Los contextos de los sujetos educativos y el aprendizaje

humano. El tratamiento del inglés en los diferentes

contextos educativos: educación general básica y
bachillerato
UNIT c 1
Elements, key actors and agents in education
 Elements, key factors and agents in education

INDEX

1. Unit 1: Educational Context.............................................................................................................. 3

Topic 1: Elements, key actors and agents in education ........................................................................ 3
Objective: ............................................................................................................................................ 3
Introduction: ....................................................................................................................................... 3
2. Subtopics information ...................................................................................................................... 4
2.1 Subtopic 1: Base context: Family .............................................................................................. 4
2.2 Subtopic 2: Conditional context: School and work ................................................................... 6
2.3 Subtopic 3: Operant context: Friendship and horizontal relationships .................................... 8
2.4 Subtopic 4: Binding context: Social networks ......................................................................... 10
3. Unit Comprehension Questions ..................................................................................................... 12
4. Complementary Material ............................................................................................................... 13
5. Bibliography ................................................................................................................................... 14
Universidad Estatal de Milagro – UNEMI
 Elements, key factors and agents in education

1. Unit 1: Educational Context

Topic 1: Elements, key actors and agents in education
Objective:
Week 1: To identify different actors of the educational community and analyze the basic
concepts of diversity to promote development processes of learning.
Week 2: To recognize the importance of horizontal relationship and social networks in the
learning environment development

Introduction:
This topic is very important because it presents the different actors that make life in the
educational context. School has always been taken as a determining factor in education,
leaving the family and the community isolated from the educational process which is
continuous and begins from conception and ends when the person dies. In this digital era
of the 21st century we find new challenges and different learning environments that cannot
be avoided and there the family, school and community must coexist as an indivisible triad,
where there is nothing isolated, everything is complemented and as a result, the formation
of an integral person with human values and academic preparation capable of working
collectively and responding to the needs that arise. This new learning context is joined by
social networks that allow us to find new spaces of knowledge without borders, converting
the most autonomous people in their learning, but at the same time, relying on collective
work.
Universidad Estatal de Milagro – UNEMI

For this, it is necessary to recognize the roles of each member and to see them as a compact
unit that complements and interacts under an effective communication based on the art of
knowing how to listen, to mediate and to guide the educational process in a reflective
manner through cooperative work.
 Elements, key factors and agents in education

2. Subtopics information
2.1 Subtopic 1: Base context: Family
Family is the base of a good society and education which begins from the moment of
conception, but sadly it has not been given much importance. Li & Qiu (2016) argues:

It is necessary to examine how family background affects

children’s academic achievement at an early stage as they are the
primary and most significant environments that the children are
exposed to. Parental behavior and educational support for their
children could cultivate children’s learning habits and affect
academic performance. In the preschool period, the education and
interest of the child from the family is of high importance. The
positive attitudes of the family in the 0-6-year-old preschool
period and the conscious raising of their children turn into
sustainable success in the school period. On the contrary, it is
known that children with problems have failed in school life such
as children with personality and behavior disorders can have
adaptation problems when they start school (p.8)

This corroborates the importance of the family in the educational process, which must start
from the gestation period, offering love first, so that the baby can feel safe, with self-
Universidad Estatal de Milagro – UNEMI

confidence, listened and motivated to want to learn and have good interpersonal
relationships within any educational context.

In the same way, another significant aspect is the psychosocial development theory
from Erickson which is divided into eight phases, from infancy to adulthood. In each
phase, the person lives psychological crises which can cause positive or negative
outcomes for their personality development. Erickson (1963) states that “the
adolescent mind is essentially a mind of moratorium, a psychosocial stage between
 Elements, key factors and agents in education

childhood and adulthood, and between the morality learned by the child, and the ethics
to be developed by the adult” (as cited in Mc Leod, 2018).

It means that conflicts are not resolved in each phase, especially childhood, those
emotional conflicts will be reflected in the next period and will turn into serious
problems in adolescents’ stage having disruptive behavior due to the lack of love and
communication with their parents. This corroborates that parental education
participation has significant positive effects on children’s learning behavior, creating
a positive educational atmosphere at home, enhancing children’s interest in learning
through good study habits.
Universidad Estatal de Milagro – UNEMI
 Elements, key factors and agents in education

2.2 Subtopic 2: Conditional context: School and work

Talking about school means talking about rapport where the teacher plays a role as a
mediator of the teaching-learning process. In these times where everything evolves, the
school cannot continue to be alienated from reality, it must reinvent itself and teachers
must be the first to assume that challenge and stop being class givers and take a motivating
place, so that students can build new knowledge with critical and creative thinking.

