PROBLEMS REQUIRING A SWIFT SOLUTION
- The teaching staff considers an especially relevant problem to be the timetable assigned to each of the areas. Of course, the approaches are fairly different according to the subject taught by each teacher. Although everyone has a relatively high appraisal of all the areas foreseen (even the less valued ones, such as Technology and Music), when requesting more time, this is requested above all for their own area. In any case, there is great agreement as to requesting more time for the basic and instrumental subjects, specifically Spanish Language and Mathematics. It is foreseeable that the clearly unsatisfactory results obtained by the students in these subjects reinforces this opinion, which is already present among most of the teaching staff.
- The optional subjects also give rise to peculiar problems at schools, in some cases due to excessive offer, and at others due to difficulties to attend to the demand. The latter depend on whether the teaching staff is properly qualified to teach them, as well as on the resources to be assigned to them, and the greater or lesser convenience or opportunity to organise them.
- There are two methodological problems the teaching staff especially notice. One concerns heterogeneous classes, the model the ESO reinforces by also applying it to students aged between 14 and 16; it seems clear that extending the model without having adequate resources may be a source of conflict and cause a drop in quality. The second problem is the difficulty the teachers from the previous Secondary Education have to adapt to the ESO students; this is a problem that is closely related to the deficiencies in the initial training and ongoing training that are also reported by the teaching staff, which is abundantly discussed in the part of the diagnosis on the teaching profession.
- The ways forward to diversity are also, within the context of the present laws, a fair dilemma to the teaching staff. Most specifically, the teaching staff does not consider that the syllabus diversification and compensatory vocational education programmes provide an efficient solution for a great number of studies, partially due to their being minority and inadequate, and partially because it is offered too late. The opinions seem to be in favour of opening up wider channels for diversification, perhaps facilitating greater opening in the syllabus options, especially in the 2nd cycle of ESO; other teachers clearly suggest forming differentiated groups, of the itinerary kind, in 3rd and 4th, or at least in 4th grade.
- In general terms, the teaching staff considers that the Educational Authorities and their supporting bodies grant insufficient attention and orientation to the role they play.
- The lack of definition there seems to have been, since their creation, among some important bodies to support schools is also considered as a problem that should be solved as soon as possible. Specifically, this affects particularly the Orientation Departments. According to the teaching staff, which in any case values the novelty of its existence, one would have to clearly define its functions and specific its scope of action and obligations from a more pragmatic viewpoint. For the present, the position they occupy and the activities they carry out vary significantly from school to school.
DIFFERENTIATED SITUATIONS AND POSTURES
- A comparative approximation to the attitude of state and private schools to the reform provides initial signs of a more favourable attitude among private sector teaching staff. To provide some examples, the teaching staff at state schools does not have a positive opinion of the planning formulas introduced in the reform, nor does it have a high opinion of the performance evaluation procedures set; on the other hand, it frequently notices the practical difficulties as to integration of students with special educational needs. At private schools, on the contrary, these matters do not give rise to so much argument and, in general, a greater tendency to act according to the rules of the reform is noted.
- It is also interesting to observe certain difference in attitudes between male and female teachers as to the reform. In general, the latter seem more innovative and have a better appreciation of some of the principles of the LOGSE. Male teachers, on the other hand, have a more conventional, traditional viewpoint as to academic reality, perhaps a more pragmatic one.
- There seem to be few differences between Autonomous Regions as to valuation and acceptance of the theoretical components of the reform. However, as to use of teaching techniques and resources, or to the specific way to apply certain principles (for example, that of integration of students with special educational needs), the differences are sometimes considerable and deserve more detailed study.
- The most significant differences as to the Syllabuses and Teaching Methods may be noted in those related to the two groups of teachers now assigned to ESO: those from the body of General Basic Education (EGB) teachers, and those from the body of Secondary Education teachers. The viewpoint of both groups as to the different matters concerned differs substantially, and undoubtably this could give rise to certain conflicts in the years to come, however much this is, pursuant to the laws, a transit situation.
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