Cuban School Research Articles

El desarrollo del pensamiento geográfico a partir del trabajo integrado con principios de la Geografía en la escuela cubana

The work proposes a rehearsal that bases the necessity to develop the geographical thought in the school context considering the possibilities of the principles of the geography. Different approaches are analyzed regarding the geographical thought and the features that this he/she should have to guide educational proposals in the teaching of the school Geography. Equally they stand out valuations to assume the principles of the geography like didactic axes in the teaching in the school, he/she allows to conform to a proposal that it integrates the localization principles, integrity, evolution and geographical scale in a structure that is composed of three stages with precise procedures to execute the educational work in the Cuban school. Starting from the contributed arguments you can conclude that the geographical thought has wide relevance in the process of geographical education in the basic high school and the principles of the geography can be a cardinal reference for its development.

The TIC in the Sciences of the Education

The article analyzes the potential offered by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in light of their contributions to Education Sciences. It is based on the advantages in the social appropriation of this technological resource, as well as the axes that must be valued when an impact is intended on the development of a subject in a learning process. The objective is to reflect on the use of computer technologies in the educational teaching process of the contemporary Cuban school, where technologies act as a mediator in the relationship of the student with the group, the teacher and the learning objects. The use of theoretical and empirical research methods, such as the analysis of guiding documents, the systematization of references, bases and theoretical foundations, as well as the historical and logical analysis of the training process with the mediation of ICT, allowed to determine the conceptual nuclei that It is described in the work and the proposal proposed to be developed by the teachers, considering that its impact on education fosters one of the greatest changes in the social sphere. As a result of the research, conclusions are reached where the fundamentals for the use of technologies in the classroom are exposed from a well-organized, planned and controlled process by the teacher.

Una aproximación a la problemática del bullying en deportistas escolares y juveniles cubanos

The objective of this study is to describe the roles of bullying in sports in a Cuban School for School Sports Initiation (EIDE) and to compare by gender, school categories and sports. Descriptive, cross-sectional study of a non-probabilistic convenience sample of 173 Cuban athletes (42.2% women and 57.8% men) aged between 8 and 18 years up to the time of evaluation. The incidence of bullying was evaluated using a questionnaire that included 70 items. The results show that there were no significant differences regarding gender, categories and sports studied. However, it was observed that the athletes (M) showed higher values in the role of victim and aggressor, while the athletes (F) did so in the role of observer. Likewise, schoolchildren showed higher average values in the role of aggressor and observer with respect to juveniles. The perception of the incidence of bullying in sports varied in the role of the victim, the aggressor and the observer. The results suggest that bullying episodes constitute a key problem in Cuban sports schools that deserve greater psychopedagogical attention, so that athletes can perform successfully.

US Physicians Trained in Cuba Battle COVID-19 at Home:A Personal Account from the New York City Epicenter.

Speaking remotely with US graduates of Havana's Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM), I found them at work on hospital floors, in ICUs and health centers across the United States, putting their professional and personal commitment to the test against COVID-19. Nowhere was that more evident than in New York City, the disease's epicenter, where one grad told me virtually every hospital has at least one MD from the Cuban school, which has provided free 6-year medical training for some 30,000 doctors since the school's founding in 1999. The student body comes primarily from low- and middle-income countries worldwide, but Cuba also provided 200 US students with scholarships. One of them is Dr Joaquín Morante (ELAM Class of 2012), who did his medical residency in internal medicine, followed by fellowships in pulmonary disease and critical care medicine. Triple-licensed in internal medicine, pulmonary and critical care medicine, he is now an attending physician on staff at Jacobi Medical Center in The Bronx, one of New York City's public hospitals, and considered a 'hot spot' due to its COVID-19 caseload. I spoke with him during a break at home in mid-April.Dr Joaquín Morante, ELAM Class of 2012: Pulmonologist, critical care attending physician at Jacobi Medical Center, New York City.

