In Spanish this site can be read at:
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General coordinator: Naum Kliksberg *
Psychologist and Sociologist
Also coordinates the following Sites:
In English:
In Spanish:
At this site it is analyzed why in some cases unexpected improvements and spontaneous cures of Elath occur even when suffering serious diseases, and why the “Placebo Effect” can cause them. It is explained why scientists placed the “Placebo Effect” in the first place in the list of the 13 greatest mysteries for science.
The texts presented at the Site are free.
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In English:
In Spanish:
At this Site the new hazard that shall appear in the next 20 years that can cause the extinction of human beings on the earth is analyzed, and the proposal that this world holocaust can be avoided from the United Nations is grounded.
The texts offered at this Site are free.
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In English:
In Spanish:
At this Site the particular problems and potentials of interfaith marriages are anlyzed (Jewish who married Christians, Catholics and Muslims, etc.) and especially the reasons why interfaith marriages and their children are discriminated and rejected by fundamentalist religious groups, in all religions.
The texts offered at the Site are free.
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EDUCATION, INTELLIGENTLY AND CREATIVELY
We all know the enormous importance of education for the development of people and of populations.
At this site what I want is to call the attention of educational institutions’ directors, of teachers, students and parents, about the convenience that in the educational effort the purpose of developing as much as possible the capacity of thinking intelligently and creatively in students is more prevalent.
The most relevant experts in education of the world agree that the purpose of developing more an intelligent and creative thinking in students can be achieved more efficiently than it is usually achieved in most educational institutions. The latter, generally, admit the importance of this purpose, but they do not make the pedagogical effort required to achieve it as much as possible. The result is that in all countries millions of students graduate from high school and university studies without developing, as much as their potentials permit them, the abilities to think intelligently and creatively. This does not mean that with suitable pedagogical techniques it can be achieved that all students are brilliant, but it does mean that each of them can develop more within their individual limitations and potentials.
Achieving this purpose in educational institutions allows to educate people with better reflection quality, which, additionally to help them to be better technicians and professionals, shall also educate citizens who are more responsible in their relationship to others and to the community.
An educational institution, who wishes to develop more an intelligent and creative thinking in students, requires using specific pedagogical concepts and techniques for this purpose, in which they must train teachers.
What can teachers do at the classroom and what can parents do at home in order to develop more, in their students and children, the capacity to think intelligently and creatively?
In order to answer this question we offer 50 (fifty) digital texts about concepts and techniques to develop more the intelligent and creative thinking in students, destined for: experts in pedagogy, teachers, students, and parents.
The author, Naum Kliksberg, wrote them during several years which he devoted to the matter, advising governments, ministers of education, and rectors and deans of Universities (see at the end of this text the author’s professional background).
The contents of the 50 texts shall be presented in an ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE that is offered at the site.
For high school and university students, we offer 10 texts (included in the aforementioned 50 texts) which shall be of great use for them to be more successful in their studies; they are the result of a selection of the best techniques among hundreds, from the most important courses and books that were published in the world about the matter. With those texts students can develop better the 40 (forty) mind abilities that they need to use efficiently in their studies in order to have a good performance. We recommend teachers and parents to advise their students and children to read these texts, they shall be very helpful for them, they shall save a lot of money, effort and time, which they must spend reading tens of books and following courses about study techniques.
For parents it shall very useful to read especially text No. XXIX: “Guide for parents: aspects that they must consider when choosing an educational institution for their children” (whether it is elementary school, high school or university), this text is of use for parents from all countries. Reading it can avoid them many problems, and shall help them to invest their time and money more efficiently in their children’s education.
THE HEADINGS OF THE 50 DIGITAL TEXTS, which are offered about pedagogical concepts and techniques for developing intelligent and creative thinking, are as follows:
I. “Aspects to be taken into account at Universities in order to develop, to the greatest extent possible, a professional with a creative thinking and with a creative courage”.
(In this text the following concepts are introduced: “Creative thinking”. “Creative Courage”. “Creative act”. “Self-censorship of creativity”).
II. Internet, a challenge for the educational system. Its use at the service of “mind – light lamp” pedagogy for the development of students’ intelligent and creative thinking, or of “mind – drawer” pedagogy.
III. “Reflections about the development of intelligent and creative thinking in educational institutions and in business”.
