SANTO TOMÁS UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF EDUCATION …

DEALING WITH UNEXPECTED ISSUES WHILE STUDYING TO BECOME AN ENGLISH LEARNING AT DISTANCE: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL CASE OF A PRE-SERVICE TEACHER IN GAVIOTAS DEL CARANAL TOWN - ARAUCA COLOMBIA

DEALING WITH UNEXPECTED ISSUES WHILE STUDYING TO BECOME AN ENGLISH LEARNING AT

DISTANCE: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL CASE OF A PRE-SERVICE TEACHER IN GAVIOTAS DEL

CARANAL TOWN - ARAUCA COLOMBIA

Thesis presented by

YOSMARY VEGA RUBIO

CODE 60206424

SANTO TOMÁS UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF EDUCATION

BACHELOR IN ENGLISH AS A FOREING LANGUAGE

BOGOTÁ

2018


DEALING WITH UNEXPECTED ISSUES WHILE STUDYING TO BECOME AN ENGLISH LEARNING AT

DISTANCE: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL CASE OF A PRE-SERVICE TEACHER IN GAVIOTAS DEL

CARANAL TOWN - ARAUCA COLOMBIA

Thesis presented by

YOSMARY VEGA RUBIO

CODE 60206424

A research project degree work presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

degree.

BACHELOR’S IN TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREING LANGUAGE

Advisor

MARTHA BONILLA

SANTO TOMÁS UNIVERSITY

EDUCATION FACULTY

BACHELOR IN ENGLISH AS A FOREING LANGUAGE

BOGOTÁ

2018

APPROVAL PAGE


A Research Proposal

Presented to the

Faculty of Education

Santo Tomás University

Mg. Marta Isabel Bonilla, Thesis Advisor


Dedication

I am glad to dedicate this research project to

my beloved husband and children who always

supported me and were next to me motivating me to

get the objective of being an English teacher. “There

are no obstacles only desire to succeed”.


Acknowledgments

First, I would like to thank God. He shall

always be praised for everything! Then, I

would like to thank to all the people who

helped me all throughout this process, my

family, friends, and colleagues and especially

to my teachers who always believed in and

supported me in this process.

CONTENTS

DEDICATION.…………………………………………………………………………......4

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS……………………………………………………………..........5


ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………………8

INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………….....10

CONTEXTUALIZATION………………………………………………………………....12

RESEARCH STATEMENT……………………………………………………………….18

Research questions………………………………………………………………....20

Research Objectives………………………………………………………………..20

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK………………………………………………………....21

Distance Education………………………………………………………………...21

Distance Learning support…………….…………………………………………...22

Autobiographical research…………….…………………………………………...24

Escuela Nueva……………………………………………………………………...24

Rural context ………………………..…………………………………………...25

Multigrade teacher ………………………………………………………………....26

RESEARCH DESIGN……………...……………………………………………………..28

Steps …………………………………..…………………………………………...28

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALISIS …………………………..………...…………..30

Data collection gathering………………………………………………………….30

Oral narrative …………..…………………………………………………………30

Written narrative ……….…………………………………………………………31

Multimodal narrative …..…………………………………………………………32

Categories to respond research question…..………………………………………34

Categories …………………………………………………………………………35

Category one – Living and working in Gaviotas del Caranal...……………………35

Subcategory one –Rural area………………………………………………………37

Theme 1 – Cari Care oil company………….………………………………………38

Theme 2 – The weather……………………………………….……………………39

Theme 3 – Army conflict….…………………………….…………………………39

Theme 4 – Internet connection……..………………………………………………40

Category two – My life….…………………………………………………………41

Subcategory one – Family andemotional issues …………………..………………41

Theme 1 – Familiar support…………………..……………………………………42


Theme 2 –Friends support.…………………………………………………………43

Category three – Study EFL at distance……………………………………………45

Subcategory one – Strong Personal Motivation to EFL teaching and learning.…...45

Theme 1 – Enter Normal Superior ...………………………………………………47

Theme 2 - Enter Universidad Santo Tomas…………………………….…………47

Theme 3 – The use of the tecnology……….………………………………………48

Theme 4 – Cau Arauca, Cau Villavicencio, Cau Bogotá…….……………………50

Category four – Multigrade Teacher………………………………………………52

Subcategory one – Rural teacher…………………...………………………………53

Theme 1- Rural and multigrae teacher………………..……………………………53

Theme 2 – Looking for new horizons …………………..…………………………55

Theme 3 – CEAR Panama…………………………………………………………55

Subcategory two – Community leader……………….……………………………56

Theme 1 – Community representation…………………………………..…………56

Theme 2 – School organizer……..…………………………………………………56

Theme 3 – Guider students’ project life……………………………………………57

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS …………………………..………...…………..58

APPENDIXES………………………….. …………………………..………...…………..64

REFERENCES………………………………………………………………… ……….115


ABSTRACT

This research narrates my experience as a rural student and teacher through of an

autobiography study whose purpose is to describe different inconveniences that I had during

my learning process in the English foreign Language degree at distance modality at

Universidad Santo Tomas. Through of the narrative inquire, I give to know my story inside

and outside of my workplace when I carry out my job with my children and the community,

and when I develop my assignments and activities from the university, using some methods

and instruments for to collect information, as a narrative frame with my autobiography, five

unstructured interviews, a journal and some pictures which give to know difficulties and

limitations that were presented during my learning process as a rural student at distance.

The topic of this research is the socio-academic experiences in language Teaching and

Learning because my proposal is based in my story life –study that aims not only to show,

but also to support other projects and proposal research since my teaching and my learning

in English language in my workplace from my rural location.

Key words: rural student, EFL Teaching -learning , distance education, narrative.

RESUMEN

Esta investigación muestra una breve descripción de las experiencias académicas de la vida

como estudiante rural y docente a través de un estudio autobiográfico cuyo objetivo es

describir diferentes inconvenientes que tuve durante mi proceso de aprendizaje en la carrera

de Lengua Extranjera Ingles a distancia en la universidad Santo Tomás. A través de la

investigación narrativa, doy a conocer mi historia dentro y fuera de mi lugar de trabajo

cuando llevo a cabo mi trabajo con mis estudiantes y la comunidad, y cuando desarrollo mis


tareas y actividades de la universidad, usando algunos métodos e instrumentos para Recopilar

información, el marco narrativo con mi autobiografía, cinco entrevistas no estructuradas, un

diario y algunas fotografías que dan a conocer las dificultades y limitaciones que se

presentaron durante mi proceso de aprendizaje como estudiante rural a distancia.

El tema de esta investigación son las experiencias socio-académicas en Enseñanza y

Aprendizaje de Inglés, ya que mi propuesta se basa en mi historia, un estudio cuyo objetivo

no solo es mostrar, sino también apoyar otros proyectos y propuestas de investigación desde

mi enseñanza y mi aprendizaje en inglés en mi lugar de trabajo desde mi ubicación rural.

Palabras claves: Estudiante rural, Ingles enseñanza aprendizaje , educación a distancia,

investigación narrativa,


1. INTRODUCTION

This autobiographical study describes the difficulties in my own academic process, as an

EFL student at distance. In this study, I narrated the difficulties I experienced from rural area

being an English student at distance education in the Licenciatura en Lengua Extranjera

Inglés, program at Universidad Santo Tomas and how I overcame all the adversities that

arose during the academic process to succeed in this career. Also, I narrated my experience

in three roles that I played while studying LLEI at distance. For example, I was students at

distance, rural multigrade teacher and mother y wife with different responsabilities in each

role. These are roles which connected in familiar, work, and academic situations at the same

time. I have face difficulties where time is not enough to fulfill my academic, work and

family activities. I considered the place where I live an exceptionally large limitation. there

was no internet, academic activities required constant internet connection, winter limited the

electric power service, streets with trees fallen by heavy rains, lack of transportation to travel

to nearby towns to develop my work in an internet cafe, among other limitations that tried to

disrupt my academic process. Showed me at what there are no obstacles, only desire of

succeed.

According to Barkhuizen, Benson, and Chik (2014) “self-narratives, or the stories people tell

about themselves, help us to understand the ways in which individuals situate themselves and

their activities in the world.” (p. 2). In this same train of thought, Brady (1990) explains that

an autobiography is more than just collecting facts based on memory; on the contrary, it is

the construction of meaning based on the interpretation of the researcher’s past. Thanks to

autobiographical design I found bases to base my project and answer the research question


How does a pre-service teacher study LLEI at distance in the rural area and how did she

exceed the difficulties during Learning process?

This design also enabled the development of the objectives. To describe the difficulties and

the limitations that presented in my learning process as a student at distance in rural area. To

describe the achievements obtained during my learning process at distance as a student at

distance from Universidad Santo Tomás from rural area. To describe the pre-service teacher’s

experiences as a unitary Teacher in a rural school.


2. CONTEXTUALIZATION

Gaviotas Del Caranal village is located between two towns Pueblo Nuevo and Panama but it

belongs to the Panama town, these two towns are from Arauca department (Arauquita

municipality). This village is in a characterized region by its fertile lands, here, people

cultivate bananas, cocoa, pineapple, passion fruit, but also, they plant pastures to improve

their fields since in this region predominates ranching.

Gaviotas Del Caranal is a village with friendly and hardworking people. Parents have worried

for study of their children and they tried to help them in their tasks and activities. These

people plant cocoa in their fields, which is one of the best crops and this has been recognized

in Paris as one of the best cocoas of the world this cocoa produces the best chocolate with a

good flavor. Nacional

The community are affiliate to (junta de acción communal) JAC from Gaviotas Del Caranal

village and for this they have right to one job turn at oil company Cari Care, for example they

can work as mechanics, building, waitress, soldering assistant, chef and so on.

Gaviotas Del Caranal received this name for the abundance of seagulls in this rural area,

because the village is near a large pipe called La Colorada. Seagulls are migratory birds from

North America and Europe. It is a kind of bird that is exceedingly rare in Colombia, since it

is only passing through its regions as at Gaviotas village. In Colombia it is in a non-

reproductive wintering condition.

Gaviotas Del Caranal village is in the zone of influence from Cari Care Oil Company as well

as other villages from Panama. This oil complex has this name for abundance of birds of this

type.


Gaviotas Del Caranal is one village that obtains great benefits to be in oil influence, the

community have received some contributions from Cari Care Oil Company, Christmas gifts,

houses in their farms and productive projects. However, some people are not comfortable,

because this company affects in a certain way the rural area, the entrance to places that appear

with oil, the constant noises of their trucks when they move heavy machinery, their

interventions in farms where there is probability to find oil, the environmental impact

generated by the work of this company and the possible consequences that may arise in the

future.

On the other hand, the rural area Gaviotas Del Caranal has been exposed to the army conflict,

between FARC, ELN guerrillas and the Colombian military but also is an area that is safe

guarded by military thanks to the proximity of the oil company. It is not uncommon to see

military soldiers patrolling the surrounding villages.

Centros Educativos de Arauquita Rurales CEAR Panamá is an educational institution

conformed by 20 rural schools which belong to the Arauquita municipality. The most of these

schools have a teacher who work with multilevel grades, only two schools have two teachers

because there are most of 40 students. As a teacher: I have worked for more of eight years in

rural school with multilevel grades of preschool and elementary school, I have had 35

students in the classroom, but I have currently 11 Multigrade students. I have learned English

but also pedagogy in the LLEI program. It has been especially useful form my work as a rural

teacher. I have implemented new strategies to work English language with my students, for

example new materials, material design and new lesson plans. I have contributed not only

with the students, but also with the CEAR Panama (Centro Educativo de Arauquita Rural)

the teachers have could know strategies to work and designing different lesson plans and


didactic materials to teach English Language to children. As a rural teacher, I have some

limitations to develop my assignments of the USTA. As a pre-service teacher I must working

eight hours, six hours in the classroom and two hours to plan, developing and designing

materials to teach my classes, not only English classes, but also all subjects of elementary

school. But the teachers from CEAR Panama work more than eight hours. To organize a

syllabus, didactic material, download videos or audios to work with the students is necessary

more time. As a rural teacher I work the seven days of the week.

Santo Tomas University

Santo Tomas University is an educational superior institution catholic and private. This

university is present in many cities around Colombia through the Distance Education. Round

Colombia, there are Centros de Atención Universitaria CAU. These CAUs are in cities like :

Barranquilla, Bogotá, Bucaramanga, Cali, Chiquinquirá, Cúcuta, Medellin, Paso, Tunja and

Villavicencio

The university Santo Tomas has a mission inspired by the Christian humanist thought of

Santo Tomas De Aquino, and also it was founded for the order of predicators in June 13th of

1580.

I could enter to the Santo Tomas University from the CAU Arauca with the possibility to

study the LLEI. I liked the idea to study in this university because in the Arauca department

this institution was the unique that offered me to study at distance. This modality of the study

was particularly good for me. I could study and working too, especially from rural area. The

university offers some careers with this modality, but it is not simple as appears. To study at


distance requires more discipline, responsibility, dedication, autonomy, and self-

determination.

Licenciatura en Lengua Extranjera Inglés

The English Foreign Language Degree is an academic programme that responds to the

requirements of open at distance education as an innovative and demanding methodology

that allows the access to the higher education with quality and that has emerged in

correspondence with the international, national, and institutional politics that teach the

pedagogy in Foreign Languages Universidad Santo Tomas (2015).

LLEI have tow research fields, these are Teaching and Learning (Macroproyect: pedagogical

and technological innovations) and The English context (Macroproyect: Narrative life

stories, academic experiences) My research statement is located with the macro-project 2 in

the research subproject 3 because through my experiences as a rural student and teacher, I

can narrate the characteristics in which a student who live in Arauca has to face when study

English at distance. For the present autobiographical study, I as the researcher, I used

different instruments: my autobiography, five interviews some journals and some pictures.

This research study is focused on the narrative inquire. Barkhuizen (2014) mentions that

Narrative inquire is based in “storytelling and research together either by using stories as

research data or by using storytelling as a tool for data analysis or presentation of findings,

and also it is an established umbrella term for research involving stories.”


When I started to work as a rural teacher, I took the decision to live in my workplace. I live

in Gaviotas Del Caranal village located in Arauquita municipality from Arauca department.

Here, I share my knowledge with my students, parents and with other children from the

village. After, I acquired my job as rural teacher at Gaviotas Del Caranal village, I decided

to study at distance modality at Universidad Santo Tomás from Arauca city. The tutorials,

classes, conferences, and all educational activities are developed from CAU Arauca offices.

As a student in the distance modality, I have had many technological limitations because I

have lived in the rural area, the transport is difficult, the internet is expensive, and the

communications are not easy. In addition, the weather makes things more and more

problematic when winter season. In addition, we, citizens from Gaviotas Del Caranal must

face the army conflict.

The Licenciatura has a very structured program to teach English and pedagogy and according

to the syllabus the student must follow a strict Plan de Estudios. Al the lesson, the tasks and

the works have to be presented online through a virtual platform. The interaction among

students and teacher and students is through the platform, from there, the students can interact

and develop their tasks, also hey can have contact with the national tutors.

When I started to study LLEI at distance I had countless of difficulties with the use from the

virtual platform, English level basic, internet connection (in the villages there is not internet

service) in the town more nearby Puerto Jordan-Tame had a bad service of internet. Without

internet education at distance is impossible to succeed in this Licenciatura. I had not all time

available to study. I had different occupations including be a rural student at distance. To see


the difficulties and limitations as obstacles could not help me in my learning process. I always

had support of my family to follow with my academic process.

As a mother: as teacher and student, I have also many occupations, tasks, works, meetings,

capacitation, and conferences. As mother I have a great occupation, I have two daughters

between two and eleven years. I dedicate time to them to explain their homework and in my

short free time I try to enjoy with them. Currently, my husband work in Arauca municipality

but we share with him only Saturdays and Sundays. He must work in this city for three years.

But this situation is not a limitation for me as a mother, these experiences allow to strength

me as person in the aspects personal, professional, and familiar.


3. RESEARCH STATEMENT

For this autobiographical research I have chosen an interesting context of learning which I

belong to. This context is my own experience as a rural student at distance at Santo Tomas

University. To study a Foreign Language at distance from rural area presents many

difficulties to learn and develop all the activities especially when there is not a good service

of internet which is indispensable to work from the virtual platform of the university. Herrera

A. (2015) mentions in her autobiographical research that studying a foreign language at

distance represents a big challenge and a big number of difficulties that I solved during the

process.