Continuing with the same order of ideas presented, Bourn (2015) asserts that:
Teachers are seen as key actors of change within programmes and
projects on global learning. This paper aims to address the role of
teachers within the theories and practices around global learning
and in particular their role as agents for change. This pedagogical
approach encourages critical reflection, an understanding of
power and inequality in the world, and promotion of a global
outlook. It encourages learners to identify and seek out active
engagement in society (pp.63).

This author makes a strong criticism about education in terms of how it should be the role
of the teacher in times of change when the school cannot stay away from reality, for this
reason, he considers that the teacher must establish a rapport among his students through
their critical and creative thinking, generating ideas to reflect on the events that occur in
his environment and around the world as well.

Likewise, as a complement to the above, another author’s thought is presented. Brown

Universidad Estatal de Milagro – UNEMI

(2015) reminds us that:

Emotion and action are part of the learning process alongside

cognitive processes. These factors are important to note when
considering the roles of teachers as agents of change, for not only
do they need to have increased knowledge and understanding of
global issues and the skills to impart that knowledge (as cited in
Bourn, 2015, pp.69).
 Elements, key factors and agents in education

This means that the role of the teacher is to act as an agent of changing within the
classroom. It also means that the teacher needs to have the skills to engage learners in this
complex process through reflection, dialogue, and engagement, using their own
experiences, which moves beyond of a transmission of knowledge taking into account that
there are different ways of learning.
Universidad Estatal de Milagro – UNEMI
 Elements, key factors and agents in education

2.3 Subtopic 3: Operant context: Friendship and horizontal

relationships
Friendship provides various psychological, physical, and intellectual advantages; in fact,
those who have close friendships may live longer and be more able to fend off illnesses
(Parker-Pope, 2009). It is a fact that friendships allow children to develop their social skills
that help them to be better communicators allowing them to cooperate more and become
better problem solvers; these skills are pertinent both in school and work and they even
help young children learn to control their emotions and respond better to conflict (How
Friends Influence Behavior, n.d.). Likewise, Hartup & Stevens stated that “friends foster
self-esteem and a sense of wellbeing, socialize one another, and support one another in
coping with developmental transitions and life stress” (1999, p.76).
Furthermore, research done by Hartup concluded that a better predictor of adult
adjustment in life are not grades but rather how well children get along with other peers
during their school years (1992a). This means that the degree of success that the person
achieves depends on the participation that they can have in any social space as a result of
interactions with other people in their environment through dialogue, understanding, and
team practice.
It is said that the interpersonal relationships guided in an affective and effective way help
to improve behavior inside and outside the classrooms. It also has a significant impact on
academic skills through teacher mediation, based on cooperative work as well as family
support and guidance. In this way, confidence and self-confidence are generated, which
will avoid problems in the classroom, improving coexistence in a dialogue, open to the
needs and interests required by the students (Lave, 1993, as cited in
Universidad Estatal de Milagro – UNEMI

In summary, effective communication must be applied between the entities that conform
school life: family, school and community as well as the affection that students should feel
at the moment of being heard and guided by parents and teachers respecting their
diversity.
Horizontal relationships
In business, horizontal training refers to people from the same area of expertise get
together to increase their knowledge base by troubleshooting and discovering better
ways to do their job, whereas vertical training is when people from different areas
 Elements, key factors and agents in education

collaborate to find a solution and the decision-making process at different levels of

authority (Horizontal Development, 2022). In a school setting, horizontal development
occurs when teachers from the same grade level team-up to discuss issues like
standardized testing, student needs, or linking their class topics into common themes;
vertical collaboration happens when teachers from different grade levels gather for things
like curriculum mapping or sharing experiences to teachers of students moving up the
levels (Coleman, 2021).
In terms of peer horizontal relationships in school, they are the students from the same
grade level. Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development, ZDP, focuses on learning as a
social activity where a more knowledgeable person helps a student understand a concept
that is just above their comprehension level (Bilings, E & Walqui A., n.d.).
If teachers learn how to apply social learning like the ZDP with friendship-making
strategies, students would greatly benefit from a more realistic type of learning where
everyone in the group is part learner, part teacher.
Universidad Estatal de Milagro – UNEMI
 Elements, key factors and agents in education

2.4 Subtopic 4: Binding context: Social networks

In this digital age, all of us without exception face the challenge of this 21st century and that
is the management of technology which transform learning in a creative way for its better
understanding in collective work. Change is inevitable, and education cannot remain
behind the surrounding reality where learning spaces are evolving rapidly.