IV. “Soldier Mambru’s letters, to his girlfriend and to his mother”.
A short story for pedagogical use at the classroom as a creative exercise, and/or when the teacher is teaching the subject intolerance and wars.
Thousands of people can send this story by email previously making the changes that each of them wants based on his creativity. This dynamics turns this story into an enriching experience of creative exercise of collective building on Internet.
V. “Reasons for the convenience that each University has a Service of University Pedagogy. Introduction of a design with 38 (thirty-eight) services this office should render”. (Although it refers to university education, this text has aspects that are useful for institutions of all education system levels).
VI. “Analysis about facilism (the human trend to make the least effort to achieve a goal) of students and teachers at high school institutions and at Universities”.
VII. “Kind of leaders arising at the classroom among students. Their influence supports or inhibits expressions of intelligent and creative thinking in the group”.
VIII. “The students’ three ways of thinking and of relating to teachers and to academic texts. How can students neutralize negative aspects and potentiate positive ones”.
IX. “It is important that teachers take psychological aspects into account in the dynamics at the classroom”.
X. “Positive and negative aspects, for the development of intelligent and creative thinking, that arise when the teacher grades students’ oral participation at the classroom”.
XI. “Coexistence at educational institutions of actions that damage, with others that stimulate, the development of students’ intelligent and creative thinking. How can teachers, parents and students recognize them in order to help to potentiate the positive ones, and to change the negative ones.
XII to XVII. Six texts for teachers about “The best group dynamics techniques for developing students’ intelligent and creative thinking at the classroom”.
XVIII. “How does teachers’ stress affect creative dynamics at the classroom. How to reduce it”.
XIX. “Kinds of teachers’ leaders at the classroom, which contribute and which damage the development of their students’ intelligent and creative thinking”.
XX. “Sociometric techniques for teachers, applicable to the analysis of interactions at the classroom, among students and between the latter and their teachers”.
XXI. “Psychological aspects that are created and that can damage the teaching-learning process, once the teacher evaluates and grades each academic test of the students”.
XXII. “It is important, for the teaching-learning process, that teachers are trained in oral communication techniques at the classroom”.
XXIII. “It is convenient that teachers and parents coordinate strategies to obtain, from the classroom and from home, the best development possible of their students’ and children’s intelligent and creative thinking”.
XXIV. “How can parents develop more their children’s intelligent and creative thinking at home. From childhood up to University”.
XXV. “How can the teacher improve his students’ reading comprehension”.
XXVI. “The importance of educating in values, their relationship with the ability to think intelligently and creatively”.
XXVII. “How are psyche psychological defense mechanisms before aggressive situations and before stress in the teaching-learning process expressed in students and teachers”.
XXVIII. “How to reduce violence at the classroom and at the educational institution”.
XXIX. “Guide for parents: aspects that should be considered when choosing an educational institution for their children” (whether it may be elementary school, high school or university).
XXX to XL. Eleven texts in which concepts and techniques with which people can improve interpersonal and group communication, in every scope, in: education, at work, in a couple, in a parent-children relationship, etc, are developed (communication problems are one of the reasons that impoverish the development of intelligent and creative thinking, are a source of conflicts and reduce learning and working efficiency).
The texts introduce the best techniques for: negotiation, listening, making the other person understand our position, etc.
Texts of great use for: teachers, students, salesmen, businessmen, executives, professionals in general.
XLI to L. Ten texts for high school and university students, about the best study techniques, and about how to develop better the 40 (forty) mind abilities that a student needs to develop in order to have a good performance in his studies.
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*) Summary of Naum Klikberg’s professional background:
Psychologist and Sociologist
- He was appointed teacher at 8 (eight) Universities and advisor of Deans and Rectors on teaching-learning methods at 6 (six) Universities.
- Advisor of international organisms: the United Nations (UN), the World Health Organization, the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education.
- He gave lectures on scientific subjects invited by institutions and Universities from: United States, Israel, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia.
- On Internet there are many references about some of his works in Spanish.
- For his contribution on scientific and humanistic matters, his opinions were required in many occasions, in television and radio shows, and in interviews in newspapers and magazines from: United States, Israel, Venezuela, Colombia and Argentina (some of them can be read later in this text).