I am a pre-service teacher who work at CEAR Panama teaching Multigrade (Preschool to

fifth grade) all subjects. I addition I study English at LLEI at distance at USTA from rural

area the Gaviotas Del Caranal Village. I started my studies at USTA in 2010, year in which

I already was working at CEAR Panama.

Education at distance is an innovative strategy that USTA must allow to the students to study

without leaving to work with flexible schedules, as Herrera A. (2015) mentions in her thesis

that distance education is new mediation for learning; it has shown that you can learn a lot

without going to a classroom.

Education at distance have been especially important for me, because with this method of the

study I have could learn a new language from my rural context through of the pedagogy that


offers the USTA at the LLEI. I have could develop my studies and working as a pre- service

teacher in the rural institution. All my acquired knowledge at LLEI has been a good

contribution for the educational institution, organizing playful activities, designing new

material to work with the students and designing English lesson plans.

Through this research proposal I hope collaborate to the learning communities that are

involved in the investigative world and by whose are interested in to improve the learning

quality and the teaching quality through the different methods proposed for the beginning

researchers who aim demonstrate with their studies the great experiences what they have had

in the educational environment which allows a nearby to our investigative context.

I collected the data with the different instruments and many researchers could identify and

analyze from their context and their work the benefits that my research could to offer them

to their future research, and specially to know from my experiences as a rural student at

USTA, my context, work style, the objective participants, community, school and learning

environment, but also to know my life story in this context with a particular characteristics

very different to a common school.

Through my research I reveal my academic experience at USTA as a student at distance as a

teacher, student and mother.

In this research I will give to know through of my autobiographical study how does a

preservice teacher study LLEI at distance from rural zone?


Herrera A. (2015) narrates through of her research that she improved in her own learning

process, she grows as a learner, as a teacher and as a researcher. She narrates what people

like her feel about certain points during the process, thus bringing some ideas to improve for

the program Licenciatura en Lengua Extranjera Inglés at the Santo Tomas University.

Without doubt, this girl inspired me to carry out this study.

Research question

How does a pre-service teacher study Licenciatura en Lengua Extranjera ingles at distance

in rural area and how did she exceed the difficulties during learning process?

Research Objectives:

• To describe the difficulties and the limitations that presented in my learning process

as a student at distance in rural area.

• To describe the achievements obtained during my learning process at distance as a

student at distance from Universidad Santo Tomás from rural area.

• To describe the pre-service teacher’s experiences as a unitary Teacher in a rural

school.


4. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Distance education

Distance education is a methodology which allows the formation of the students of an

autonomy way. White (2003) establishes a different range of definitions for distance learning

and distance teaching; they are widely accepted and used as close synonyms though. Distance

learning must do more with the learning platforms in which learners can study with total

autonomy; they choose the time to enter to the systems and learn. On the other hand, the

distance education has to do with an arrangement for teaching where; participants, teacher

and students are in different places and time and do not have face to face interaction, but it

needs particular techniques and methods for teaching and communication due to the special

characteristics of the process. White also says that this way of learning is not new, it has been

a method that has changed lately, thanks to the new technologies that make this kind of

learning more interactive with huge amounts of possibilities for the participants. I have

studied at distance from the rural context through virtual tutorials, some of those tutorials

were carried out from the CAU Arauca due to technological problems, because in the rural

areas and corregimientos of Arauquita do not have good internet service. I have had different

difficulties to develop my homework. The weather did not allow me to go out and connect

to the virtual platform.


The armed strikes or guerrilla confrontations blocked the roads preventing the passage to the

nearest towns of the village. Likewise, the protests of the communities of the villages to the

oil companies. All this attempted to be an obstacle to my learning process in LLEI. This new

era of technology has helped distance learning/education bring new ideas for learning and

communicating; new roles and responsibilities, as well as new contexts for the process of

learning (2003.pg. 11). Herrera A. (2015)

Distance Learning Support

In distance learning is important that universities have different strategies to teach the

contents of the academic program like in the case the LLEI at USTA. There is a virtual

platform, and the students have access to virtual library, also the USTA deliver some books

or audio-visual material to develop their courses. I had problems to receive books of virtual

courses, these were necessary to work on the topics proposed by the tutor. I wrote to the

academic secretariat of CAU Bogotá so they could solve the delivery of books. To have no

difficulty in my academic process, I wrote by institutional mail to the teacher. All teachers

were comprehensible and gave me more time to turn in my work. The students’ study at

distance and they belong different contexts, like in my case, I am a rural student that study at

distance and according to the contexts, students consider important the different educative

tools in the LLEI.

People who study from a distance modality in a university know the difficulties that may

arise during their academic process, like me, what knew that when studying with this

modality a foreign language degree from the rural area would have problems with the

permanent connection in the virtual platform of the USTA. I went to a nearby town to look


for an internet cafe to download my activities and I used to look for information about the

activity.

To have contact with my tutors, I went out two or three times a week and I wrote to them

about doubts or concerns related to the activities proposed in the courses. I felt obliged to

travel to Arauca to solve online questionnaires of some courses, I developed them in the CAU

Arauca and in a time I paid the internet service in my mother's house to feel more comfortable

from there. So, I have carried out this learning process from the distance modality. Herrera

A. (2015) said that if a student of distance education does not have enough material, the

process may be unsatisfactory. But what is support? It is interaction with individual learners

about whatever they need through a supporting tool, but it is not just a matter of producing

and distributing materials for learners at a system as many people think (2003.p171). This

has to be well addressed and high quality to learners’ dimensions so that distance does not

harm the line of learning; the support must be adapted to the kind of course given and the

kind of learners into it. White 2003 also says that the learners basically ask for more face-to-

face interaction with tutors, peers and audio-visual materials. Thus, the institutions offering

programs have an idea of what learners want, who they are and what their concerns are. The

institutions need to offer pertinent support, teacher commitment, reliable systems and

minimum learner isolation (2003. p172) if they want to fulfill and satisfy their students. I

think support is the diversity of material that the students can use for their learning process.

The books offered by the USTA were very useful for the development of my academic

activities. Also the video tutorials, and all proposed digital material for the platform were a

support in all this process of at distance study


Autobiographical Research:

My research Proposal is an Autobioraphy where I can narrate my academic experiences a

pre-service teacher multigrade. Language learners write about their learning experiences as

participants in a research project, but in this case, they are not the (primary) researchers.

These biographical accounts of their learning are often the product of a course activity or

assignment, which are then analyzed by the researcher (usually the instructor) for research

purposes. The biographies can take the form of language learning histories (e.g., Murphey,

Chen, and Chen, 2004; Barcelos, 2008; Oxford, 1995; Tse, 2000), journals, emails, and letters

(Kinginger, 2004), and narrative frames (Macalister, 2012).

Teachers and teacher students write about their practice for professional development (as

teachers or researchers). These studies use (auto) biographical data generated by the

researchers for their own research purposes (Barkhuizen and Hacker, 2008; Sakui, 2002).

Escuela Nueva:

Due my autobiography, not only includes the narration of my experience as a distance student

but also my experience as a rural teacher included the new school construct. Since I am a

Multigrade teacher and work in the CEAR Panama that also drives the Multigrade system.

The teacher handles all grades in a classroom. As a teacher of the CEAR Panama of the

educational institution Gaviotas Del Caranal I work through the Escuela Nueva pedagogical

model. I have all the grades from Preschool to Elementary school and I work in a classroom


with all grades teaching different topics with the help of guides books and strategies designed

for the teachers from the CEAR.

Escuela Nueva is a pedagogic model which was designed in Colombia in the middle of 70s

years for Vicky Colbert, Beryl levinger and Oscar Mogollón offering the elementary school

of a complete way and improving the quality and effectivy from country’s schools.

The initial focus was the rural schools, especially the multigrade schools which have been

the more needed of the country. (Schools where one or two teachers teaching all elementary

school of a simultaneal way.

Escuela Nueva is considered a social innovation and from high impact that improves the

quality education. Also, it promotes an active, participative and collaborative learning,

strengthen of the relation school-community and flexible activities adapted to the conditions

of the needs’ children.

In the 80’s and 90’s, when the Colombian State made a sustained and massive investment to

systematically implement all the elements of the Escuela Nueva Activa model at the national

level, the program reached more than 20,000 rural schools in the country, achieving results

Exceptional New School Foundation (n.d.) Let us go back to the people. Retrieved from:

http://escuelanueva.org/portal1/es/quienes-somos/modelo-escuela-nueva-activa/historia-

del-modelo.html

Rural context:

As a student and rural teacher, I consider this context a place to value nature and all that it

offers us. My rural context is organized by a great number of villages that along with the

http://escuelanueva.org/portal1/es/quienes-somos/modelo-escuela-nueva-activa/historia-del-modelo.html

http://escuelanueva.org/portal1/es/quienes-somos/modelo-escuela-nueva-activa/historia-del-modelo.html


communal leaders look for the well-being and benefits for the communities. In addition to

respecting the rights that the farmers have when oil wells are drilled near our farms. In this

type of context, people develop different jobs, schools and schools have different emphases

related to the agricultural system, but the interest in studying and being professionals is the

same as that presented in the urban area.

Rurality is essentially a different culture, understanding it as a way of life that develops from

the activities that the inhabitants execute, be they agricultural, fishing or mining, of the

relationship they establish with nature and with the world, of the set of values, beliefs,

customs, and fundamentally of a different speech, that grants meanings and connotations to

the reality. Vial C, (1999).

According to Llambi (n.d.) the rural is defined as linked to three types of phenomena:

demography or population, territory, and culture. In the demographic, it defines “rural

population” as one characterized by a low population density and a dispersed population

pattern. In territorial terms, it defines “rural spaces” as those linked to “primary” or

“extractive” activities in the productive structure of a locality or territory. Culturally, it

defines the “rural” lifestyle as characterized by values and behavior patterns different from

those of the big cities. Retrieved from: Llambí, Luis. (n.d.) Globalization, structural

adjustment, and new rurality: an agenda for research and rural development. Apron of

Anthropology of the Development. Science Library Social. University of Chile.

Multigrade Teacher

As a rural teacher I teach from Escuela Nueva pedagogic model. Frist of all, I start my escolar

activities with preeschool grade. Then, I continue with other courses, use some videos,


slideshows, or I use the billboard or board to explain the topics. The students start to develop

some workshops according to thematic. In my English classes, I teach the same topic to first

to third grades, just change the activities, I like to use videos, songs, billboards, and I include

games related on the theme. For the fourth and fifth grades, I use some videos to teach

grammar, also I use the billboard after watching the video to explain with example or

exercises the topic. I like that children use the English dictionaries. They like develop

worksheet after to receive theory and explanation. They like the video songs, videos about

short stories for kids in English.

Teachers are sometimes single teacher, in charge of many grades consisting of three

children of one grade, five of another, four of another and so on to form a classroom of 25

to 35 students of various grades. Jiménez A. (2016).


5. RESEARCH DESIGN

I decided to carry out this research according to the parameters of an autobiographical

research, since through the considerations of this type of research I could reflect on the

difficulties and limitations that I had during my academic process as a distance student from

the rural context, including my role as a teacher and as a mother and how I develop while

studying a degree in English at the USTA. As it is an autobiographical research, I am the

main participant, I speak of my context where I live, work and study from the rural area in a

village from Arauquita municipality.

The term “auto/biography,” i.e., the self (auto) is writing (graphia) about his or her life

Stanley (2004). An autobiography study is a combination of reflections on one’s prior

language learning experiences, a critical analysis of those experiences, and the application of

such insights to one’s current and future language study goals. Herrera A. (2015). This

reflection was evident through the narrative inquiry. This, thanks the narrative inquiry brings

storytelling and research together by using stories as research data. Herrera, (2015)

mentioned that an auto-biographical research is research that starts from and focuses on the

personal and subjective perceptions and experiences of individual people (p. 20)

Steps:

I understood the meaning about the coding for data analysis, it’s clear that coding is more

than just information grouping (Richard, L.2005) so I wanted to have a clear coding process

so that the information was clearer at the moment of analysis.


As this is a quite qualitative research the coding here is an analytical one: I did the process

through the analysis, reflection and interpretation of the information (Richards, L. 2005) for

solving my research question and objectives as well.

As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, I coded the information following the steps of an

analytical coding (Richards, L. 2005). I read all interviews and i was taking notes and finding

relevant information which helping me to answer the research questions and get the

objectives. Then I analyzed and interpreted each founded aspect in the interviews, also I

analyzed the repeated information, all this information is the basis of my analysis (Herrera,

A. 2015 p. 25).

6. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Due the narrative inquiry, I followed to Barkhuizen (2014) when he suggests the thematic

analysis is essentially a qualitative approach to analyzing narrative data. It is an effective way

of linking data extracts to more abstract categories and concepts and of re-arranging them in

support of theoretical arguments. It is helpful in identifying points of similarity and difference

across narratives and, if applied rigorously, it can ensure that the researcher pays attention to

all of the data using the same analytical lens. This strength can also be seen as a weakness,

however, in that there is inevitably a degree to which the narrative character of the data is

lost in the process of analysis. (p. 80)


Data Collection gathering

In this autobiographical research, the information was carried out through five unstructured

interviews in a period of two months (from September to October). This autobiographical

research analysis had the following stages: the 1st is reconstruction of the life story, the 2nd

is the microanalysis of my autobiography, individual interviews and some pictures and the

3rd is the coding for data analysis, categorization, and interpretation.

Oral narrative

I collected information through five unstructured interviews which reflected the personal and

academic experiences and my life story which helped me to describe the problematic

situation. In each of the interviews I narrated my experiences, limitations, difficulties that I

have had during my learning process as a student at distance. Barkhuizen (2014) affirms that

in narrative inquiry, interviews are mainly used to elicit oral accounts of language learning

and teaching experiences (p. 14). And Kvale and Brinkmann (2009: 102) divide interview

inquiry into seven stages: thematizing, designing, interviewing, transcribing, analyzing,

verifying, and reporting. Many narrative-based studies do not use interviewing as the only

data collection method; interviews are frequently accompanied by other data collection

methods. With the tutorials of Professor Martha, I used some stages to work with interviews,

transcribe, analyze and categorize according to the data collected.


Barkhuizen (2014) affirms that in narrative inquiry, interviews are mainly used to elicit oral

accounts of language learning and teaching experiences (p. 14). I collected information

through five unstructured interviews (in co-construction with my tutor Mrs.Bonilla). These

interviews reflected the personal and academic experiences and my life story which helped

me to describe the problematic situation. In each of the interviews I narrated my experiences,

limitations, difficulties that I have had during my learning process as a student at distance.

¿Por qué fue a la sede de la Universidad Santo Tomás- CAU Arauca?

Fui a la universidad Santo Tomas Arauca, ya que era la única

institución en la que se ofrecía un programa a distancia en

Licenciatura en Inglés-. Yo no quería estudiar español.

(Co constructing Interview One- Sep 8, 2017)

Written narrative

Language learners write about their learning experiences as participants in a research project,

and the learners themselves are the researchers. They construct the written text, analyze it,

and publish the findings. This work is thus clearly autobiographical. (Barkhuizen, 2014) A

typical example of written data produced in these contexts is learner diaries (e.g., Campbell,

1996). Another instrument used in my autobiographical research study is the written narrative

between them are my autobiography and a journal where I described different my life-story

episodes as a students from LLEI at distance.


Language learners write about their learning experiences as participants in a research project,

and the learners themselves are the researchers. They construct the written text, analyze it,

and publish the findings. This work is thus clearly autobiographical. (Barkhuizen, 2014). A

typical example of written data produced in these contexts is learner diaries (e.g., Campbell,

1996). Another instrument used in my autobiographical research study is the written narrative

between them are my autobiography and a journal where I described different my life-story

episodes as a student from LLEI at distance.

…When I started my job as a teacher in the rural area, my first thought and my

ambition was to keep studying and prepare me in English to be a good English

teacher. Thus, in 2010, I started my studies at Saint Tomas University, but I

had many reasons to study, the wish to learn English language, the necessity

of English’s teachers in department and to follow strengthening my knowledge

for the service from the education.

(Narrative Two: My studies and my professional life.)

Multimodal narrative

Using multimodal narrative as data is a growing trend in narrative inquiry. In narrative

research, researchers tend to use primarily a single source of narrative data. (Barkhuizen,

2014). Kress, (2005:6) gives the examples of multimodal data collection in narrative inquiry

as the image, writing, music, layout, and others as different modes that people use to make

and communicate meanings.

