Justification
This document is a Didactic Programming addressed to students of the fourth grade (Secondary Education).
This Didactic Programming is thought to be applied in a Secondary Education Centre placed in a big town where people are aware of the importance of modern languages, especially the English language. This Secondary Education Centre is well equipped and students are motivated.
Students are young people between 15 and 16 years old. At this moment, boys and girls go on acquiring physical, mental, social and language autonomy. These students are in an evolutionary period in their lives. They are gradually changing, leaving on the way their adolescence period and walking to a total responsibility of their acts; most of them are ready to study Bachillerato.
This Didactic Programming is based on:
– The Organic General Law of the Educative System (LOGSE), 1/1990, of October 3rd (BOE number 238, October 4th 1990).
– R.D. 937/2001, of August 3rd (BOE de 7-9-2001).
1. Analysis of the context
The Didactic Programming presented below is centred on Compulsory Secondary Education, on 4th grade (4º de la ESO).This Secondary Education Centre is well equipped and students are motivated.
Programming answers an attempt to rationalize teaching practice with the aim that teaching should not be carried out in an arbitrary way but rather as a plan.
The design of the programming cannot be understood as a mechanical matter, a mere technique or a concrete formula.
Programming depends on the concepts one has about teaching and more specifically about the curriculum. Thus, the curricular model will have a decisive influence on the focus and the design of the program.
The need to carry out a teaching program that standardizes the teaching-learning process is justified by very diverse reasons:
– It helps to eliminate chance and improvisation, which does not mean that everything is closed or predetermined.
– It systematizes, orders and specifies the process stated in the educational project and curricular program, with enough flexibility to leave space for creativity.
– It enables to adapt teaching work to cultural and environmental characteristics of the context.
This Secondary Education Centre has a lot of extra school activities where the AMPA (association of students’ parents) works in collaboration with teachers. This Secondary Education establishment has a group of professional teachers, some Educational Departments, the Pedagogical Coordination Commission, the Guidance Department, the Complementary and Extracurricular Activities Department…
In this establishment the school calendar is from September 15th to June 15th. The total number of direct classrooms days is about 170. The school day varies depending on pupils’ age, on the different optional subjects as well as on the more effective pupil performances and on the use of some school’s resources.
For 4th grade students, the timetable is about 30 hours per week. The Centre begins at 8 o’clock and finished at 14.30 hours. This timetable is complementary by voluntary extracurricular activities provided by parents’ association and by the Centre itself. In the afternoon the Centre remains open to foster spots, artistic activities, to stay in the library, to study in special classrooms, to do extra school activities…
Here is the organization of the center:
1. PARENTS.
2. TOWN COUNCIL.
3. AMPA (association of students’ parents).
4. SCHOOL COUNCIL.
5. PAS (administration and service workers).
6. MANAGEMENT TEAM.
7. TEACHERS’ ASSEMBLY.
8. DELEGATES’ ASSOCIATION.
9. PEDAGOGIC COMMISSION.
10. DEPARTMENTS.
– Didactic.
– Orientation.
– Extra school activities.
11. TEACHER TUTOR.
12. STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION.
13. STUDENTS.
2. Secondary Education characteristics
The stage of Compulsory Secondary Education includes four academic years that will be studied between the ages of twelve and sixteen. In any case, students will have the right to remain in ordinary schooling until the complete academic year when they reach the age of eighteen and, if the evaluation team considers that according to their attitudes and interests, they are able to obtain the degree of Graduate in Compulsory Secondary Education.
Here are the objectives of Compulsory Secondary Education:
– Transmitting to students the basic cultural elements, especially in their scientific, technological and humanistic aspects.
– Reaffirming in students study and work habits that favour individual learning and development of their capacities.
– Training them to assume their obligations and exert their rights as responsible citizens.
– Preparing them for their incorporation to higher studies and work employment with adequate guarantees.
Throughout Compulsory Secondary Education the following subjects will be taught:
a) Biology and Geology.
b) Nature Sciences.
c) Classic Culture.
d) Physical Education.
e) Plastic Education.
f) Ethics.
g) Physics and Chemistry.
h) Geography and History.
i) Latin.
j) Spanish language and Literature.
k) Foreign Language.
l) Mathematics.
m) Music.
n) Technology.
ñ) Society, Culture and Religion.
2.1. Common elements of the curriculum
– Reading comprehension and capacity to correct expression oneself in public will be developed in all the subjects of the stage. For this aim, the departments of Didactic Coordination will include, in their respective teaching programs, activities for stimulation of interest and reading habits as well as oral expression. The directors of the centres will guarantee fulfilment of this rule by drawing up and proposing for its approval by academic authorities a global activity plan whose bases will be designed by the Ministry of Education.
– As well as this, the Didactic Co-Ordination departments in such cases must include the use of information and communication technologies in the procedures that they program for teaching their respective subjects, areas and modules. The directors of educational centres will elaborate and propose, for approval by academic authorities, a global plan for using these technologies.
3. English subject characteristics in Secondary Education
The knowledge of foreign languages is an increasing necessity in the society where we are living. There are a lot of reasons: international relations, professional travels, artistic and tourist manifestations, the access to means of communication…
The knowledge of foreign languages gives the opportunity to be connected with other cultures, habitudes, idiosyncrasy and, at the same time, it favours the interprofessional relations and encourage the international spirit, the respect to other countries and, of course, to know a little better the mother tongue.
The integration in the European Union with countries of different languages fosters the necessity of knowing these languages to make an easy communication.
It is in this context that we recognize the role of foreign languages for well constructing the European identity:
– A multilinguistic and multicultural European identity.
– Free circulation of people.
– Cultural, economic and scientist cooperation.
The European Council has established a common reference for learning foreign languages. The communicative competence is composed of several sub competences:
– Linguistic competence (semantic, morphosyntactic and phonologic elements…).
– Pragmatic or discursive competence (functions, speaking acts, conversation…).
– Sociolinguistic competence (social conversations, communicative intention, registers…).
– Personal competence (family relation, individual social practices…).
– Educative, working competences.
Oral and written communication must be worked at the same time. In the first cycle, we have to give more importance to oral communication. Foreign language must be the language of communication in the classroom
As the English language is an obligatory subject, we have to take in mind that students have different capacities, different levels in communicative competence and different interests too. For this reason we can’t have only one method. We have to be opened to all kind of differences, of circumstances.
The assessment must include the main competitive abilities:
– Oral comprehension.
– Oral expression.
– Written comprehension.
– Written expression.
4. Students’ characteristics in Secondary Education
Students in this educational level are in an evolutionary period in which typical changes of adolescence occur and these changes may affect their global development as persons.
Adolescence is a period in where the following changes happen:
– Notable physical and physiological transformations are experienced.
– A new stage in thinking is accessed that will enable these students to build more elaborate reasoning.
– A decisive moment in shaping personality.
– The reference models in conduct are changing.
– The person is forced to take decisions on norms and personal behaviour models with respect to the person and others.
