Sayings and chores: understandability of

the significance of teachers' knowledge

regarding reading and writing in

Colombian rural education*

Decires y quehaceres: comprensibilidad de la

significación de los saberes en los docentes

respecto de la lectura y la escritura en la

educación rural colombiana múltiples

Alba Lucía Barajas Lizcano***

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1157-2907

Bucaramanga, Santander / Colombia

Revista Digital de Investigación y Postgrado, 6(12), 49-64

Electronic ISSN: 2665-038X

How to cite: Contreras, C. A. F. y Barajas, L. A. L. (2025). Sayings and chores: understandability of the

significance of teachers' knowledge regarding reading and writing in Colombian rural education. Revista

Digital de Investigación y Postgrado, 6(12), 49-64. https://doi.org/10.59654/2ptecf78

* Article presented as a preliminary report of the research: "Didactic Strategies for Reading and Writing: An Inter-

pretative Study of Teaching Practices among Primary School Teachers in Rural Educational Institutions of the

Municipality of Rionegro (Santander, Colombia)." This research is part of a doctoral dissertation.

** Emeritus Professor at Universidad de Los Andes-Táchira. Full Professor (Titular), retired. Specialist in Public Mana-

gement, with a mention in Decentralization of Educational Services. Specialist in Planning for Rural Development.

Specialist in Administrative Law. Master in Education, with a mention in Educational Administration. Doctor in Edu-

cation. Lawyer. PEI Researcher, ULA. Researcher Promotion Program (PPI) No. 6263. Guest professor in Master's

and Doctoral programs at several universities. Former Legal Advisory Coordinator at the Directorate of Culture of

the State of Táchira. Email: adrianfilidi@gmail.com and adriancontreras@ula.ve

*** Bachelor in Early Childhood Education with an emphasis on Art and Play. Specialist in Mathematics Education.

Master in Education from Universidad Industrial de Santander. Doctor in Education from Universidad Nacional del

Rosario (Argentina). Currently a primary school teacher at Institución Aguada de Ceferino, municipality of Girón

(Santander). Email: albalucia0369@yahoo.es

Received: may / 7 / 2025 Accepted: may / 21 / 2025

https://doi.org/10.59654/2ptecf78

Adrián Filiberto Contreras Colmenares**

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6711-3649

San Cristóbal, Táchira state / Venezuela

Abstract

To discuss about the sayings and doings seeks to establish the relationship between what peo-

ple do and say. In this writing act, from the theoretical point of view, it is based on Goffman's

(1959) social action. Herrera and Soriano (2004: 71) indicate: “The world of face-to-face rela-

tionships is also governed by an articulated and persistent system of rules, norms and rituals”.

The comprehensibility of teachers' knowledge connects doing and saying, with respect to re-

ading and writing. The interpretative paradigm made it possible to understand reality through

ethnography. Three teachers with their own training and four with MEN Excellence Scholarship

training were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with both groups; as

well as analysis of the learning guides, curricular guidelines and Spanish Language Standards.

All of this made it possible to determine the importance of promoting continuous training for

teachers.

Keywords: Career guidance, aptitude, ability, career choice, intelligence.

Resumen

Discurrir sobre los decires y haceres busca establecer la relación entre lo que las personas hacen

y dicen. En este acto escritural, desde lo teorético, se fundamenta en la acción social de Goffman

(1959). Herrera y Soriano (2004: 71) indican: “El mundo de las relaciones cara a cara también se

rige por un sistema articulado y persistente de reglas, normas y rituales”. La comprensibilidad

de los saberes en los docentes conexiona el hacer y el decir, respecto de la lectura y la escritura.

El paradigma interpretativo permitió comprender la realidad, mediante la etnografía. Se tomó

a 3 docentes con formación propia y 4 con formación de Becas de la Excelencia del MEN. Se

realizaron entrevistas semi-estructuradas a ambos grupos; así como análisis de las guías de

aprendizaje, lineamientos curriculares y Estándares de Lengua Castellana. Todo permitió de-

terminar la importancia de promover una formación continua para los docentes.

Palabras clave: decires, quehaceres, acción social, lectura, escritura, saberes, docentes.