I used some of them: photographs, pictures, videos, and digital narrative from virtual sites.

With these instruments, I evidenced my autobiography from my personal and academic

experiences as a student at distance of LLEI at USTA. Through the multimodal narrative can


evidence of a graphic way my own testimonial of the situation and the context where I

developed my English learning process.

Using multimodal narrative as data is a growing trend in narrative inquiry. In narrative

research, researchers tend to use primarily a single source of narrative data. (Barkhuizen,

2014). Kress, (2005:6) gives the examples of multimodal data collection in narrative inquiry

as the image, writing, music, layout, and others as different modes that people use to make

and communicate meanings. I used some of them: photographs, pictures, videos and digital

narrative from virtual sites. With these instruments, I evidenced my autobiography from my

personal and academic experiences as a student at distance of LLEI at USTA. Through the

multimodal narrative can evidence of a graphic way my own testimonial of the situation and

the context where I developed my English learning process.

The research design explains narrative as a research methodology, which implies a process

for data collection and data analysis, as Barkhuizen, Benson and Chik, (2014, p. 12)

establishes it: “narrative inquiry is the only methodology that provides access to language

teaching and learning as lived experiences that take place over long periods of time and in

multiple settings and contexts” also within specific periods of time or “short time.”

Picture #4

This picture evidence a day of graduation in

the educational community of Gaviotas del

Caranal.

Here, I recognized the effort of the girls to

obtain the title of third place in category

female soccer, the girls won medals. Also I


was carrying out the closing of the year

2015

Categories to respond research question.

I obtained much information with each instrument, my autobiography, the interviews, and

some pictures which helped me to find the repeated aspects. As Barkhuizen (2014) mentions,

it involves repeated reading of the data, coding and categorization of data extracts, and their

reorganization under thematic headings. Major themes are typically discussed in separate

sections of the report, where they are broken down into subthemes and illustrated by extracts

from the narratives. I have meticulously analyzed repeated data to categorize them, I received

explanations from my teacher tutor, and I have found important data that is useful in my

autobiographical research.

In auto-biographic research, the analysis consists of interpret and re-present information in a

way that makes sense and which tell us something about the world (Rodriguez G. Gil J. and

García E. (2002) (pg.59). In this autobiographical research, I carried out five interviews

recorded on skype in a period of two months. The interviews were made by my research

project tutor who was the interviewer and me the interviewee from my rural context. They

were unstructured interviews because these interviews have the great advantage that they are

adaptable and capable of being applied to all kinds of subject in different situations, and also

allow to deepen in topics of interest. I was carefully listening to each of the interviews, then

I did the transcription all of them and then, I began the analysis. I consider the important part


of this research was the moment of the interviews, narrating my story from the personal to

the academic experiences it did me remembering the different environments and places

where I have marked my life to progress to professional level.

Categories

MAIN

CATEGORIES

SUB-CATEGORIES

THEMES

Living &

Working in

Gaviotas Del

Caranal –

Sub- Category 1- Rural Area

Theme 1: Cari Care Oil Company

Theme 2: Weather

Theme 3. Army Conflict

Theme 4: Internet connection

My Life

Sub-Category 1- Family & Emotional Issues

Theme 1: Familiar support

Theme 2: Friends Support

Studying EFL at

Distance

Sub-Category 1- Strong Personal Motivation to

EFL teaching and Learning.

Theme 1: Enter Normal Superior

Theme 2: Enter Universidad Santo

Tomás.

Theme 3: The use of the technology

Theme 4: CAU Arauca

CAU Villavicencio,

CAU Bogotá

Sub-Category 2- Commitment

Theme 1: rural and Multigrade teacher

Theme 3: Looking for New Horizons


Multi-grade

teacher

Sub- Category 1: Rural Teacher Theme 4: CEAR Panamá

Sub-Category 2: Community Leader

Theme 1: Community representation

Theme 2: School organizer

Theme 3: Guider to the students’

project life.

Categories Table

Category One: Living & Working in Gaviotas Del Caranal

Sub- Category 1- Rural Area

Theme 1: Cari Care Oil Company

Theme 2: Weather

Theme 3. Army Conflict

Theme 4: Internet connection

From the beginning of my career, I had certain limitations that made my academic process

difficult from the distance. First the rural context limited me, from transportation, the

permanent contact with teachers, the terrible internet service in nearby towns and the lack of

interaction with colleagues of the degree in English to improve language skills. As I spent

time in my distance learning process, I was looking for ways to overcome these limitations

and look for strategies to continue advancing in my professional training.

Rural Area


Rurality is essentially a different culture, understanding it as a way of life that develops from

the activities that the inhabitants execute, be they agricultural, fishing or mining, of the

relationship they establish with nature and with the world, of the set of values, beliefs,

customs, and fundamentally of a different speech, that grants meanings and connotations to

the reality. Vial C, (1999).

According to Llambi (n.d.) the rural is defined as linked to three types of phenomena:

demography or population, territory, and culture. In the demographic, it defines "rural

population" as one characterized by a low population density and a dispersed population

pattern. In territorial terms, it defines "rural spaces" as those linked to "primary" or

"extractive" activities in the productive structure of a locality or territory. Culturally, it

defines the "rural" lifestyle as characterized by values and behavior patterns different from

those of the big cities. Retrieved from: Llambí, Luis. (n.d.) Globalization, structural

adjustment and new rurality: an agenda for

research and rural development. Apron of Anthropology of the Development. Science

Library

Social. University of Chile.

Cari Care Oil Company

Gaviotas Del Caranal is a village with friendly and hardworking people. Parents have worried

for study of their children and they tried to help them in their tasks and activities. These


people plant cocoa in their fields, which is one of the best crops and this has been recognized

in Paris as one of the best cocoas of the world this cocoa produces the best chocolate with a

good flavor.

The community are affiliate to (junta de acción communal) JAC from Gaviotas Del Caranal

village and for this they have right to one job turn at oil company Cari Care, for example they

can work as mechanics, building, waitress, soldering assistant, chef and so on.

Gaviotas Del Caranal received this name for the abundance of seagulls in this rural area,

because the village is near a large pipe called La Colorada. Seagulls are migratory birds from

North America and Europe. It is a kind of bird that is exceedingly rare in Colombia, since it

is only passing through its regions as at Gaviotas village. In Colombia it is in a non-

reproductive wintering condition.

Gaviotas Del Caranal village is in the zone of influence from Cari Care Oil Company as well

as other villages from Panama. This oil complex has this name for abundance of birds of this

type.

Gaviotas Del Caranal is one village that obtains great benefits to be in oil influence, the

community have received some contributions from Cari Care Oil Company, Christmas gifts

houses in their farms and productive projects. However, some people are not comfortable,

because this company affects in a certain way the rural area, the entrance to places that appear

with oil, the constant noises of their trucks when they move heavy machinery, their

interventions in farms where there is probability to find oil, the environmental impact

generated by the work of this company and the possible consequences that may arise in the

future.


The weather

Arauquita is one of the municipalities with more rural context in the Arauca department. But

its villages have communication channels in poor condition, its trails and paths with dimples

filled with rainwater. The rain has affected different villages. Fifteen villages from Arauquita

town were affected by the strong rains causing floods. According to Diana Patricia Duque,

the president of communal action in the village of La Arenosa, in the municipality of Banana,

there have been losses of plantain, houses, cattle and cocoa, so several families were

evacuated from their homes.

I had difficult days to develop my tasks from USTA, because the winter interrupted my trips

to the town to do my jobs, the path of the village became blocked. It was a risk to drive

motorbike under the rain. When it was urgent to develop some quizzes, tasks, collaborative

works I had put on a raincoat to run to the town and so, I arrived at a café internet to develop

all my activities from the USTA, I sometimes downloaded some tasks to develop at home.

The winter interrupted my plans to do my tasks, I also exhibited my work material during the

rains, my computer, the cell phone my books between other things.

The army conflicts.

The newspapers, news in television and internet sites shows the realities from Arauquita

municipality. The public order has always been affected by guerrillas. A clear example

mentions in the following paragraph: Four terrorist actions that had been prepared by

elements outside the law to attack the public force and the same civilian population were

neutralized by the national army in the department of Arauca. La voz del Cinaruco (2017).

In relation with the war, Arauquita has been affected not only urban zona but also, the rural

area, guerrillas from the FARC and ELN have developed armed strikes, terrorist attacks,

violent deaths against the army affecting the public order, avoiding the displacement of


workers, students and teachers to their schools, the blocking of roads obstructing the passage

to the different municipalities of the department.

The internet

Internet service has been witnessed so far in some rural areas, in this case, in the rural area

of Arauquita, it can be said that some communities are benefiting from the project that the

government has executed, which is known as the Kiosco Vive digital. In the urban area, "Free

Wi-Fi zone for people is executed, but some areas have not been taken into account to be

benefited by these projects." Many schools still await this service. Among the beneficiaries

are, for example, La Macarena and Uribe, in Meta, Puerto Carreño, in Vichada, and Quibdó

and Bojayá, in Chocó. Bernal, Camila. (2017) El acceso a internet llegó al 98 por ciento de

los municipios del país.

El tiempo. Retrieved from: http://www.eltiempo.com/tecnosfera/novedades-

tecnologia/crece-el-acceso-a-internet-en- municipios-de-colombia-123998.

In the two years I have could benefit from the internet service from the “Kiosco vive digital”

which benefits two nearby villages of the village where I live. But when I started my English

Foreign Language degree was impossible to find internet service at rural area. In Puerto

Jordan town had internet service, but it was overly complicated because from 2011 to 2014

only had one café internet. When I went out to do my homework or it was full or the signal

was weak, anything could be presented, without service, there was not electric fluid, or the

place was closed. I had a modem, it was a device that was adapted to the computer offering

internet through the signal of COMCEL operator, but it was also difficult, because the signal

of that operator was bad, there was only COMCEL operator service in Puerto Jordan and

reached to get little signal to the village. I managed to use it for one year with the difficulty

of the weak signal.

Modem: it is a small portable device in the form of USB postpaid service that through the

signal of the operator of CLARO, at that time COMCEL provided the internet service.

http://www.eltiempo.com/tecnosfera/novedades-tecnologia/crece-el-acceso-a-internet-en-%20municipios-de-colombia-123998

http://www.eltiempo.com/tecnosfera/novedades-tecnologia/crece-el-acceso-a-internet-en-%20municipios-de-colombia-123998


Category Two: My Life

Sub-Category 1- Family & Emotional Issues

Theme 1: Familiar support

Theme 2: Friends Support

Support can be a favor, help or protection given to someone or something. Gardey. (2012)

Support is to favor and sponsor something. I have felt support of different ways, for example,

my Family have been a great support in my formation, and they have been in all this process.

My husband, my parents, my children, Friends, colleagues, and teachers. All of them have

offered me support in different ways but for the same purpose.

Familiar support:

The family becomes the differential brand for any student who aspires to be a professional

that is why the affective, social, or moral support that contributes to the student's success is

important. On the other hand, families have the idea that only helping young people with

their higher education is exclusively the economic factor.

When talking about family support, it refers to the presence that parents should have in the

professional path of their son or daughter in their educational process not only is the financial

support, but must be present the affective part, the social presence, even emotional, and so

the student will have confidence both in their family, as in himself, and thus get excellent

results in higher education. Carrillo, F. (2017)


My Family has been a great support for me, my husband has always been encouraging me to

finish this career, from his affections, patience and even advice have strengthened me so as

not to give up my studies, in the same way he has supported me from the economic point of

view. My parents have been a support too, they support me in the emotional. My mother

supports me caring my daughters while I develop my activities from the university. My

brother-in-law supported me from the economic point view, he has lent me money to pay

some semesters. From this way, I have not delayed my studies. I think that my daughters

have been a support too. Although they are small, they encourage me to finish my career, one

of them helps me with her Little sister and she does her homework while I develop my tasks

from the university. They like me, desire that I finish my degree. Others Family members

like my sisters, my brothers help me in different form to finish my degree, for example, my

sisters help me in the technology part, some of them have knowledge on technological part,

upload videos, audios, developing wikis or others web sites. one of my brothers helped me

in the economic aspect too. I value all the support that I have had for part of them.

My older daughter Daniela says: “Yosmary es mi mamá y ella fue mi

maestra durante toda la primaria. Ella trabaja todas las áreas porque

es docente multigrado. Sus clases eran divertidas, geniales. Ella

siempre insiste en sus explicaciones hasta que el niño entienda

cualquier tema. Ella trata de que las actividades sean acordes a los

grados y así aprendan todos de manera que el aprendizaje no se afecte.

Algunas de sus clases eran al aire libre, en los kioscos de la escuela,

debajo de los árboles. Le gusta aprovechar todos los espacios que hay

en la escuela.

Mi mamá es una persona amable, bondadosa y flexible con los

estudiantes. Se preocupa por los estudiantes, pero también por la

comunidad, trata de colaborar a los padres de familia. Valoro las

enseñanzas y consejos de mi mamá como maestra, hoy día las aplico en

mi grado sexto y he logrado obtener el primer puesto en mis estudios”.


Words of my daughter give me encourage to study and improving in my professional aspect.

Each Word of my daughter evidence my job at rural area with Multigrade. To know that my

teaching has been useful in the secondary school for my students, it is something very

amazing for me,

Friend’s support

The link with our friends makes us feel motivated and it is also thanks to them that we

perform better in our professional activity.

Everything we do to be successful in our lives is much more enjoyable when we have the

support of a group of friends. These types of people, friends, are especially important for our

physical and emotional well-being. According to science, the quantity and strength of our

emotional ties is considered a predictor of our emotional well-being. Universia, (2017)

I have always thought that I have had good Friends, they supported me in my professional

formation. Before to decide study the English Foreign Language degree, in 2009 my school

partners had been looking for me to enter the University of Pamplona in agreement with

Arauca to study the degree in Spanish.

We could not enter that year, we did not know why, then at the end of that year my classmates

called me to study math, but I had to collect some documents, which I did not manage to

collect, and I could not enter with them.

In 2010, I was with a friend looking for information about a university that offered me a

degree in English, she told me to register, and it was there when I decided to study, especially,


because the modality benefited me, since I was already working in the rural area. I could not

study in person. My other classmates encouraged me to carry out this degree, they told me

that I was good for English.

Category Three: Studying EFL at Distance

Sub-Category 1- Strong Personal Motivation to EFL teaching and Learning.

Theme 1: Enter Normal Superior

Theme 2: Enter Universidad Santo Tomás.

Theme 3: The use of the technology

Theme 4: CAU Arauca

CAU Villavicencio,

CAU Bogotá

I describe this category which corresponds to my formation in English language at distance

and in this part describe the interest, motivation, and limitations that I faced during my

learning process. Vocational Training has concentrated in the last decade a growing interest

on the part of actors in the world of work and production, government’s national, provincial,

and municipal governments, and international organizations. The deep one’s socio-labor,

cultural, technological and economic transformations grant the Vocational Training, together

with basic training and research systems and development, the nature of a strategic

instrument for the improvement of conditions social, ethical and material life.

Vocational Training requires, more and more, integral educational processes, integrators and

permanent, oriented towards a technological polyvalence and towards a fast adaptation to


diverse technical-professional contexts (Djamkotchian, Ascani, Moughty, 2001) I consider

that through professional training I can improve my educational, personal, familiar and social

conditions, being a prepared person gives me job opportunities and being a competent person

in relation to my knowledge acquired in the training process.

Strong Personal Motivation to EFL teaching and Learning.

Motive: a factor or circumstance that induces a person press to act in a particular way (Oxford

dictionary, 2000).

Motivate: supply a motive to be the motive of cause (a person) to act in a particular way:

stimulate the interest (of a person in an activity).

The impetus to create and sustain intentions and goal-seeking acts (Ames, 1989).

Furthermore, most psychologists concerned with learning and education use the word

motivation to describe those processes that can (a) arouses and instigate behaviour, (b) give

direction or purpose to behaviour, (c) continue to allow behaviour to persist, and (d) lead to

choosing or preferring a particular behaviour (Wlodkowski, 1985). International Journal of

Humanities and Social Science (2013).

When I started my studies of LLEI at distance, I think in finishing this career to be a great

English teacher and so I can help with my knowledge to the CEAR Panamá, to my colleagues

and my students. From the personal I always though in my family, I though that studying and

lograr el objetivo me permitiría mas adelante tener nuevas oportunidades de trabajo, mejorar

mis ingresos y asi poder colaborarle mi familia.