In the route towards adulthood, the adolescent needs autonomy to become an independent person but still maintains important ties of dependency from adults. In general, these young people feel themselves to be members of a “teenage culture”, with its own fashion and customs and they usually manifest interests that are different from those of their families.
4.1. Psychomotor development
– With the arrival of puberty and adolescence, physical appearance of boys and girls undergoes gradual changes, sexual features develop and sexual maturity is reached.
– In this stage young people grant great importance to personal appearance and compare themselves with others. Changes in the image they have of themselves can be a source of conflict associated to acceptance of their own bodies.
– This is a period in which it is important to stimulate sports and physical activity as this contributes towards acceptance of the body, favours acquiring healthy habits and it’s an important vehicle for emotional discharge and interpersonal relationships.
4.2. Cognitive development
During adolescence the transition to the period of formal thinking operations takes place. Abilities for abstract thinking start being applied in areas and activities in which the student shows highest amount of knowledge.
Here are some of the features that identify formal thinking:
– Argumentation starts as a deduction. Students start searching for the different causes that can be the explanation of a phenomenon. They select those they consider most influent and verify them.
– The capacity for isolating variables is developed and these are combined according to different possibilities and the student imagines the consequences of a hypothesis.
– Checks are made by the student’s own ideas and these are contrasted with reality in an intentional way.
– Capacity for analysis is perfected: the new stage demands approaching knowledge of the facts and things in the way a scientist would proceed.
4.3. Affective development
– The physical changes in these years have repercussions on development of affectiveness of adolescents. Their great interest and preoccupation with their physical appearance is usually because they tend to establish a direct relationship between physical appearance and social acceptance.
– Initially boys and girls observe each other. Progressively, they go accepting as they are because they abandon, in a gradual way, the opinions of others to give more importance to self-analysis.
5. Objectives: analysis and priority
Objectives are understood to be the intentions that orient the design and fulfilment of necessary activities for reaching the major educational objectives.
Objectives fulfil two essential functions:
– They serve as a guide of the contents and learning activities.
– They supply criteria for controlling these activities. In this case, the control refers to information. What has been proposed and what has been achieved is concerned as well as the causes for discrepancies if these should exist.
For the elaboration of the objectives four criteria must be considered:
– Clarity in their statement.
– Scope of the contents they belong to: concepts, procedures and attitudes.
– Types of capacity expected of the student body regarding each one of the aspects mentioned above.
– Flexibility in adapting them to individual aspects of learning.
There are several kinds of objectives:
– General objectives of the stage.
– General objectives of the subject.
– Teaching/learning objectives.
5.1. General objectives of the stage (Secondary Education)
These general objectives are based on the Organic Law 1/1990, of October 3rd, in which the Secondary Education Curriculum is established for the Compulsory Secondary Education (B.O.E. Number 238, of 4/10/1990).
a) To understand and express properly some texts and complex oral and written messages in Castilian language and in the official language of the Autonomous Community.
b) To understand a foreign language and to express correctly in it.
c) To use with a critical sense the different contents and information sources and to acquire a new knowledge by the personal effort.
d) To behave with cooperation spirit, responsibility and tolerance respecting the principle of non-discrimination between people.
e) To know, value and respect the artistic and cultural works.
f) To analyse the main factors that have an influence on social facts and to know the elementary laws of nature.
g) To understand the practice dimension of acquired knowledge and to get a basic preparation on technology area.
h) To know the beliefs, the attitudes and the elementary values belonging to our tradition and cultural patrimony, valuing them critically and choosing the better options for favouring the integral development as a person.
i) To value critically the social habits related with health, consumption and environment.
j) To know the social, natural and cultural environment where students act and use them as an instrument for their education.
k) To use physical education and sport for favouring the personal development.
5.2. General objectives of the English subject
Here are the main objectives in the Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO), R.D. 937/2001, of August 3rd, in which the Secondary Education Curriculum is established:
1. To acquire the capacity of oral and written communication in an effective way in usual communication situations through specific tasks.
2. To read several kinds of texts in a comprehensive and autonomous way so as to get to varied information sources and as a possibility to know different cultures and different ways of life from the personal ones.
3. To develop as much receptive as productive communicative skills, so as to carry out information exchanges in and out of the classroom.
4. To transfer to the knowledge of the foreign language the communication skills acquired in the mother language or in the learning of other languages to carry out interactive tasks in real or feigned situations.
5. To think about the language running as a helpful element in learning in carrying out tasks and as an instrument to develop autonomy.
6. To use learning strategies and didactic resources (dictionaries, reference books, multimedia materials, etc.) so as to look for information and to resolve learning situations autonomously.
7. To think about the own learning processes and to develop an interest to add improvements that lead to success in attaining the set out tasks.
8. To accede to the knowledge of the culture the foreign language transmits, developing respect to it and its speakers, to get a better international understanding.
9. To appreciate the foreign language value as a way of communication with people belonging to a different culture and as a becoming element of the social and interpersonal relationships.
5.3. Relation between the general objectives of the stage (ESO) and the general objectives of the English subject
The general objectives of the stage (ESO) | The general objectives of the English subject |
a) To understand and express properly some texts and complex oral and written messages in Castilian language and in the official language of the Autonomous Community. b) To understand a foreign language and to express correctly in it. c) To use with a critical sense the different contents and information sources and to acquire a new knowledge by the personal effort. | 1. To acquire the capacity of oral and written communication in an effective way in usual communication situations through specific tasks. |
2. To read several kinds of texts in a comprehensive and autonomous way so as to get to varied information sources and as a possibility to know different cultures and different ways of life from the personal ones. | |
3. To develop as much receptive as productive communicative skills, so as to carry out information exchanges in and out of the classroom. | |
4. To transfer to the knowledge of the foreign language the communication skills acquired in the mother language or in the learning of other languages to carry out interactive tasks in real or feigned situations. | |
c) To use with a critical sense the different contents and information sources and to acquire a new knowledge by the personal effort. f) To analyse the main factors that have an influence on social facts and to know the elementary laws of nature. g) To understand the practice dimension of acquired knowledge and to get a basic preparation on technology area. | 5. To think about the language running as a helpful element in learning in carrying out tasks and as an instrument to develop autonomy. |
6. To use learning strategies and didactic resources (dictionaries, reference books, multimedia materials, etc.) so as to look for information and to resolve learning situations autonomously. | |
c) To use with a critical sense the different contents and information sources and to acquire a new knowledge by the personal effort. g) To understand the practice dimension of acquired knowledge and to get a basic preparation on technology area. | 7. To think about the own learning processes and to develop an interest to add improvements that lead to success in attaining the set out tasks. |
d) To behave with cooperation spirit, responsibility and tolerance respecting the principle of non-discrimination between people. e) To know, value and respect the artistic and cultural works. f) To analyse the main factors that have an influence on social facts and to know the elementary laws of nature. h) To know the beliefs, the attitudes and the elementary values belonging to our tradition and cultural patrimony, valuing them critically and choosing the better options for favouring the integral development as a person. j) To know the social, natural and cultural environment where students act and use them as an instrument for their education. | 8. To accede to the knowledge of the culture the foreign language transmits, developing respect to it and its speakers, to get a better international understanding. |
9. To appreciate the foreign language value as a way of communication with people belonging to a different culture and as a becoming element of the social and interpersonal relationships. |
5.4. Didactic objectives
Here are some teaching/learning objectives adapted to Secondary Education, fourth year grade.