La cultura histórica humanista y renovadora en “la edad de oro” de José Martí

El trabajo que se presenta forma parte de los resultados de la actividad investigativa que se desarrolla en el proyecto científico Educar con José Martí en la escuela cubana, de la Universidad de Matanzas. La Edad de Oro, reconocida en el siglo XXI como un texto científico de naturaleza interactiva y participativa, por la profundidad de su contenido, el humanismo de su prosa y la estimulación hacia el seguimiento en el tiempo de lo que en ella se aborda, constituye un texto de necesaria consulta en las diferentes etapas de la vida. Se fundamenta la concepción de la cultura histórica humanista y renovadora en La Edad de Oro de José Martí como referente metodológico de la preparación de los docentes de la enseñanza general.

Neuroinflammation and Neuromodulation in Neurological Diseases

Neuroimmunology is a relatively young science. This discipline has emerged today from the research field as a mature and fully developed innovative research area that integrates not only pure topics of neuroimmunology, but also expands on wider fields such as neuroplasticity, neuronal reserve and neuromodulation in association with clinical events, amongst which behavioral disorders stand out. The Cuban School of Neuroimmunology—a recent meeting that took place in Havana, Cuba—focused on topics based on the molecular mechanisms of neuroinflammation in neurological disorders involving behavioral manifestations, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), autism, cerebellar ataxias, Alzheimer´s disease and stroke among others, as well as on the use of new interventional technologies in neurology. Professor Luis Velazquez, from the Cuban Academy of Sciences, dictated an interesting lecture on Spinocerebellar ataxias, a genetic disorder where recent hypotheses related to the influence of neuroinflammation as a neurobiological factor influencing the progression of this disease have emerged. At the same time, the use of new interventional technologies in neurology was discussed, including those referring to novel disease modifying therapies in the course of MS and the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation in several neurological diseases, the latter reinforcing how interventional strategies in the form of non-invasive bran stimulation can contribute to physical rehabilitation in neurology. This paper summarizes the highlights of the most relevant topics presented during the First Cuban School of Neuroimmunology, organized by the Cuban Network of Neuroimmunology, held in June 2019.

ЛАТИНОАМЕРИКАНСКИЕ ПОДХОДЫ К ПРОБЛЕМЕ ГЛОБАЛИЗАЦИИ: ВЗГЛЯД СКВОЗЬ XXI ВЕК

Four approaches to the globalization problem exists in Latin American global studies: apologetical, institutional, objectivist and critical, while two last of them are dominating. The apologetical one is represented by minority. Within the institutional approach, globalization appears as a function of transnational institutes’ activities, is understood as a process controlled and organized by international financial and economic authorities. The objectivist approach assumes the attitude on globalization as a fundamental objective process – specifically as an asymmetric process in some sort, a theoretical “echo” of the dependent development theory, or “dependentism”, once popular in Latin America, highlighting a structural division of the world capitalism system into center and periphery. In the Latin American authors’ theoretical discourse, great attention is paid to political aspects and consequences of globalization. In particular, there are many fears and cautions before an eventual dilution of state institutes as part of this spontaneous process. Within the critical approach, the key concept is “neoliberal globalization”. In the most explicit way, this approach is carried out by authors belonging to the Cuban school of Latin American global studies. The Cuban scientists use the “transnationalization” term as a synonym of “globalization”. The most radical variety of the Marxist interpretation of globalization assumes its understanding as the highest and last phase of imperialism. A considerable part of Latin American authors investigates an alternative searching of globalization perspectives. In this regard, it is possible to single out three directions – sociocultural, ethical and integrational. The sociocultural direction is concentrated on the Latin American identity theoretical search. The ethical direction continues the Latin American “liberation philosophy” tradition. In the politological aspect, the integrational direction is elaborated the most. A common denominator of these theoretical views is the idea that the interstate regional integration of Latin America alone will be able to amortize risks and minimize dangers connected to globalization. It is viewed as a peculiar protective barrier against the impact of multinational corporations and supranational global control institutes related to them, both seen in Latin America as new forms of the U.S. imperial domination. Specific for this approach is its reference to the real international integration practice, closely connected to the “left turn” phenomenon. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the new integration architecture has been built in the region, targeting at the state national sovereignty protection. Summing up, the author proposes the following hypothesis: in the medium term, a “second round” of the international discussion on the “globalization” conceptual contents is quite possible as a result of large political and economic shifts on the international scene.&nbsp