Enter Normal Superior


The Escuela Normal Superior María Inmaculada, seeks to position itself as a leader in

pedagogy in the Department of Arauca, offering an integral and transformative training in

the personal and social aspects to provide a better quality of life for families, araucanas and

border, building thus a region prosperous, supportive, and committed to its own development.

Also, it is an institution of official character with operating license Res. Dptal. 098 of March

21, 2001. Last approval Res. 3139 of Dec. 10, 2003. Accreditation of Quality and

Development. Titles awarded:

Bachelor with Emphasis in Education, Superior Normalist with emphasis in Humanities:

Spanish language. Escuela Normal Superior Maria Inmacualda (n.d.).

The Normal Superior educational institution is the unique school with pedagogic emphasis

in Arauca Department. This school teachs from preschool grade, elementary study and the

secondary, but also it teachs the CICLOCOMPLEMETARIO” where the students do four

semesters from pedagogy, so the students to get the degree of Normalista Superior.

I studied my secondary at Normal Superior School and in 2005 I decided study the “Ciclo

complementario” six months after to finish my studies of secondary I entered to the

educational institution, but it was not difficult for me, since on those dates only the

“estudiantes normalistas” could enter to get Normalista Superior degree.

Enter Universidad Santo Tomás

Santo Tomas University is an educational superior institution catholic and private. This

university of national order does presence in five cities of the country with sectionals in


Bogotá, Bucaramanga, Medellin, Tunja and Villavicencio in face modality and with 23

attention university.

The university Santo Tomas has a mission inspired by the Christian humanist thought of

Santo Tomas De Aquino, and also it was founded for the order of predicators in June 13th of

1580.

In 1975 the University Santo Tomás was one of the pioneers in offering programs with the

modality of distance education, with which a high number of professionals of different

regions of the country has been formed, then it was established in the capital of Boyacá on

March 3 of 1996, since in Boyacá the Dominican community has maintained a brilliant

educational and cultural tradition; the following year it was established in Medellin and in

2007 the offer of face-to-face programs began in Villavicencio. Universidad Santo Tomas

(2016)

I tried to enter others public universities in Arauca, but it was complicated, in the academic

secretary pedian many requirements. Then, I took the decision to enter to the Santo Tomas

University from the CAU Arauca with the possibility to study the LLEI. It was a great idea,

this university offered me the LLEI at distance and it was the unique university with this

academic program. This modality of the study was particularly good for me. I could study

and working too, especially from rural area. The university offers some careers with this

modality, but it is not simple as appears. To study at distance requires more discipline,

responsibility, dedication, autonomy, and self-determination.

The use of the technology


The computer and the Internet give us endless possibilities and resources in improving the

quality of work. Even in education, computer skills and additional equipment are needed,

because they create great opportunities for teachers and inspire curiosity, imagination, and

interest of students.

Computer use in education encourages changes in the concept of education, teaching

contents, the teaching technologies and the relationship between teachers and students. The

influence of information and communication technology increasingly becomes much

comprehensive in many social spheres. The need and the reason of the application of

information communication technology in education starts from the fact of preparing the

youth to become successful in society led by the information. The use of Computer and

information technology in classrooms positively affects after the teacher demonstrates the

various files, and for students to become more clearly and classroom more interesting.

Computers mainly serves to expand and construction of knowledge and skills. Despite this,

during computer classes, students use technology as a tool that can be applied for various

purposes in the learning process.

To study at distance requires of the use of the technology, the constant use of the computer

and the new application. The USTA offers careers at distance and a virtual platform that

requires of a constant use of the techonolgy. This platform is actualized each year with new

icons and applications. I consider that this virtual modality is especially useful because the

students learn to use different technological progams to develop tasks, sending activities to

the platform and to be in contact with the teachers. I learnt many technological strategies to

develop my activities such individual as collaborative work, for example, the use of the wikis,

google drive, Vydio, transfer, Prezi and uploading videos to Youtube program.


Teacher training

The definition of teacher training will depend on the training model found in its base. Marcelo

(1989) defines it as a field of theoretical-practical scientific research that studies the process

by which teachers are integrated into learning experiences that allow them to improve their

knowledge, skills and dispositions, thus enabling them to develop educational interventions

professionals. Torres (1998) incorporates the concept of lifelong learning, considering that

teacher training is not only the result of academic learning, but of those that have occurred

throughout life, in and out of school. Martinez, D. (2016) I consider that teacher training is a

process by which the teacher is formed by meditating a series of academic, personal, social,

and other experiences that involves his daily life, of all these experiences the teacher uses the

knowledge acquired in his daily life in the teaching practice.

There are many aspects that involve my professional training, motivation: this aspect has

been important in my formation, I have always wanted to be a teacher in English, first for my

professional improvement, in addition to helping my family, my colleagues and my students

where I live. The context where I live people do not pay attention to the English Language,

this context is the rural area and adults don’t encourage to their children to learn this

language. I as a rural teacher have promoted the importance to acquire the English Language.

I consider that my desire to learn this new language is a great motivation, for this reason, I

enter to Universidad Santo Tomas to study Bachelor in English Language.

At the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014, I spoke with my mother to install internet in

her house in Arauca, she told me that yes. I take advantage of traveling every weekend to

advance work, activities and download videos in English to strengthen my English skills. I’m


currently using an internet service from the Puerto Jordan, there, I could contact a postpaid

internet service but of good quality. This service has been particularly useful for the

development of my last degree works.

CAU Arauca without qualifying registration in the English language in the USTA:

Another limitation has been the no qualifying registration in the English Foreign Language

degree. For this reason, I should always travel to the nearest CAU. I decided to always travel

to Bogota because I always had problems with my final grades, I did not know the national

tutors, I wanted to know them and they knew me, they knew my history as a study from the

rural area.

In addition, when I first registered for this degree, the directors of CAU Arauca told me that

I should travel to Bogotá because the university did not have specialized teachers in English,

only teachers with an emphasis on the English language. To resolve doubts about my

activities from the platform I contacted the English national tutors.

CAU Villavicencio:

I was in the CAU Villavicencio presenting some socializations of English courses, but the

experience was not pleasant. I had problems with my English language skills. The teacher of

the intermediate English course suggested me to prepare myself through some English

courses to improve those activities. at that time, I lost those courses. It was the first time in

that city. I travel with my mother-in-law and we stay at her sister's house. her husband took

me to the CAU facilities. At the beginning it was exciting, to see the facilities of the


university, the students preparing their presentations, I also found students from other causes,

from Chiquinquira and from Yopal.

CAU Bogotá:

In Bogotá, I acquired great experiences. I met the main offices of the Santo Tomas

University; I also met the national tutors. That was something especially important for me

because I can tell them about my experience as a distance student and also tell them about

the complications of studying from the rural area and with work and family responsibilities.

The teachers were understandable. They suggested to me to be more is contact through the

institutional mail or through the application of Skype. When I traveled to Bogotá for the first

time I did it with my husband, we stayed in a hotel near the university. It was also an exciting

experience. its facilities were larger than I imagined. Your students are very friendly and the

teachers too. I did well in the first socializations and exams. But then in the following years

I had problems with the level of English. Those difficulties that were overcome with time.

Category Four: Multi-grade teacher

Sub- Category 1: Rural Teacher

Theme 1: rural and Multigrade teacher

Theme 3: Looking for New Horizons.

Theme 4: CEAR Panamá

Sub-Category 2: Community Leader

Theme 1: Community representation

Theme 2: School organizer

Theme 3: Guider to the students’ project life.


Job is proper of the human being man. However, define job in terms of an activity, an

execution or an intentional doing is too simple. For contemporary common sense, work is

equivalent to work that makes survival possible, and it is associated with "paid work", even

when there is more and more attention to the emergence of different forms of unpaid work.

In a broader sociological conception, work is a doing that defines the being of man, a way of

being in the world, of transforming it, of adding a value or a difference; In short, the Work is

presented as a distinctive feature of the human condition.

Culture, understood as a system of exchanges and symbolic and material productions, is

based on this possibility of the man to do the work. Pieck. (2008) I believe that job is a social

valuation, it allows develop the art that like me and identify me as a human being. I decided

to work at rural area at rural school, for the desire to advance in my professional career as an

English Teacher, I´m Normalista (Primary Teacher) Superior graduated from Normal school

from Arauca city, and, there were vacancies for teachers to work on a provisional form. I had

the intention to improve in my professional formation and the job opportunity offered by the

secretary of education was the basis to start my degree in English Foreign language.

Rural and multigrade teacher

When at school, most rural teachers focused on teaching educational basics such as reading,

writing, arithmetic, spelling, and geography. Organizing such lessons was challenging due to

the differing ages and abilities of the children. To ensure that all students and subjects were

addressed, teachers were forced to innovate. This meant that a lot of the time, they gave brief


presentations to a particular group while other students worked on their own tasks or

conferred with older students about their assignments.

Rural teachers often held several responsibilities in addition to their teaching including

lighting the wood stove early in the morning and keeping it going all day, cleaning the school,

doing small repairs, supervising students on breaks and lunch and doing paperwork for

trustees or school inspectors. Wilcox (2017).

As a rural teacher I have the responsibility to guarantee an education where all students of

multilevel degree learn without being affected by the different activities that the teacher gives

to the multilevel degrees.

In the superior part of this paragraph mentions that rural teachers often held a number of

responsibilities in addition to their teaching, in my case I sometimes clean the school, doing

small repairs, supervising students on breaks and lunch and doing paperwork for CEAR

Panama in relation to the scholar restaurant, academic secretary and so on. In addition, I have

a routine after my work with children, I must meet with the other teachers of CEAR Panama

some afternoons to receive reports, develop English plans, this has been the only one because

the teacher who was part of my work group, He does not know English, and he believes it is

complicated to plan this area. I asked my boss to let me develop the planning alone. I

considered that I surrendered more. I can also prove, my work with the children in the

classroom working the English area with some photos and even videos. My group has liked

the new strategies that I take them so they can speak English. They did not need to copy from

the board or from a guidebook.


Nancy Parra, A mother of family always tells me that she values my work with children. She

has evidenced how I develop my class with students of all grades and considers that it is not

an easy job, especially managing all grades.

I have been working these last years with 28, 25, 20 students. I currently work with 18

children in the classroom with all grades. 9 children and 9 girls. The first years were difficult

for me. I got entangled with all the grades, but then I looked for strategies to work multi-level

degrees.

I have worked as a teacher for more than 9 years in elementary school and I have seen that

my work has been rewarding. The director of CEAR through a video mentions that I have

been a leader in my community and that I have helped the students in their life project. I had

a student last year who made fun of classmates, of adults and I started to show him videos

and stories that show the consequences of making fun of others. The student presented a

positive change, and his school life was good.

Looking for new Horizons

Looking for new horizons allows people to awaken the interest to form in professional

studies. As in my case that after insisting on public universities to study the degree in Spanish

Language, I chose to enter Santo Tomas University in Arauca, which offered the LLEI at a

distance. Looking for new horizons I could find this degree in Arauca. This was a good thing

for me, because I have always been interested in learning the English language. And as I got

involved in the studies I got to know the job opportunities that I can have obtained the title

of LLEI.


Cear Panamá

CEAR Panamá is an educational institution conformed by 20 rural schools which belong to

the Arauquita municipality. The most of these schools have a teacher who work with

multilevel grades, only two schools have two teachers because there are most of 40 students.

The director from CEAR Panama is Ofelia Duarte Mayorga who worked in one of these

schools (Brisas Del Cusay) now the director is in this charge as provisional director. CEAR

meanings Centros Educativos de Arauquita Rurales and Panama is a town that is in the center

of the different villages of which belong the rural schools from CEAR Panama.

Community leader

As a teacher of the village, I participate in some meetings of the Community Action Board

to provide proposals and ideas that benefit the students and the educational community. The

president of the communal board considers that the teacher is indispensable in the procedures

that involve the school. He says that my work with them has been good. The president and

the affiliates have always counted on my support in their efforts and projects that they present

for the benefit of the entire community. In addition, the president and board members know

that as a teacher I try to ensure that my students represent the educational institution well, an

example of this is the sports performance that my students do in the other venues and in the


municipality of Arauquita from other sporting events, in the Olimpiadas Del Saber and

cultural findings.

School organizer

In the school some events are developed that integrate the whole community, the day of the

mother, the day of the family, the day of the child. At the CEAR level, I have collaborated

with teachers with the organization of cultural events, Christmas activities, closing

ceremonies and graduations. CEAR teachers consider that I am highly creative when it comes

to organizing and decorating the events that are scheduled in the educational institution. My

coworkers like my billboards, banners, and other materials to decorate some events that we

develop in the educational institution.

Students project life

I have clear as a rural teacher that doing that the students can project their life from

elementary school, not only is to teach them to know that through of the study of a career or

the business planning in the future is projecting their life. I have involved in the teaching that

application of the values in the daily life is life project too. In my classes, I had a student

very funny. He was a boy that liked to do jokes to his classmates and liked make fun of the

old people. During my ethic classes, I was teaching him about the respect and the importance


of this value in the school and social coexistence. His name is Jefferson and currently he is

studying in high school. He sometimes goes to my workplace to carry to his little sister for

the preschool classes, and he tells me about his relationship with his classmates and his

teachers, and I have told me that relation is incredibly good.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

The conclusions are based on the categories, so the first one my own story as Mother, wife,

teacher & student. As mother and wife, I have some obligations and I have had to organize

my time to study and working, because my daughters and my husband need from my

collaboration at home, in the farm and the development of some homework of my daughter

Daniela. As a teacher and student, I had some obligations, for example to attend meetings of

teachers, trainings, events of the educational institution, but also tutorials, presentations of


online tests and permanent connection with the USTA platform. Thanks to the support of

emotional and economic that offered my family help me to carry out this study and be

professional.

At distance Education & EFL learning is not an easy process, there are many difficulties,

technological, lack of interaction, materials. In the technological aspect I had different

problems, I could not connect me permanently on the USTA platform. I had problems to

develop some tests online. The lack of interaction was a difficult for me too. When I had

doubts about tasks, I wrote some partners, one of them was a partner from Bucaramanga, I

wrote her by E-mail, and she answered my questions after a month. I considered that

interaction with my partners was a difficult process, I had not classmates in CAU Arauca. I

considered a difficult the materials of study, in my case because the books did not arrive to

time. In some courses was necessary the guidebooks to work in the activities proposed by the

teachers. Many activities were delivered after of the date proposed from the platform by the

national tutors. However, I looked for information and ask to other teachers in the CAU

Arauca. I suggest other people to study at distance at Santo Tomás. I did it with a friend, he

is a teacher, and he is working as an English teacher in Arauca city. He registered at the

university but was presented in Cucuta for socializations and final examns. But now he has

stopped in the career for economic difficulties.

The English Language Degree does not have qualified register in Arauca, so the support is

not adequate. It is important to have the necessary support of the English teacher to interact


with him in the tutorials. Most of the students from CAU Arauca require interaction with the

teacher and the English classmates to strengthen their English skills. In CAU Bogotá there

are more possibilities, support and good explanations, good management. I had the

opportunity to know the university in Bogota and the English teachers, they were very

comprehensible, and nice with me. They were strict with me too. but all that made me realize

all the things that I could do. I followed the advice of the teachers to improve my skills in

English with whom I had the opportunity to socialize in Bogota from the sixth semester.

Before going to Bogota to present final exams and socializations of some courses, I went to

CAU Villavicencio where the teachers did not have the same attitude as the teachers in CAU

Bogotá.

Distance education presents several difficulties to achieve the objectives in the learning

process, in my case sometimes the weather was not favorable to go to an internet center to

connect to the platform and learn about new activities proposed by teachers the different

courses. The road of the path and the distance between the village and the path became an

obstacle for my outings during the winter. After finishing my studies, I had to go live in the

village to avoid inconveniences during the winter. Also in that season, the service of electric

power is not particularly good. The heavy rains affect the electric fluid in the sidewalks and

in the town (Puerto Jordán), thus affecting the use of the computer and Internet access.

Speaking of the internet, this was another service that sometimes affected my academic

process at the USTA. The virtual degrees need of a constant connection from the platform of

the USTA which requires of a permanent revision to develop the academic activities. I had


many difficulties with the internet, for example to develop tests online, sending activities on

stablished date, contact me with the national tutors, review the institutional email and so on.

thanks to the proposed resources by the teachers, I learned to send academic documents of

the USTA by Google drive and other technological applications. I had to install the internet

service to organize me of a best way from the virtual platform and to organize myself in a

better way and be connected at any time without affecting my work and my responsibilities

as a mother.

