Credits: 3
Type of course: Theoretical-practical
Requirements: None

Description 

Theoretical course that offers a descriptive vision of the parallel and reciprocal development of the political, socioeconomic, and educational systems of Costa Rica within the framework of world economic development, and interprets the current problems and possible courses of solution and development, in light of the currents of thought framed in the paradigm of sustainable development and education.

General Objective

Offer the necessary knowledge that allows the student to understand the reciprocal and parallel relationship between education and socioeconomic development and analyze education in the context of the sustainable development paradigm.

Specific Objectives

• Study the evolution of socioeconomic development and education in Costa Rica.
• Study some current problems of Costa Rican socioeconomic development, particularly the impact of Central American migration phenomena on the quality of services, Central American migration on the quality of services, especially its impact on Costa Rican education.
• Know the principles of the sustainable development paradigm and establish the role of education in it.

 Contents

• Evolution of the socioeconomic development of Costa Rica and education: concepts of development, growth, and change; the economy in the colony (coffee and international trade) and education; banana production and US capital and education; economic liberalism and the expansion of private enterprise and education; European socioeconomic reforms and their impact on Costa Rica; the revolution of 48: the "Second Republic" and education; Market expansion: Central American economic integration movements, industrialization, and education.
• Current problems of Costa Rica's socioeconomic development and education: impact of the world economic crisis on education. Fiscal policy, economy, and education; international financing and education; in Free Trade Agreement (opportunities and risks) and education. Immigration patterns in Costa Rica.
• Sustainable development and ecological education: education and ecosystem; ecological structural changes (prospects for Costa Rica); management of natural resources; and solution of environmental conflicts.

Credits: 3
Type of course: Theoretical-practical
Requirements: None

Description 

Seminar-workshop on the movement and the game in the boys and girls of I and II cycles. Different models of didactic planning and the correlation of movement and play with other activities of the school curriculum are studied. Different types of organized games typical of school age are analyzed, as are the construction and use of different didactic materials necessary in education through movement and games.

General Objective

Offer the student knowledge and methodological skills to develop effective and efficient movements in the child, as well as the use of movement and games as a didactic resource in their daily teaching practice.

Specific Objectives 

• Explain the "psychologist" and "culturalist" approaches to the game and various theories of human movement and their implications for educational processes.
• Analyze and develop skills in the use of teaching methods of basic movement and games.
• Plan movement and play experiences, taking into consideration the structure of movement and different types of play.
• Evaluate and build different didactic materials.

Contents

• Game theories.
• Structure of the basic movement.
• Education through movement.
• Planning and methods for teaching basic movement and games.
• Measurement and evaluation of basic motor skills.
• Didactic materials for education through movement and games.

Credits: 3
Type of course: Theoretical-practical
Requirements: None

Description 

Theoretical course that emphasizes the main affective, cognitive, language, and motor disorders of child development that have particular relevance in school educational processes.

General Objective

Provide the student with knowledge related to affective, cognitive, language, and motor disorders of child development with the purpose that the student knows his students better and can develop his teaching and guidance management taking individual differences into account.

Specific Objectives

• Know the main developmental disorders according to areas: affective, cognitive, language and motor.
• Identify strategies for the care of the main child development disorders.

Contents 

• Biological and environmental factors that affect human development from the prenatal period to childhood: genetic transmission, upbringing, diet, diseases, institutionalization, accidents.
• Affective development: night terrors, nightmares, abuse, neglect, self-control and self-regulation difficulties, fear, aggression, anxiety, and childhood depression.
• Cognitive development: attention deficit, hyperactivity, sensory and perceptual alterations, dyslexia.
• The articulation, secondary and isolated alterations, alterations of tone and volume, rhythm and speed, aphasia, and dysphasia.
• Motor development: sudden death syndrome, sphincter control disorders, minimal brain dysfunction, dental, hearing, visual, balance, and coordination problems, laterality and directionality problems.

Credits: 3
Type of course: Theoretical-practical
Requirements: None

Description 

Theoretical-practical course that studies the necessary instruments to evaluate the teaching and learning processes, highlight difficulties, and assess the areas in which support is required for the development of children in early childhood.

General Objective

Analyze the theoretical and methodological perspectives of the evaluation of learning in educational contexts through processes of knowledge management and collaborative learning to understand the importance and effects of improving the learning of early childhood children.

