Original article

Professionalization in the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation of the history teacher of High School

Glenda Roque Ramos^{1  *} 
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5533-5583

Rosa de la Caridad Espinosa Rodríguez² 
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8612-1262

Osmany Justis Katt¹ 
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7293-2737

¹Dirección Provincial de Educación de Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.

²Universidad de Oriente, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.

ABSTRACTS

The article considers the theoretical-methodological insufficiencies of historical thinking that limit the mode of action of the Basic Secondary School History teacher in the fulfillment of his professional functions. It reveals the logic of professionalization in which historical argumentation is connoted as a pedagogical professional skill and its structuring in the systematization of pedagogical historical-professional critical thinking. Theoretical, empirical and mathematical methods were used for its design, which allowed verifying the feasibility and relevance of the proposal in the transformation of the History teacher in the process of postgraduate training of Basic Secondary Education.

Keywords: Postgraduate training; Mode of action; Pedagogical professional ability; Historical argumentation

Introduction

Cuban education does not escape from the need to implement changes to its conceptions in order to raise the quality of education to higher levels. For this purpose, since 2011, the Third Improvement of the National Education System has begun to be based on the Third Improvement of the National Education System. The fundamental ideas underpinning these transformations at the Basic Secondary education level: "(...) require that students can participate in their learning actively and independently, arguing their points of view, judgments, assessments in classes and in any other type of activity, (...)" (^{La Red & Revilla, 2017}, p. 3).

Postgraduate teacher training acquires a crucial importance and a privileged opportunity when it is founded as a professional need. The studies around continuous training, as a pedagogical category to sustain its concretion in postgraduate education as it is standard in Cuba, have been in research such as: ^{Alvarez (2020}); ^{Betto (2021}); among others, who establish theoretical budgets on this type of training, but in a general way, without taking into account the different alternatives that, from the educational reality, lead to the improvement of the performance of the History teacher in his job.

The mode of action acquires significant correspondence in the previous relationships, if it is taken into account that it is the one that includes, in addition to those knowledge and generalizing skills that are concretized in each discipline, the logic with which the professional acts and that characterizes his personality (^{Addine & García, 2004}; ^{Arancibia, Soto & Casanova, 2017}).

In the projection of the professional actions of the History teacher, the formation of historical thinking is taken into account for the solution of professional problems (^{Álvarez, 2006}; ^{Romero, 2008}) and with it the transformation of his or her mode of action. This vision of historical argumentation is still limited by the place of historical thinking to exercise the professional work of the Basic Secondary History teacher, given the potentialities of positively influencing the successful fulfillment of all professional teaching functions. Therefore, it is still necessary to incorporate new theoretical considerations and practical proposals that strengthen this process when oriented to the mode of action of the Basic Secondary School History teacher, elements that will allow the fulfillment of the functions he/she develops.

Hence, it is determined as a research problem: the theoretical-methodological inadequacies of historical thinking that limit the mode of action of the Basic Secondary School History teacher in the fulfillment of his professional functions in different contexts. In correspondence with the above, it is established in the research as an objective, the elaboration of a methodology for the professionalization in the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation of the History teacher in the process of postgraduate training of Basic Secondary in which is connoted the structuring of the pedagogical professional ability in the systematization of the historical-professional critical thinking; which sustains the transformation of the mode of performance in the different functions and contexts.

Development

Immediate antecedents of this methodology are the pedagogical contributions of (^{Palomo, Reyes & Romero, 2007}; ^{Espinosa, 2009}; ^{Velázquez, Sánchez & López, 2016}) and those who, with their interdisciplinary studies, refine the development of the historical-professional culture in the postgraduate training of the History teacher and its relationship with the mode of professional performance of this teacher. Similarly, from the professional aspects that should characterize the History teacher, it focuses on the works of: ^{Díaz (2019}); ^{Roque and Justis (2020)}, as well as the systematization carried out in the training of the education professional, in the understanding of historical knowledge, thinking and way of reasoning, which relates historical science and history teaching, by propitiating the science-discipline-profession connection, integrated to historical thinking-awareness, in the characteristics of the object of work, concretized in the professionalization that sustains its preparation.