– To make the student become aware of his capacity to learn a foreign language: English.
– To establish English as a way of communication in class.
– To make the student discover the organization of his English book.
– To make the student understand the importance of phonetics, grammar and vocabulary.
– To give the student the possibility of auto-assessment.
– To give priority to oral language against written language.
– To encourage students to trust in themselves when they speak.
– To avoid ridiculous when there are oral or written mistakes.
– To develop the respect for different countries and cultures.
– To encourage the curiosity of getting to know English speaking countries.
– To promote memorizing dialogues, songs, poems…
– To encourage the student towards graded reading books.
– To make the students meet other ways of living.
– To know to discover and locate English speaking countries in a map.
– To promote the students to get profit of their mistakes and to use them as a way of learning.
– To educate towards tolerance and respect.
– To make the students be conscious of their progress.
– To make the student see that linguistic knowledge opens the door of work, trade, communication…
– To participate actively in classroom activities.
– To extract specific information from a written and oral text.
– To respect traditions and habits in the English speaking countries.
– To be aware of the importance of speaking a foreign language correctly.
6. Contents: Priority and sequence
The term “contents” refers to teaching and learning objects that society considers useful and necessary for promoting the personal and social development of all individuals. This acceptance of the concept of “contents” has two essential dimensions that stand out in the contents:
– The role that society plays in the definition of what deserves to be learnt.
– The instrumental nature of those learning objects in integral development of students.
Today, what society considers as objects for learning, overflows in an ample way the framework of what has traditionally been considered as school contents.
The instrumental nature makes obvious the close relationship that must exist between the different capacities and the concrete contents that have to be used for this aim. In this way, contents stop being ends in themselves and turn into means for achieving the proposed objectives.
These general contents are based on the R.D. 937/2001, of August 3rd, in which the Compulsory Secondary Education Curriculum is established.
1. Communicative abilities.
1. Carry out hypotheses on global contents of oral and written texts basing the arguments on both textual and contextual elements and carry out successive interventions as of what has been heard or read.
2. Understand the intentionality of the speaker when interpreting oral or written information as well as implicit messages.
3. Inference of unknown information meaning in texts by means of interpretation of linguistic elements: textual structure, formation of words, etymology, prefixes and suffixes…
4. Use of different reading strategies depending on the type of text and the finality used for reading it.
5. Use of conventions suitable for natural conversation in tasks of simulation: turn taking in speech, subject matter changing…
6. Consideration on ways of improving one’s own production both orally and in writing.
7. Transference of information from one code to another: visual to oral/written, symbolic to linguistic…
8. Valuation of formal correction in production of oral and written messages.
9. Production of oral and written texts that contain elements to give it cohesion and coherence in the textual pattern, time sequencing…
10. Structuring and organization in paragraphs of ideas one wishes to transmit, planning and development of ideas, punctuation signs, connectors.
2. Reflection on language.
A) Functions of language and grammar:
1. Describe and compare habits and lifestyles.
– Express tastes and preferences.
– Simple present for habitual actions.
– Continuous present for actions that happened recently.
– Used to+ infinitive.
2. Express events in the past or linked to the present.
– Actions in continuous past interrupted by others in simple past.
– Past perfect for, since, already, yet…
– Simple Past.
– Subject and object questions: who/what…? Speech markers…
3. Make predictions and express intentions. Express certainty and probability.
– Will.
– Be going to + infinitive.
– Continuous present.
– Temporal and conditional sentences (type I).
– May/might/can/can’t/could…
4. Express preferences and opinions. State invitations and accept or reject them.
– Interrogative pronouns.
– I love/like/enjoy/don’t like/hate + present participle (-ing)/It’s too…
– Connectors: and, but, because, so, such, both…
– Comparative and superlative adjectives.
– Formulas for expressing an invitation and answering one.
5. Express hypotheses and make recommendations.
– Conditional sentences (type II).
– Should/Shouldn’t.
6. Transmit opinions and ideas of others.
– Indirect style.
– Temporal expressions.
7. Express processes and changes.
– Passive voice in present and past.
8. Describe and identify things, places and persons..
– Relative pronouns: who/which/that/where.
– Compounds of some/any.
– Specific relative phrases.
B) Vocabulary:
1. Associated to the subjects reviewed: personal and social relationships, communications media, recreation, feelings, places, surroundings, celebrations, studies, employment world and academic environment…
2. Formulas and expressions.
C) Phonetics:
1. Pronounciation.
– Special difficult phonemes: vocalics, consonantics, diphthongs.
– Contract forms: can’t, couldn’t, won’t, wouldn’t…
– Terminations in the form of present participle: (-ing), participle of regular and irregular verbs…
– Pronounciation of weak forms: the, than, as…
2. Accenting compound words and phrases: words with over two syllables.
3. Enunciation of phrases: enunciation of questions using different verbal tenses…
4. Rythm.
3. Socio-cultural aspects.
1. Adequateness of semiotic elements such as gestured or proxemic patterns depending on the speaker and respecting ones own idiosyncrasies.
2. Use of an adequate register depending on the communication situation: formal, neutral, informal…
3. Interest in identifying socio-cultural perspectives in news or current subjects that are transmitted by communication media.
4. Recognition of socio-cultural aspects that are implicit in texts worked on: customs, traditions, celebrations…
5. Respect for difference in opinion on subjects of interest and understanding of different socio-cultural perspectives.
6. Use of the foreign language with the aim of enhancing Inter-cultural encounters: correspondence, exchanges via new technologies…
7. Value granting of the function of the foreign language in new technological communications media as an instrument that favours international relations: Internet, news groups…
8. In depth knowledge of cultural features and social behavior conduct that different groups present in the same linguistic community: similarities and differences between one’s own culture and those of people speaking other languages.
9. Positive attitude for understanding and making oneself understood in the foreign language and respecting formal and informal styles depending on the other person.
6.1. Didactic units sequence
Didactic units organization | Term |
Didactic Unit 1: The British Isles. | 1st Term |
Didactic Unit 2: The British people. | |
Didactic Unit 3: The British Government. | |
Didactic Unit 4: Talking about school | |
Didactic Unit 5: The English language. | |
Didactic Unit 6: Christmas carols. | |
Didactic Unit 7: The British climate. | 2nd Term |
Didactic Unit 8: Water, water, water! | |
Didactic Unit 9: The life of a teenager. | |
Didactic Unit 10: Keats and Chapman. | |
Didactic Unit 11: An accident. | |
Didactic Unit 12: The snare, the hedgehog. | 3rd Term |
Didactic Unit 13: American pop music. | |
Didactic Unit 14: Sir Winston Churchill and the German plan. | |
Didactic Unit 15: The old man and the sea |
6.2. Didactic units organization
1st Term
Didactic Unit 1: The British Isles.