“Last year, when they installed the internet at the home of my mother-in-law, I stayed here

with my daughters not to travel at night.”

Another difficulty during my academic process was the Army conflict. I sometimes tried to

go to the nearest town (Puerto Jordan) to look for access to the internet and connect to the

USTA platform, but when there were armed strikes by the guerrillas it was difficult to

mobilize. This was something delicate because it meant exposing life for disobeying these

strikes. People prefer to stay at home while everything returns to normal. These armed strikes

prohibited mobility on any type of transport and being outside the house after 9 o'clock at

night. I preferred to stay at home and after the stoppages I contacted the teachers to tell them

what happened and thus not affect the delivery of my work. Occasionally I delivered my

assignments before the dates proposed by the USTA teachers., the tutorials scheduled at the

Arauca CAU were postponed and when I got in time on those armed strikes, I went to the

town I connected to the platform, reviewed my institutional mail, and downloaded the

information needed to work at home during those days. These guerrilla events were three to

four days, or sometimes it was a full week.


In my context I mention the oil company Cari Care, which has been involved in the trails

especially the path Gaviotas del Caranal, since it is part of the area of oil influence. This

company benefits with employment many people from the rural communities of the

municipality of Arauquita, offers some educational aid to the schools of the sidewalks that

are around it. But also, the work that the company does has a negative impact on those lands.

As a teacher at the Gaviotas headquarters, I let my students know that this impact affects the

environment in different ways, constant noise from the machines, the dump trucks, the smoke

from the torches that keep burning 24 hours a day, the oil spill from leaks in the tubes or by

attacks generated by the guerrillas. Children are happy with gifts, but I try to know the kid

about the destruction of the land and the school desperation. I consider it important to know

the context in which the research is carried out, because everything that surrounds me is part

of my research and even though the oil company has a negative impact on the area, it has

working people who care about their communities. In the social investment that is generated

to the communities’ projects of computer rooms have been managed, where the company

benefits the schools with computers and the setting of a classroom for the systems room.

Remodeling of school structures and adaptation of classrooms as toy libraries. Then I

conclude that it is a company that cares about education. As multi-grade Teacher I learned to

teach English, I could know that teaching was not based on a list of words about a specific

topic. Thanks to the acquired knowledge I learned to develop materials, so I do not have to

use only the guidebooks with the students. Also, all strategies that I used in my pedagogical

practices were extremely useful to teach mathematics, natural sciences, Spanish and so on,

because the material design, the developing lesson plans are tasks which can employ in other

subjects. The rural teacher is creative to plan their classes and developing their materials to

teach any theme.


As a leader, LLEI taught me to read to write and the use of technology so I can help the

community to write important documents, for example residential letters, documents

addressed to the oil company Cari Care and to the secretary of education. All the knowledge

acquired at the Santo Tomas University is not only part of the Career that is studied and will

be applied in society. But also, in the personal, social life being utile n all moment and place.

I had different difficulties during my learning process at Santo Tomas University. But I could

solve them being self- determined, independent, autonomous, motivated, and responsible. I

consider that I was self-determined organizing my learning process but also, organizing me

in my three roles (student, teacher, and mother), being self – determined is taking aware of

the potential to meet any goal. My distance learning process made me independent. The

activities that I could not develop or the applications that I did not know how to use frustrated

me, I looked through You tube tutorials videos or other means to develop my activities. To

get the objective of graduating as an English teacher encouraged me to continue my studies.

In addition, my family, my students, and community were also part of the basis of motivation

to meet my goals. And finally, I tried to be responsible in this academic process, with my

tasks, activities, collaborative works, without forgetting my other roles.

“My day does not end at 6:30 pm. I prepare dinner to my girls and I continue doing my

work for the University. I also plan my classes for the students of the school and go to bed

at 12:20 pm”

This research is an inspiration for those students who want to become professional... There

are no obstacles, only desire to succeed!


This research also empowered me to help my family my students and my community in

Gaviotas del Caranal.


APPENDIXES

APPENDIX A

Narrative One: Who am I?

My name is Yosmary Vega Rubio, I was born in Arauca city, I am the middle sister of seven

children and I am thirty years old. I have lived all my life in Arauca. I studied my elementary

school in two different schools and my high school in Normal Superior School from Arauca.

I have a big family, the family members are my parents Manuel he is a builder and Maria she

is a dressmaker, four sisters they are Stella, Marcela, Yajaira, and Fabiola, two brothers Juan

and Emilio. When I was seventeen years old, my parents decided to separate but my younger

sisters and I stayed with my father. This because we wanted to keep studying and my mother

had already decided to go to live her life alone. All my sisters and one brother studied high

school, but some of them did not continue preparing for being professionals. This happens

because economic problems. Nowadays, my sister Yajaira is studying Business

Administration career and my other sisters dedicated to their homes and my brothers too. But

I worried about my professional life and I decided to continue studying, I took the decision

to study English Language degree when I had a stable job. It happened in 2010. I have always

been interested in English language learning and for 7 years I have been studying in the

university a bachelor's degree in English at a distance.

I currently live in a farm at Gaviotas Del Caranal sidewalk with my husband Nelson

Sepulveda and my two daughters Daniela and Luciana. When I must develop tasks about

courses from USTA I go to the Pueblo Nuevo town, it is near my sidewalk, I travel on my

motorbike for thirty minutes to arrive to this town. I have had many difficulties to finish

English Language Degree, for example internet connection, in pueblo Nuevo town there are

not people that speak English, I do not have interaction with other people that domain English

Language, Army conflict, armed strikes and farmers strikes who close the via affecting the

transport to move to other places.

On the other hand, I have two friends, the best friends I have ever had, Leidy and Miriam

studied with me in high school. Then, Paola decided to go to study an Advanced English

course in Australia, she studied systems engineering. In this moment, she is living there and

from time to time, she helps me with some ideas to improve my English skills. On her part,

my friend Miriam is a teacher in a school of Arauca, she teaches to preschool students.

When I finished my high school, I wanted to study at SENA, but it was not possible, although

I had studied two English courses, I failed the interview. Then, my friend Miriam suggested

me to study the “Ciclo Complementario” from Normal school during four semesters. To have

studied Ciclo Complementario was a good decision, and it has been a great experience for


my life. There, I met kind people who taught me good things. Teachers were supportive, kind

and helped me a lot in my professional training. Thanks to this experience, I and my friend

tried to study Spanish degree at Pamplona University, but we tried to sign two semesters in

a year, but also, I failed.

APPENDIX B

Narrative Two: My studies and my professional life

Because my job, I live in the rural zone of Arauquita, I settled in this place to avoid economic

expenses, but also for do not put at risk my life and my daughter’s lives during the trips to

Arauca department. The location of my workplace has its advantages and disadvantages

because the school is located in the oil complex “Cari Care” which belongs to the Ecopetrol

Company. This zone keeps militarized by security workers and the same Company. During

these last fifty years, there have been many clashes between guerrilla and the Colombian

army. Some advantages of working in schools from CEAR Panama have been thanks to the

nearness to the oil complex have been many helps that the students have received in the sports

and cultural events that develop during the scholar year, but also this company has donated

gifts in the month of December for all children of this zone.

Ten years ago, I started my work as a teacher, I had the opportunity to present my curriculum

as “Normalista Superior” and the secretary of education from Arauca sent me to work for

first time at Gaviotas Del Caranal in 2008 but doing a replacement of a teacher during

maternity leave. There, I worked for three months since July to September. Then, I worked

in another school from Arauquita from urban zone Gabriel Garcia Marquez educational

institution. There, I worked three months since November to January finishing my work with

preschool students. Three months later, I participated in an announcement of schools of

temporary vacancies, and there was where I could get again my job at Gaviotas Del Caranal

School.

When I arrived for first time to this school, I did not have much knowledge about how to

teach in multilevel degrees, because this school had all degrees in elementary school since

pre-school to fifth degree. This work was a challenge for me. I noticed that children did not

have much knowledge in English Foreign language, because the previous teacher was not an

English teacher. Well, in that date, I was like the teacher, I worked with basic pedagogy and

little knowledge in English Language. That experience was amazing because I had never

worked in that context and I could know the students and communities and the behavior from

rural zone.


As I mention in the previous paragraph, when I started my work like teacher, I did not know

how the work in the rural zone was, but thanks to teacher Evelio Vera (Q. E. P. D) I learn

how to teach and what to do in a multilevel class. He explained to me all things that I had to

do. For example, he told me what multilevel grades mean, the approach, and the importance

of working in rural areas.

Gaviotas Del Caranal School belonged to the CEAR Caranal until 2010, and I achieved to

know the workgroup’s teachers of this CEAR (Centros Educativos de Arauquita Rurales)

and their way to work with their children. Then, in 2011, I was included in the CEAR Panama

payroll. I have worked in that institution until today. Being a teacher in that institutions

brought many benefits, for example: I have a flexible schedule, I work where I live, and I can

take care of my daughters. Due to the location of Gaviotas Del Caranal School, my schedule,

and my students one is very flexible. Some my students live far from the school, they must

travel large distances to reach the school.

My students are children between 4 to 12 years old. The preschool students are between 4 to

5 years old, first grade there are children between 6 to 8 years old, second grade there are

children 8 to 9 years old, third grade there are children between 8 to 10 years old and fourth

and fifth grades there are students between 10 to 12 years old. All my students are highly

intelligent and collaborative, they really enjoy going to the school. Some students have

brothers or others family members in different grades, but all they receive classes in the same

classroom. These children they like to practice sports like football, volleyball, and basketball.

However, they are children of limited economic resources and their parents work in their own

farms developing different functions as the milky and growing yucca, banana, pineapple and

cocoa. Most of the children’s parents studied only elementary school. The students help their

parents in different farm and barn tasks such lock the young cows and horses, feed the pigs

and clean the pigsty.

When I started my job as a teacher in the rural area, my first thought and my ambition was

to keep studying and prepare me in English to be a good English teacher. Thus, in 2010, I

started my studies at Saint Tomas University, but I had many reasons to study, the wish to

learn English language, the necessity of English’s teachers in department and to follow

strengthening my knowledge for the service from the education. Also, I decided to study in

this university, because in this institution, I could find the English Foreign Language degree

at distance. At distance education students can study and work at the same time but also

because I was living in the rural area, Santo Tomás University let me become a professional

teacher through the distance modality, it is valid to say that many of my colleagues and

friends cannot follow their studies because they had many difficulties to study a face-to-face


program. When I enrolled Santo Tomás University, I went to Centro de Atención

Universitaria CAU, where the secretary and the coordinator told me that I should register in

CAU Bogotá because the Licenciatura en Inglés did not have the “qualified record” in

Arauca.

That was my beginning at Universidad Santo Tomas in the Licenciatura en Lengua Extranjera

Ingles. But difficulties appeared. The first one was the internet connection. I needed to be

connected constantly in the USTA platform and I did not have a good IP either a good internet

connection so, I had to buy a modem from Comcel Company, with that tool, I tried to connect

me many times, in occasions I could do it, but this device rarely worked. I could not develop

the tests proposed for some subjects because the connection of internet was not good and was

not strong enough. Sometimes, my husband carried me to the town, this, because I live in the

rural area of Gaviotas Del Caranal. It is pertinent to say that he has always been interested in

my English language learning. And more problems about the internet connection emerged,

the internet signal was complicated, but without regret he (my husband) collaborated me, we

leaved the farm without considering the time, only to submit the tasks or to develop proposed

test. In occasions, I traveled to Arauca to develop some activities from the USTA platform

and asked some tutorials to clarify doubts for some works. This travel is long, it usually takes

two hours, this when there is good weather and there are not problems with the guerrilla or

there is not “paro armado”.

Note: Paro armado” is a widespread armed action that applies in a designated area.

Usually, it is accompanied with prohibitions to the population so that it moves in the means

of transport and affects both military and civilians.

In 2012, more difficulties emerged, I failed virtual subjects (pedagogía general, practica

pedagógica, epistemología). I had submitted the tasks, but these were not sent to Bogota CAU

and the teacher never registered the grades in the Sistema academic (SAC) I did some

documents to solve this inconvenient with the USTA. After of some months Santo Tomas

University sent a no favorable answer. The secretary of the CAU Arauca had burnt all the

files including mines. The coordinator and the secretary from CAU Arauca could not solve

anything. The solution for me was to study again these subjects.

In second semester in 2012, I traveled at Villavicencio to present the final exams and the

socialization of the courses: research foundations, pedagogy and language, and intermediate

English 1. I did not have good grades and I have failed all these subjects. In CAU

Villavicencio the Intermediate English’s teacher told me that my English was not

exceptionally good, he told me that I had to improve and search many strategies to study

alone.


He asked me that where I lived and which my workplace and, I had that interact with people

that domain the English language. That was overly complicated thing because in CAU

Arauca there were not other students registered in English Foreign Language and where I

was living people do not speak English. I could only to study through digital and websites

resources. In Pueblo Nuevo town, a friend (Jhon Jheiner Rios) was working at Instituto de

Promocion Agropecuaria (Tame) as English Teacher, he is “Normalista Superior” but he had

knowledge in English Language and he sometimes met with me to improve the listening and

speaking skills, however these meetings didn’t continue because presented different

inconveniences as time, teachers’ meetings, activities with the students, blocked roads and

the winter too. Unfortunately, the teacher was transferred another school in Arauca city.

First semester in 2013, I did not register at university, because I took the decision to study in

Open English, an online Course, to improve my listening and in general the four skills.

However, this course was virtual, and I needed to be constantly connected on internet. The

connection on internet always was a tremendous inconvenient for me. In the context where I

live and work the internet signal is difficult, and improve it is not possible. But I have always

been a positive person that fight for my dreams and to be a great Foreign Language English

teacher is one of them. I could finish three levels in open English achieving to be in

intermediate level. I was in this virtual course until March 15th, 2014. I did not continue in

Open English for lack of connection on internet. I could not to profit to the maximum this

course, but the acquired knowledge has been especially useful.

In that time, I used some strategies from Open English to design didactic material for my

classes at work. Some of these activities were: use the picture to create sentences, use new

grammar and new vocabulary to teach my students, but I felt that some activities had bad

effects in their learning process.

While all this happened in my working context (rural zone) also happened many things in

relation with the armed conflict, guerrilla carried out strikes, that situation was not favorable

for me, this did not allow me to advance in my virtual courses from the USTA neither work

with students. When “paro armado” nobody cannot leave their homes, get the town or get in

Arauca the capital city is not possible.

In 2013, finishing the second semester I traveled with my husband by bus to Bogotá, the

capital city of Colombia. I travelled to present the socializations (final exams) in Licenciatura

en Lengua Extranjera Inglés – VUAD- Santo Tomás University. I have to say that this was

my first time that I traveled to Bogota. I was excited, and I felt thrilled. I had good

experiences, because I knew the principal offices of the university, also I met my teachers,

who were genuinely nice with me. From there I have always traveled to Bogota to take the

face-to-face socializations.


In the middle of that year, the teachers from CEAR Panama were inscribed on a Certificated

Computer Course (Diplomado). My colleagues and I traveled to Panama town, this town was

to 30 minutes from my house, and we studied from 2 to 5 p.m. this course was particularly

important, because the teacher taught us different ways to work in the computers also, he

taught us to develop some activities as crosswords, puzzles, activities with audio, and other

activities that were great to carry to the students, and He installed some applications

(cuadernia, potatoes, Jcross, Van’ vasco karaoke) to reinstall in the computers from the

schools. Finishing this course (diplomado), we did not get a certified, but if we gained our

knowledge about Tics. With the acquired knowledge in the Computer course, I had a great

experience, because I developed many abilities to realize digital activities to stimulus the

learning in my students, they were not students disciplined, but they were interested in their

learning.

In 2015, ministry of education sent new English books at Gaviotas Del Caranal School:

“NEW FRIENDS” (Bohórquez Hernández, Gloria Cecilia. New friends 5. Ed Santillana.

Bogota. 2006). Books available from first to fifth, these books were remarkably interesting,

because in their pages had new activities, the exercises were writing in English, but these

books had much known vocabulary for them. To develop the activities of these books, I

photocopied them to distribute the activities the students, because for each grade there was

one book.

To start the university’s courses, I went to the town to develop my activities of the platform.

