Santa Rita, Copan
Chess competitions, book clubs, mathematics, chemistry and physics Olympiads, and debate competitions are among the major extracurricular activities in which almost all students of the school are involved. Cashapa Improvement Institute (Insuca).
This wide repertoire of extra occupations that are part of the students’ curriculum, plus the great commitment of the teachers, are combined with other mechanisms implemented so that those educational standards that place Copan as one of the departments with high rates of academic performance are maintained over time.
Rocío Dubón, Spanish and Art teacher at the Insuca, explained that in that institution they have implemented two systems in recent years: an evaluation by competencies; that is, assess the skills that are outlined in the National Basic Curriculumin which what has been learned weighs more than the score as such.
“In the case of Spanish, my primary function is for students to develop oral expression, written expression, reading comprehension and writing. Each partial we seek for them to develop those skills,” he said.
“ What fails in a system is the lack of effort and lack of interest in maintaining it. The hybrid system is not easy to maintain, because televisions and an internet network are required, teachers have to train in new digital teaching tools. “
Rocío Dubón, Spanish teacher
The second system is the implementation of the hybrid system in real time; That is, students who are from home receive the class at the same time with their classmates in the classroom.
Everyone live listening to the teacher and interacting with each other. This was done for several reasons, one of them so that they coexist with technology in the classrooms and give access to education to those who cannot go in person every day.
And how do they achieve it? The first thing was to guarantee connectivity. Thanks to an alliance with Google, they achieved unlimited use of the Classroom platform, through which young people in the virtual system remain connected to the class.
They also managed to have access to free high-speed internet and teachers remain in constant training to acquire new knowledge in the use of virtual pedagogical tools; among them, electronic whiteboards such as Jamboard and programs such as Geogebra, the digital mathematics platform. That’s on the school side.
“ This institute represents a challenge. Many people find it difficult to study here and prefer to go to other schools. Because of my training, I am clear that at university I would like to study law, and one day be a judge. “
Alison Arita, debate days champion
On the students’ side, before implementing this system, the institution carried out a diagnosis in order to know what access its students had to electronic devices and the Internet. This is how it was established that 90% had access to the internet and a device. “Everyone has a device, even in the most remote areas. They may not have a toilet, but they do have cell phones,” he stated.
In the case of those who do not have a device to connect or it is damaged, the school has a backup of 30 tablets to provide them with one. For the system to work, the school maintains strict attendance controls and relies on the collaboration of parents.
Although for Professor Dubón each class has an objective and its respective importance, the emphasis on the subjects of Spanish and Mathematics has its foundation.
“Spanish is one of the most important classes because it even helps to understand mathematical problems. And that is what we are looking for, that the student has the ability to understand, analyze, and critically think. And once developed in the area of Spanish, it will not be difficult to understand Social Studies, Sciences and the other areas.”
Spanish
- > Students of all levels should read a book every month, whether novels, legends, poems. A reading log is kept. In Fiction Express they are evaluated.
Regarding mathematics, he recognized that they are fundamental for daily life in the work and professional part.
“We focus on these subjects, but we also give special relevance to all the others,” he explained. In that sense, Cashapa has very well-equipped science and computer laboratories. At the same time, they carry out art exhibitions and the development of other areas.
Unwrapped
Insuca students are characterized by the ease with which they express themselves. Alison Arita, a second-year accounting and finance student, notes that being in the Cashapa It is a challenge due to its high standards and demands. “They squeeze us, they bring out the best in us and thus make us the best students,” he said.
For his part, his classmate Gervi López, chess champion, said he was proud that his school has a large number of exponents in the Olympics. He praised the fact that in the Cashapa It is not mandatory to wear a uniform and, although they have one, they wear it at times when they feel most proud to be part of the institution.
