Postgraduate overcoming strategy for the primary teacher from the work of Eloína Miyares Bermúdez

Abstract

Introduction: This study addresses the problem of deficiencies in the linguistic training of primary school teachers graduating in Cuba, which limits their ability to serve as models of communicative competence in the classroom. The research aims to develop a postgraduate professional development strategy based on the pedagogical-linguistic work of Eloína Miyares Bermúdez, whose specialized texts—such as the School Dictionaries, the "VAL-Cuba Vaccine" methodology, and the "Reverse Vocabulary and Anagrams"—represent essential contributions to orthographic and lexical work, although they are scarcely known and used by teachers. Materials and Methods: The research, with a dialectical-materialist approach, employed theoretical methods such as hermeneutic-dialectics and analysis-synthesis, along with empirical methods that included document analysis, surveys, and interviews applied to a purposive sample of 60 teachers who graduated from four primary schools in Santiago de Cuba. Results: The diagnostic assessment revealed that over 95% of teachers have very limited knowledge of Miyares's work, are unaware of the usefulness of his texts, and lack access to this bibliography, resulting in insufficient use for their own professional development and teaching practice. Discussion: To address this problem, a flexible and collaborative professional development strategy was designed and partially implemented in three stages, including a postgraduate course, workshops, and conferences. The implementation demonstrated high teacher participation, noticeable improvements in spelling and vocabulary, and greater integration of Miyares's texts into their pedagogical practice, validating the relevance and feasibility of the proposal. Conclusions: It is concluded that the professional development strategy based on the systematization of Eloína Miyares Bermúdez's work constitutes an effective solution to the identified deficiencies, contextualizes her linguistic and didactic legacy, and stands as a valuable resource for the ongoing professional development of primary school teachers, in accordance with the current demands of the Cuban education system.