxiety to know are verified in a process of intensive and active work".
As it is seen, the previous definition emphasises on the instructive aspect sustained on the process of assimilation as an intensive intellectual effort; that is why, the authors of this paper label the previous definition as limited.
On the other hand, some specialists of the Cuban Ministry of Education define the pedagogical process as "[...] the one that includes the processes of teaching and education, organized as a whole and directed to the personality's formation. In this process, active and social relations are established between teachers and students and their mutual influences are subordinated to achieve the goals set by society" (ICCP, 1981:203).
From another perspective, Alberto García et al (2005 ) conceptualise it as"[..] the education as a school process, likely it is defined as the system of teacher's actions and his learners in the school organisational context, based on certain pedagogical theory, oriented towards institutional objectives and developed in close interaction with family and community to achieve the students´ wholesome formation".
This definition seems to be complete; nonetheless, education does only depend on the teacher´s actions, but also on those ones taken by other factors that contribute to see this process as a holistic and an integral one in which all aspects, factors and actions are interrelated as a whole.
Another theoretical position is that of M. Sc. Ana Maria González Soca, who defines the pedagogical process as "[...] an educational process which highlights the relationship between education, tuition, teaching and learning aimed at developing the personality of the students in order to prepare him for life".
This author takes into consideration the links among all processes and education as the target to achieve from school; however, the pedagogical process does not go far beyond the borders of educational institutions. The author does not take into account that family and community are also involved in the education of the present and future generations.
The authors of the paper assume the definition given by Gladys Valdivia (1988:163) and she establishes that "[...] within the pedagogical process, the social objectives, the conditions upon which the process is developed and the relations among them have to be taken into account. The existing dialectical unit between education and teaching, as well as the general nature of education which implies its inner and outer presence in the processes of school[...]".
In the analysis of the pedagogical process it is important to take into consideration some principles that guide the pedagogical process as highlighted by Fátima Addine(2001). What is meant by principles of the pedagogical process? These are the fundamental theses of the psycho-pedagogical theory, on the direction of the pedagogical process, which become standards and action procedures which determine the essential pedagogical foundation in the process of educating the personality.
Among the principles, that of the unity of the scientific and ideological character of the pedagogical process highlights that any pedagogical process must be structured on the basis of the most advanced findings of contemporary science and in total correspondence with our ideology. In addition to this, the principle of the school-life relationship is based on two essential aspects: the linkage with life and work as an activity that educates man. So to speak, the content that the learners take at school should be useful in their daily life. Another principle that orients this process is the one that combines the collective and individual character of the education and respect towards the student's personality. This one means that even if the pedagogical process takes place in the context of a group of people, who are gathered according to different criteria and adopting certain characteristics, each member has unique peculiarities distinguishing him from the rest and, has the right to be considered and respected too. The next one is referred to the unity of the instructive, educational and developmental aspects of the process because it is based on the dialectical unity between education, tuition whose link should favours development. Education and instruction are not identical as a dialectical unity; therefore they cannot be replaced but complemented. Thus, when someone is educated, he should be instructed and vice versa and both guarantee personal development is achieved.
The process also lies on the principle that fuses the cognitive and affective domains. It implies that the pedagogical process must be structured on the basis of unity, the relationship between human conditions: the possibility of knowing the world around him and his own world and at the same time the possibility of feeling, of acting, of being affected by that world.
The last principle to refer to is that one having to do with the unity among the activity, communication and personality. It focuses on the aspect that the personality is formed and developed upon the activity and upon the communication process. Throughout his entire life, man makes a great number of activities and communicates constantly, so these two elements are essentially in the process of educating the personality.
The pedagogical process is based on the model of the long- range course. The later which was born in the context of the so called Third Educational Revolution, aims at extending processes throughout the university to seek equality, equity and social justice, using entirely new concepts, methods that make the student be an important agent of his formation. It is one of the educational programs of the Cuban revolution. The predecessor was the Literacy Campaign and it is consolidated and strengthened from the University Reform (1962) until today. It is a program that extends the universities studies to all municipalities of our country, in order to ensure the continuity of studies for students who graduate from social programs, and train them as high-quality professionals.
