Home Elements for a Diagnosis of the Spanish Educational System

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5
The teaching profession


Introduction

The conclusive declaration by the 45th meeting of the International Education Conference (Unesco, Geneva, 1996) affirmed its decision to conceive schools "as an active centre of intellectual, moral, spiritual, civic and vocational learning", which will require, among other things, "preparation and implementation of integrated policies aimed at attracting and maintaining motivated, competent men and women in the teaching profession; to reform initial and on-the-job training to put them to service before the new challenges of education; to reinforce the professional autonomy and sense of responsibility of the teaching staff and improve their situation and working conditions". When performing a diagnosis of education, all these elements deserve detailed analysis.

Thus, the Committee in charge of evaluating the teaching function among the teaching staff of Obligatory Secondary Education (ESO) understood that the essential aspects to be studied, due to their influence on the quality of education, are the following: a) initial training of the teaching staff, b) ongoing training and c) vocational and social incentive schemes.

In the first phase a study was carried out of the figure of the teacher in Obligatory Secondary Education according to the legal standards and from a pedagogical point of view. Then, using the prior studies as a starting point, it proceeded to collect information on the reality of the teaching staff (initial and ongoing training, teaching, vocational incentive schemes, etc.), and on the elements required to optimise teaching action. The means used to obtain the information were a questionnaire, several debates and diverse reports by national and international experts.


METHODOLOGICAL LINES

This is not the appropriate place to provide a detailed explanation of the methodology used. Readers who are interested may read the relevant Report, published by the INCE. All one need say at this point is that the Questionnaire included items referring to the personal and professional particulars of the teaching staff, the data of the school, the professional identity of the teacher, initial and ongoing training and syllabus planning and programming. It was answered by 3,026 teachers from 619 schools throughout Spain, except Andalusia. From the set of schools, 70% were state and 30% privately owned schools. 97% of the teachers were from schools dedicated to Secondary Education, although almost 50% are teachers at schools that also teach Primary Education. Approximately half of the teachers surveyed teachers at schools that have implemented ESO as of 1996-97, the year in which the stage was generalised; the other half is at schools that implemented the level in previous academic years. 80% of the teachers works at schools that have an Orientation Department, and 63% attends to students with special educational needs. More than 80% consider that the families of their students are predominantly middle class and low middle class. Somewhat more than half the teaching staff surveyed are women. Three quarters are aged between thirty and fifty. 65% of the teachers have a Degree as their maximum academic qualification and 27% a Diploma. Three quarters of the teaching staff belong to the Secondary Education teaching body or group and almost a quarter are Primary School Teachers. 57% of the teachers are civil servants - with a definitive or provisional post - and 30% are hired, while the rest are interns or teachers with very diverse professional circumstances. More than 60% of the teachers has more than 10 years of teaching experience. 32% has been at the same school for more than 8 years and 43% from 1 to 3 years. one must bear in mind that implementation of ESO has involved, although with a different incidence between the Autonomous Regions, obligatory transfer to High Schools of all the teaching staff from the body of Primary School Teachers who teach the first cycle, which has modified the seniority of these members at the state schools. 42% of all the teachers has been teaching ESO for 3 years or more and the rest for a year or two. 19% of teaches in both the cycles of ESO; the rest, equally, only in one of the two cycles. All the areas of Obligatory Secondary Education are represented in a similar proportion to the teaching hours each one has. Lastly, somewhat more than 50% of the teachers are tutors.

The Committee decided to have a Debate in each one of the Autonomous Regions with full competencies that participated in the research, while in the territory managed by the Ministry of Education and Culture there were two, due to the existing diversity of situations: one in Madrid, and another in Valladolid. Each Debate lasted two hours and eight members participated: a person working at the initial teacher training schools, another who taught the course to obtain CAP (Course in Pedagogical Skill), a teacher from the first cycle of ESO, another from second cycle, a school principal, an inspector, an orientation officer and a Professor from the University School of Education or Teacher Training Schools. Participation by state school civil servants and private school employees was encouraged. A moderator, who was sometimes a member of the Committee, coordinated the Debate.

All the participants in the Debates were previously sent a scheme with some questions on initial training, ongoing training and professional and social incentives, matters understood to be the most appropriate for an open discussion.

The opinion of a limited number of experts was also obtained, requesting an original, concise Report from them on the initial training or the ongoing training of the teaching staff. The commission was accepted by seven Spanish and two foreign Professors. The plural activity for which these experts was chosen is shown by the great diversity of approaches discovered when reading their proposals.

On conclusion of all these actions, the Committee carried out a detailed study of the contributions obtained and proceeded to draft this Report. However, before giving a full description and analysis of the results obtained, one must remember that the Obligatory Secondary Education teachers are required, at least in nominal terms, to perform what is expected of them.




THE FIGURE OF THE COMPULSORY SECONDARY EDUCATION TEACHER

There are now teachers in ESO with different training and from different origins, which makes it difficult to speak of a sole professional identity, at least during these first years of its implementation. This does not mean that the image of such teachers is fuzzy.

From a pedagogical point of view, the tasks of all teachers in regulated teaching has three facets. The first as a teacher; the second, tutorial activity among the students at the school; lastly, activity to collaborate in management of the school.

In teaching, the teacher’s role is to guide and orient the students in the training they are to receive. He is required on the one hand to master the subject taught, its basic scientific and ethical principles, their contribution to cultural, scientific or technological development, etc. On the other hand, he is required to have a sufficient knowledge of the mentality (psychology) of the students before him, a point that is especially important if one considers they are adolescents. He must have sufficient mastery of teaching methodology and of the psychological bases of learning. He must also be able to properly plan the process of instruction and scheduling and sequencing of the lessons he is in charge of, as well as know and apply the most adequate techniques to evaluate the results. Moreover, one must not forget that due to ESO being regarded as the end of schooling for some of the students, the teacher must also perform a key role in training citizens.

As a tutor, he is asked to have the necessary training o plan lines of tutorial action and set aims to develop the students; to apply individual and group orientation techniques for personal development; to attend to the cultural, academic and individual diversity of the students as a whole; and, lastly, to know the social setting of the families, so this may contribute efficiently to the education of the students.

However, the teacher is also a member of a group of people, which has been commissioned to jointly achieve specific educational goals. He is thus a member of an organisation aimed at a common end and, as such, must know and nature and functions of that organisation, the competencies assigned to its governing and participative bodies, the rules affecting his work. Most especially, he must be willing to participate and solve problems in day to day school life and be motivated and qualified for team work.

The legal framework of reference - the LOGSE - provides the basic elements to understand that this triple dimension we have referred to does not involve only an object of pedagogical reflection, but also a clear juridical legislation that is thus binding upon the ESO teaching staff.


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