One of those days I had to investigate until at night and to take information to carry to my

house to continue developing the works. It happened a confrontation in the area, The

Colombian army and the guerrilla had a clash consequently I had to stay with my husband

and my daughter Daniela in the town until the next day when everything was normalized.

Leaving to the rural area is not possible, the army did not let us go, we cannot protect

ourselves. When the situation was finally safe, we went home and I kept with my work at

home and with my teaching work, because to the next day I had to go to work in school.

These cases were frequent and sometimes could not be left to avoid any inconvenience in the

street. By these events I was late in some works, online exams and other activities proposed

by the USTA.

During my university learning process, I have had to experience complicated experiences not

only because of the armed conflict, but also because of the winter seasons, which sometimes

obstruct the electric fluid, or the streets are blocked by fallen trees on the road, or for the poor

internet service in the town. In this zone the electric fluid fails much.

In 2016, I was pregnant, and I was in the first semester of that year. In this year I could

develop some activities of the semester, but I began to have inconveniences with the


pregnancy. In May, I had my second daughter. On this date my studies and my work were

paralyzed, the education secretary had sent a teacher to replace me. I Already having started

the second semester of the mentioned year, I returned to my studies and my work again, I

contacted my teachers at the university to finish my tasks and exercises of the different

courses, they were comprehensible with me. In this year, the teachers from USTA were

waiting me to socialize some courses, (curriculum and material design, seminario

interdisciplinario, listening and Advanced English 2). I achieved the goals of the courses, but

I lost the Advanced English 2, the teacher suggested me to repeat this course.

In 2017, I repeated the advanced English 2, but my skills did not progress. As a distance

student, I am using different strategies to improve my English, but I cannot get the

communicative competence, maybe I need more interaction, I need to speak in English with

people who dominate English. Since starting my studies at the USTA I have been learning

alone, some university’s teachers make feedback on my work. In the CAU Arauca There is

no specific teacher in the English course. My help is the YouTube tutorials and some

techniques that I investigate to improve in the language.

I am developing a pedagogical practice with children from Mata De Caña School that also

belongs to the CEAR Panama, it is a prerequisite of the pedagogical practice V course, my

national tutor is the teacher Hebelyn Eliana Caro, and this course helped me a lot. For

example, I interacted with those children at Mata de Caña School and their teacher who

supervised my practices, who does not know English, but speaks with me and suggest me

some activities and exercises that I can apply with the students.

At this point, I recognize that all courses offered by Universidad Santo Tomas have been

important for my personal and professional education. I have strengthened my knowledge,

my practices, and, I have understood that English Language is the universal language. Each

course proposed for English foreign language degree is a base of knowledge of great

usefulness as a future English teacher.

Currently, I have been developing my research project based in my academic’s experiences

as student at distance that works as teacher in a rural context. I have come developing an

autobiography. Language learners write about their learning experiences as participants in a

research project, and the learners themselves are the researchers. They construct the written

text, analyze it, and publish the findings. This work is thus clearly autobiographical. A typical

example of written data produced in these contexts is learner diaries. Barkhuizen (2008)


APPENDIX C

Narrative Three: My Job

As I mentioned it previously, I have worked with multilevel degrees since 2010, and when I

began to work with the students in this school, especially in English, I used to teach them

vocabulary with some pictures, even the library’s school had some guidebooks with cards

with images and their corresponding names in English, these books were used by the teacher

Evelio, it was the name of previous teacher Luis Evelio Vera, Children of the different grades

were happy learning English of this way. But I saw that knowledge was very elemental and

they needed to learn grammar and practice the four skills. I was already studying at Saint

Tomas University and I was encouraged for acquire the needs knowledge to teach them

English language.

In 2011, I was reviewing the syllabus, in this document the topics were very elemental and

in the pedagogical practice it only reflected the vocabulary and the learning of the writing.

On institutional weeks and some free afternoons, we the teacher from CEAR Panama met us

to change the syllabus in all subjects, because the document needed to be updated according

to the pedagogical model of the institution and the Basic Standards of competences proposed

for MEN.

I decided to teach to my children grammar structures and to use different strategies to

strengthen their communicative competences. In this year, my English language knowledge

was basic, my level was beginner. But I used different activities to awake in the students the

interest to learn English. In this year I was in the semester three and, I was in the Basic

English course at university.

To strengthen their knowledge, some students asked me the English dictionaries’ school to

develop some exercises or homework. Other’s students waited to the finish the classes to

clear some doubts of the English exercises.

In 2014, I would want to teach English language English language with other strategies for

that students felt motivation to learn this new language. A co-worker gave me a digital

program which was remarkably interesting and strategic for children. For this year, in my

school we had inaugurated the system classroom, it is a little classroom, but I used to work

for group for the students could use the computers, in that year only had seven computers

and I had twenty-five (25) students. The application named “NUEVO INGLES” from King

Colors. I carried to my children to the system classroom and explained them how to work

this program and for them the activities in the computer were very funny. They enjoyed a lot

of this program. In occasions I invented some didactic material to work with them, I used

some images from the program “Nuevo Ingles” and then, I printed and developed games as:

concentration, unite the images with the Word, signal the Word that teacher pronounces in


English etc. some parents were interested in the learning of their children, they bought

dictionaries or English book to develop their tasks in the house.

2016 In the school children missed me, many children told me their stories with the

replacement teacher, some complained about English activities, it was just writing and

writing the vocabulary in their copybooks. So, I began to download some videos with little

stories in English. This idea was particularly good, because children had fun learning English

with these videos, preschool children and first grade practiced pronunciation, made drawings

related to the video and mentioned in English the words they remembered. Children of the

other grades studied grammar and practiced pronunciation, also learnt vocabulary and

practiced writing.

In my written narratives I am reflecting my own experiences of teaching and learning as rural

teacher and as students at distance. There are many examples of written narratives as Sakui

(2002), a teacher of English in a Japanese university, was interested in investigating the

relationship between her English learning and her teaching. Specifi cally, she wanted to

illuminate how her learning experiences influenced her beliefs and practices in her language

teaching. Her data included written journal entries as well as epiphanies in her learning and

life experiences. A thematic analysis of the data (coding for themes and grouping these into

broader

Categories) revealed a few complex interconnected issues in her language learning and

teaching life related to, for example, language acquisition, learner development, teacher

beliefs, and teacher education. Sakui concluded by raising questions about the usefulness and

legitimacy of her approach to autobiographical narrative inquiry, including narrative research

reporting. Barkhuizen (2008)

Another example is Herrera (2015), when she started her career of EFL student at distance,

at Licenciatura en Lengua Extranjera Ingles at Universidad Santo Tomas, she thought that

the distance learning was easier than learning in a face-to-face modality. She though learning

English was only to learn the language, and that she would learn only English, but she gets

discouraged when she saw the reality. For example, she had to study different subjects, such

as curriculum and material design, literature, linguistics etc. and this made her feel stressed,

isolated, disoriented and unwilling to continue.


Analysis

Narrative One: My

autobiography

Analysis Categories

My name is YOSMARY

VEGA RUBIO, I born in

Arauca city, I am the middle

sister of seven children and I

am thirty years old. I studied

my elementary school in two

different schools and my

high school in Normal

Superior school from

Arauca. I have lived all my

life in Arauca city. I have a

big Family, the Family

members are my parents

MANUEL he is a builder

and MARIA she is a

dressmaker, four sisters they

are STELLA, MARCELA,

YAJAIRA and FABIOLA,

two brothers JUAN and

EMILIO. When I had

seventeen years old, My

parents decided to separate

and my younger sisters and I

stayed with my father to

follow studying, since my

mother had decided to go to

live in a sidewalk. All my

sisters and one brother

studied high school, but

some of them didn’t

continue preparing

professionally, this occurs

by economic problems at

home. My best friend are

leidy calderón y Miriam

Carvajal, they have been

I born in Arauca and I have

always been living there. I

crecí al lado of my sisters

and my brothers. We were

always together.

I was in two different

elementary schools, but I

studied my secondary

school at Normal Superior

School, and thanks to my

studies at Normal school

were very good and useful,

because thanks to this I have

could to work as a

Normalista Superior

developing my job as a rural

teacher with multigrades in

preschool and elementary

school.

In my home presented some

inconveniences, one of them

was the family life. My

parents decided to separate,

but despite this family

situation my brothers, sisters

and I decided improving our

life quality. My sisters and I

finished our secondary

school and my brothers too.

When I finished my studies

as Normalista Superior, I

took the decision to work in

private school to get

experience in this job.

Family support


with me from high school.

Currently, Paola decided to

go to study an Advanced

English course in Australia,

she studied systems

Engineer, she lives there and

from there she helps me with

some ideas to improve my

English skills. My friend

Miriam is a teacher in a

school from Arauca city, she

teaches to preschool

students.

When I finished my high

school, I had decided to

study at SENA, but it wasn’t

possible, because I did not

approve the interview,

although in this institution I

did two English courses.

Then, my friend Miriam

suggested me to study the

“Ciclo Complementario”

from Normal school during

four semesters.then, we had

tried to study spanish degree

at Pamplona university, but

we tried to sign two

semesters in a year, but it

wasn’t possible.

To have studied Ciclo

Complementario was a good

decision and it has been a

great experience for my life.

There, I met kind people

who taught me good things.

Teachers were supportive,

kind and helped me a lot in

my professional training.

From my childhood since

my childhood, I have been a

person who projects goals

and I do not give up until I

achieve it.

My family and my friends

have always been present in

my goal of overcoming. My

friends have been present in

this process; they are people

interested in improving

professionally.

Before starting my studies

like Normalista Superior, I

had tried to enter SENA, but

it was not possible, but I was

able to take two English

courses, which were useful

for me in my learning

process as a Normalista

Superior.

To enter as Normalista

Superior, a friend suggested

me to do it. It was a process

satisfactory for me, because

thanks to this study I have

could work as a teacher and

also, I have could to study

the English Foreign

Language degree, which I’m

currently finishing.

I consider that I have been

an example for my brothers

and sisters, because they

have seen me improve

professionally and have

been interested in doing it

too. One of my sister’s

Familiar difficulties

Economic difficulties

Friend support


Nowadays, my sister

Yajaira is studying Business

Administration career and

my others sisters dedicated

to their homes and my

brothers too. But I worried

about my professional life

and I decided to continue

studying, I took the decision

to study English Language

degree when I had a stable

job. It happened in 2010. I

have always been interested

in English language learning

and for 7 years I have been

studying in the university a

bachelor's degree in English

at a distance.

I currently live in a farm at

Gaviotas del Caranal

sidewalk with my husband

Nelson Sepulveda and my

two daughters Daniela and

Luciana. When I have to

develop tasks about courses

from USTA I go to the

Pueblo Nuevo town, it is

near my sidewalk, I travel on

my motorbike during thirty

minutes to arrive to this

town. I have had many

difficulties to finish English

Language Degree, for

example internet

connection, in pueblo

Nuevo town there are not

people that speak English, I

don’t have interaction with

other people that domain

English Language, Army

studies business

administration and the

others have taken courses at

SENA which have been

useful for their lives.

When I took the decision to

study English Foreign

Language degree, I knew the

challenges and the obstacles

to study this career, but I

was working as a rural

teacher and decided to study

because the English degree

was at distance modality. It

was good for me. I could

organize my times to

develop my tasks and

organizing my tutorial with

my teachers.

I have had support of my

husband, he has been

comprehensible in this

academic process, and he

has been an emotional and

economic support in my

studies. Also, he knows all

difficulties that I have had

during this learning process

and everyday encourages

me to follow advancing in

my profession as teacher.

EFL learning – keeping the

goal


conflict, armed strikes and

farmers strikes who close

the via affecting the

transport to move to others

places.

I live at rural area

Distance education


Possible obstacles

Narrative Two : My

studies and job

Analysis Category

I settled in this place to

avoid economic

expenses, but also for

don’t put at risk my life

and the life’s my

daughter during the trips

to Arauca department.

The location of my

workplace has its

advantages and

disadvantages because

the school is in the oil

complex “Cari Care”

which belongs to the

Ecopetrol Company.

This zone keep

militarized for the

workers’ security and the

same Company.

Some advantages that

school from CEAR

Panama have had thanks

I live in the rural zone for my

work at Gaviotas del Caranal

School.

Gaviotas del Caranal School is

near oil complex “Cari Care”

Oil company Ecopetrol has

donated refreshments in the

sports and cultural events, and

it has donated toys the children

on December months.

To work as a rural teacher, I

presented my curriculum at

education secretary in Arauca

department.

I live and study from rural

area


to the nearness to the oil

complex have been many

helps that the students

have received in the

sports and cultural events

that develop during the

scholar year, but also this

company has donated

gifts in the month of

December for all

children of this zone.

To start my work as a

teacher, I had the

opportunity to present

my curriculum as

“Normalista Superior”

and the secretary of

education from Arauca

sent me to work for first

time at Gaviotas Del

Caranal in 2008 but

doing a replacement for a

teacher in maternity

license.

When I arrived for first

time to this school, I

didn’t have much

knowledge about the

work with multilevel

degrees, because this

school had all degrees in

elementary school since

pre-school to fifth

degree. This work was a

challenge for me.

Children didn’t have a lot

of knowledge in English

In my first work as rural

teacher, I did not have

knowledge about the work

with multilevel degrees.

The anterior teacher was not

an English teacher.

I lived great experiences in

my first work as rural teacher.

The teacher Evelio explained

how to work in the rural

context.

Gaviotas del Caranal School

first belonged to the CEAR

Caranal from Arauquita.

This event was an advantage

for me for the location of my

school.

Rural teacher


Foreign language,

because the anterior

teacher wasn’t

specialized in this

subject.

That experience was

amazing because I had

never worked in that

context and I could know

the students and

communities’ behavior

from rural zone.

When I started my work

like teacher, I did not

know how the work in

the rural zone was, but

the anterior teacher

(Evelio Vera Q. E. P. D)

explained me all things

that I had to do to work

very good in that zone.

He told me that I had to

work with multilevel

grades and that was

difficult process for me,

because I had never

worked with all grades of

elementary school and

especially from rural

zone.

This school belonged to

the CEAR Caranal until

2010, and I achieved to

know the workgroup’s

teachers of this CEAR

(Centros Educativos de

Arauquita Rurales) and

I used flexible schedules to

realize the academic activities

with the students

Some parents studied the

Elementary school.

The students from Gaviotas

del Caranal are between 4 to

12 years old.

Children enjoy practice sports

in their free time.

I always wanted to be an

English teacher.

I always thought study at

distance for my work.

Friend support


their ways to work with

their children.

Then, for 2011, the

educative center was

included to the CEAR

Panama where I have

worked until this date.

This success benefited

me, because the

meetings’ work was in

the nearby places to my

laboral context.

I started at Gaviotas Del

Caranal School working

with a flexible Schedule

for children and for me

for the location from the

school, some children

live to long distance from

the school.

Most of parents studied

until elementary school.

The students help their

parents in different

functions of the field, to

close on young cows and

horses, to feed the pigs

and cleaning these

animals and so on.

Children are between 4 to

12 years old and they are

incredibly happy going

to the school. Some

students have brothers or

others family members in

different grades, but all

I have been registered by

CAU Bogotá.

In 2010, I taught vocabulary

the multilevels degrees.

In 2011, all teacher from

CEAR Panamá modified the

syllabus during the

institutional weeks and some

free afternoons.

I began to teach grammar

structures in English

academic’s activities.


they receive classes in

the same classroom.

These students are

children highly

intelligent and

collaborators, also they

like to practice some

sports like football,

volleyball and

basketball. In their free

afternoons they do their

tasks and to go to

practice these sports at

school.

When I started my work

as a teacher in the rural

zone I thought I had to

study more. I thought I

had to be well prepared

in English as a foreign

language. In 2010, I

started my studies at

Saint Tomas University,

but I had many reasons to

study, the wish to learn

English language, the

necessity of English’s

teachers in department

and to follow

strengthening my

knowledge for the

service from the

education.

Also, I decided to study

in this university,

because here I could find

the English Foreign

Most of the students used

dictionaries to develop their

tasks at home.

Starting my studies, I had

many difficulties with access

on internet.

I bought a modem’s Comcel

Company to access on

internet.

My husband always has been

a support for me.

During my learning process at

distance, I have traveled to

Arauca to present me to the

CAU Arauca to develop some

activities at USTA platform.


Language degree at

distance.