Introduction

A central aspect, developed throughout this written discourse, relates to understanding the

level of knowledge demonstrated by teachers regarding the learning and development of re-

ading and writing skills among students in rural education in Colombia. Thus, in examining tea-

chers' practices, the traces of their professional training become evident - both in their

preconceptions and in the procedural knowledge they apply and utilize during teaching-lear-

ning processes. It should be noted that contradictions frequently arise between their knowledge,

beliefs, statements, and pedagogical practices. Furthermore, it is relevant to consider that tea-

chers assigned to rural areas are sent to educate with limited understanding of the didactic re-

quirements for teaching multigrade classrooms. Universities do not include literacy training

50 Adrián Filiberto Contreras Colmenares and Alba Lucía Barajas Lizcano

Revista Digital de Investigación y Postgrado, 6(12), 49-64

Electronic ISSN: 2665-038X

Sayings and chores: understandability of the significance of teachers' knowledge

regarding reading and writing in Colombian rural education

about this methodology in their curricula or formative processes.

Consequently, to address these challenges, teachers must be creative and innovative in their

didactic transposition, adapting their theoretical knowledge to the new realities of rural contexts.

As García (2012:1) states, "...theoretical knowledge is a type of understanding based on concepts

and theories to comprehend reality."

Under this premise, first, it was necessary to identify students' deficiencies to plan strategies adap-

table to diverse environments. Second, a didactic approach was proposed that not only focused

on traditional literacy but also integrated cultural and social reading, understanding literacy as a

broader process extending beyond alphabet knowledge. Additionally, different learning paces

were considered, allowing time and active experiences that fostered knowledge development.

Therefore, implementing change through innovative didactic actions based on contemporary pe-

dagogical approaches in teaching practice can become a positive influence on students' learning.

However, this is only possible if the teaching processes take into account the diversity of situations

present in rural environments, particularly the existence of multi-grade classrooms. Additionally, the

learning materials or booklets from the Escuela Nueva (New School) model are often used by tea-

chers without a proper understanding of the methodology. In this regard, teachers could be trained

to implement these materials effectively in the classroom. Furthermore, it is necessary to provide

knowledge—both in its conceptual and procedural domains—through a process of updating the

booklets into a dynamic and contextually coherent language.

Despite the above, it must be acknowledged that rural teachers receive inadequate preparation

for teaching reading and writing in multigrade classrooms. Consequently, this work specifically

examines, on one hand, the practices and statements of teachers who participated in the Ex-

cellence Scholarship program offered by the Ministry of National Education (MEN) in 2018 and

2022; and on the other hand, contrasts these with self-trained teachers' practices and state-

ments. Additionally, it's pertinent to recognize that rural teachers are sent to educate with mi-

nimal training in multigrade classroom didactics. It's well known that universities don't include -

let alone emphasize - literacy training about this multidisciplinary, multi-level educational met-

hodology in their curricula.

Facing this situation, teachers - often without formal teacher training, even less pedagogical

preparation, as they come from other professions like law, economics, or engineering - take

on the challenge of seeking and finding strategies to develop the curricular guidelines es-

tablished by the Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MEN, 1998), specifically those concerning

the language field (reading and writing areas), which are the focal points of this dissertation.

Here, teachers could be trained for proper development of these skills in the classroom.

Given the above, it could be said there is inadequate preparation for rural teachers. There-

fore, this work specifically examines the practices of some teachers who participated in the

Excellence Scholarship program offered by the National Ministry of Education and self-trai-

ned teachers.

52 Adrián Filiberto Contreras Colmenares and Alba Lucía Barajas Lizcano

Theoretical foundation

In teaching reading and writing, teachers must understand how children construct literacy from their

prior knowledge. In response to this inquiry, we observe that when children arrive at school,

they already possess prior knowledge of reading and writing. Therefore, this prior knowledge

forms the foundation for creating new knowledge. As Piaget (2017: 840) states: "...learning is

the construction that the subject makes in developing new contents that they assimilate and

accommodate." Thus, students with extensive reading culture will have diverse meanings that

allow them to expand communication. Regarding this communicative aspect, Jan Servaes, Everet

Rogers, Daniel Lerner, Mattelart, Paulo Freire, among others (cited by Callou, 2005: 13) affirm:

...they demonstrate the importance of applying communication to develop community

aspects like health, technology, culture, communication problems, difficulties in relations-

hips with immigrants, lack of employment, etc. And projects, as they are implemented,

should provide the community with necessary knowledge so that after intervention, they

can 'walk alone'; that is, that they find solutions to their problems through communication

for development, and can continue developing progressively.

