Survey result

SURVEY
1. Do you believe English classes are creative and interesting?
a. Yes
b. No

2. Do you enjoy the English classes?
a. Yes
b. No

3. What kind of technology is used in your English classes?
a. Computers
b. Video bin
c. Internet
d. None of them

4. Is English one of your favorite subjects?
a. Yes
b. No

5. Does your English teacher motivate you to work in class?
a. Yes
b. No

6. What would you like to implement in the English classes in terms of innovations?





The survey was done to six students in Ticaban High School
Shaolin Umaña 11-1
1. A
2. A
3. D
4. B
5. A
6. Dramatizations, role plays and more use of technology.

Reiner Arias 11-2
1. A
2. A
3. D
4. B
5. A
6. Using movies and songs instead of too many books and copies.
David Quiros 11-1
1. A
2. A
3. D
4. A
5. A
6. Different activities in groups, role plays and dramatizations.
Giancarlo Picado 11-1
1. B
2. B
3. D
4. A
5. A
6. More technology




Jessica Cerdas 11-2
1. B
2. B
3. D
4. B
5. A
6. Games music and more use of technology

Educational Innovation

Talking about innovation can be not only a reason of discussing but also a very important and interesting topic to confer about in any area given that everybody is always trying to innovate their lives in order to simplify and improve their tasks within their daily living, it means innovation is a useful tool in every single field in which people are involved and obviously some of the most important one is the educational field, since education is part of the living process practically for everybody and it means people are going to increase their skills in the same way education also increase its level, and the best way of increasing is innovating in each step and process related to the educational purpose in which every single person is involved, however there is a significant question to take into account. Is innovation the use and implementation of new technology? Definitely technology in an isolated way is not as functional as it can be expected if there is not a satisfactory preparation for those who are in charge of the educational process, for this reason education is not going to be innovated if teachers are not innovated first, or if the innovation process is not successful or appropriated or even worst if it is not included within the syllabus taught in the different educational issues.
Currently there are many teachers who really want to improve or innovate the education process, and some of them in certain institutions have the necessary tools to do it, those tools mean mainly technology, in Costa Rica there are the famous Promece High School which nowadays are named Innovation Institutions, these institutions are supplied with important technological equipment such as lap tops, projectors, smart boards, innovating software and others. Supposedly learners who study in those kinds of High Schools have a very well and innovating educational process given that the material those institutions posses is very sophisticated. It means a second language learning must be more successful than other ones in which there are not those kinds of material, but it does not happen as well as it suppose to, there is an easy explanation and also a new question. Why learning a second language process is not flourishing if software, technology and teachers are appropriated to the process? The explanation to this interrogation is that maybe teachers or at least most of them are not well prepared to use this kind of technology and consequently they are not able to innovate even their own way of working or learning, on the other hand it does not mean that technology is the only way to innovate, however it is the best way to create and obtain new ideas to use in class with students in order to get them more interested in the learning process than using the same traditional process in which the teaches is the only knowledge carrier, besides it has been demonstrated through time that this way of teaching is not the most proper for the learning process. Nonetheless it is not always the teachers fault because they cannot teach something they have not learned, and inventing or improvising due to lack of knowledge is not a good solution. The government should encourage teachers institutions and students not only through the implementation of technological material but also training teachers about the accurate use of the equipment, given that at the end it is much easiest to take advantage of innovation when the first innovated piece of the educational process is the teacher, because technology without knowledge would be as uselessness as having a library but with no books.
The syllabus is the other responsible of using technology inappropriately in the educational institutions, in the same way it does not allow students to be innovated given that syllabus for many subjects have not changed in many years, for instance the English syllabus in Costa Rica has been the same for almost 10 years, and does not include innovation basically at all. So, the coherence among learning a second language process, teachers preparation, students interest, innovation, technology and instructions is not functioning properly, if the government really wants to innovate education it has to start innovating the syllabus in which are immerse the instructions which teachers as guides will be transmitting to their students in order to sophisticate their ideas as their ways of thinking with the only purpose of obtaining a real innovation in educative system that sooner or later will become an innovating country.
Innovation in education is not as simple as buying sophisticated equipment and take it to the educative institutions, it is extremely necessary to have innovated teachers who are not going to develop an innovated educative process only if high technology is present, an innovative teacher is that one who is periodically presenting their students new activities to make easier, interesting and better their knowledge acquisition and teaches their students also the importance to keep always looking for their best option to make more efficient their learning, but it is almost impossible for a body to function properly if the head does not do it well, it means modifications in the syllabus is so important either in English as any other language taught, and the rest of the subjects.

Buddha´s teaching

Everybody wants to have the best in their lives, not only regarding money, but also related to their spiritual part, it means that not only the economy issues are important if there is not a peace or balance in our hearts. When people focus their needs on material aspects, they simply have to look for the best strategy to obtain those things which they feel are necessary to live well, and there are many places and many people, mainly teachers well prepared academically who probably will be able to teach very successful activities that will allow people to get what they want, but as it was already mentioned, the spiritual aspects are also very important in our lives in order to acquire the balance we need to feel comfortable with ourselves, however, the emotional balance is not easily taught by a teacher in a university, there are not courses which graduate people in happiness or similar aspects, on the other hand, it does not mean that there are not or there have not been people who have given very important teachings to our humanity, people who probably will be never forgotten . Some of those people is the always famous Buddha, a person who lived approximately 2500 years ago and taught from beginning to end the importance of peace in our lives, Buddha wanted the human being to know that nobody had to suffer, because happiness and harmony have to be our guides. Buddha used to say suffering did not have to be an option even for animals plants and the rest of beings in our world, but, if something was not in completely peace, it was going to be practically impossible to get a real balance, given that, not only human beings were settled in this world, besides it is so important to learn about respect toward the rest of inhabitants, not matter their difference aspects, or in this case also the specie, but it is so difficult to find harmony when most of the people are looking for simply those agreements which allow them to live more comfortable or under wealthy conditions if it is achievable, on the other hand, some people say the most important in their lives is not the money, but commonly they give these kind of expressions, because of their lack of richness, contrary to Buddha who was a person who lived always into a rich family and realized that wealthy was not the most important to be happy, he knew that peace and tolerance toward others opinions and ways of living were the real clues to obtain balance and harmony in our lives, those were the aspects or values that Buddha tried to teach and transmit to those who decided to follow his teachings, those who were not interested in economy conditions, but in reaching an emotional peace for themselves. Buddha was much more than a counselor, he was a friend, a guide and for some people specially their followers, he was the most kindly person that ever existed in the world.
Nowadays there not many people like Buddha in our society, there are not many teachers interested in human development of his/her students, most of the parents teach their sibblings the importance of getting the best possible job, but they do not teach their children how to get a balance in their lives and respect the others lives including flora and fauna, our society needs more Buddhas who help human beings to discover their real and important needs in order to obtain the real happiness.