Objectives:
– To understand and produce oral and written messages contained in the text: The British Isles.
– To increase the active vocabulary in this Didactic Unit.
– To understand and practise the grammar points of this Didactic Unit: Adverbs, expressing thanks.
– To practise the phonetic contents: intonation, rhythm, correct pronunciation in the text: The British Isles.
– Participation in all kind of activities in the English class.
– To understand and respect the socio-cultural aspects.
– To deduce the meaning of the words by the context.
Didactic Unit 2: British people.
Objectives:
– To understand and produce oral and written messages contained in the text: The British people.
– To increase the active vocabulary in this Didactic Unit.
– To understand and practise the grammar points of this Didactic Unit: Adjectives: comparative and superlative, expressing politeness.
– To practise the phonetic contents: intonation, rhythm, correct pronunciation in the text: The British people.
– Reading in a comprehensive way.
– To practise good manners in oral and written communication.
– To give the student the possibility of auto-assessment.
Didactic Unit 3: The British government.
Objectives:
– To understand and produce oral and written messages contained in the text: The British government.
– To increase the active vocabulary in this Didactic Unit.
– To understand and practise the grammar points of this Didactic Unit: question tags, expressing dislike.
– To practise the phonetic contents: intonation, rhythm, correct pronunciation in the text: The British government.
– To promote memorizing dialogues, songs, poems…
– To encourage the student towards graded reading books.
– To educate towards tolerance and respect.
Didactic Unit 4: Talking about school.
Objectives:
– To understand and produce oral and written messages contained in the text: Talking about school
– To increase the active vocabulary in this Didactic Unit.
– To understand and practise the grammar points of this Didactic Unit: Conditional sentences, asking for something.
– To practise the phonetic contents: intonation, rhythm, correct pronunciation in the text: Talking about school.
– To make the students be conscious of their progress.
– To respect traditions and habits in the English speaking countries.
– To be aware of the importance of speaking a foreign language correctly.
Didactic Unit 5: The English language.
Objectives:
– To understand and produce oral and written messages contained in the text: The English language.
– To increase the active vocabulary in this Didactic Unit.
– To understand and practise the grammar points of this Didactic Unit: Present simple, present continuous, don’t worry about it.
– To practise the phonetic contents: intonation, rhythm, correct pronunciation in the text: The English language.
– Participation in all kind of activities in the English class.
– To understand and respect the socio-cultural aspects.
– To deduce the meaning of the words by the context.
Didactic Unit 6: Christmas carols.
Objectives:
– To understand and produce oral and written messages contained in the text: Christmas carols.
– To increase the active vocabulary in this Didactic Unit.
– To understand and practise the grammar points of this Didactic Unit: Should, shouldn’t, had better, ought to, asking and giving permission.
– To practise the phonetic contents: intonation, rhythm, correct pronunciation in the text: Christmas carols.
– To practise good manners in oral and written communication.
– To memorise an English Christmas carol.
– To give the student the possibility of auto-assessment.
– To promote memorizing dialogues, songs, poems…
2nd Term
Didactic Unit 7: The British climate.
Objectives:
– To understand and produce oral and written messages contained in the text: The British climate.
– To increase the active vocabulary in this Didactic Unit.
– To understand and practise the grammar points of this Didactic Unit: Future, future continuous, going to, expressing about health.
– To practise the phonetic contents: intonation, rhythm, correct pronunciation in the text: The British climate.
– To promote memorizing dialogues, songs, poems…
– To encourage the student towards graded reading books.
– To educate towards tolerance and respect.
Didactic Unit 8: Water, water, water!
Objectives:
– To understand and produce oral and written messages contained in the text: Water, water, water!
– To increase the active vocabulary in this Didactic Unit.
– To understand and practise the grammar points of this Didactic Unit: Simple past, past progressive, prepositions, apologizing.
– To practise the phonetic contents: intonation, rhythm, correct pronunciation in the text: Water, water, water!
– To educate towards tolerance and respect.
– To make the students be conscious of their progress.
– To respect traditions and habits in the English speaking countries.
– To be aware of the importance of speaking a foreign language correctly.
Didactic Unit 9: The life of a teenager.
Objectives.
– To understand and produce oral and written messages contained in the text: The life of a teenager.
– To increase the active vocabulary in this Didactic Unit.
– To understand and practise the grammar points of this Didactic Unit: The passive voice, giving an opinion.
– To practise the phonetic contents: intonation, rhythm, correct pronunciation in the text: The life of a teenager.
– Participation in all kind of activities in the English class.
– To understand and respect the socio-cultural aspects.
– To deduce the meaning of the words by the context.
Didactic Unit 10: Keats and Chapman.
Objectives:
– To understand and produce oral and written messages contained in the text: Keats and Chapman.
– To increase the active vocabulary in this Didactic Unit.
– To understand and practise the grammar points of this Didactic Unit: Affix, prefix, suffix, homonyms, synonyms, antonyms, expressing commands.
– To practise the phonetic contents: intonation, rhythm, correct pronunciation in the text: Keats and Chapman.
– Reading in a comprehensive way.
– To practise good manners in oral and written communication.
– To give the student the possibility of auto-assessment.
Didactic Unit 11: An accident.
Objectives.
– To understand and produce oral and written messages contained in the text: An accident.
– To increase the active vocabulary in this Didactic Unit.
– To understand and practise the grammar points of this Didactic Unit: Prepositions: above, across, against, around, below, beyond, over, off, clauses of concession, asking for an opinion.
– To practise the phonetic contents: intonation, rhythm, correct pronunciation in the text: An accident.
– To promote memorizing dialogues, songs, poems…
– To encourage the student towards graded reading books.
– To educate towards tolerance and respect.
3rd Term
Didactic Unit 12: The snare. The hedgehog.
Objectives:
– To understand and produce oral and written messages contained in the text: The snare and the hedgehog.
– To increase the active vocabulary in this Didactic Unit.
– To understand and practise the grammar points of this Didactic Unit: Prepositions, expressing exclamation.
– To practise the phonetic contents: intonation, rhythm, correct pronunciation in the text: The snare and the hedgehog.
– To make the students be conscious of their progress.
– To respect traditions and habits in the English speaking countries.
– To be aware of the importance of speaking a foreign language correctly.
Didactic Unit 13: American pop music.
Objectives:
– To understand and produce oral and written messages contained in the text: American pop music.
– To increase the active vocabulary in this Didactic Unit.
– To understand and practise the grammar points of this Didactic Unit: Some, somebody …, any, anything …, no, none, expressing approval.
– To practise the phonetic contents: intonation, rhythm, correct pronunciation in the text: American pop music.
– Participation in all kind of activities in the English class.
– To understand and respect the socio-cultural aspects.
– To deduce the meaning of the words by the context.
Didactic Unit 14: Sir Winston Churchill and the German plan.
Objectives:
– To understand and produce oral and written messages contained in the text: Sir Winston Churchill and the German plan.
– To increase the active vocabulary in this Didactic Unit.
– To understand and practise the grammar points of this Didactic Unit: Direct and indirect style, expressing doubt and certainty.