The long-range course, characterizes the systematic process of transformation that has taken place in Cuban higher education. It opens a wide range of possibilities and opportunities to have access to university. It contributes to the formation of a general culture of population and increasing levels of equity and social justice in our society (Horruitiner et al. Universalization of Higher Education. Journal of the José Marti Cultural Society, No. 10, 2004).
This program is designed with a unique pedagogical model having the following characteristics: it is flexible, structured, student-centered, having face to face activities as well as those ones proper of the virtual education, which are developed under the guidance of a tutor. This involves the preparation of professionals taking into account the new demands of science, technology and contemporary technologies.
The learning model is designed on the basis of three major components: face to face meetings (tutorship, classes, and tuition counseling), independent study (texts, guides, materials in magnetic media) and information services as well as services of scientific and technical information.
This design enhances the role of the university, which is an entity responsible for training and upgrading the highly qualified human resources capable of contributing to the development of the country with their intelligence and skills.
This model has a broad profile and it is based on two fundamental guiding ideas:
- The unity between education and tuition, which expresses the need of educating the man at the same time as instructed.
- The study and work linkage, which ensures from the curriculum the mastery of the professional acting modes, with a close relation with their professional activity (Article 3, Resolution 210/2007: 9).
This model has special features for each type of study. However, all methods are based on a revolutionary idea that outlines a modern university, versatile, competitive and able to respond to the demands of a world dominated by highly sophisticated technology as well as satisfy the needs, interests and expectations of society.
The long-range course has meant for all to double efforts, being a unique and challenging experience. Undoubtedly it means the opportunity to create facilities to the extent that society has the resources to enable studies without boundaries, an achievement of the education policy laid down by the Revolution.
The model has as sceneries: the pedagogical seat and the school where the pre-service trainees develop their teaching practice. The pedagogical seat is directly subordinated to the Teacher's Training College which traditionally has developed the curricula. The pedagogical seats "were constituted under the principle of using all the available resources in the territory to develop the substantive processes of higher education" (Article 11, Res 210/2007: 11). The school where the pre-service trainees develop their teaching practice, in turn, is the natural setting of the current model of teacher training, which expresses the new concept of higher education, which involves training in the teaching practice, highlighting the role of the teaching practice in the formative process or professionalism, which truly integrates the processes of the university (academic, teaching practice and research) as a higher level in the application of the pedagogical principle of the study-work integration.
Therefore, teacher training in the long-range course is based on two pillars: the independent study is an inherent element of the academic component. It is oriented by the different disciplines in the face-to-face meetings. It has as its main basis the didactic guidelines elaborated by the heads of disciplines and subjects at the Teacher's Training College. It has also to be developed using the career CD-R and other bibliographical sources.
At the school where pre-service trainees develop their teaching practice, the tutor has among its responsibilities to control the accomplishment of the independent activities that were oriented at students´ academic component. This control allows them to evaluate performance as professionals. So then, the face to face meeting is very important because it allows the transmission, appropriation and creation of culture. In the specific case of the Foreign Languages specialty, the linguistic content that students must master to achieve a good professional performance which involved their communicative competence as the pedagogical one.
Part-time teachers assume the responsibility of the direction of the teaching-learning process of the different subjects. Although they have been categorized, it is clear that there is a dialectical contradiction between the actual preparation that the part-time teachers have and that one expected as a university teacher. This is a challenge for pedagogical universities because they should guarantee the upgrading preparation through different methodological alternatives.
The training of part-time teachers for any educational level is itself a big challenge, but when it comes to university teaching the complexity increases due to the impact of preparation in the education of the new professionals in a society.
With regard to trainers who train teachers, N. Chacon (2002: 98) stated the need of a professional ethic that involves:
-Mastering of the teaching contents (science, culture, skills, values, and attitudes), in the integration of tuition and education.
-Mastering the pedagogical treatment of humanistic and ethic values of the profession.
-Practical results amassed in the educational work.
-Mastering the methods of a development teaching -learning process based on a cross-curricular perspective with an axiological sense using the technological devices.
Achieving a high professional preparation implies the interaction among upgrading courses, the methodological work and self- preparation. This three-fold relation is fundamental to carry out the process in a qualitative form.