As can be observed, communication, regardless of context, has the potential to strengthen dif-

ferent areas and aspects of a community. In rural education contexts, communication will en-

hance students' meaningful learning with teacher support, through incorporating strategies

that strengthen engagement with reading and writing.

Teaching should foster learning environments with accessible language and diverse strategies

that enhance student development. In this regard, it's pertinent to note that many educators

still practice with conventional paradigms; such as divided words, writing repetition, and mea-

ningless task activism - all of which demotivate learners. In such cases, transforming lesson plan-

ning with didactic guidelines focused on actions that motivate the formation of critically

competent students is essential.

That is, developing a literacy environment guides student interaction with meaningful

reading/writing materials and acts, putting into play their prior knowledge as well as new pro-

blematizations and understandings they formulate about reading and writing. It involves the

process of constructing and reconstructing written language. We understand that students for-

mulate hypotheses expressing interpretive modes and knowledge, procedures that evolve toward

mastery of conventional writing. In this process, students receive guidance inviting them to reason

about their productions and interpretations, and likewise review and evaluate their own work.

This raises the question: how does progress in reading and writing occur? Ferreiro (1982) pro-

poses that the reading and writing process should be guided by two premises: first, that children

think about writing and attempt to reconstruct its alphabetic nature through their writings, com-

paring them with conventional writing, provided they have opportunities to participate in mea-

ningful reading and writing acts. Thus, they try to understand their literate environment by

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developing their own hypotheses that they reformulate until achieving conventional mastery

of the writing system. In agreement with this, Fusca (2016:1):

One of the first ideas that children develop when they begin their inquiry about what

written text can say is that "letters represent the names of objects" (Ferreiro, 1987). [And]

This has been called the "name hypothesis" (Ferreiro and Teberosky).

Secondly, their schemas gradually change and confront conventional written language as they are

given opportunities to interact with a variety of texts. From this perspective, in Ferreiro's words (2011:31):

..."knowing how" means understanding the construction processes of hypotheses deve-

loped by children to approach writing; it means recognizing that children move to syllabic

writing representation in their search to approach letters; it means understanding that

the syllable is part of a whole that forms the word.

In summary, understanding how students construct writing helps teachers provide models that

contribute to reading and writing development. However, in implementing educational strate-

gies, rural schools face critical challenges with popular education. On one hand, teachers, per-

haps in their eagerness to comply with the curriculum, end up teaching according to cultural

heritage, making it difficult to deepen quality education. As a result, they resort to a largely un-

changing pedagogy. On the other hand, educational communities resist transforming teaching

into a knowledge-construction process that could help students understand the purposes of

reading and writing. Often, teachers who use mechanical exercises (copying) and word-gene-

rator booklets (Nacho's primer) are considered good educators.

In teaching reading and writing, it is necessary to review the three approaches proposed by

Vernon (2013:1), because: "...the three refer to quite different explanatory theories about what

reading and writing are." These approaches are: (a) direct instruction; (b) whole language; (c)

constructivist approach. Regarding direct instruction, as Vernon notes (2013:1): "...it is perhaps

the most widespread worldwide; it has derived from a series of studies grouped under the name

'phonological awareness'."

Meanwhile, in the whole language approach, Vernon (2013:1) states that writing: "Is a 'natural'

learning, since the child is surrounded by people; therefore, they learn to communicate. The

teacher is a guide, reading comprehension is a transaction between reader and text." From this

perspective, learning occurs "naturally," as communicative skills develop.

This whole language approach was proposed by Goodman (2003:77), who states: "Any child

learns to speak without being explicitly taught to do so, because they are surrounded by peo-

ple who use language to communicate." Likewise, the child who lives in a social environment

that uses writing as a means of communication will learn to read and write because they want

and need to participate in their environment's conventions, because they need to communi-

cate.

Sayings and chores: understandability of the significance of teachers' knowledge

regarding reading and writing in Colombian rural education

54 Adrián Filiberto Contreras Colmenares and Alba Lucía Barajas Lizcano

Similarly, Vernon (2013:3), regarding the foundational approach to reading and writing learning

from an integral perspective, also states:

...the constructivist approach shares some points with whole language, particularly the

idea of reading and writing as communicative activities, and that children should be ex-

posed to different types of texts from the beginning. Both [approaches] share the notion

that reading is not decoding but seeking meaning.