New Experiences in Pedagogical Lexicography: Two Cuban School Dictionaries

The Santiago-based Centro de Lingüística Aplicada has produced two school dictionaries, the Diccionario Escolar Ilustrado and the Diccionario Básico Escolar, which together cover the 12 grades from Primary School over Secondary Basic School to High School. In various ways they are innovative in terms of the solid preparatory work, the design and content of the articles, the cheap production methods, and the work that has been carried out with a view to effectively reaching the target user group with an output of until now more than 100 000 printed copies as well as their accessibility on CD, the Internet and the Cuban national Intranet (soon). The article analyses the two dictionaries in terms of their methodology, functions, content, structure, and layout and presents some suggestions for future editions as well as for pedagogical lexicography in general.

Discriminación y exclusión de las mujeres en los textos escolares chilenos y cubanos de Historia

<p><em>Se presentan los resultados de una investigación cualitativa acerca de las mujeres en los textos escolares de Historia de Chile y de Cuba. El problema de investigación se centró en establecer la representación de las mujeres en los textos escolares de Historia. El objetivo fue caracterizar la presencia de las mujeres en el discurso escolar de los textos oficiales. Como hipótesis se sostuvo que las mujeres son invisibilizadas y relegadas a segundo plano. Se aplicó el diseño hermenéutico a un corpus de 15 textos de Historia (10 chilenos y 5 cubanos) publicados entre 1996 y 2009 por diferentes editoriales. Se realizó el análisis de textos e imágenes, considerando algunas categorías propuestas por Van Leuween (1996) tales como: actor social; rol asignado; representación; nominación. Éstas permitieron caracterizar a las mujeres en un papel secundario, postergado al ámbito privado, representación que socializa en la exclusión y discriminación de las mujeres en la historia oficial de ambos países. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p>

Una propuesta de intervención para mejorar la comprensión de textos en escolares cubanos de sexto grado

Esta investigación presenta la aplicación de una propuesta de intervención para mejorar la comprensión de textos en escolares cubanos de sexto grado. La propuesta integra un conjunto organizado de tareas, fundamentadas a partir de un modelo de comprensión, que proponen determinadas formas de operar con los textos mediante el uso de dos estrategias: la estrategia de progresión temática y la aplicación de las macrorreglas. La muestra estuvo integrada por 21 estudiantes de sexto grado de una escuela primaria cubana. La intervención ocurrió durante 10 sesiones. Los resultados muestran la eficacia de la propuesta para enseñar las estrategias y mejorar la comprensión de textos. Al finalizar la intervención, los escolares evidencian un incremento en cuanto al desarrollo y puesta en práctica de cada una de ellas.

Impacto de las acciones para la eliminación sostenible de la deficiencia de yodo en Cuba

To assess the effectiveness of the Sustainable Elimination of Iodine Deficiency Program through determination of urinary iodine and goiter prevalence. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Cuban school children aged 6 to 11 years old in 2011-2012. A stratified multistage sample was used in which the levels of iodine excretion in urine (urinary iodine) and the presence of goiter were determined. The median urinary iodine was 176.3 µg/L; 7.6% of the students showed some deficiency of iodine, only 2.2% were below 50 µg/L (severe deficiency), and 15.3% had urinary iodine above 300 µg/L. The percentage of school children with optimal iodine nutrition was 43.5%, this category showed a significantly higher frequency (p=0.03) in the mountain areas (52.5%). Goiter prevalence was 17.6% which corresponds to a mild endemic. However, in the mountain area the prevalence was 32.6% (severe endemic). The comprehensive analysis of the impact of iodine deficiency control measures assessed by urinary iodine excretion and goiter prevalence reflects that it is no longer a population health problem in urban and rural areas of Cuba, attributable to a proper process of salt iodization. Nevertheless, high goiter prevalence is still observed in the mountain area of Cuba.