– To practise the phonetic contents: intonation, rhythm, correct pronunciation in the text: Sir Winston Churchill and the German plan.
– To promote memorizing dialogues, songs, poems…
– To encourage the student towards graded reading books.
– To educate towards tolerance and respect.
Didactic Unit 15: The old man and the sea.
Objectives:
– To understand and produce oral and written messages contained in the text: The old man and the sea.
– To increase the active vocabulary in this Didactic Unit.
– To understand and practise the grammar points of this Didactic Unit: Relative clauses, expressing possibility and impossibility.
– To practise the phonetic contents: intonation, rhythm, correct pronunciation in the text: The old man and the sea.
– To make the students be conscious of their progress.
– To respect traditions and habits in the English speaking countries.
– To be aware of the importance of speaking a foreign language correctly.
7. Methodology
Pedagogic methods will be adapted to the characteristics of the students, they will favour the capacity to learn on their own and work as a team promoting creativity and dynamism and they will integrate resources of information technologies and communications in learning. Students will be initiated in knowledge and application of scientific methodology.
7.1. Methodological principles
– Teaching methodology in Secondary Education should generally aim for pupils’ development, integrating their experiences and learning.
– Teaching must be personalized and adapted to the various learning rhythms of each child.
– The teacher is responsible for the methods to be used, which in turn are to respect a series of methodological principles of a general nature proposed by various Autonomous Communities.
– Contents should be organized with a global focus.
– The teaching process is to be based on pupils’ constructive activity, ensuring that what is learnt will be of actual use and encouraging pupils to learn on their own.
7.2. Psycho-pedagogic and didactic principles
In this sense there are some psycho-pedagogic and didactic principles that must orient the educational intervention.
The educational intervention must take into account a series of basic principles that impregnate the entire curriculum:
• Need for beginning teaching with students’ real level.
The beginning of new learning at school always starts by concepts, representations and knowledge that the students have constructed in past experiences. Thus, taking into account the level of the student in elaboration and application of the program requires simultaneous attention to the two aspects mentioned above. Their level of cognitive competency, in other words, the level of development they are in and the knowledge they have constructed in the past.
• Need to insure construction of significant learning.
The teaching and learning process can give way to significant learning as well as repetitive learning. If the new learning material is associated in a significant way and not arbitrarily in such a way that the students already know that they can assimilate and become integrated in their past cognitive structure, then significant learning takes place that is capable of changing that past structure and at the same time be long lasting and solid. If, on the other hand, this connection is not reached, production will be of merely memoirist or repetitive learning, with no anchoring in the cognitive structure of the subject and condemned in general, to quick oblivion.
To insure significant learning, the following conditions must be fulfilled:
– The contents should be potentially significant, both from the point of view of the area or subject being worked upon as well as from the point of view of the psychological structure of the student body.
– It is necessary for students to have a favourable attitude to learn in a significant way. In other words, they must be motivated to connect new matter being learnt with what they already know, with the aim of modifying their knowledge structures.
Educational intervention should have as a prior objective to enable the students to carry out significant learning on their own, in other words, that they are able of learning to learn. Thus, special attention should be paid to the acquisition of cognitive strategies for planning and regulating their own learning activity.
To learn significantly means modifying knowledge schema the students already have.
• Significant learning implies an intense activity by the student
This activity consists in establishing rich relationships between new knowledge and knowledge schema that already exists. Within the constructivist framework this activity is conceived to be a process that is fundamentally internal in nature and not manipulative. Manipulation is one of the ways of the activity but it is, in no way, absolute or unique. If after manipulation the production of reflection on the action is not produced, a true intellectual activity is not being carried out.
Although in the last instance it is the student who constructs his or her knowledge, the constructive activity does not appear to be an individual activity but rather a part of interpersonal activity. Teacher/student interaction is what enables construction of knowledge by the student.
7.3. Conditions for learning
On the other hand, there are some necessary conditions for learning to take place:
– Development of motivation and organization strategies.
– Individual work and teamwork by the students and the effort and responsibility of work carried out.
• Motivation strategies.
Everyone knows and has experienced at one point or another the great importance motivation can have in any type of learning.
Directly associated with motivation is attitude. In the same way that we all know that no matter how much insistence is done, a student does not learn if he does not want to, it is also possible to state that almost any student motivated can learn, unless he has a serious deficiency.
Motivation can help overcome difficulties in aspects of learning, however the definition and study of motivation are rather complex and proving their effects is far from being a simple matter.
The socio-educational model presents four factors responsible for individual differences (diversity factors) one of these is motivation:
– Intelligence or faculty in solving problems.
– Aptitude.
– Motivation, most determining factor which will be developed in depth below.
– Anxiety, which, according to the self-discrepancy theory, is the alteration produced when comparing the current I perceived (or current knowledge) with the I that will be (what should be known or is demanded), which will also be dealt with in depth further on.
Motivation, however, is accepted as the most determining factor for achieving a high degree of competence in language.
It is possible to distinguish different types of motivation according to their sources:
a) Internal factors of the individual:
– Motivation for learning in a natural way in itself.
– Need for personal success, to be victorious, associated with personal, social and family acceptance.
– The need to avoid failure.
b) Factors that are external to the individual:
– Learning situation, in other words, the context where the teaching-learning process is developed, which includes the space, materials, companions, teacher, methodology…
– Type of activities or tasks developed.
– Ostentation of a reward, which may be affective (seeking affective answering from relevant people), cognitive (seeking academic success) or instrumental, (reflecting an interest in the goals that can be reached when learning the foreign language, better work conditions, communication with children who are abroad, access to relevant information in another language…).
– Avoiding punishment.
Types of motivation are not stable and a combination of all of these is necessary, avoiding promotion of one of them exclusively. In fact if we concentrate on one of them, for example, the cognitive one, we may favour attitudes of the “anything goes” for achieving success.
Considering all the above, we can state that motivational strategies could be:
– Knowing the motivational style of each student.
– Stimulation of the student to achieve significant learning.
– Identify their interests and use these as a starting point.
– Control factors that have a positive influence in students and their progress.
– Recognise factors in which students attribute success to. The operation of these will elevate the level of individual motivation.
As far as individual differences are concerned, each student leans towards a type of motivation with a predominance of external factors in some cases and internal ones in others.
When programming, it is necessary to take into account all the types of motivation, to design entertaining activities, a good environment in the classroom in which everyone feels good and a positive attitude towards the subject matter and all implied by it. The basic question is to detect what moves them to learn and use that as a starting point to increase their motivation in different lines.
• Individual and team work organization.
On the other hand, groupings carried out in the classroom are also important as the image that the student has of what should be known will depend on the type of relationship produced with the rest of the schoolmates, with anxiety increasing or decreasing.
Next, a detailed listing will be offered of the different distributions that can be done in the classroom, associating these with different groupings, as both aspects are inseparable:
– If our students are placed in separate tables, individual work will be carried out. We will be propitiating individual initiatives, originality, creativity, personal organization, commitments, etc.