In synthesis, teaching the constructive act of reading and writing requires teachers to know

much more than the writing system. It involves understanding the nature of written language

that permeates social practices of reading and writing among learners.

Thus, regarding the writing act, Ferreiro (2006:5) indicates: "Writing is an interactive construction

process that children develop to represent their language experiences." Likewise, writing should

be conceived as a complex, multi-referential, and multi-processual skill that integrates various

sub-processes. Its achievement similarly requires writers to elaborate content and organize it

appropriately in terms of presentation. This way, they can establish true harmony between what

to write and how to write it.

This implies that children develop their process progressively, which gradually consolidates as

they increasingly engage with these processes and gain greater mastery over them. However,

while recognizing emergence from within, it requires support from mediating adults or peers

so that daily contact with attractive, interesting, and meaningful texts generates children's interest

in understanding the texts they encounter.

Therefore, reading and writing instruction is founded on this literacy process, being a human

and social action that becomes support for learners, fostered by teachers who act as significant

mediators in the learning process. Consequently, teaching reading and writing is complex due

to the multiplicity of elements integrated into the process itself.

This is why, as Sobrino (2016:4) states:

..."being literate," while implying a continuum of reading and writing skills, calculation

and numeracy applied to social contexts that require them - including health and justice,

work and education - under current conditions of change could not be considered a fi-

nished state but rather a constantly self-renewing process...

As can be interpreted, the teaching process is multifactorial; it is not only linked to reading and

writing. It goes much further, integrating various domains of knowledge, both conceptual and

procedural. Now, the aspect related to reading and writing, regarding teachers' statements and

practices, is just one perspective, which becomes the focal point of this written dissertation,

based on the research approach to this subject. Therefore, this elaboration addresses what con-

cerns the development of this skill in learners, particularly first-grade students in rural settings.

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Regarding task organization, the constructivist perspective proposes that teaching reading and wri-

ting, in Piaget's vision (cited by Arias et al., 2017:837): "...human beings learn internally to construct,

organize their mental schemas depending on the different developmental stages they go through,

from childhood to adulthood." Therefore, guiding reading and writing is based on how students

organize schemas (understand, construct, and communicate). Hence, Piaget (in Arias Arroyo et al.

2017) proposes active discovery learning. Thus, the question arises: how to teach reading and wri-

ting? The answer begins by considering the integrated processes that must be reflected upon.

Likewise, the Ministerio de Educación Nacional (1998) in the Curricular Guidelines for Spanish

Language, drawing from proposals by Ferreiro, Teberosky, Rincón, and Villegas, advocates for

reading and writing instruction that considers students' cognitive schemas, allowing them to

investigate each construction process of reading and writing, with the alphabet being the end-

point. Thus, promoting reflective education where subjects construct knowledge autonomously.

This perspective of teacher intentionality, to propose strategies that stimulate students' internal

motivation toward learning, aligns with Contreras' (2004:18) conception of teaching as: "An in-

tentional process facilitated by the teacher to achieve an object of knowledge by the learner

within a mediation context"...; thereby helping the novice to enhance their approach to reading

and writing development through their own abilities and learning interests. This intentionality

incorporates literacy instruction with the vision of:

..."involving children in the reading process, committing them to communicative acts

through reading and writing. In emergent literacy, reading and writing are strongly inte-

rrelated, making it difficult for children to separate and differentiate them." (Sulzby, 1989,

in Navarro, 2000:120).

As can be seen, there is interdependence between processes crucial for understanding human

realities - reading and writing - requiring organized options and opportunities through which

teachers support emergent development in learners.

In this regard, Litwin (2012:32) states: "...the teaching profession is endowed with theoretical

knowledge." Therefore, reading and writing instruction is conceived from theoretical knowledge

to analyze, plan, and propose actions with epistemological meaning that grounds knowledge

transformation. Regarding theoretical knowledge, Aristotle (as cited by Navarro and Pardo,

2009:1) indicates: "Theoretical knowledge refers to the mode of being of things themselves (and

not to the agent who manufactures something with them or undertakes some action from

them)." Accordingly, Ferreiro (2006) notes that reading and writing education must consider

conscious schemas proposed by children, as these are viewed as creative processes.