This subtopic is of considerable importance because technology has really arrived to

improve teaching and learning process. Preece (2000) infers that:

Some instructors see online education as a forum for the

dissemination of knowledge, precluding the classroom in favor
of the computer. She advises that thanks to the web, students are
able to become involved in projects in ways that were not so
easy to before. Additionally, she points out that “more and more,
professors are having to accept that their role is to guide
students to meaningful learning activities, rather than to provide
knowledge” (as cited in Scialdone,2014, p.61).

This author means that the teacher must stop becoming the center of the class and he or
she should use different strategies with the help of technology so that they can create and
build new learning that was previously complex to carry out. As a mediator and motivator,
the teacher should guide change for an interactive and supporting communication in social
environment through learning groups applying debates in order to get feedback.
Universidad Estatal de Milagro – UNEMI

Finally, it is necessary to highlight the interesting contributions made by Stacey and

Gerbic (2007) who explain:

In the blended class, they found that students’ interactions with

other students online promoted an enhanced engagement with
course concepts, and a deeper understanding of course
materials. Other affordances came in the shape of improved
 Elements, key factors and agents in education

discussions as students had time to reflect before

participating. There was also an increase in the number of
participants than what was seen in the physical class sessions.
The blended learning course, attributed to flexible times in
which they could engage in extra learning opportunities (as
cited in Scialdone,2014, p. 67).

In a summary, the challenge is now, because it is necessary for the student to become a
person who relates, asks, investigates, gets answers and share them through collaborative
work assignments and collaborating on projects into a discussion space.
Universidad Estatal de Milagro – UNEMI
 Elements, key factors and agents in education

3. Unit Comprehension Questions

1. What is the main agent of socialization?
Answer: The family

2. Why do adolescents have serious problems at school?

Answer: Mainly, due to paternal behaviors.

3. How can teachers improve the classroom environment?

Answer: By establishing rapport with their students, increasing motivation.

4. What is the importance of horizontal relationship in Education?

Answer: To be able to learn and share experiences with equity in the relationships.

5. How does the management of technology transform the learning environment?

Answer: Being more autonomous and responsible with their learning.
Universidad Estatal de Milagro – UNEMI
 Elements, key factors and agents in education

4. Complementary Material
The following complementary resources are suggestions so that you can expand the
information on the topic worked on, as part of your autonomous learning process:

Suggested videos
Agents of socialization | Behavior | MCAT | Khan Academy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF7m1fFr2eQ

Suggested bibliography
Echeverria, S; Fernandez, M; Ochoa, E; Ramos, D. (2014). Ambientes de aprendizaje y
contexto de desarrollo social. Mexico: Pearson, (6 ejemplares disponibles en biblioteca)

Suggested links
What are Agents of Socialization? https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-agents-
of-socialization.html
Universidad Estatal de Milagro – UNEMI
 Elements, key factors and agents in education

5. Bibliography
» Billings, E. and Walqui, E. (n.d.) Zone of Proximal Development: An Affirmative
Perspective in Teaching ELLs. WestEd. Retrieved from:
https://www.wested.org/resources/zone-of-proximal-development/
» Bourn, D. (2015). Researchgate.net. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303011794_Teachers_as_agents_of_so
cial_change
» Coleman, E (2021, October 19). The Benefits of Vertical and Horizontal
Collaboration in Schools. Graduate programs for educators. Retrieved from:
https://www.graduateprogram.org/2021/10/the-benefits-of-vertical-and-
horizontal-collaboration-in-
schools/#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20horizontal%20collaboration%20occur
s,teachers%20who%20often%20collaborate%20horizontally.
» Horizontal Development vs. Vertical Development: What You Need to Know (2022,
September 1). CrossKnowledge.
https://www.crossknowledge.com/blog/horizontal-vertical-development/
» How friends influence behavior: Friendship and school performance
» Li, Z. (2016). Springer open. Retrieved from
https://journalofchinesesociology.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40711-
018-0083-8
» Mcleod, S. (2018). Simply psichology. Retrieved from
https://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html
» Scialdone, M. (2014). Syracuse University libraries. Retrieved from
Universidad Estatal de Milagro – UNEMI

https://surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1102&context=etd
» Stivaros, H. (2007). Retrieved from
http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/959/1/hstivarosfinalthesis.pdf