It is defended in this scientific analysis that in the formation of pedagogical professional skills (^{Curbeira, Bravo & Morales, 2017}; ^{Díaz, Valdés, Herrera, Creach & Valiente, 2021}), is where the culture of historical argumentation for the improvement of historical thinking in the mode of action of the history teacher is concretized. This necessarily implies rethinking the improvement of the scientific logic of preparation in historical argumentation with the structuring of this as a professional pedagogical skill, which justifies the transformation of the mode of action of the Basic Secondary History teacher in continuing education, in its different functions and contexts.

Likewise, to debate about its role in an education that problematizes and sustains the role of the historical-professional culture and of the historical-professional pedagogical argumentation in the achievement of an autonomous teacher capable of transforming through these the educational reality in which he/she develops together with the formulation of improvement proposals through reflection and dialogue as ways of knowledge construction (Roque & Justis, 2020).

The projection of historical argumentation as a professional pedagogical skill aims to professionalize the history teacher in the essential relationships that exist between his or her mode of action, the pedagogical purpose and the historical-professional culture, which has become the matrix of this dynamic, for which the historical-professional pedagogical argumentation is necessary and which is made concrete through the generalizing actions necessary to the problem to be solved.

The logical orientation of the structure of the skill rests on the planning of the skill in the process of pedagogical thinking. It is composed of actions and operations that have been conceived from the management or direction (planning, execution and evaluation) of the pedagogical process in the course of the professionalizing process. In this sense, three actions with their fundamental operations are considered.

Action 1: Determination of the introduction of the historical-professional argumentation.

Fundamental operations:

Approach to the pedagogical and/or didactic need that requires the transforming action in the educational reality in any context and teaching function.

Characterization of the possible pedagogical causes from the diagnosis that refers to the present-past relationship (retrospective) necessary to the historical agents, events and facts linked to the pedagogical-didactic processes and concretion of the selection of historical arguments for the understanding and explanation of the educational reality. Assurance of the conditions to achieve it.

Action 2: Planning of the historical and argumentative support of the didactic pedagogical reality.

Fundamental operations:

Projection of the possible support to be argued with synchronic-diachronic support in relation to the spatial-temporal, cognitive-affective, perspective-justification of its relations with the idea that will be supported for the contribution to the solution of the problems of the educational reality.

Concretion of the arguments that justify the historical relation with the reality to be transformed with evidence and criteria of historical-pedagogical authority necessary sufficient in terms of coherence, cohesion and pertinence that guarantee its validity in a historical-pedagogical concretion.

Determination of the ways for the argumentation according to the educational reality and the problems to be solved, which constitute the conditions.

Action 3: Implementation of the argumentative proposal in terms of cognitive-socio-emotional-affective-transformative value in correspondence with the needs of the educational reality.

Fundamental operations:

Consistent relation with its validity, through coherence, cohesion, pertinence and argumentative strength sustained in the necessary three-dimensional-historical value to give an answer to the solution of the educational reality.

Concreteness of the argumentative path and the communicative, historical and socioemotional resources to convince of the value of the proposal.

In this sense, the following indicators are determined for the development of professionalization in the historical-professional pedagogical argumentation of the History teacher:

1. Historical-argumentative culture through: Mastery of the logical and dialogical foundations of temporal three-dimensionality. Assurance of the historical-argumentative culture in relation to the content-method and means for the solution of the problems of the contextual reality (mode of action). Problematization of reality (contexts).

2. Systematization of the historical-professional critical thinking through the structuring of the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation in the projection of the theory-practice relationship.

3. Self-determined historical-professional pedagogical argumentative practices through reflective, self-determined and self-determined generalizing actions of transformation of the activity.

Methodology Structure:

General Objective: To improve the professionalization in the historical-professional pedagogical argumentation of the History teacher in the process of postgraduate training in Basic Secondary Education.