Hence, these are interpreted through teacher-student communication. For this, classroom ins-

tructions are structured with elements where: the teacher/emitter provides guidance; the chan-

nel/content is articulated in the curriculum; and the learner/receiver accomplishes learning.

Thus, interactions converge in the educational situation, organized to coincide with it. As inte-

Sayings and chores: understandability of the significance of teachers' knowledge

regarding reading and writing in Colombian rural education

56 Adrián Filiberto Contreras Colmenares and Alba Lucía Barajas Lizcano

ractive acts, for this teaching process, interaction relates to Shannon and Weaver's (1949) com-

munication theory.

Therefore, responsible conscious teaching guides cognitive processes. Literacy is recognized as

a practice integrating language with written culture. Regarding this, Sanjurjo and Foresi (2016:20)

provide guidelines for teaching processes: "...theoretical, conceptual, philosophical, cultural, and

political formation." Thus, teachers draw on their training to make decisions about knowledge

transformation for students. They will also create spaces for writing creation and peer exchange,

value each creation as input for new content preparation, and harmonize pedagogical practice

with theoretical knowledge for effective learning construction.

Literacy in Colombia's Dispersed Populations

To address reading and writing instruction in multigrade education, we must understand what

rural education needs to strengthen. In this regard, Parra (1990:26) states: "...educational for-

mation must be transformed for one inclusive of community work processes." This requires

analyzing the reality addressed in this research. While the Ministerio de Educacion Nacional

(2011) implemented reading and writing programs for rural areas (National Reading and Writing

Plan), students still face difficulties developing these competencies.

In this sense: "It must be emphasized that these programs are implemented without considering

rural schools' social and cultural development" (Parra, 1990:96). This aligns with Ferreiro's ob-

servation (cited by Causa, 1967:1): "In reality, despite program claims, Rural School objectives

were identical to Urban Schools'. Naturally, failure lay in objective selection, not achievement."

Thus, there is evident lack of dynamic control in rural educational processes, yielding unimpres-

sive results. Ferreiro (cited in Causa, 1977:1) asks:

But what happens to rural school children? [Her assertion is clear] After leaving school,

they don't read anymore, nor show interest. We return to today's situation. They may

continue reading if there's desire, not environmental imposition. The reality is that func-

tional illiterates in our countryside are numerous - people who could read, learned to

read, and now cannot.

Therefore, transforming teaching intentionality requires critical reflection on contributing to re-

ading and writing development. This demands assuming commitments imposed by the National

Ministry of Education through education secretaries, principals, and teachers themselves, who

are responsible for promoting, supporting, and strengthening these processes for rural students.

Theory of social action: Emphatic point of sayings and doings

Goffman Erving's theory, developed in 1955, was called the theory of social action, fundamentally

based on social interaction. His initial work was On face-work: an analysis of ritual elements in

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social interaction. Thus, it emerges in social situations where human beings interact. It explains

the individual as an actor who, at different moments in life through their representations, cons-

tructs an image of themselves—their identity—based on the same elements that others use to

form their own identity. In line with this, Capuano et al. (2004: 128) state:

For Goffman, the identity of the self is, first and foremost, a subjective, reflexive matter

that must be experienced by the individual, and it is evident that this individual constructs

an image of themselves from the same elements with which others construct their per-

sonal and social identification.

In this sense, the teacher, as an actor in the realm of reading and writing instruction, has their

own identity, but it is intertwined with the identities of the learners. Therefore, they must carry

out their role from two perspectives: first, they are a subject who educates in accordance with

the students' culture, aligning with their identity. Second, the teacher possesses mastery of the

discipline, which they enact through various actions that guide the learning of the subject matter.

They only need to incorporate meaningful strategies that support reading and writing learning

in a multidimensional context, such as the multigrade classroom.

In this regard, Herrera and Soriano (2004: 61) state that:

It is precisely this double normative differentiation that we fail to notice when taking for

granted our way of acting in social relations and overlooking the complexity of such be-

havior. [Therefore] Goffman's effort [regarding the interaction order] has been to attempt

to lift the veil of appearances to shed light on the rules and mechanisms.

This process of social interaction allows for the strengthening of various processes that develop

in the classroom. Thus, in the reading and writing process, grounded in this interaction, teachers

must incorporate diverse resources that are attractive, readable, and meaningful for learners.