Cuban School Dictionaries for First-Language Learners: A Shared Experience

One of the reasons why many publishing houses hesitate when allocating resources to the development of more advanced concepts of school dictionaries for first-language learners is the relatively poor sales and corresponding profits coming from this category of dictionaries. A major challenge is therefore how to change the situation, stimulate the use and sales of school dictionar­ies, and guarantee the necessary investment in product development. This contribution will take up this challenge. It will give no final answer, but it will discuss an experience with a Cuban school dictionary which has reached its target users in large numbers. The contribution will particularly look at the multi-fac­eted relation between lexicographers and users which characterises the Cuban dic­tionary project. The objective is not to copy this or any other experience but to inspire lexicogra­phers looking for alternative solutions to a problem which is affecting both school children and lexi­cographers in many countries and language communities.

Deworming is not a risk factor for the development of atopic diseases: a longitudinal study in Cuban school children

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections have been suggested to protect from allergic sensitization and atopic diseases. Consequently, anthelminthic treatment would increase the prevalence of atopic disease in STH endemic populations. To investigate the effect of deworming on allergic sensitization and atopic diseases in Cuban schoolchildren. We followed up 108 STH positive schoolchildren aged 5-13 in six-monthly intervals for 24months. Four consecutive groups of, respectively, 104, 56, 68, and 53 STH positive children were used as 'untreated' reference groups to assess general time trends. STH infections were diagnosed by stool examination. Asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and atopic dermatitis were diagnosed by International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire and allergic sensitization by skin prick testing (SPT). At each time point, STH positive children were treated with one single dose of 500mg mebendazole. After deworming, the frequency of asthma significantly decreased (P<0.001) while the frequency of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic dermatitis was not affected (P=0.129 and P=0.751, respectively). The percentage of SPT positives temporarily increased (P<0.001) and subsequently returned to nearly baseline values (P=0.093). In the references groups, no change over time was observed in the proportion of children with allergic sensitization and atopic diseases (P>0.05). Our results indicate that atopic diseases do not increase after anthelminthic treatment. Allergic sensitization on the other hand increases after deworming. As this increase appears only temporarily, deworming of schoolchildren does not seem to be a risk factor for the development of allergic sensitization, nor for atopic diseases.

Parental involvement and the academic achievement and social functioning of Cuban school children

The goal of the current study was to investigate whether parental involvement is an important predictor of student outcomes within the Cuban school system, where extensive support for pupils’ progress and adjustment are available from the peer group, community, and family. The participants were 188 children in Grades 2 and 3 from four localities in Cuba. School-based involvement was significantly higher among parents of children not at risk for behavioral problems than among parents of at-risk children. Parental involvement in Year 1 did not significantly predict changes in student academic competency or total difficulties between Year 1 and Year 2. These results suggest that school-based parental involvement may be of some importance in the adjustment of Cuban children. Any effects of parental involvement, however, were not strong enough to cause changes in ratings of student adjustment and achievement from Year 1 to Year 2.

Validation of the Pascual Graphomotor Test in Cuban school children

Introduction The ability to draw is a complex perception and cognition function, which is acquired in infancy and is not usually investigated in the neuropaediatric clinic. Objective To validate the Pascual graphomotor test (PGT) in 5 to 11 year-old Cuban school children. Patients and methods The PGTwas performed on a total of 172 children from the city of Havana Círculo Infantil del Municipio Plaza nursery school and from the 1st to 5th year of a primary school in the same area. The sample was systematic. The test was repeated the following day. All the drawings were scored blind by a neurologist and neurology resident. Results For the validation of the test the differentiation with age and school year was taken as a validation criterion. A high correlation was obtained between the ages of the children and the scores obtained. The Spearman coefficient was −0.78 ( P = 0.01), and a there was a similar inverse correlation between the school year and the test scores (Spearman coefficient=−0.79, P = 0.01). The test was very reliable, with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.99 for inter-observer agreement and 0.97 for the test-retest. Conclusions The test was valid according to the criterion employed, differentiation with age and school year. The PGT demonstrated good temporal and inter-observer stability. We believe that it is a very useful tool in the neurological examination of Cuban school children.