Stage 1: Sensitization and diagnosis.

Specific objective: To make the history teacher aware of the professionalization of the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation in the postgraduate training process of Basic Secondary Education.

This stage is intended to generate a basic process of creation of pedagogical conditions for the development of the research process in the contexts in which it interacts. It assumes as a starting point the sensitization and diagnosis of the essential components of the process: group of teachers, students, families, community, family and personal educational network, taking into account the conditions as a teacher in relation to the logic of the profession.

Action No. 1: To sensitize the History teacher for professionalization in the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation in the process of postgraduate training of Basic Secondary Education.

The first meeting of the main researcher with directors, methodologists and Basic Secondary History teachers took place through a workshop of collective construction and socialization as the first projection of the use of strengths, with the participation of the 9 specialists in the subject of History who will assume the professionalization. When addressing the potentialities of professionalization in the historical-professional pedagogical argumentation of the History teacher in the postgraduate training process of Basic Secondary Education, the participants considered its necessity and exposed examples of it in the fulfillment of the different roles assigned to him/her. This made it possible to expose and agree on the definition of the professional pedagogical skill of historical argumentation. The difference between the perspectives of the intellectual ability, systematized by the history teacher, oriented to the learning of the students with respect to the ability of historical argumentation to support the didactic-pedagogical project of the class as an example of the amplitude of the new vision is noted. Likewise, psychological and motivational conditions were created prior to the implementation of the other actions.

Action No. 2: Diagnose the practical and theoretical experiences of the history teacher in the professionalization of the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation as part of the postgraduate training process of Basic Secondary Education.

Different instruments were applied to the 9 specialists in the subject of History in charge of professionalization. For this purpose, three dimensions were established with their respective indicators that identify within the institutional project three essential scenarios of action for the improvement of the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation: the complementary activities and/or classes, the ideological political work and the schools of family education.

In the determination of needs, potentialities and strengths, the following sequence of activities was structured: List the potentialities and needs of the historical content for the professionalization in the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation of the History teacher; Determine the causes of each need through discussion groups that allow analyzing and problematizing various points of view; Make pedagogical decisions to eliminate the causes that generate the result.

Action No 3. Determination of the system of contents of professionalization in the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation of the History teacher in the postgraduate training of Basic Secondary Education.

The determination of the system of contents of professionalization in the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation of the History teacher in the postgraduate training of Basic Secondary Education. It presents as General Objective: To guarantee the bases of the structuring of the system of professionalization in the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation of the History teacher in the postgraduate training of Basic Secondary Education.

System of knowledge and skills

Historical-argumentative culture. The systematization of historical reasoning inherent to the historical-professional culture. The need for a new vision of historical argumentation in correspondence with the breadth and depth of the problems of the educational reality to be solved by the history teacher with an integrating vision.

The systematization of the pedagogical historical-professional critical thinking and its relation with the intentionality necessary for the preparation in the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation as part of the historical-professional culture.

The preparation in the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation of the History teacher.

Definition. Main authors who support argumentation as a process and intellectual skill. Historical argumentation and its role in historical thinking. Orientation of the structure of the skill: pedagogical historical-professional argumentation. Conceptualization, matrix and structure. Indicators for the preparation in the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation of the History teacher. Justification of practices for its treatment.

The system of selected contents constitutes a guide for the logic of the preparation in the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation of the History teacher in the postgraduate training process of Basic Secondary Education. As part of the forms of work that are developed in the Institutional Projects, it structures each one of them and with it the fulfillment of the different functions of the teacher. Hence, it is part of the Methodological Work System to be developed in the educational institutions and its concretion in the different forms: subject preparations, methodological workshops, and the advisory body, Subject Commission. It also serves as a starting point for the planning and execution of the different modalities of preparation, research-superation, among them postgraduate, courses, specialization, thesis for the completion of studies for Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate degrees, among others. Therefore, it takes into account the diversity of the faculty, emphasizing the potentialities that allow the reconstruction of the process. It also considers the intention of each institution to take advantage of its context, its local history, the characteristics of the subjects involved and the specific needs.