Resources that must also be linked to the context. Therefore, at the beginning of literacy ins-

truction, the teacher maintains proper performance in their practice; meaning the teacher's ac-

tions are fully aligned with their discourse. It is worth arguing that the teacher, in their role as

facilitator, creates a correlation in practice to optimize the learning process.

Thus, in teaching reading and writing for rural sector literacy, based on Goffman's proposal (in

Ribes, 2019: 285):

[In which] we find a central space - the habitual situations of daily life - and four related

spaces that connect to this main space and to each other: lax social situations, situations

of extreme monitoring, fringe situations, and total social situations.

These diverse situations, both habitual and others, significantly influence the reading and writing

learning process. Therefore, the teacher must be fully aware of what occurs in their surroundings

and in the social environment where learners develop. The teacher must understand how stu-

Sayings and chores: understandability of the significance of teachers' knowledge

regarding reading and writing in Colombian rural education

58 Adrián Filiberto Contreras Colmenares and Alba Lucía Barajas Lizcano

dents interact with different knowledge domains, their learning preferences, parental support,

and significant adults. Likewise, they must consider the lack of texts, low-literacy families, and

other aspects related to reading and writing instruction. Consequently, the teacher researches

their practice and pedagogical actions. Hence, in literacy instruction, importance is given to the

meaning students construct through their writing with books brought from their own environ-

ment. In conclusion, teachers must provide students with engaging materials that enable active

and meaningful learning.

Methodology

The investigative process followed a qualitative orientation with a dynamic perspective to un-

derstand social and cultural reality in its natural context and daily life. As well as to comprehend

what teachers say and do regarding reading and writing. That is, the context was examined to

understand opinions, emotions, and experiences through the meaning assigned by information

providers to these two language processes. All this was achieved through description or cha-

racterization and the emergence of categories via words.

Qualitative analysis was used so that, ontologically, the approach sought to understand what

characterizes the existence of the object of study, based on clear ideas and theories. In this re-

gard, Hernández Sampieri et al. (2014: 40) maintain: "...qualitative research is a dynamic process

with continuous analysis around a given question at three moments: before, during, and after."

Likewise, Denzin and Lincoln (2011: 47) state: "...qualitative research constitutes a field that in-

tersects disciplines, areas, and objects." Thus, the qualitative orientation facilitated the description

of qualities and characteristics of a current reality phenomenon, with constant relevance and

concern for both educational authorities and teachers themselves.

Through approaching reality, information was collected using methods containing effective pro-

cesses in relation to the investigated subject; therefore, reliable and solid information was sought.

Based on this, deeper exploration was conducted with activated questions directed toward ob-

jectives proposing strategies; this implied a theory with affinity to the study topic (the two groups

of teachers).

Regarding the epistemological foundation, it was assumed from the interpretive paradigm.

Through this paradigm, according to Ricoy (2006: 17):

"[It] Attempts to understand reality, [since] it considers that knowledge is not neutral. It

is relative to the meanings of subjects in mutual interaction and makes full sense within

the culture and peculiarities of educational phenomena in everyday life."

Linked to this vision, as Weber (cited in Burgardt, 2004: 5) expresses with the interpretive para-

digm "...the environment and context are understood in their different expressions." Thus, in

the educational context of Rionegro municipality (Santander). The research was conducted in

El Pórtico and Honduras villages with the differences or similarities between two groups of tea-

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chers with different training backgrounds, regarding their pedagogical practice related to re-

ading and writing literacy instruction. That is, with a holistic stance to examine the characteristics

of teachers' discourse and practices reflected in each of their lesson plans.

Methodologically, ethnography was chosen. As Peralta (2009: 37) states: "...it is considered a

branch of anthropology dedicated to observing and describing different aspects of a specific

culture, community or people, such as language, population, customs and ways of life." There-

fore, through ethnography, aligned with the interpretive paradigm, on one hand, it was possible

to describe the characteristics of reading and writing instruction in knowledge processes with

both teacher groups. On the other hand, it sought to understand discourse particularities. That

is, techniques were implemented such as reviewing quality references from the National Ministry

of Education: curricular guidelines and Language Quality Standards. Likewise, interviews were

conducted to understand teachers' discourse about reading and writing instruction and com-

prehend the dynamics in learning guide development.

