Teaching to discern. Hernando Arturo Estévez Cuervo

      INTRODUCTION

Hernando A. Estévez1

      1 Hernando A. Estévez is a philosopher from Purdue University, Magister in Liberal Studies at Indiana University and PhD in Philosophy from DePaul University. Currently, he is the Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities at Universidad de La Salle.

      The issue of academic environments involves both research and practice. It gathers theoretical and practical pieces of knowledge for a permanent analysis and evaluation of pedagogy, content, and accomplishments in the educational field. Moreover, educational practices no longer occur within the boundaries of a specific field; in a globalized world, those practices must overcome their traditional boundaries in order to expand to different disciplines and to different ways of understanding pedagogy. In our time, knowledge travels; ideas and experiences are shared in educational platforms worldwide, while educators and students create novel ways to collectively participate in research projects that contribute to a greater understanding of the universe.

      As a field, educational research faces growing challenges for dealing with the requirements of globalization; nowadays, education is not simply synonymous with pedagogical theories that provide frameworks for developing academic programs. The academic environment must be designed to introduce students to different social, political and economic phenomena and to connect them with knowledge of a broader reality. Researchers in the educational field must also examine historical and social dynamics that influence the development of education while considering their implications for different cultures.

      On the other hand, one of the key issues researchers face is the extent to which a globalized education is possible; that means they need to be aware of current social, political ideologies and policies that are not necessarily in accordance with this educational project. Understanding