Action No. 4: Prepare the staff that assumes the professionalization, taking into account the content system.

Nine specialists in the subject of History were selected (2 methodologists of the Municipal Directorate, 2 directors, 2 grade coordinators and 3 teachers), 100% have between 10 and 20 years of experience, have a Master's degree in Educational Sciences and have had different responsibilities at the institutional and municipal level. Experiences, best practices and complementary materials were taken into consideration in order to provide models of action as a help in the mediation of the teacher who developed the professionalization process. A work system is established that assumes diversity through levels of assistance and a differentiated schedule for the development and completion of the preparation according to the modality that is structured.

Stage 2: Execution

Specific objective: To professionalize the History teacher in the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation as part of the postgraduate training of Basic Secondary Education.

At this stage, collaborative relationships are established, considering that the contents and forms to be considered in the professionalization of the History teacher are discussed and reflected upon in order to transform the educational reality, based on personal and group experience.

Action No. 1. Professionalize in correspondence with the characteristics of the educational institutions and the teaching staff.

Professionalization took place making use of the contexts according to the content system. The two directions of methodological work are conceived: Teaching-methodological and Scientific-methodological, linked to each other and as a system in response to the proposed objectives. The above elements were observed and verified from the development of the new forms of work that, as part of the pedagogical conceptions of the Third Improvement Program, are now being implemented at the Basic Secondary level. The systematization and exchange of experiences was used as a method, in this case the life stories were pondered through school autobiographies and professional trajectories.

Action No. 2. Identify the objects of change (reality) that make possible the application of the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation.

As selection criteria, the characteristics of the nature of the professional pedagogical skill, sustained in the first subsystem of the model, were taken into account: Pedagogical and/or didactic need that requires transforming action in the educational reality in any context and function. Conformation of memories of solutions to situational problems from life stories as a personal experience of rootedness and reconstructed memory (argumentative support with logical sufficiency that contains coherence, cohesion, pertinence in the historical sources that provide the necessary factual and historical interpretative elements and argumentative strength). Work with the sources of historical knowledge for the selective determination of the arguments (work with the educational network). Treatment of the historical contents in close relation to the problems of the educational reality. Concreteness and substantiation of the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation to understand, explain and/or transform the pedagogical object in all contexts and functions.

Action No. 3. Expose the historical argumentative practices - pedagogical professional as a projection of the use of strengths from the educational reality.

Self-reflection procedures related to the following questions were used: For the one who exposes the pedagogical practice: what were the external and internal factors that facilitated or hindered the process, what do I improve from the pedagogical practice that gave me results, what would I do the same again, what would have happened if..., Lessons Learned. For the audience: What elements should I note as part of my preparation or logistics to comply with the solution, What would I change based on the educational reality in which I act, How can I enrich it, What results do I expect, Lessons learned?.

Practice 1: Logical and dialogic substantiation of the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation in a lesson plan. Concretion in a content of the subject History of Cuba, 9th grade.

Practice 2. Materials related to the treatment of ephemeris and historical personalities for the development of classes, political preparation, family education schools. Potentialities of the interrelations between historical narration and argumentation for the elaboration and use in the professional activity.

The articles that are proposed ponder the knowledge of the History of Cuba as an essential part of the knowledge of each and every one of those who assume the responsibility of educating. It helps to acquire awareness of their own values and to base their social relations and their practice throughout life. Likewise, the preparation in the elements of local history is valued as a guiding objective of the discipline History and an essential element of understanding of national and universal history. Therefore, they are valid to be employed by all teachers as part of the fulfillment of their functions, if their importance as an essential component of professionalization is taken into account. In this sense, three documents:

1. Analysis document for staff, employees, teachers and students prior to the viewing of the film Inocencia. It specifies methodological elements to take into account for the visualization and analysis of the film Innocence. This film recreates one of the transcendental facts of the History of Cuba, related to the Spanish repressive policy during the Ten Years War: the horrendous execution of the medical students.