Finally, a narrative approach was used as an interpretive action of what was expressed by inter-

locutors; all this is associated with knowledge and knowing, elaborated from experience. And

this interpretation leads to better understanding the phenomenon ascribed to a phenomenal

reality, where participating teachers in the research intervene and act. To this is added the re-

searcher's own vision, who translates, so to speak, through the narrative process, all information

that has been revealed, with its nuances and accuracies

Findings and their interpretation

The study of the discourse and practices of the two groups of multigrade teachers reveals con-

tradictions and inconsistencies between their "sayings" and "doings" that participants have failed

to thematize. In didactic situations, they show no consideration for the knowledge and ideas

children might possess, while persisting in reducing writing to a mere transcription code of oral

language. Regarding teachers' discourse, it demonstrates a disconnect from both the learning

guides and students' actual needs, highlighting a teaching approach detached from rural con-

texts.

Consequently, as Ferreiro (2018:12) states about these sayings and doings: "We must acknow-

ledge two unavoidable difficulties: admitting that children think and that this thinking concerns

us because, far from being random, it shows regularities." In both groups of rural teachers, tra-

ditional strategies predominated in teaching practices. This prompts reflection on reading/wri-

ting instruction mediation in rural multigrade classrooms. For this analysis, we examine three

singular aspects: self-interpretation, idea production/manifestation emerging from teachers'

discourse and connected to their practices.

Self-interpreting one's practice gives meaning to pedagogical actions, requiring teachers to en-

gage in: self-reflective action, representation processes, formative processes, and transforma-

tional processes - all structural elements for achieving meaning beyond conventional canons.

Sayings and chores: understandability of the significance of teachers' knowledge

regarding reading and writing in Colombian rural education

60 Adrián Filiberto Contreras Colmenares and Alba Lucía Barajas Lizcano

These become particularly crucial when teaching aims to promote reading/writing skills among

rural students.

As Gámez (n.d.:331) notes: "...the awakening of the soul is intimately connected not only with

truth experiences but with self-transformation." Multigrade teachers must integrate reading/wri-

ting competencies across all subjects through interdisciplinary approaches for different grade

levels. Self-interpreting practice means granting students learning autonomy, fostering critical

thinking and innovative strategies.

In relation to this, in dialogue with the teacher GO.1 S, the following is revealed: “There, I realized

that he has his opinion and it is valid, it is valid. Because he gives his opinion”; she related this

factum to the student’s actions and, based on reflection, understood the importance of the stu-

dent’s actions. Thus, she considered the need to allow space for changes in the teaching of re-

ading and writing. That is to say, she self-interprets her work with the information from her

teaching practice. Hence, in her internal dialogue, she carried out a self-criticism of her actions

in mediating reading and writing. She indicated that, in some way, reflection allowed her to un-

derstand how the student learns.

On the other hand, the dialogue fragments from teachers MV.2 S and MJ.3 S regarding self-in-

terpretation made it possible to question what it means to teach reading and writing; what mo-

tivates them to teach. All of this leads them to recognize which strategies help to teach this

competence —as the teacher says— it is “...to leave aside those routine methodologies” (MV.2

S), and another aspect is to bring to the classroom “...a passion, that love for reading and writing”

(MJ.3 S); of course, these are just some segments of the extensive information concerning what

they express about the teaching and learning processes of reading and writing. These are new

considerations, different visions that lead to new positions regarding their own practice, toward

their practice [it is an interpretation from how learners learn].

Thus, the self-interpretation of their actions, to be expressed in their words, is positive and ge-

nerates a transformative commitment. In this way, these actions need to be known and assimi-

lated by rural education teachers. Only then will they be able to understand the imperative

requirements for carrying out an appropriate, effective, and meaningful teaching process, lea-

ding to trauma-free learning as a result of satisfying experiences for the students.

The production of that different meaning will be substantiated by a conscious action or act of

self-reflection that will allow the development of a representation process which involves the

development of learning guides. Guides that contain logical, simple strategies, adapted and

adaptable to the learners’ interests. In this way, it will be possible to promote the teaching of

reading and writing in a different way that surpasses the conventional methods: alphabetic-

syllabic or syllabic-alphabetic, which are the constant in these practices.