– If the desks are placed in groups of two, work in tandem is eased. This enables high interaction between students, which favours development of cooperational attitudes, besides permitting the teacher to dedicate time to those with higher difficulties or even play the role of student/tutor in some cases.
– If four or five tables are grouped together, work in small groups will be promoted. On the one hand it is more enriching, dynamic and relaxing than working in pairs as it has more members. With the selection of members (mixed groups with constant variation of the members by using grouping dynamics) we will be propitiating habits for working in groups, commitments with others, participation in collective projects, etc.
– Forming a circle, for debates for example, or joining all the tables if it is necessary to work with a lot of material can distribute work in a large group. In both cases the teacher can be inside or outside the group. This activity has a unifying utility as all the members can interact and attitudes of respect for participation and turn taking in speech suitable for a democratic society are enhanced.
7.4. General characteristics of this methodology
Language is above all a communication system. It is therefore necessary to learn how to communicate properly (first orally, then by writing).
From this general principle, here are the main characteristics of this method:
– It is necessary to follow a direct, functional, flexible, communicative method by using the most usual audiovisual resources: video, tape recorder…
– We must never forget “the teacher is the life and soul and the driving force of the English class”.
– Learning should be personalised and adapted to the different rhythms of each child.
– Methodological guidance is inclined to a general principle: first oral communication, then the written one.
– Oral and written languages have good specified ”rules”.
– English learning should be functional, practical and useful.
– English knowledge makes easier the access to culture, knowledge, work, tourism, science, culture, institutions…
– Grammar, phonetic, lexical and textual subjects must be analysed in situation and with the oral and written peculiarities.
– Grammar is also a mean of communication. Consequently, it is necessary the analysis it from a communicative, situational point of view.
– It is necessary to look for learning an active, autonomous, useful and practical English.
– It is necessary to give more importance to communications than to forms, to oral language than to the written one.
– Making errors is part of every learning process. It is better to avoid them.
– Teacher must be the “driving force” and the guide to this learning. He is himself the head of the planning, of the methodology, of the efficient running of the class.
– Authentic motivation must come from the real necessity of the English language in everyday life: science, culture, tourism, work, society, institutions…
– Cultural contents are full part of the matter to teach because they make up a part of the components of the communicative competence. “Civilization” knowledge is melted with linguistic knowledge.
7.5. English Specific Methodology for Students in Secondary Education 4th year grade (ESO)
Historically, didactics is based on several linguistic and psychological theories applied more or less strictly to methodologies: the direct method, the audio-lingual method, the audio-visual method… They come from the structural linguistic theories and the behaviourism tendencies of learning. Communicative methods come from cognitive and constructivism theories and promote a functional teaching.
The current tendency is to Methodological Flexibility, which is coming from direct, audio-lingual, audio-visual, structural and behaviourism tendencies theories of learning. Communicative methods come from cognitive, constructivism theories and promote a functional teaching.
Here are the main points of the proposed methodology:
1. Strategies to access to oral and written sense.
a) To oral sense:
In the first years of learning, oral comprehension and expression must be a priority in opposition to written language (first oral language, then the written one).
Here are some strategies to make easier the access to sense:
– Visual and voiced supports to make easier the understanding.
– To leek vocabulary to avoid unknown words.
– The teacher should use resources with gestures.
– In the first years of learning, it is just necessary to assure that communication is correctly interpreted and that the principal message has been decoded. Later, we will be more demanding.
– It is necessary to choose subjects close to students “vital worries”.
– It is necessary to check regularly the oral comprehension level.
– From a communicative perspective that gives priority to oral language, phonetic correction must be privileged. So, to access to oral sense the phonological system is very important.
– The verb-tone system corrects the phonetic mistakes.
b) To Written Sense:
Comprehension strategies in written language are more important as we go into linguistic knowledge.
Here are some strategies to make easier the access to sense:
– Read small-illustrated books that reuse already known vocabulary and expressions.
– Ask to read the instructions of the exercises whose sense is easy to deduce due to the context.
– Ask to look for some information in the small texts guiding the student with some questions.
– Checking written comprehension is assured through the questions of the comprehension, texts to be filled due to the sense…
2. The Acquisition of a Communicative Competence.
In a secondary school context, it is difficult to express oneself in English. Consequently, the communicative competence should be done in feigned situations; most of them are frequently recorded or written. If these situations are appealing, the student will get into the methodological game.
a) Communicative Competence in Oral Language:
It is necessary to make use of characters, of images close to young people that can invite them to oral communication. Students get into the skin of these characters and they make them speak, they give another way to these characters when creating a nearly real communicative situation.
Here are some principles:
– In the English class, the code of communication is always the English language.
– It is necessary to transform the space of the class into a place of immersion towards communication in English: posters, photos, objects…
– In this communication, messages should be short to allow fast exchanges, orders, instructions…
b) Communicative competence in written languag:
As it happens in oral communication, the development of a competence in written communication has to pass through the creation of situations in class that cause written communication situations.
Here are some principles:
– The creation of small texts: a letter, the menu for a restaurant, slogans…
– These small tests are going to introduce the students towards deeper written situations: writing, composition, comments…
3. Development of knowledge.
Linguistic knowledge is centred in four language competences:
– Oral and written comprehension.
– Oral and written expression.
4. Reflection on the language.
These are everyday exercises (oral and written language) that lead the students to reflect on the language running.
5. A spiral progression.
In foreign language, progression should be done in spiral, that is to say, to incorporate and enrich contents progressively. This way of progression is applied above all to vocabulary and syntax. We pass from the comprehension of mini-texts to small texts, then to medium texts and finally to large and complex texts. It is the linguistic philosophy of a planned balance.
6. Learning assessment.
Assessment is an important point in this methodology.
Here are the main objectives of assessment:
– To help the teacher to know better the potential of his class, to measure the results of his teaching.
– To help the student to auto-assessment, to know their strong and weak points, to adapt his learning process to improve the results by correcting the errors…
– Diagnostic assessment is used to improve the knowledge of the potential of the class at the beginning of the learning stage. It will permit to adopt measures to attend the so wanted objectives.
– Formative assessment will permit to measure progressively the acquisitions and to change learning dynamics.
– Final assessment will permit to measure the acquisitions at the end of a learning stage (every three months, annually…).
– Auto-assessment and co-assessment permit to share evaluation criteria between the teacher and the students. They approach teaching poles and practice towards autonomy.
7. Administration of space and technology.
The space in the class can be made profitable to make easier the active use of language. In certain classes it is allowed space diversification (a space for a video, a laboratory, a computer, a library…). Other classes just have a minimum space: the tables, the chairs and the blackboard. But all of them have walls and adjacent corridors where they can put their works…
The space – class can be opened to overseas: a journey to Great Britain with the students (saved until students had an important linguistic knowledge), the attendance to cultural events, the organisation of letter exchanges with Anglo speaking students…
8. Effort and work responsibility.
In the reasoning exposition of Organic Law 12/2002, five main points are mentioned around which the Law is shaped. Specifically, in the first axis which orients the objectives of the Law, an allusion to values is stated and established that:
“… The Law is sustained (…) by the conviction that values from efforts and personal exigencies constitute basic conditions for the improvement of the educational system…”.