2. Article: When thorns become roses. It recreates one of the transcendental facts of the History of Cuba, related to the conversion of the barracks into schools. It was written from the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Conversion of the Moncada Barracks into a school on January 28, 2020, so it evokes a significant event in the local history of Santiago de Cuba. Its purpose is to tell in a different way what happened, through the life story of the first director of the center, as well as the use of historical sources including documents that are part of the valuable works kept by the 26th of July Museum.

3. Article: Fidel, from Fidel for the development of family education schools. Compendium of contents that exposes the role of the Castro-Ruz family in the upbringing of their children, with emphasis on Fidel Castro Ruz. It starts by recognizing the place where he lived as one of the fundamental motives that will develop in him, the care and love for the flora and fauna. In the same way, it connotes, from the testimony and different sources (among them the visit to the House of Biran, material found in all educational institutions), the deep love for his brothers, friends and neighbors; as well as the importance of the family environment in the formation of the revolutionary Fidel. It is proposed as a material support to be used in family education schools and as part of the political-ideological work if we take into account that the figure of Fidel Castro Ruz is one of the themes to be worked on. It contains as part of its structure the testimony of its main protagonist.

Stage 3: Evaluation

Specific objective: To evaluate the methodology for professionalization in the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation of the Basic Secondary History teacher.

The assessment is conceived as a process and result that starts from the objectives of the previous stages with a system character and allowed the individual assessment of each one of them and the actions that are designed in the interrelation of the totality of the proposed methodology.

Action No 1: Verify the impact of the presentation, structure and execution of the methodology for professionalization in the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation of the Basic Secondary History teacher.

For the development of this action, indicators were determined that are related to the dimensions that were the object of diagnosis: Mastery of the bases of historical reasoning (relations between the historical-argumentative culture, the historical-professional culture in the understanding of reality); Critical historical-professional pedagogical thinking (logical structure of the historical-professional pedagogical argumentation skill); Implementation of self-determined historical-professional pedagogical argumentative practices.

Self-assessment, co-assessment and hetero-assessment were used as ways in the socialization workshops carried out with methodologists, directors and history teachers, as well as with specialists. In the same way, different sources were conceived for the verification and evaluation of professionalization in the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation, elements that were planned from the first stage of the methodology and were enriched, through the qualitative methodological strategy of research-action-participation, throughout the process taking into consideration the experiences, the best practices and the help in the mediation of the teacher who developed the professionalization process.

The teacher assumed the responsibility not only to prepare him/herself in the historical content but also in other interdisciplinary elements that connote his/her professional culture. The instrumentation of the skill became a tool of historical thinking for the solution of professional as well as social problems, once it was incorporated into their mode of action. The professionalized teacher succeeded in preparing his training objects, so that he himself constitutes a model to be followed by the educational community for the development of the functions.

In the preparation of the subject, the problemics methods and their use, the system of means were enriched by using diverse sources of historical knowledge with the use of the contexts of action of the History teacher and taking into account the individualized, differentiated and personalized characteristics of the faculty. The recording of the practices, as well as the criteria for their selection, became working tools for the history teacher that not only remained in the subject's faculty but also in the projection of the actions of officials and directors, if it is taken into account that the results were generalized as part of the methodological work in most of the forms of the Third Improvement of the National Education System. Likewise, the critical-reflective questions proposed as part of individualized self-management allowed enriching the proposals made.

Conclusions

The elaboration and implementation of the methodology was accepted and recognized as an instrument of transformation and its concreteness in the ways of acting of the Basic Secondary History teacher.

The assessment of the methodology allowed confirming the value of professionalization in the pedagogical historical-professional argumentation of the History teacher, as well as its viability in the process of postgraduate training of Basic Secondary Education in the innovative theory-practice relationship, which sustains the transformation of the self-determined pedagogical historical-professional argumentative practices in the different contexts.

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Received: May 05, 2022; Accepted: October 10, 2022

^* Author for correspondence: [e-mail]