Profesionalización Docente en Primaria en el área de números. El caso de la Escuela República de Bolivia, Zona los Santos. II semestre 2024

Abstract

The extension project “Teacher Professionalization in Primary Education in the Area of Numbers: The Case of Escuela República de Bolivia, Los Santos Region” was developed by the School of Mathematics of the Costa Rica Institute of Technology in the second semester of 2024, with the aim of strengthening the pedagogical competencies of preschool, primary, special-subject, and special-education teachers through updated didactic strategies, manipulative materials, and collaborative training spaces aligned with the MEP programs. The initiative included 25 teachers and was organized into four stages: needs analysis, material design, face-to-face workshops, and impact evaluation. The methodology was based on active interaction among participants, allowing the contents to be adapted to different educational levels. During the workshops, emphasis was placed on the use of concrete materials, particularly Cuisenaire rods—colored blocks of different lengths representing numbers—to facilitate the understanding of basic mathematical concepts.
For the impact evaluation, a feedback form was distributed to participating teachers to collect their perceptions regarding the knowledge acquired, the use of the materials, and the applicability of the strategies in their classrooms. This feedback made it possible to identify achievements and areas for improvement, as well as to systematize the experiences. In this regard, the results showed improvements in the understanding of basic operations, the use of manipulative resources, and the integration of new strategies into lesson plans, with particular emphasis on their application in real classroom contexts. Furthermore, interdisciplinary collaboration among teachers was strengthened, as they shared experiences and adapted didactic models to their realities. The proposed objectives were achieved, and the findings were presented at the VII International Symposium on Mathematics Education (SIME 2025). Among the lessons learned, the importance of flexible planning, collaborative work, and continuous follow-up stood out.