Specific Objectives 

• Recognize the role of educational assessment and measurement in the early childhood teaching and learning process.
• Identify the different processes that must be carried out for the development of diagnostic evaluation in early childhood.
• Use various evaluation techniques and instruments to verify the learning objectives set out in early childhood education.
• Explain the role of evaluation in the early detection of learning difficulties in the child population.

Contents

• Evaluation of the Fundamental Pillar of education
• Diagnostic evaluation in early Childhood
• Early childhood evaluation techniques and instruments
• Evaluation of learning in early childhood

Credits: 3
Type of course: Theoretical-practical
Requirements: None

Description 

Theoretical course that analyzes human development from different psychological approaches so that the student has a conceptual framework of reference that allows him to explain different pedagogical practices.

General Objective

Analyze and systematize the approaches provided by different contemporary psychological approaches to education and human development and their consequences in the educational process.

Specific Objectives 

• Analyze human development from the humanistic approach (Rogers) and its influence on the educational process.
• Analyze human development from the behavioral point of view (Skinner) and its consequences in the educational process.
• Analyze human development from the cognitive perspective (Piaget) and its influence on the educational process.
• Analyze human development with the psychodynamic vision (Freid) and its consequences in the educational process.

Contents

• Perspectives on human development and consequences in the educational process of:
  • The humanistic approach (Rogers).
  • The behaviorist view (Skinner)
  • The cognitive perspective (Piaget)
  • The psychodynamic vision (Freud)
• Basic conceptualizations:
  • Language development
  • Memory
  • Intelligence
  • Attention
  • Perception
  • Curiosity
  • Creativity

Credits: 3
Type of course: Theoretical-practical
Requirements: None

Description 

Theoretical course that analyzes the implications of educational principles and practices derived from ontological, epistemological, and axiological perspectives in philosophical conceptions:

• Theocentric (idealism, Catholicism, essentialism).
• Geocentric (realism, positivism, Marxism).
• Anthropocentric (existentialism, pragmatism, phenomenology) and their implications for educational principles and practices. 

General Objective

Analyze and systematize the answers provided by different philosophical conceptions to the questions: What is real? What is true? What is good or virtuous? With the purpose of building a philosophical framework of reference that explains educational practices from a philosophical perspective.

Specific Objectives

• Analyze the educational implications of the theocentric philosophical conception.
• Analyze the educational implications of the geocentric philosophical conception.
• Analyze the educational implications of the anthropocentric philosophical conception.

Contents

• Ontology, epistemology, and axiology in the theocentric conception: (idealism, Christianity, and essentialism) and their implications in educational practice.
• Ontology, epistemology, and axiology in the geocentric conception: (realism, empiricism, positivism, and Marxism) and its implications in educational practice.
• Ontology, epistemology, and axiology in the anthropocentric conception (existentialism, pragmatism, and phenomenology) and their implications in educational practice.

Credits: 3
Type of course: Theoretical-practical
Requirements: None

Description 

Theoretical-practical course that focuses on the analysis of theory, techniques, and instruments for educational measurement and evaluation, with the purpose that the student is able to determine the learning of the students that corresponds to the teaching-learning process.

 General Objective

 Offer the theoretical knowledge and develop analytical skills necessary to measure and evaluate the learning of students.

 Specific Objectives

• Analyze the role played by measurement and evaluation in the educational process.
• Study theories and approaches to educational measurement and evaluation.
• Determine the nature, purposes, and uses of evaluation and measurement of learning.
• Apply principles, techniques and instruments for measuring and evaluating learning.
• Interpret learning measurement results. 

Contents

• Quantitative and qualitative theories and approaches to educational evaluation.
• Nature, purposes, and uses of educational measurement and evaluation.
• Summative (quantitative) and formative (qualitative) evaluation.
• Self-evaluation, peer evaluation, and unidirectional evaluation.
• Learning measurement instruments: norm-referenced and criteria-referenced tests.
• Development of educational achievement measurement instruments.
• Test planning, item writing, item testing, criticism, desired test qualities, and interview techniques.
• Statistical processing of results: the normal curve. Interpretation of results.

Credits: 3
Type of course: Theoretical-practical
Requirements: None

Description  

Theoretical-practical course that focuses on the theory of multiple intelligences, individual differences, and the special educational needs that these generate, with the purpose that the student adjusts his pedagogical practice in consideration of these differences.