“…effort cultivation is a guarantee of personal progress because without an effort there is no learning…”.
“…it is precisely a climate which does not recognize the value of effort one which is most damaging for underprivileged social groups. On the other hand, in an orderly school climate, affective yet demanding, and which enjoys at the same time efforts on behalf of the students as well as transmission of positive expectations by the teacher. The school institution is capable of compensating differences associated to social origin factors”.
“The consideration of responsibility and effort as elements that are essential to the educational process”.
“All the students have the right for their dedication and effort be valued and recognized objectively (…), study is a basic obligation of the student”.
8. Extra school and complementary activities
During this 4th grade of Compulsory Secondary Education, we are going to analyse and discuss in the classroom or outside the classroom the following questions. For doing these extra activities we are going to use: videos, films, magazines, complementary books…
1st Term.
– Geographical aspects of Great Britain.
– The British Isles.
– The countryside.
– The coastlines.
– British people: heritage and culture.
– Welsh people.
– Scots.
– The British Government:
– The Houses of Parliament.
– The House of Commons.
– The House of Lords.
– Well – mannered expressions, politeness.
– Education in Great Britain.
– States schools (run by the government).
– Public schools (private centres where parents have to pay).
– Eton, Harrow, Stowe…
– Kindergarten from the age of two or three until the age of five.
– Primary school from six to twelve.
– Secondary Schools from twelve to sixteen.
– The British Language:
– English language: a symbol of power.
– The British Commonwealth.
– William Shakespeare.
– Christmas in English speaking countries:
– Father Christmas.
– Santa Claus.
– Christmas carols.
– Christmas pudding.
– Christmas tree.
2nd Term.
– British climate.
– The variety of climate.
– “It rains cats and dogs”.
– “It never rain it pours” .
– Life in English speaking countries: Ireland.
– Some history facts.
– Geographical situation.
– Dublin.
– Trinity College, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Christ Church…
– Northern Ireland (Belfast).
– Teenagers in Great Britain:
– Spots and leisure activities.
– Hobbies.
– Pop music.
– Amusements for young people.
– London.
– The capital.
– London and the river Thames.
– The Parliament: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
– The parks of London.
– Shopping areas.
– Buckingham Palace.
– Life in English speaking countries: Scotland.
– Edinburgh.
– The Loch Ness monster.
– The mystery of the “Nessie”.
3rd Term
– Life in English speaking countries: USA.
– Some history facts.
– Geographical situation.
– Washington.
– New York.
– Socio-cultural aspects: American pop music.
– Bob Dylan.
– James Bond.
– Louis Armstrong.
– Duke Ellington.
– F. A. Sinatra.
– Rock- and- roll.
– Folk-music.
– Soul music.
– Britain in the Second World War.
– Sir Winston Churchill.
– American literature.
– Ernest Hemingway: life and works.
– Hemingway in Spain.
– “The old man and the sea”.
9. Assessment
9.1. Assessment concept
The teachers carry out assessment in Secondary Education. They have to evaluate pupils’ learning as well as their own teaching practices.
An initial pupil assessment is to be carried out at the beginning of the stage, serving as a springboard for subsequent learning.
Assessment of pupil learning process should be continuous and global and will be performed taking into account the education objectives and the assessment criteria laid down in the curriculum.
The evaluation of pupils’ marks is expressed in terms going from 0 to 10 points.
9.2. Assessment characteristics
Here are indicated the main characteristics of the evaluation and promotion in this stage (Obligatory Secondary Education).
– The evaluation of learning for students in Secondary Education will be constant and differentiated according to the different subjects, environments and modules of the curriculum.
– Teachers will evaluate students taking into account specific objectives and knowledge acquired in each one of the subjects, environments and modules according to evaluation criteria established in the curricula for each grade and which are specified in the didactic programs.
– Assessment will be carried out by the evaluation team which will be formed by the group of teachers in each student group coordinated by the tutoring teacher and receiving assessment from the Orientation Department. The respective teacher will decide upon qualifications of the subjects and environments and modules in such cases. Remaining decisions will be adopted by consensus.
– Teachers, besides the learning by students, will also evaluate teaching processes and their own teaching practice in relation with the achievements of the educational objectives in the curriculum. Equally, they will evaluate the efficiency of didactic programming with regards to the characteristics of the educational centre and school surroundings as well as the educational needs of the students.
9.3. Assessment criteria
These general assessment criteria are based on the R.D. 937/2001, of August 3rd, in which the Secondary Education Curriculum is established:
1. Communicative abilities.
– To extract general and specific information, the main and secondary ideas from oral messages about familiar themes for students or having a relation with habitual aspects coming from countries where English language is spoken. To extract information from all kind of real written texts coming from different countries (descriptive, narrative, argumentative, explicative texts), making a difference between facts and opinions and identifying the main arguments expressed by the author.
– Participating in conversations and use correct strategies to begin, maintain and progress on communication making a comprehensible speech adapted to the situation characteristics and the communicative intention.
– Reading in an autonomous way different kind of materials adapting them to the different intentions (consult, information research, detailed and pleasant reading…
– Produce written texts following the different communicative intentions and respect the elements assuring cohesion and coherence in the text so that the reader may easily understand it.
2. Reflection on language
– To use consciously the acquired knowledge about the new linguistic system as a control and an auto correction instrument of the personal productions and as a resource for a better understanding of other students’ productions.
– To reflect on the regularities and exceptions of the foreign language linguistic system.
– To show an enough conceptualisation grade in relation to functions of language, linguistic elements, formats and characteristics of the texts, cohesion and coherence in the discourse.
– To include in a conscious way already applied learning mechanisms (to make deductions, inductions, to classify, to establish categories, to form words) in new learning situations.
3. Sociocultural aspects.
– To identify and interpret cultural references based on linguistic and non-linguistic keys that help to understand them.
– To recognize sociocultural elements in the information transmitted from communication media about current affairs.
– To show a critic, reflexive and respectful sense towards the differences in opinion that are based on sociocultural differences.
– To value positively the enrichment with which other cultures contribute to ours and vice versa, appreciating the advantages offered in intercultural exchanges.
9.4. Promotion
At the end of each cycle, and as a consequence of the assessment process, a decision is made regarding pupil promotion to the following cycle, providing that the corresponding objectives are considered to have been reached.
If the objectives haven’t been reached, the pupil may be held back one academic year in the same cycle. This decision may only be implemented once during the entire level and must be made by the form teacher taking into account the reports of the remaining teachers in the group.
When this decision implies non-promoting to the following cycle or level, pupil’s parents or the legal guardians must be consulted and complementary educational measures must likewise be drawn up, aimed at the pupils attaining the educational objectives. Along the same lines, if during the process of continuous assessment the progress of a pupil is deemed as not responding to the objectives programmed, teachers may adopt suitable educational reinforcement measures, and if the case warrants, curricular adaptation measures.