The secretary and the

coordinator of this

university told me that I

stayed registered by

CAU Bogotá, but I had

that receive some

tutorials in CAU Arauca.

At distance modality

allowed me to study at

Saint Tomas University,

because I was living in

the rural zone and that

was the way to realize

my studies.

As I mentioned it

previously, I have

worked with multilevel

degrees since 2010, and

when I began to work

with the students in this

school, especially in

English, I used to teach

them vocabulary with

some pictures, even the

library’s school had

some guidebooks with

cards with images and

their corresponding

names in English.

In 2011, I had the

opportunity to revise the

syllabus, designed to

teach English. There the

topics were very

elemental and in the

pedagogical practice it

only reflected the

In this year I had some

inconveniences with CAU

Bogota and CAU Arauca with

grades that never were

registered.

Anterior secretary burnt some

files including mine with

registered grades.

In 2012, I did my first travel

to Villavicencio to socialize

two courses.

The teacher from

Villavicencio suggested me to

improve my English skills.

EFL – keeping the goal

Distance education


vocabulary and the

learning of the writing.

On institutional weeks

and some free

afternoons, we the

teacher from CEAR

Panama met us to change

the syllabus in all

subjects, because the

document needed to be

updated according to the

pedagogical model of the

institution and the Basic

Standards of

competences proposed

for MEN.

I decided to teach to my

children grammar

structures and to use

different strategies to

strengthen their

communicative

competences. In this year

my English language

knowledge was basic,

my level was beginner.

But I used different

activities to awake in the

students the interest to

learn English. In this year

I was in the semester

three and also, I was in

the Basic English course

at university.

To strengthen their

knowledge, some

students asked me the

English dictionaries’

school to develop some

I have a friend in “pueblo

Nuevo town, who talked in

English.


exercises or homework.

Other’s students waited

to the finish the classes to

clear some doubts of the

English exercises.

In 2011, I began to have

difficulties to connect me

on internet, because I

needed to be connected

constantly in the USTA

platform. I had to

buy a modem’s Comcel

Company, with that tool,

I tried to connect me

many times, in occasions

I could do it, but this

device worked rarely.

I had to buy a modem’s

Comcel Company, with

that tool, I tried to

connect me many times,

in occasions I could do it,

but this device worked

rarely. I couldn’t develop

the test proposed for

some courses, because

the connection of internet

wasn’t strong.

My husband sometimes

carried me to the town,

because I have lived in

the sidewalk (Gaviotas

del Caranal) where is

located the school where

I work. Also, he always

has been interested in my

English language

learning.

Contributing with English

knowledge at CEAR

Panama


In occasions I traveled to

Arauca to develop some

activities from the

platforms USTA and

asked some tutorials to

clarify doubts of some

works. This travel was

from two hours, it wasn’t

away, but actually, the

transport was

complicated. Also I

profited to develop some

activities to work with

the students, these

activities were manual,

because in those years

the school hadn’t digital

tools.

In 2012, I had

inconvenient with my

grades. I failed many

subjects as pedagogía

general, practica

pedagógica,

epistemología) but the

final documents that

were sent to Bogota CAU

didn’t have register of

grades in the (SAC) and

these only could show

them with the final

documents. I did some

documents to solve this

inconvenient with the

USTA. After of some

months Saint Tomas

University sent me an

answer which wasn’t

favorable for me. The

previous secretary from

Contributing with the

learning students

Possible obstacles

Inconveniences with the

USTA platform


CAU Arauca burnt all the

files including the mines.

The previous secretary

from CAU Arauca burnt

all the files including the

mines. The coordinator

and the secretary from

CAU Arauca couldn’t

solve anything.

In second semester in

2012, I traveled to

Villavicencio to present

the final exams and the

socialization of the

courses: research

foundations, pedagogy

and language, and

intermediate English 1. I

didn’t have good grades

and I have lost these

courses.

In CAU Villavicencio

the Intermediate English

teacher told me that my

English wasn’t very

good, he told meet that I

had to improve and

search many strategies to

study alone. He asked me

that where I lived and

which my workplace and

also, I had that interact

with people that domain

the English language.

In Pueblo Nuevo town, a

friend (Johnn Jheiner

Familiar support



Rios) was working at

Instituto de Promocion

Agropecuaria (tame) as

English Teacher

Contributing with the

learning students

Inconveniences with the

USTA platform and my

grades



Inconveniences at distance

education


Advice for English teacher

from CAU Villavicencio to

improve my English skills.

No interaction to strengthen

the English skills in my rural

context

APPENDIX D

JOURNALS

Date: 05 September 2016

My experiences in the CEAR Panama have very gratifying because from the beginning of

my work here I had the opportunity to go to a different context than I was accustomed to

work, my experience as a teacher I started to acquire it in the urban area. Then I decided to

go to work in the field to know other contexts, other People, a new style of working with

children.

Community was and has been very hospitable, this is a characteristic that describes their

attitude toward people. Children are incredibly grateful with the work of the teacher and

appreciate the teaching that is provided. They missed their anterior teacher, but then I started

my school activities, they offered me their confident. Children’s countryside is very noble

and amorous with me.

I am normalista (primary teacher) and in my studies my teachers taught me that I should not

be just a teacher but a leader, a coach and collaborator with the community, and until now I


have tried to play this role. In this context I felt grateful with my work, I always have liked

to work with children, and they are highly intelligent and learn amazingly fast. Nowadays I

have seven years to be working with this community and have been wonderful like personal

and professional experience, even I already live there.

According to the context and the location from the school it is to three kilometers of the main

road and it is near two towns: Pueblo Nuevo and Panama. The village where is located the

school has the same from the educational institution. This institution forms together with

other nineteen schools the CEAR Panama and there are with me twenty-three teachers of

which there are not any with title in English language teaching, currently in this group work,

I’m studying an EFL degree.

Date: 09 September 2016

When I started my work in the rural context; I had not any experience about how to work

with multilevel degrees. But with the time I want learning the form to work with children’s

countryside.

I never had leaved from Arauca city, only when I when started to work at CEAR Panamá,

this place was unknown for me and I felt afraid to have that to work in a different context.

I arrived directly to live to the educational center Gaviotas Del Caranal and there, I was alone

the first week in September from year 2009. Then, I convinced to my little sister that I

accompanied while I adapted me in this place.

To the third month from work, I was accustoming to live in this rural context and my sister

decided to go to finish her studies to Arauca city.

APPENDIX E

Co- constructing Interview One

Entrevista 1

Septiembre 08 de 2017

6pm

Categoría

Donde trabajaba en el 2010-1?


Trabajaba en Gaviotas del Caranal

Fui contratada como provisional indefinido. Hasta hoy 2017-2 He estado

trabajando así. En ese momento yo consideraba que era un trabajo estable y

que por tanto yo podría estudiar.

Yo era la profesora de toda básica primaria desde primero hasta quinto.

¿Por qué fue a la sede de la Universidad Santo Tomás- CAU Arauca?

Fui a la universidad Santo Tomas Arauca, ya que era la única institución en

la que se ofrecía un programa a distancia en Licenciatura en Inglés-. Yo no

quería estudiar Español

La secretaria me explicó todo muy bien. Y me advirtió que a partir del 5

semestre yo tendría que ir a Bogotá a socializar porque en Arauca no había

quien asesorara a los estudiantes de Lengua Extranjera Inglés. Hasta ese

momento el profesor Jesús era mi tutor regional y si yo lo solicitaba él iba

los sábados y me explicaba lo que yo no entendiera. Yo era la única

estudiante de ese programa. Estaba sola.

En ese momento solo estudiaba una materia en inglés. La entrega de las

tareas se me dificultaba, no sabía usar la plataforma, no sabía enviar

archivos. “Literalmente estaba enredada con” la entrega de los trabajos.

Me estaba costando mucho el tema de la distancia. “Yo sentía que no

estaba aprendiendo. Sin embargo pase el inglés con 4,2 “

En el 2010-2 ya le tenía más el ritmo. Registre el inglés 2- Me gustaba que

me enviaban los libros, para ingles tenia Touchstone. El material ayuda

mucho. También pase con 4.4 yo sentía que las socializaciones eran

sencillas pues era lo básico y yo lo sabía.

En cuanto a” materias como la informática, debo decir que eso me ayudó

para mis clases en el colegio, con los niños pues eran clases prácticas”.

En el 20 11 no tenía internet vivía en la vereda gaviotas del caranal. Allí no

hay conexión a internet

Work

Feelings and

emotions

Distance Education

Feelings and

emotions

Distance Education

EFL Learning-

Keeping the goal


APPENDIX F

Co constructing Interview Two

Entrevista 2

Septiembre 15 2017

6pm

Categoría

¿Comenzaste a enseñar inglés?

En el año 2014 algunos profesores de la escuela me

pedían que yo les diera algunas clases de inglés a sus

estudiantes.

Ellos me decían que no sabían inglés y en cambio yo

sí.

Por mi parte, yo sentía que la universidad me había

dado muchas herramientas pedagógicas y en los

Centros Educativos Rurales de Arauquita CEAR me

pedían redactar los planes de clase.

¿Por qué registraste pocos espacios académicos?

Work

Family


En el año 2015 el presupuesto mío era muy escaso solo

inscribí cuatro materias además estaba en embarazo.

En mayo de 2015 nació mi hija Luciana. Entonces me

tocó parar los estudios, la niña nació por cesárea. Me

toco notificar en mi trabajo y a la universidad. Allí

hable con la profesora Vivian. Ella me envió un correo

muy reconfortante. Me dijo que me dedicara a mi bebé

y que ya vendría el tiempo de trabajar y de estudiar.

¿Cuándo regresaste de nuevo a la universidad?

En el segundo semestre de 2015 los profesores de

inglés y de investigación me colaboraron muchísimo.

Pero me tocaba ir a Bogotá a socializar y eso para mí

era terrible. Ya no asistía al CAU Arauca. Puesto que

en este CAU no hay registro calificado para la

licenciatura en inglés, allí no hay docentes que me

ayudaran en inglés entonces solo me comunicaba con

los docentes nacionales.

En el primer semestre de 2016 inscribí cuatro materias

entre ellas el inglés con el profesor Manuel. Para la

socialización, En las socializaciones me seguía

sintiendo muy mal, aunque en los trabajos escritos me

iba un poco mejor, pasaba “raspando”. Yo misma veo

que no he fortalecido el inglés.

¿Cómo te parece estudiar a distancia?

¿Qué es lo más difícil de estudiar a distancia?

Aunque yo entrego tareas, reviso los ejercicios, no

tengo con quien interactuar, no hay quien hable

conmigo en inglés. Cuando estudiaba con Open

English a veces podía hablar con el tutor y con una

china de Méjico y otra de Bogotá. Sin embargo, aquí

en la carrera no hay personas que quieran estudiar con

uno. Una vez le pregunte a una chica de Bucaramanga,

pero ella fue muy esquiva. Yo le pedía una explicación

Feelings and emotions

EFL Learning- keeping the goal


y la respuesta aparecería por allá después de dos

meses.

..ay profe… la educación a distancia es muy difícil.

Bueno, en 2016- 2 inscribí Advanced 3 y viaje a

Bogotá a socializar.

Ya había pasado Project 1 y hasta llegué a felicitarme

a mí misma. Pues aquí, sola yo lo había logrado.

Igualmente pasé Material Design. Pero en inglés no.

En la socialización estaba nerviosísima porque no

tenía el dominio del idioma. De pronto es porque estoy

aquí en Arauca…

El profesor Manuel me dijo de buena forma que

repitiera, él me dio buenas razones para repetir el

curso.

En el 2017 decidí matricular cinco espacios

académicos. Aunque ya no podía pagar a cuotas, reuní

el dinero. Uno de mis cuñados me prestó lo de la

matrícula y me dijo: “mire a ver si se gradúa pronto

…ya lleva como diez años en esa licenciatura”

¿En dónde vives? Y ¿con quién vives?

Yo vivo en una finca entre Pueblo Nuevo y Panamá.

Allá no hay internet y estudiar a distancia sin internet

no se puede. Además, a mi esposo le salió un trabajo

en Arauca, entonces yo decidí irme con mis niñas a la

casa de mi suegra en Pueblo Nuevo. Ella está viviendo

en Villavicencio.

¿Cómo es la conexión a internet en Arauca?

El Pueblo Nuevo averigüe con el “ciber” el valor para

tener conexión mensual. Y ellos me dijeron que la

mensualidad cuesta $70.000.oo y el internet es

ilimitado. Eso me da más tranquilidad para estudiar

Feelings and emotions

Distance Education


mis cinco materias (Literature, Práctica Pedagógica,

Advanced # y Project2)

APPENDIX G

Co constructing Interview Three.

Entrevista No 3

Septiembre 22 de 2017 6pm

ANALISIS CATEGORIA

2011 Debo ir hasta Pueblo Nuevo para

conectarme a Internet. En moto son 2º

minutos cuando el invierno no está

apretado.

En ese momento llevaba de casada 2 años.

Mi esposo es agricultor, el cultiva Cacao.

Sin embargo él es un apoyo, siempre me

motiva.

Terminé el tercer semestre en ese momento

ya tenía más idea de la plataforma y de la

manera de enviar trabajos e igualmente de

cómo descargarlos.

En ese momento 2007, mi niña mayor ya

era grande. Mi suegra y mi cuñada la

cuidaban mientras yo estoy trabajando y

estudiando. La niña es muy juiciosa.

When Ii finished my

working days with

students. I sometimes

went to Pueblo

Nuevo town to

connect on the

internet to develop

some assignments

from USTA

platform. My

husband transported

me in his motorcycle,

a neighbour

sometimes borrowed

me her motorcycle. A

day I decided to start

a saving to buy my

own motorcycle. in

october 27th of 2011

internet connection

support in my

family

I learnt to use the

platform USTA


Llevo 7 años en la VUAD en el 2012 podía

pagar por cuotas, así fue hasta 2013.

Después tocaba tener toda la plata para

pagar de una. En 5 semestres, comencé a

sentir miedo cuando me evaluaban en el

CAU Arauca.

Un día hable con la profesora Sandra

Rodríguez y ella me dijo que yo era

estudiante MERCE y me indicó que yo

podía presentar las evaluaciones en el

CAU Villavicencio. , allá podría socializar

las materias.

En el 2012

Ocurrió algo muy curioso en el CAU

Arauca. La secretaria siempre me permitía

matricular las materias del siguiente

semestre, así no hubiera cumplido con

pasar las materias que eran requisito.

En el 2012, al final del año quemaron los

archivos del CAU Arauca. Mis

calificaciones se perdieron, se perdieron

mis trabajos y los de otros compañeros. El

año 2013 la secretaria se fue.

Esta secretaria era desordenada y perdía

nuestros trabajos.

Finalmente, la secretaria se fue del CAU.

Aunque al principio eso parecía ser bueno,

al final tenía un desorden, que yo no sabía

que debía, que tenía que repetir,

Durante todo ese tiempo sentía que mi

inglés era muy, muy básico. Ya no sentía

que avanzaba.

I bought my

motorcycle; it was a

goal in my life.

My husband has been

a strong support for

me, he has been

encouraging me to

follow my studies,

but also, he has been

an economic support.

He is a farmer, but he

has always been

interested in my

profesional training.

I have been for

seven years studying

at santo Tomas

university. When I

started to study at

university, I paid the

semesters for fees,

but now students

must have all money

of semester.

My first face to face

English socialization

was in Villavicencio

Cau, I went with my

mother-in-law and

my daughter. It was

not well for me,

because I thought

don’t continue with

my studies at

university, i had an

unpleasant

experience in that

CAU. An english

teacher told me

Nerves in face-to-

face socializations

Inconveniences at

University with my

grades.

Courses fail


Mis jornadas eran muy largas. Yo

comenzaba mi trabajo a las 7am y

terminaba a las 12:30 pm, salía a almorzar,

desarrollaba los trabajos, descargaba

archivos para podérmelos llevar para la

casa y allá estudiar. En el internet me

cobraban $800.00 pesos, más la gasolina

de la moto. A veces mi esposo me llevaba.

En el año 2012 segundo semestre, viajé al

CAU Villavicencio para allí presentar las

socializaciones. Una familiar de mi esposo

me dijo que era bueno que fuera a

Villavicencio.

Cuando llegué a Villavicencio, la ciudad

me pareció grande y hermosa. El CAU es

muy bonito. El servicio a los estudiantes

era eficiente, a uno lo atendían muy bien.