General Objective

Offer the student the knowledge and didactic skills that allow him to identify and attend with the same request, the individual differences of the students, through the adaptation of his daily teaching work.

Specific Objectives

• Identify mild disabilities in students and develop skills in the use of specific teaching techniques.
• Identify talent or superior aptitude in students and develop skills in the use of specific pedagogical techniques.

Contents

• Mild disabilities: visual, auditory, motor, intellectual. • Concept of multiple intelligences: Gardner. 
• Talent or higher aptitude: psychomotor, artistic, verbal, socio-affective, symbolic-mathematical area. 
• Recognition techniques for children with mild disabilities in the visual, auditory, motor, and intellectual areas. 
• Recognition techniques for children with talent or superior aptitude in the psychomotor, artistic, verbal, and symbolic-mathematical areas. 
• Technical procedures and didactic resources for personalized and group care of children with mild disabilities. 
• Teaching techniques, procedures, and resources for personalized and group attention to children with talent or superior aptitude.

The New Imbalances of the Agro-Export Model in the Context of the Global Economy

The agro-export model, based on products like coffee and bananas, has generated economic imbalances due to dependence on external markets and vulnerability to fluctuations in international prices. These imbalances have forced the diversification of the economy and the search for new growth sectors.

Options for Economic Development: Attempts at Transformation

Over time, Costa Rica has attempted various economic development strategies, including industrialization, investment in the service sector, tourism, and technology, aiming to reduce dependence on the agricultural sector and achieve greater economic stability. 

The Central American Integration Process

The integration process in Central America has been driven by the desire to strengthen trade and political relations among the countries in the region, facilitating economic exchange and creating cooperation mechanisms in areas such as infrastructure, education, and human rights.

Conflict and Social Relations

Costa Rica's history has been marked by social conflicts related to inequality, tensions between social classes, and demands for labor justice. These dynamics have influenced the country’s political and social development.

Labor Movements and Peasant Movements

Labor and peasant movements have played a key role in the fight for labor rights and social justice, being prominent in labor reform and in achieving a more equitable distribution of land and resources.

Ideology, Parties, and Political Groups

Throughout its history, Costa Rica has had a diversity of ideologies represented by parties and political groups that have influenced the configuration of the country's democratic system and its internal and external policies.

Evolution of the State: Generalities and Particularities. The Role of the Army

Costa Rica abolished its army in 1948, marking a significant particularity in the evolution of its State. This decision allowed for the redirection of resources toward areas such as education and health, positioning the country as a defender of peace in the region.

 The Role of the Catholic Church and Others

The Catholic Church has had a significant influence on the political and social life of Costa Rica, although other religious denominations have also played an important role in shaping Costa Rican society, especially in issues of morality and education.

Relations with Central America: Democracy and Human Rights as Cornerstones of Costa Rica's Foreign Policy

Costa Rica has led regional initiatives that promote democracy and human rights, positioning itself as a benchmark in the region regarding its foreign policy based on these values.

Foreign Intervention in the Central American Region

Throughout history, the Central American region has been the scene of foreign interventions, primarily by the United States, which have influenced the politics and economy of the region, affecting internal development processes and stability.

Integration Movements

Integration movements in Central America seek to consolidate political and economic unity in the region, facing challenges such as poverty, inequality, and democratic governance.

Education and Culture: Laws and Reforms in Education

Education in Costa Rica has been a national priority, with significant laws and reforms that have strengthened the educational system. Notable institutions include UNA, UNED, TEC, and university colleges, as well as private higher education, which have expanded access to and the quality of education.

Health, Housing, and Population: Indicators and General Trends

Costa Rica has achieved notable advances in health, housing, and population indicators, with a high life expectancy and improvements in the quality of life for its citizens, although challenges in equity and resource distribution persist.

Costa Rica: Migration Movements and Demographic Transformations in the Region

Both internal and external migration movements have transformed Costa Rica's demographic structure. Migration flows have impacted labor, access to services, and the ethnic composition of the country.

Summary Description

Costa Rica has undergone significant transformations in its economic, political, and social model. From the evolution of an agro-export model to economic diversification, and its role as a benchmark in Central American integration and a defender of human rights. In terms of society, labor and peasant movements have been crucial in the fight for social rights, while education and health are pillars of the country's development. Relations with the rest of Central America and migration movements have shaped its quality of life and regional integration, positioning Costa Rica as a pacifist, democratic country with an increasingly educated and healthy population.