Tag Archives: Education

Learning sans Barriers

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EntrepreeursOur belief is that it is high time we level the playing field for young people no matter where they happen to live and that information technology is one of the primary tools to make that happen.

Our project is Amun Shea, Center for Integrated Development, in El Salvador, a Problem-Based Learning program with the objective of doing away with the barriers that entrap and perpetuate traditional cycles of poverty.

Our students have tossed the textbooks aside to work with real-world issues, learn “basic subjects” as only as tools for problem-solving and are overcoming “being poor.” Connecting ideas and sharing solutions with peers around the globe is breaking the ever-repeating dynamic of marginalization and isolation.

Amún Shéa is about Positive Attitude, Capacity Building and the Creation of Opportunity. Join with us in changing the world.

Clipping Wings

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smart kid

Taking a carefree, imaginative young person and molding them into an upstanding, productive member of society normally involves an educational program that places an emphasis on behavior. It is argued by many that social conduct is the most important aspect in preparing for life. That may be true for the portion of the population who live in urban areas and have the necessity and opportunity to find their place in the labor force. Obedience is considered vital in the workplace.

Our experience in Morazán indicates that ingenuity, resourcefulness and self-assurance are much more important qualities to hone than proper social behavior. Properly taught, these qualities will also promote good social behavior. We would argue that the flip side of absolute obedience is dependence and that dependence condemns us to maintaining status quo. We feel that learning systems and curriculum in underdeveloped rural areas must be pertinent to the needs of that area and not a rote copy of a standard designed for creating factory workers.

At Amún Shéa, negotiations between students and teachers establish agreed upon conditions for classroom management. This method is under development and is not always implemented in perfect form, but that´s what school is about.

School is where we should make our mistakes and learn from them. What school should not be is where we clip wings and then expect flight upon graduation.

 

Reality Check

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javier bannerWe founded Amún Shéa, Center for Integrated Development as a correction to a programmed failure. The problem-based learning curriculum focuses on real-world and local developmental issues. And we started young, with a K through third grade program in 2008, expanding one grade per year. Our students do not study subjects; they study problems and create solutions. Math, Science and other subjects are used as tools in the application of solutions, consulted as needed to get the job done.

I assume a large dose of denial is present when a school system carries on as normal during a decade long civil war. Cumbersome bureaucracy and tradition perhaps explain carrying on with no real adjustment in direction while achievement bottoms out and competence only exists in test scores. The current teacher body was largely educated during the civil war, which obviously has an influence of importance.

The local public high school in Perquín turns out over 100 ill trained accountants and secretaries each year. In an area with practically no openings for these vocations, this only motivates migration out of the area in search of opportunity. At the same time, if one needs an electrician, a plumber, an agricultural engineer or technicians of any stripe or specialty, there are none to be found except in the larger cities.

Obstacles abound but progress is undeniable; we´re building a new model. Come along with us at Amún Shéa.