Validación del test grafomotor de Pascual en niños escolares cubanos

Introduction The ability to draw is a complex perception and cognition function, which is acquired in infancy and is not usually investigated in the neuropaediatric clinic. Objective To validate the Pascual graphomotor test (PGT) in 5 to 11 year-old Cuban school children. Patients and methods The PGT was performed on a total of 172 children from the city of Havana Círculo Infantil del Municipio Plaza nursery school and from the 1st to 5th year of a primary school in the same area. The sample was systematic. The test was repeated the following day. All the drawings were scored blind by a neurologist and neurology resident. Results For the validation of the test the differentiation with age and school year was taken as a validation criterion. A high correlation was obtained between the ages of the children and the scores obtained. The Spearman coefficient was −0.78 ( P = 0.01), and a there was a similar inverse correlation between the school year and the test scores (Spearman coefficient = −0.79, P = 0.01). The test was very reliable, with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.99 for inter-observer agreement and 0.97 for the test-retest. Conclusions The test was valid according to the criterion employed, differentiation with age and school year. The PGT demonstrated good temporal and inter-observer stability. We believe that it is a very useful tool in the neurological examination of Cuban school children.

Fifty Years of Socialist Education in Revolutionary Cuba: A World-Systems Perspective

The educational achievements of revolutionary Cuba are well documented, and of international importance given the current global struggle to achieve universal primary schooling as one of the Millennium Development Goals. Revolutionary Cuba achieved and has sustained universal access to free and secular public education at all levels, with a high degree of equity, alongside a comprehensive program of adult education and the unprecedented provision of free education and training, particularly medical training, for students of the South. This paper focuses on the less well-researched aspect of the political and ideological objectives of Cuban school education, and the ways in which these have been reflected in school structures, curricula, and pedagogical practices. Acknowledging the ongoing achievements in terms of provision and academic performance, it is argued that the project of socialising new socialist citizens through schooling has been mixed. Drawing on world-systems theorising, some fundamental features of Cuba’s school system are identified that have historically worked against such outcomes. The ensuing contradictions have been exacerbated by post-Soviet social and economic conditions and changes, producing distinct outcomes in contemporary Cuban society that pose major challenges to Cuba’s political and educational project.

The democratic dilemma

This book started with two provocative questions. First, how does a poor country like Cuba help children and young people to be academically successful? Second, how does the Cuban school system do this with striking success when compared with the achievement results of children and young people in other Latin American countries?

Cuba’s Academic Advantage: Why Student’s in Cuba Do Better in School

In Cuba’s Academic Advantage, Martin Carnoy analyses the success of the Cuban school system as measured by the results achieved by Cuban students in international math, science, and language tests. The study includes data from Chile and Brazil whose students consistently test less well than Cuban students on these same tests despite the fact that these two countries enjoy better socio-economic indicators than does Cuba and educational reform efforts have been undertaken by their respective governments. He references studies, the results of which are well known by researchers, which demonstrate that academic success among socially disadvantaged students is far less likely than for students from better-off families (p. 45). Why does this co-relation not hold true for Cuba? Carnoy argues that an important component of student success in Cuba, including students from lower socio-economic circumstances, is the result of what he terms state-generated social capital.

Immunogenicity of a new Salmonella Typhi Vi polysaccharide vaccine—vax-TyVi ®—in Cuban school children and teenagers

A randomized, controlled, double blind study was carried out in Cuban children and teenagers aged 9–13 years to evaluate the immunogenicity of vax-TyVi ®— Salmonella Typhi Vi polysaccharide vaccine—with respect control vaccines. Serum samples were taken before and 21 days after the immunization, and ELISA was used for the determination of antibodies to Vi polysaccharide. Subjects who received vax-TyVi ® and TYPHIM Vi™ (Pasteur-Mérieux) showed seroconversion rates of 85.61 and 78.36%, respectively. The geometric mean titer (GMT) values for Vi antibodies induced after vaccination were 6.27 μg/ml (5.40–7.38 μg/ml) and 5.97 μg/ml (5.01–7.10 μg/ml), respectively. In contrast, subjects receiving the tetanus toxoid vaccine showed 0% seroconversion.