From the foregoing, it can be interpreted that in teaching regarding "sayings and doings," one

must consider that: "To teach well, it is essential to be clear about what we are going to teach,

Revista Digital de Investigación y Postgrado, 6(12), 49-64

Electronic ISSN: 2665-038X

Sayings and chores: understandability of the significance of teachers' knowledge

regarding reading and writing in Colombian rural education

that is, what our teaching object is" (Kaufman, 2007: 17). Thus, it was observed that teacher

GO1S, when incorporating strategies, sought guidance from the MEN's PTA program for pro-

ducing [learning guides]. Furthermore, she relates these guides to planning. With this guiding

criterion, she incorporates: "...texts that are attractive and aid learning. [However, she comments]

...that she searches here and there" (GO1S). All this with the aim of finding the best options to

support reading and writing learning. That is, she demonstrates some knowledge of the gui-

dance provided by didactics, to offer a variety of strategies with language appropriate to the

rural sector, even though she remains distant from truly effective pedagogical practice in this

regard, despite her intention to support the promotion of learners' reading and writing proces-

ses. The aspiration is to incorporate meaningful didactic strategies, based on new theories of

reading and writing learning that benefit new learners. In this way, the teacher can present stu-

dents with varied and interesting options, appropriate to their age, their interest in these two

processes, and linked to each learner's individual progress in constructing conventional reading

and writing.

The manifestation of ideas involves recognizing the child's presence in the construction of

reading and writing. In this regard, teacher MJ.3S establishes the connection with her didactic

training; therefore, she does not only think about the learning guide; on the contrary, she pro-

posed explanatory videos and calls learners to maintain permanent contact. In line with this,

Perrenoud (1920: 3) proposes that teachers must have "...personal mastery of the culture they

teach and assess, and it also means that teachers owe this both to their general schooling and

to their pedagogical training." Hence, in congruence with this, it was perceived that the edu-

cator has developed competencies derived from her training, which was evident when she

presented ideas with cohesive vocabulary in relation to practices that have been valued as ap-

propriate. From this perspective, then, she proposed teaching situations keeping in mind the

learner's need to approach knowledge; therefore, she uses (symbolisms) such as explanatory

videos, which support the processes of reading and writing learning. Undoubtedly, the teacher

prepares her work in relation to sayings and actions so that the learner can achieve their com-

petencies.

Provisional truths

Regarding sayings and doings - an expressive symbiosis - it can be said that educators convey

knowledge related to reading and writing to learners through didactic situations thoughtfully

considered and reflected upon in terms of academic literacy; thus, in self-trained teachers and

in some teachers who are scholarship recipients for excellence, a certain distance between sa-

ying and doing could be observed. That is: One thing is what is said and another what is done.

This situation could be analyzed as follows: they carry out their practice without the reflection

required to link it to theory, to promote reading and writing. On the contrary, some MEN scho-

larship teachers provide access to knowledge through a variety of active strategies aligned with

learners' interests.

From this perspective on training, rural teachers need to know how to propose reading and

62 Adrián Filiberto Contreras Colmenares and Alba Lucía Barajas Lizcano

writing strategies with texts from their own environment. And also how to accompany with a

pedagogy that invites students to problematize their schemas. For this reason, rural teacher

training should emphasize the development of didactic interventions linked to the environment

and mediated by peers in the classroom. This is because the support they receive from their

caregivers (guardians) is minimal. And sometimes significant adults have little exposure to lite-

racy. They are people with low literacy levels.

For this reason, rural education teachers need training in a pedagogy that transforms didactics

in teaching. On one hand, in the words of Freire and Faúndez (2018:49), they must "...know how

to teach from everyday life in rural settings. On the other hand, in the classroom, [value] how

to make didactic interventions with reflective dialogue" among peers that helps confront sche-

mas and, consequently, construct knowledge.

Regarding the theory of social action, it can be noted that it grounds and explains situations

emerging from social reality itself. Based on it, work and development occur through human

interactions, which take place within activities with some independence or autonomy. This pers-

pective relates to social interactionism. Thus, when teachers converge in their information re-

garding their practice - understood as pedagogical practice - linked to what they say they do,

there will always be a point of interaction stemming from the connection that occurs in a reality.

This is the classroom where learners and teachers interact. And likewise, aim for congruence

between the teacher's sayings and doings.

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