Sin embargo, yo me sentía muy, muy

nerviosa. Allí estaban otros estudiantes. Yo

me sentía tensa, muy tensa, asustada y

nerviosa. Encima de todo, el profesor solo

hablaba en inglés. No hizo el listening.

Cuando yo terminé el examen escrito y el

oral decidió no hacer el listening. Yo

entendía lo que el profesor decía pero yo

no era capaz de comunicarme en inglés. El

profesor me hizo la retroalimentación, me

confrontó y lloré porque no había podido

avanzar en inglés.

…Yo a veces me pregunto ¿qué pasa?

Porque personalmente, opino que los libros

que nos da la licenciatura son buenos, y

que la plataforma es buena. Aunque falta

más interacción entre compañeros y

profesores.

Sin embargo también pienso que el

problema podría estar en la forma como

things that were true,

but the way he said it

demoralized me. At

the end of his

conversation with

me, he gave me some

advice. That if I had

no one to interact

with, then I would

look for other ways

to study and improve

my English.

I decided to do a

stop in my studies

from USTA to study

in Open English, this

was a virtual course

which I paid during

a year to improve

my english skills.

Many things were

useful for me, for

example, lesson

plans of Open

english, activities

were very good, but

I sometimes didn’t

participate in

speaking section,

because some

students that

interacted in

platform had more

knowledge about

some topic and I felt

bad. Teachers from

Open English

located me in

intermediate level,

and I participated in

The CAU Arauca

secretary burnt

some folders

including my

Works.

Long working days

with my students

First socialization

was in

Villavicencio


estudio, que necesito más dedicación,

dedicar más tiempo.

En el año 2013, me inscribo en la

plataforma Open English, y tome la

decisión de no inscribirme por un año en

Santo Tomás. Yo pensé que eso era lo

mejor para aprender inglés. Pero… otra

vez… el pero... Para esta plataforma se

necesita permanentemente tener Internet.

Además, me tocaba bajar en mi

computadora los programas para estudiar.

En Pueblo Nuevo los computadores no

tienen esos programas.

En Open English hay muchos maestros,

cada vez que uno quiera entrar a la

plataforma puede entrar y siempre hay un

maestro diferente. Ellos no dejan trabajos,

le dan a uno un folleto en PDF que se

descarga. Hay muchos ejercicios de

gramática.

Para solucionar todos esos problemas de

conectividad, pensé ir todos los fines de

semana hasta Arauca, (de Pueblo Nuevo a

Arauca hay 2 horas y media) a la casa de

mi mamá ya que allá hay Movistar y

telefonía fija. Para no molestar a mi esposo

para que me llevara, o tomar el bus, pensé

en ahorrar para comprarme una moto.

Viajar hasta Arauca no es fácil. Cuando no

es el invierno, hay paros armados,

bloqueos de vías. You viajaba con mis

hijas y eso me daba miedo, no las quería

exponer.

En el 2013-2 volví a Santo Tomás. Esta

vez inscribí cuatro materias. Ye tenía

dominio del uso de la plataforma, subía y

different speaking

sections. This course

was a good

experience for me. I

was one year in this

course, i could

certify three

intermediate levels. I

had a problem with

the course, it was the

internet connection,

but I had spoke with

my mother to install

Movistar internet

service. That idea

was very good for

me, because I

connected on

weekends to develop

many platform

activities. I had to

travel all weekends

on my motorcycle

during two hours

with my daughter

Daniela. in the

winter it was

difficult to travel by

motorcycle, but I did

it on several

occasions. In the

winter it was

difficult to travel by

motorcycle, but I did

it several times.

There were times

that I could not

travel by armed

strikes, peasant

strikes and other

In Villavicencio I

lost english courses

from University

Feeling and

emotions found

USTA resources

was very good

The persistence

in the goal has

been constant

Open English

course

The loneliness

Inconveniences

with the internet

connection


descargaba archivos con facilidad, enviaba

trabajos, etc.

En el 2014, En el trabajo, me exigían

mucho. No más Open English. Ellos me

certificaron hasta nivel 3. Creo que esa

plataforma me sirvió mucho para hablar en

inglés e interactuar con otras personas.

difficulties on the

road. Many times, I

had to excuse myself

with the teachers for

not sending tasks on

time for previous

difficulties.

Difficulties at rural

área

APPENDIX H

Multimodal Data Video - Teacher Sonia from Mata de Caña School- Arauca

Video

video profe sonia compañera.mp4

Transcript Analysis Category


Video #3 Yosmary es una gran

persona y maestra,

muy creativa,

divertida, muy amiga

de los niños, solidaria.

Ella tiene muchos

valores para compartir

con los niños. Ella hizo

las prácticas en esta

escuela, la sede Mata

de Caña con

estudiantes de 3, 4 y 5

grado, ellos la

esperaban ansiosos y

corrían hacia ella para

recibirla, les gustaban

sus clases de inglés, se

sentían cómodos con

sus enseñanzas. Ella

siempre busca

estrategias con las que

los niños aprendan de

la mejor forma,

siempre teniendo

presente lo logros

propuestos en sus

clases. Sus clases son

significativas, son

interactivas

estudiantes/estudiantes

y estudiantes/ maestro.

Donde ella vaya los

niños se van a sentir

fabulosos porque es

una profe cariñosa, ella

lo demuestra a sus

niños.

Ella es la única

docente que eligió

estudiar inglés y todos

CEAR

Panama

don’t has

English

teachers and

I have had

the

opportunity

to show me

as an

English

teacher

thanks to my

teaching

through my

pedagogical

Practice. I

had the

opportunity

to develop

my

practicum at

Mat de Caña

school and

Another

school from

CEAR

Panama.

Students

from rural

area value

English

teaching,

they are

happy

learning this

language

with funny

activities,

didactic

CEAR

Panamá

presents the

necessity of

English

teacher.

I have could

share with

others

students from

other schools

from CEAR

Students

learn best

way with

didactic

activities

Students

know the

importance

of English

language for

present and

future of

their life


desean tener apoyo de

ella con sus clases,

para que los otros

niños del CEAR

tengan sus enseñanzas.

material and

meaniful

explanation.

Presentation

of different

strategies

and different

stages to

stimulate

students’

learning.

Teachers

from CEAR

PANAMÁ

know the

importance

to learn

English and

they have

always

wanted that I

teach tot

their

children.

They

recognize

that they

don’t have

English

skills to

teach their

children and

they like the

ideas I give

them to

teach.

I have learnt

at university

that not only

Yosmary is

keeping her

goal – to

study English

language

Interaction

between

students is

fundamental

to strengthen

the respect

Cultivate

values is very

important

during

student’s

learning

process


is to teach all

specific of

language,

but also to

teach values

through of

different

English

activities,

students feel

comfortable

with my

teaching.

English

language is

an important

degree

especially

for rural

area, rural

students

know

English

language is

necessary

for all

careers.


APPENDIX I

Multimodal Data Certifications and Awareness

AWARD Analysis categoría

Reconocimiento

individual a Yosmary

Vega Rubio en el año

2016, docente de la

sede Gaviotas del

Caranal por su entrega,

disciplina y dedicación

en su labor docente con

los estudiantes

CEAR Panama has received very

well the tutorials of the program

“Todos a Aprender” from the

ministry of education, I have been

satisfied with this program

because it has benefited me and

my school through the

implementation of the Basic

The program “Todos a

aprender” has allowed me

to understand the

guidelines for the

improvement of

pedagogical practices in

rural areas


siguiendo las rutas de

aprendizaje del

programa para la

excelencia docente y

académica, todos a

aprender 2.0.

El tutor del programa y

especialista en

educación Dámaso

Zúñiga hace un

reconocimiento en

nombre del programa a

algunos profesores por

su trabajo en las

escuelas rurales, por sus

estrategias de

enseñanza para con sus

estudiantes, además por

la aplicación de sus

orientaciones en el aula

de clase, de las cuales

escogió algunas para

exponer en su trabajo

con los otros tutores del

departamento como

evidencia pero también

como respuesta a sus

orientaciones a los

docentes del CEAR.

Learning Rights in the syllabus of

our institution.

Rural teachers are trained for the

benefit of their students and the

educational community.

Teacher of program Todos a

Aprender” recognizes my job as

rural teacher, and he likes my

contributions in the pedagogical

events that the institution carries

out with all its schools.

Activitites and strategies of rural

teachers are important to show

them to other teachers, becuase at

rural area teachers work

multilevel degrees. This work

model has been recognized by the

tutor through the ministry of

education and its program.

rural educational work is

recognized by the

ministry of education.

The Ministry of Education

contributes to its teachers

through training of new

educational approaches

and work methodologies

for current students


APPENDIX J

Multimodal Data Video – Daniela Muñoz, my older daughter.

Video Transcript Analysis Category

Video #1

Yosmary es mi

mamá y ella fue

mi maestra

durante toda la

primaria. Ella

trabaja todas las

áreas porque es

docente

multigrado. Sus

clases eran

divertidas,

geniales. Ella

siempre insiste

en sus

explicaciones

hasta que el niño

entienda

cualquier tema.

Ella trata de que

las actividades

sean acordes a

los grados y así

aprendan todos

de manera

aprendizaje no se

afecte. Alguna

de sus clases era

al aire libre, en

los kioscos de la

escuela, debajo

de los árboles.

Le gusta

Learning of my

children through

my teaching has

been a self-

recognition for

me. Daniela

studied from

preeschool to

elementary

school with me. I

have could see

through her my

job a rural

teacher.

The satisfaction

of my work is

reflected in my

daughter's sixth

grade notes, she

has had an

excellent

academic

performance in

her institution.

And so I have

had other

students who

have been

excellent

students in their

schools.

The promotion

of a student who

has studied from

preschool to

fifth grade is

rewarding for a

teacher.

I feel good

about my work,

especially when

my ex-students

obtain good

academic

results.

Satisfaction of

my work as

rural teacher


aprovechar todos

los espacios que

hay en la

escuela.

Mi mamá es una

persona amable,

bondadosa y

flexible con los

estudiantes. Se

preocupa por los

estudiantes, pero

también por la

comunidad, trata

de colaborar a

los padres de

familia. Valoro

las enseñanzas y

consejos de mi

mamá como

maestra, hoy día

las aplico en mi

grado sexto y he

logrado obtener

el primer puesto

en mis estudios.

The different

school spaces

stimulate student

learning.

Students are

happy receiving

their teachings

outside of the

classroom.

My teaching and

advice have gone

beyond the

classroom.

Students

recognize my job

as rural teacher,

but also my

dedication to my

work and to the

community as a

teacher and as a

leader.

The classroom

and the desk are

not the only

comfortable

place to learn.

The advice of a

teacher becomes

valuable for

students in the

present and

future.

Teacher is a

leader in the

community too.


APPENDIX K

Multimodal Data Video – Teacher Ofelila D….

Video transcript Analysis category

Video # 2

Soy la directora del

centro educativo

Panamá del

municipio de

Arauquita en el

área rural, la cual

tiene 21 sedes

educativas, entre

esas se encuentra la

sede Gaviotas del

Caranal, donde se

desempeña la

docente Yosmary

Vega Rubio, quien

maneja un grupo de

estudiantes de

preescolar hasta

quinto primaria.

Su desempeño

como docente rural

es excelente, buena

líder, ella ha

encaminado a cada

uno de sus

estudiantes a

formar su proyecto

de vida. Además,

su liderazgo con la

comunidad es

activo, creativo,

participativo ya que

realiza proyectos

I have belonged to

this institution for

more seven years

and there, I have

known the way to

work with

multilevel degrees

at rural context. To

my rural director

likes my job with

students, she

knows that I look

for different

strategies to offer

and meaningful

teaching to my

students.

The work with my

community is

respectful and I try

to be a good

educational leader

in my village. I like

to develop

educative events in

my workplace and

involve to my

educative

community to

contribute in their

children’s

education.

Multidegrees

at rural area

Good leader

in the

community

Excellent

contribution

to the CEAR

with the

English

classes


donde toda la

comunidad

educativa acuden y

participan.

Su aporte en la

institucion es

excelente, buena

compañera y

responsable con las

actividades

asignadas. Ha

trabajado en

algunas sedes en el

area de inglés

aportando con sus

valiosos

conocimientos a los

estudiantes y

mejorando asi en el

área que se está

especializando.

En su sede es

responsable y

puntual con su

trabajo, yo he

podido evidenciar

sus clases, las hace

con mucha

creatividad, sus

estudiantes

participan muy

alegres.

Felicitaciones profe

yosmary por sus

aportes a la

comunidad, los

estudiantes y al

CEAR.

As student of

English Foreign

Language degree, I

have tried to

contribute with my

knowledge to my

educational

institution

supporting the job

in the syllabus, I

sometimes guides

to my colleagues in

some englsih

classes or explain

them different

activities to work

with their students.

I sometimes help

them create some

didactic materials

to develop english

topics.

Responsible

Creative

Punctual in

the work

Good

perfomance as

teacher


APPENDIX L

Multimodal Data Pictures


Pictures

Description

Contexts

Análisis categoría

Picture # 1 This picture was

took in Playa Rica

school there

volunteers military

soldiers carried out

an child event to

integrate some

children of

different villages.

There were

students from

Puerto Rico,

Gaviotas and San

Isidro schools.

There were clowns,

“saltarin", movie

and different

games to

encourage all

students. We as

teachers

participated in all

activities and to the

finish the event, we

did that students

described in their

copybooks the

experience of

integration to show

it to their parents.

CEAR Panama has

twenty rural schools

from Arauquita and

in occasions these

schools meet in

groups to integrate

to their students

with different

activities. Teachers

take Advantages of

some activities of

the military

soldiers.

Students take

Advantages of these

spaces to know to

their partners from

the institution, since

the schools are quite

retired.

Students reflect

their experiences

through their

writings.

Integrations of

students from

different

villages

belongs to the

CEAR

Panama

Reflections of

their

experiences at

this event

through their

writings

In this photo there

are some teachers

from CEAR

Panama and a

supervisor of

education.

Learning go beyond

the classroom.

Teachers,

supervisor of

education and

students take

realization of

the cultural

pedagogic

meeting

alluding to the


Picture #2

Teachers as well as

the students

disguised of

personages

according to the

regions of

Colombia. Teacher

from Playa Rica,

Puerto Rico,

Tropicales, and me

belong to the

Amazon region.

advantage each

activity that take

place outside the

classroom.

Educative

community know

our job with their

children through the

different materials,

costumes,

knowledge acquired

about our culture,

our regions and folk

dances and typical

meals. All this

outside the

classroom.

regions of

Colombia

Picture #3

This picture

evidence a day of

graduation in the

educational

community of

Gaviotas del

Caranal.

Here, I am

recognizing the

effort of the girls to

obtain the title of

third place in

category female

soccer, the girls

won medals. Also,

I was carrying out

the closing of the

year 2015.

I think he feels

happy knowing that

the teachings from

the rural area are

significant.

All these

experiences are

shared with the

other teachers from

CEAR Panama.

I do recognition to

my students for

their efforts to

stand out at CEAR

events.

In this photo

students were

doing a beautiful

As a rural teacher

and student at

distance of Santo

Representation

of our región


Picture # 4

presentation of

joropo dance, these

students were fifth

and fourth degrees.

Parents and

educational

community were

watching the show.

Preschool students

were waiting for

the graduation

ceremony.

Tomas University I

feel despite that I

have Little free time

I try to fulfill with

my work, my study,

and my family. I

have had many

difficulties, but I

have always kept in

mind that I must

also fulfill to my

future as a

professional and

that difficulties are

not a barrier to

Avoid prepar me as

an English teacher.

through joropo

cultural dance

Picture #5

It was a sporting

event and it was

very funny, students

and some parents

were at Santa Isabel

school which

belongs to CEAR

Panama. Alls school

from CEAR were

with their teams of

(football, athletics,

volleyball,

basketball and so

on).

Secretaria de

Educación sent

some

recreationalists to

develop some

challenges with

preeschool students.

These events allow

to meet to the

educative

community,

students, all teacher

from CEAR Panama

and other people

interested in the

welfare, recreation,

and education of

children.

This sporting event

was great for

children, they are

happy when

teachers make this

type of event. We

teachers had never

had a

recreationalists

group in these

events. But thanks

Sporting

integration

with CEAR

Panama rural

institution


to the management

of rural director

from CEAR Panama

this recreational

group was

presented. And for

that date students

enjoyed all the game

all challenges and

games proposed for

these young people.


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