The role of part-time teachers and the face to face meetings are important at the pedagogical seat; however, the school where the pre-service trainees develop their teaching practice is a decisive factor to achieve the objectives of the professional model. This type of school should become into a constant source of motivation for future educators; it embodies the general outlook of the trainees´ formation by means of the pedagogical seat, the other educational structures of the territory, under the methodological direction of the careers at the Teachers´ Training College.
School is the scenery of the teaching learning process having two directions dialectically connected: that of the education and the one related to higher education. This entity has a great impact on the trainee's formation from direct practice to achieve the objectives designed in the Professional Model. It means the achievement of abilities in a rapid way to develop an optimal professional acting. At school the central figure that has to do with the trainees´ formation is the tutor.
Tutorship is one of the organizational ways of the teaching learning process in higher education. The definition of it as an activity of the tutor, involves going deeper into a complex issue considering the different opinions regarding to this.
According to Alvarez-Bisquerra, (1996: 1-18) tutorship is defined as a systematic actions in time and space (legally one hours a week in the classroom) in which trainees receive special attention either individually or in groups.
From another perspective, it is defined by Arrecillas Casas (2002: 7) as a teaching activity helping to integrate the school experience in general and trainees' life based on their interests and academic needs to achieve their independence and intellectual maturity. Tutorship as one of the fundamental processes within the pedagogical one should be based on a set of
theses proposed by Vigotsky ( ) about man's ontogenic-cultural development that revolutionized the sciences of education as well as others. He considered the psyche as a property of man as a material being that has brain, but at the same time the psyche as a social product resulting from social development. From this a conclusion is derived: the key factor to understand the human psyche is closely connected to the laws that rule the socio-historical development.
The psyche is socio-historical determined as much as it is formed and develops in the process of the activity and communication that the individual creates in a specific historical context in which he lives, but at the same time the psyche consciously leads the individual performing to the satisfaction of his needs in the process of his activity..." (Gonzalez Maura, 2002. p.7). In this respect, the pedagogical process and those forming it are vital to assure trainees´ intellectual development taking into consideration that communication and activity constitute mediating tools that guarantee the development of their personality.
In accordance to this approach, the individual is considered a social being, whose process of development is linked to social and historical background that is manifested through educative processes in which the individual is immersed since he was born and these have been the conveyors of his culture handed down from previous generations (Rico Montero, 2003).
Among the essential postulates from Vigotsky´s theory that are theoretical foundations in our conception about the work of the tutor-professor we can mention the following:
• The socio-historical character of the personality as a dialectical expression and the system: individual- personality.
The conception considered by the socio-historical approach defines human essence as a product of the interrelation that functionally characterizes the human being's life in society.
From this standpoint it is possible to understand how the teacher-trainee can build his own personality from the peculiar interrelation among his natural conditions and the socio-historical ones under which his life develops. This is the reason to say that each individual's personality is different, since it is formed in each individual according to the way in which such combination of inner and external conditions is developed (Gonzalez Maura, 2002, p.7).
At the school where the teaching practice is developed, the tutor-professor has to face an educative process of orientation, particularly different, every time he supervises his learners, but this demands from him a deep knowledge for his tutored-learners and particularly, a profound knowledge of the individual's differences of each of his tutored learners.
What principles should cover the work of tutorship?
From the concept of tutorship as an educative teaching process where the formation of a group of human beings is guided, it is important to consider the following principles that cover the work of the tutor:
• The individual's integral formation: this is directed to the individual's personality as a whole. Its final outcome is to guide and orient the learner in every aspect of the development of his personality and in his personal and social dimensions.
• The systemic character: tutorial work should be understood as a systematic process that begins when the student starts his studies and is over when the learner graduates.
• Personalized character: the reference made by this has two ways out: individualization (that is, orientation of specific persons, but not generic staff) and integration (that is, full orientation of the person, considering the different sides of development including the corresponding educative goals).
• The preventive character: this is evident not only in the resolution of problems but also in the anticipation of difficulties and in deficit situations that can hinder the fulfillment of the objectives.