- In his long experience in university teaching as advisor of several Universities about methods for developing an intelligent and creative thinking in students he created and offered tens of pioneer concepts in the world, some of which are as follows:
- The convenience of implementing at each University a “Service of University Pedagogy”, in order to render 38 (thirty-eight) services required at a University (Advise, support and training of directors, teachers and students, about teaching-learning processes. Investigation and improvement of pedagogical methods, teacher-student conflict solving, etc).
He suggested this concept at several Universities and in several countries, where he created and directed the first Services of University Pedagogy of this kind in the world. For example, in 1973, in Argentina, at the University of Buenos Aires, at the School of Economic Sciences, which had the greatest number of students in Latin America 65,000 (sixty-five thousand), he founded and directed the first “Service of University Pedagogy”. At the same University he was also appointed as the first Pedagogical Advisor of a Dean, at the School of Psychology. In Venezuela, he created and directed the first Services of University Pedagogy in that country. Later, many other universities in the world followed this way.
- He spread in the world the concept of the convenience of implementing “specific” teaching methods, and of training teachers in them, in order to develop, as much as possible, in university students, their capacity of intelligent and creative thinking.
- In a book he wrote in 1983, “Pedagogical Crisis at Latin American Universities”, published by The Central University of Venezuela, he was a pioneer in calling scientists’ attention towards a little known aspect in the development of intelligent and creative thinking, years later other writers also conceived and spread that concept in the world under the name of “emotional intelligence”.
- In the same book, he continued insisting, as he had been doing several years ago, in the importance of “how” the teacher teaches at the classroom, he was one of the pioneers in this matter. This concept is accepted today in the world by the whole educational community (at that time it was thought only on the contents of what was taught and not on “how” it was taught).
- He elaborated the concept of “Self-censorship Effect of Creativity”, in order to explain the psychical protection psychological mechanism he discovered, by which the individual not only annuls his creative idea, if he feels that being creative can cause him problems, but he also self-censures, self-annuls unconsciously the chance of producing a creative idea even “before” it can be created, that is to say that he deactivates the psychological device that can produce them. The author developed educational psychology strategies to overcome this and other aspects that limit the development of creative thinking and act.
The concept of “self-censorship of creativity” is a contribution that has important practical consequences for educational institutions, for businesses, and for people. It allows to understand better why individuals with a great creative potential have a poor, mediocre, performance, at work, in their studies, etc and why in many occasions a professional can NEVER in his whole live, tolerate any creative idea for his profession. All of us have a greater potential for creative thinking than the one we develop.
- He made a pioneer experience in being a member of the advising body of the First government Minister in the world appointed by a President, Dr. L. H. Campins, only to implement massive programs for the development of human intelligence.
The Minister, Dr. Luis Alberto Machado, held that office in Venezuela between 1979 and 1983. He implemented the most ambitious, original and massive educational program that has been carried out in the world. It consisted in potentiating, by “specific” pedagogical methods, the Development of Human Intelligence and Creativity. Experts from Harvard University, and from UNESCO, and from other internationally renowned institutions took part in this effort. The Minister, Dr. L.A. Machado was later nominated for Nobel Peace Prize for his meritorious contributions to the world in implementing this program.
References on this experience could be viewed on April 8, 2008 on Internet, at: www.newhorizons.org/future/Creating_the_Future/crfut_machado.html
- While he held office as advisor of Minister Machado, representing the Government of Venezuela, Naum Kliksberg personally advised the President of Israel, Yitzhak Navon, about the importance for the development of countries of increasing educational institutions’ efforts in improving the specific pedagogical methods that shall enable to develop, as much as possible, the students’ capacity of intelligent and creative thinking.
He also advised the Rector’s Office of the University of Bar Ilan, in Israel, about the convenience of creating a chair devoted to the subject of the Development of Human Intelligence, which would be an important and pioneer academic background worldwide, his proposal was accepted. The University created the “The Machado Chair in Human Modifiability and Development of Intelligence”, it was inaugurated with an international symposium at the University, on November, 1980, hundreds of scientists from the whole world attended, especially invited as speaker Lic. Naum Kliksberg gave the lecture: “Reflections about the Education of a Creative Professional”.
- To see Lic. Naum Kliksberg’s professional background in detail, and some of the interviews he was made in newspapers and magazines, please visit one of the sites he directs http://www.matrimoniosmixtos.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=51&Itemid=71 in Note 1.a, 1.b, 1.c (in spanish)
