Educational guidance and continuous training of the university professor. Reflections from an experience in Ecuador

Abstract

In recent decades, the search for meaning in the tasks of university teachers has led to consider the importance of educational guidance as a type of pedagogical activity aimed at satisfying the change that involves preparing the teacher as a guide and facilitator of opportunities for dialogue and reflection with students so that they can understand their experiences, develop a sense of autonomous and conscious life, as well as an adequate configuration of their life project. However, in order to make this process a reality, teachers must assume educational guidance as the cornerstone of their pedagogical and didactic work. In spite of the clarity of this objective, the antecedents show the historical and present shortcomings that act to its detriment. Qualitative research based on observation, interviews, and focus groups was implemented, which yielded the diagnosis of the state of the question and guidelines for its improvement as the main results. These results led to the conclusion that it is necessary to implement teacher training processes solidly based on theoretical, empirical and practical principles.