9.5. Development of the assessment process
It is the teacher’s task to carry out evaluation of the students and inform the parents with regularity. This information will refer to objectives stated in the didactic programming and progress and difficulties detected in achievement of these.
A continuous evaluation has to contemplate:
a) Initial evaluation.
– This is carried out at the start of each one of the educational phases (stage, cycle, course or didactic unit). In the case of starting a new stage, it will include information about schooling, school history, medical data and psycho-pedagogic information of interest for school life and all will be stated in the academic file.
– This will supply information about prior knowledge and determine the starting level.
– Supply orientation in decision taking about objectives, contents, methodologies, classroom organisation…
– Help adjusting actuations to need, interests and possibilities of the students.
b) Progress evaluation.
– This extends throughout the educational process.
– Supplies information about how the process is developing.
– Includes all the factors that intervene in the process.
– Diagnoses needs and difficulties as well as determining the source of these.
– Orients modifications to be introduced in the progress to regulate the process and overcome difficulties. The didactic objectives will guide the educational intervention and constitute an immediate reference point for continuous evaluation, enabling finding most suitable evaluation procedures for the objectives.
c) Final evaluation.
– This takes place at the final stage of learning.
– It evaluates learning carried out using as references evaluation criteria that judges the development degree of capacities and the assimilation of contents.
– It is a synthesis of continuous evaluation that reflects the final situation of the process.
– Orients planning of new teaching and learning sequences.
10. Cross- curricular themes
In the curriculum there is a general concept that is called cross-curricular themes and which must impregnate the entire educational practice and be present in the different areas, subjects, environments or modules. Their inclusion is an attempt to reduce some social needs inherited from traditional culture and attempt to transform them via education in values.
Cross-curricular subjects within the curriculum are contents of teaching subjects that must form part of the activities stated in all the areas, subjects or modules. Their inclusion means formalizing an education in values and attitudes that is not temporary but constant throughout each grade level. It is important to be conscious in not imposing these values in an authoritarian way but as a continuous set of attitudes that are self-imposed by one’s own free will.
Cross-curriculum subjects are an opportunity to globalise teaching and carry out a truly interdisciplinary programming.
These subjects have the advantage and at the same time the inconvenience that they are important in society, in family, in communications media, with friends. The advantage is that we start from interests that are close to the students and the inconvenience that they can be implicit theories that arise out of their context.
Cross subjects proposed by the Ministry of Education are:
– Environmental education.
– Education for peace.
– Consumer education.
– Road education.
– Education for equal opportunities between sexes.
– Health education.
– Sexuality education.
– Moral and civic education.
– Culture in the Autonomous Regions.
10.1. Environmental education.
Students need to understand the relationship with the surroundings we are immersed in and get to know environmental problems and individual and collective solutions to improve our environment. It is necessary personal solidarity and participation in environmental issues that are degrading our planet at a worrying speed.
10.2. Education for peace
“Creation of activities that stimulate dialogue as a privileged way in the resolution of conflicts between people or social groups is a basic goal in education”. At the school there are many people that share space and time with interests that are not always similar. So, school is an ideal place for learning basic coexistence attitudes: solidarity, tolerance, respect for diversity, capacity for dialogue and social participation.
10.3. Consumer education
Consumerism is present in our society and has reached points of accumulating products one does not need in an almost automatic and unthinking way due to lack of education. It is necessary to give students instruments to think about excessive consumerism of unnecessary products.
10.4. Road education
Knowledge and use of public roads is, especially in large cities, a question of great importance. So, education in this subject must start in the schoolroom.
10.5. Education for equality of opportunities between sexes
The Spanish Constitution commences with the right of equality without distinction between sexes, races or beliefs. However, a part of society is still anti-feminine, racist and intolerant. It is indispensable to transmit to students this right of humanity. Discriminations derived from belonging to a certain sex is of such a social magnitude that it justifies its entity as a subject in its own.
10.6. Health education
In school it is necessary to create from infancy on, physical hygiene habits, mental and social habits must be created to develop self-esteem and improve life quality.
10.7. Moral and civic education
This is the referential axis around which the rest of the cross subjects are articulated around as its two dimensions include the set of basic features of the model of person that actively participates in solving social problems. The moral dimension promotes ethical judgment according to democratic, common and participatory values and the civic aspect insides on these same values in daily living conditions.
11. Attention to diversity and specific educational needs
This principle rests on a very simple philosophy: the English teachers often complain about students’ previous knowledge. They say it is heterogeneous and that learning procedures are diversified due to each individual’s profiles and learning styles. Homogeneity in a foreign language class does not exist.
Here are some of the principles to treat diversity:
– To admit the existence of diversity.
– To adapt pedagogic and methodological involvement to answer the necessities of every student.
– To develop the cooperation and solidarity among the levels which will be considered complementary and never as inferiors or superiors.
– Negative opinions about the capacity of comprehension or production of a classmate are not allowed in class.
– To permit as much liberty as possible when expressing oneself.
– To favour auto-evaluation and co-evaluation.
We must dedicate attention to students with specific educational needs. These needs must be included in the Didactic Programming and are centered around four elements of attention:
– Attention to equal opportunities for a quality education.
– Attention to foreign students.
– Attention to intellectually gifted students.
– Attention for students with special educational needs.
11.1. Attention to equal opportunities for a quality education.
Necessary actions will be developed and resources and supports will be supplied to enable compensating the effects in situations of social disadvantage for achieving the educational objectives and training foreseen for each one of the levels in the educational system.
Singular procedures will be adopted in school centres or geographic areas in which, due to socio-economic and socio-cultural characteristics of the population, a differentiated educational intervention is necessary with special attention being paid to the guarantee of equal opportunities in rural world. In such cases, material resources and necessary teachers will be supplied and it will be provided technical and human support necessary for achievement of the educational compensation.
11.2. Attention to foreign students
Incorporation to the educational system will favour students from other countries especially those in age of compulsory education. For students that do not know Spanish language and culture, or who present serious lacking in basic knowledge, specific learning programs will be designed with the aim of easing integration of these students in the corresponding levels. These programs can be taught in specific class rooms established in the centres that teach in ordinary regimes. Development of these programs will be simultaneous to that of schooling of students in ordinary groups, according to the level and evolution of their learning.
11.3. Attention to intellectually gifted students
With the aim of offering a more suitable educational solution for these students, necessary measures will be taken to identify and evaluate in an early stage their needs and rules will be established to give flexibility the duration in each one of the levels and stages of the educational system, leaving to one side the age of these students.
11.4. Attention for students with special educational needs
Students with special educational needs that require, in a period of their schooling or throughout their education, and particularly referring to evaluation, certain supports and specific educational attention because they have physical, psychic, sensorial handicaps or have serious personality or behaviour disorders will have specialised attention, according to the principles of non-discrimination and normalization of education and with the aim of achieving their integration. To this effect, these students will receive precise aid in the moment of their schooling or when their needs have been detected.
Students with special educational needs will be schooled according to their characteristics and will be integrated in ordinary groups, in specialised classes in ordinary centres, in special educational centres or in combined schooling.
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