All those theses stated by Vigotsky also sustain the teaching- learning process as that one having a paramount importance within the pedagogical process. It is defined as:
A pedagogical school process that has the essential characteristics of this, but it is distinguished by being much more systematic, planned, directed and specific as the interrelationship teacher-student, becomes didactic actions much more direct, whose only purpose is the integral development of the trainees personality.(Ana Maria Gonzalez Soca).
According to Ph.D. Carlos Alvarez de Zayas (1996), "the process by which the generations of a country are formed systematically is called teaching-learning process. The teaching-learning process is conceived as an integrated whole, which highlights the student's role. This process takes place during the school subjects and aims to contribute to the integral formation of the student's personality, being this essential and a mediating mechanism for the acquisition of knowledge, procedures, standards of behaviour and values bequeathed by mankind. (Carlos Alvarez de Zayas, 1996) .The teaching-learning process, which is systemic, achieves objective results in a conscious way and is more efficient .The teaching-learning process is concerned with the transmission and appropriation of culture.
The individual not only appropriates culture, he also constructs it, criticizes it, enriches it and transforms it providing a true legacy for future generations. This concept of appropriation has great importance in order to achieve the individual's creativity and for his communication with others in the process of educating his personality.
According to researcher EIaine Frómeta (2007) it is in this cultural process where trainees reconstruct culture through their personal lens, they assume a given attitude respect to the bulk of material and spiritual values that are internalised. Not only attitudes towards the object of culture is internalised but also the subjective relations, i.e., the quality of them that generates the movement of trainees to a superior stage transforming themselves and to the world. This process is assumed as a cultural one ‘cause not only the transmission and appropriation of culture are achieved within it, the process itself reveals the mechanism of culture creation, that is, the activity in all its manifestations and taken as the practical, communicative and axiological one.
In the processes of transmission and appropriation of culture, mediation plays a fundamental role. Mediation is a part of that culture which man appropriates and nowadays he can not do without it because it would deny the development.
Psychologically speaking, this cultural outlook of the teaching- learning process is based upon mediation (Vigotsky, Morenza, 1998:13). The process is mediated not only by language and social agents, but also by the computer, video and by a set of images. The mediation achieved by artefacts is a characteristic trait of our times. As a fact of today's school individuals are shaped as a result of the social practices and discourses of our historical epoch.
Language is for Vigotsky the mediating tool between the social reality and the individual who is involved in a process of formation. He does not keep a passive attitude in accordance to the reality that surrounds him; on the contrary, he changes it actively when reconstructing culture.
The authors of this paper agree on the idea that language acts as a mediator between culture and the process of internalisation that takes places in each individual, since it continuously "widens the intermediation possibilities between society and individual" (De Pablos, 1996).
The English language is not further analysed as the target of theoretical reflections, on the contrary, what is really distinguished is the value of its instrumental function, its importance for the social relationships that are established among trainees and trainer and trainees themselves, its use to explore the cultural richness, to dig in the essence of real phenomena, and to shape the trainees' vision of the world, so as to establish positive relations towards reality.
Through the linguistic code trainees get into the meaningful world of those aspects reconstructed in class to perfect the ways of thinking and acting as well as to influence on the ways on the others'.
Consequently, it is in this cultural process in which trainees recognise the true and authentic sense of the English language as an instrument to appropriate the heritage of such peoples and to be tolerant and open-minded in relation to different cultural behaviours. So, the assumption of the communicative prospective allows the authors to delve into a new horizon in which the linguistic structures, the lexicon, the linguistic strategies allow the actors of the teaching-learning process to analyse, to explain, to judge, to interpret and to reach conclusions upon the phenomena studied.
Applying this communicative approach in the different subjects of Foreign Languages specialty means as stated by A. Romeu (1999), to make clear for trainees the utility of the linguistic structures they already know watching them function in the language eventually this communicative angle of the English language stresses the achievement of the communicative competence by means of which trainees become efficient communicators able to make their own choices concerning the words, and forms to convey meaning with accuracy, clearness and elegance according to the context and situation.
One of the researchers who have delved into the process of mediation is Beatriz Fainhole(2001). According to her outlook, mediation is classified into: social, cultural, semiotic, communicational and pedagogical.
The English language is not only a semiotic system used to act as a cultural mediator. It is the basis for other types of mediation as the pedagogic one since it is a resource to better up the learning process. The linguistic mediation is when language is used as a tool to learn and explore content, to construct meaning from it, being this an entity resulting from human production and culture.
The cultural mediation is the intermediation achieved through image as an entity where the advance and progress of human culture is manifested. It is itself a result, and part of culture. Besides, this mediation allows learners know the effects and role that this sign belonging to culture can have in their lives. Eventually, the semiological mediation has to do with linguistic codes, how it is presented, its syntax and its meaning. All this contributes to the generation of sense and meaning that results from the teaching-learning process.
All types of mediation included within the teaching-learning process are conceived as social and cultural ones since they have been created to enlarge the social relations taking place in the processes of transmission and appropriation of culture. On the other hand, they are cultural ones for they constitute results and syntheses of culture.
The changes in the dynamics of society open new horizons to the pedagogy of our times. The new nature of learning surpasses the traditional forms and demands an active participation on behalf of the learners. For this, they have to interact with the mediators that privilege their epoch. The long range course demands the elaboration of a series of guidelines in the different subjects in order to direct scientifically the appropriation of content and the development of habits and abilities that are fundamental for trainees´ development.
The pedagogical mediation requires a painstaking attention on the trainers' behalf since by means of it they can exert great influence in the proximal development zone, defined by Vigotsky (1978) as the distance between the trainee's real development and his potential development, that is, the relationship between what the learner can do by himself and the things he can do with the other's help.
As it is seen, the role of the teacher is extraordinary since he has to articulate a system of learning tasks that propitiate the learners' development going from an inferior to a superior level. This movement implies to focus learning from a developmental perspective. This tendency in learning is defined by some researchers of Enrique Jose Varona Teacher's Training College as: "[...] the process that enhances the active and creative appropriation of culture by the individual, enabling his continuous development, his self-acting and self-determination in relation to the vital socialisation process, commitment and social responsibility".
From the ideas stated above, the authors may infer that a developmental teaching-learning process is that one constituting a system in which both processes are based upon a developmental education. All this implies intentionally oriented communication and activity whose didactic performance generates learning strategies for the accomplishment of a holistic trainee's personality within school walls as a social institution. Developmental learning is quite important since it guides trainee´ s development widening the borders of the proximal development zone.
Developmental learning in foreign languages is sustained under the principles of the communicative approach. The know what you ´re doing principle dimensions the trainee's conscious implication towards the things he is going to do in the lesson. This, in turn, reinforces motivation since he gets aware of the objectives he should accomplish through class.
Another important premise that sustains this assumption is that the whole is more important than the sum of the parts. This principle emphasises the systemic nature of the language being this the resulting body which comprises different linguistic contents such as lexical units, grammatical ones, syntax, suprasegmental units, etc. All these units are dynamically combined to vehicle meaning through communication.
The principle processes are as important as forms states that along with the assimilation of the forms, trainee should internalise methods, procedures concerning the direction of those processes associated to effective communication, which can be managed in isolation or integrated through pedagogical techniques and procedures that enable the achievement of the communicative competence. The processes are:
The information gap: In the process of communication there is a gap that propitiates the authenticity of this act. This gap is filled with some information provided by one of the speaker that is unknown to the other.
Choice: From a variety of linguistic alternatives and strategies, the speaker should select the most appropriate ones to communicate a given message. This highlights the unpredictable, unique and original nature of the communication act.
Feedback: implies meaning negotiation in communication and the verification of the right decoding of the message that is transmitted. In here, verbal and non-verbal elements should be taken into account.
To learn it, do it: it has to do with the conscious nature of learning by the student in the construction of his learning. This means that all the things he learns have great impact on the use of language in real contexts.
Mistakes are not always mistakes: constant correction hinders the communicative perspective of the language. Certain things wrongly used in language are not assumed as mistakes since it depends if the students have been trained on them.
The previous assumptions and outlooks constitute the theoretical basis to guide effectively language lessons to achieve the communicative competence and the professional alongside the wholesome formation of the future teacher of English.