Over the course of the classes regarding
curriculum design, I have been struck by the differences between the systems
here in Spain and in my own country, Northern Ireland. The modes of organisation are quite
different and so I decided to dedicate this blog post to discussing in very
general terms some of the stand-out differences between the two systems.
Firstly, as we are talking about the context
of language teaching, it’s important to set out the current situation of
foreign languages in both places.
By law, every primary school in Galicia must include a foreign language
in all levels. This is usually
English and children receive 2 hours a week of classes.
In Northern Ireland, there is no statutory
requirement for a foreign language in primary schools, although some schools do
have after-school clubs in French or Spanish. In England and Scotland, by contrast,
primary schools are expected to offer a foreign language at primary level. The
Primary Modern Languages Programme (PMLP) was established in Northern Ireland
in 2007 and was offered in approximately half of primary schools, but it came
to an end in 2015 - due to lack of funding.
In Galicia, students continue their first
foreign language throughout ESO and onto Bachillerato. They have the option to choose a second
foreign language. Many schools are
now plurilingual, offering at least a third of classes in a foreign
language. In Northern Ireland,
students in Year 8 start a foreign language - historically this has always been
French. In Year 9 they choose either
German or Spanish. At the end of
year 9 they must choose their subjects for GCSE qualifications which they will
study for during year 10 and 11.
Their GCSEs must include at least one foreign language. For year 12 and 13, students specialize
and usually choose four AS-Levels and then continue with three of them into
A-Level. As there are so few
subjects, languages are not obligatory after 16.
It goes without saying that the lack of
language provision in Northern Ireland is a serious handicap for its
development.
In terms of deciding on the form and content
of the curriculum, in Spain, the government issues organic laws and royal
decrees. The Ministry for
Education issues decrees, orders, resolutions and dispositions, the autonomous
governments in turn also issue decrees, orders, resolutions and
dispositions. Finally, the centres
decide their education plan and projects based on the above and establish the
curriculum for the centre. In
Northern Ireland, education is a devolved issue under the Good Friday Agreement
so since 1998, responsibility for education lies with the Department of
Education. Further and Higher
Education (professional training and university level) are the responsibility
of the Department for the Economy. The Education Authorities are then responsible
for implementing and supporting the curriculum in distinct areas of the
province. The CCEA publishes
information about the curriculum, advises the government and also creates and
assesses the external exams. The
various non-statutory councils lobby on behalf of the groups they
represent.
Types of school is a much simpler business in
Galicia than in Northern Ireland.
Parents have the choice of a public, semi-private or private schools. In
Northern Ireland, things are a lot more complicated, in large part because of
the political nature of Northern Ireland.
Within the public schools sector there is a choice of Controlled (mainly
Protestant) Catholic Maintained (mainly Catholic) or Integrated (a mixture of
both religions but there are traditionally very few schools of this kind) and
finally Irish Medium (Just one at secondary level, in Belfast.) Voluntary Grammar Schools are
either fully or partly funded by the government depending on their structure. However, students must pass an entry
exam in order to get in. This is a
vestige of the old 11+ exam or transfer test that was effectively, but not
entirely, abolished in 2008. The
11+ was a controversial exam because many felt it was not fair on primary aged
children to sit an exam that would decide the rest of their academic
career. The test was abolished
while the nationalist Sinn Fein party held the seat for Education Minister, but
it was passed as a regulation rather than a legislation because it wouldn’t
have received support from Unionists, who are broadly in support of the
test. Thus, schools have set up
their own entry tests. This is
just one example of how the to-ing and fro-ing of politics is Northern Ireland
is detrimental to society.
The objectives for the Spanish education
system as set out in the Decreto 86/2015, do 25 de xuño for ESO (Artículo 10)
and for Bachillerato (Artículo 26) are meticulous in their scope and count 14
for ESO and 15 for Bachillerato.
In Northern Ireland, the aim of the curriculum is stated simply as “to
empower young people to achieve their potential and to make informed and
responsible decisions throughout their lives.” There are then three objectives:
- To develop a young person as an individual
- To develop the young person as a contributor to society
- To develop the young person as a contributor to the economy and environment
These are then elaborated into key elements
(Statutory Curriculum for Key Stage 3 p. 3)
Between the two areas there are of course some
common elements. As can be
expected, tolerance, respect and mutual understanding figure highly in
both. However, the Northern
Ireland curriculum is more explicit in the economic aspect of education and
includes the key elements of employability and economic awareness. In Galicia, gender equality is
specified but in Northern Ireland no mention at all is made. In Galicia, knowledge of Galician,
Castellano and another language are key to the objectives. In Northern Ireland no mention at all
is made in this section. In general, the objectives in Galicia are much more
concrete and specify certain areas, whereas in Northern Ireland they are much
more general.
The LOMCE sets out seven key competencies
which must be evaluated at all stages.
The Northern Ireland curriculum sets out three main Cross-Curricular
Skills and three Other Skills, however, only the Cross-Curricular Skills are
evaluated.
Conspicuous by its absence in Northern Ireland
is Learning to Learn, so important in the Spanish context. Also absent is sense of initiative and
entrepreneurial spirit and Cultural awareness and expression.
Perhaps the biggest difference between the two
systems is the approach to contents.
The Education (Curriculum Minimum Content) Order (Northern Ireland) 2007,
covers Key Stage 1 to 4 (Primary to end of ESO.) Where the Decreto 86/2015, do
25 de xuño covers ESO and Bachilerato.
The order from Northern Ireland is a mere 69 pages, with a table for
foreign languages for each stage.
The Decreto, sets out its minimum in no less than 1582 pages. This for me has been the most
surprising difference. In Spain
and Galicia, every content, every aspect of evaluation is meticulously
outlined. From my point of view, such painstaking detail can end up causing
more confusion as teachers frantically try to ensure they join the dots between
contents, key skills, evaluation criterias and standards of learning. (that’s certainly been my experience so
far!). That being said, schools in
Spain have far more control over the delivery of the curriculum and as long as
they follow guidelines they can execute the content in whatever way they see
fit. In Northern Ireland, it is
all too easy for teachers in Key Stage 4 to fall into “teaching the exam”
mode.
The methodology in Spain is geared towards the
following area:
- Active and inclusive methodology that encourages individual and cooperative work
- A coordinated multidisciplinary approach
- Personalised attention to meet individual needs
- Special attention to the acquisition and development of competencies
- Promotion of correct oral and written expression
- Audiovisual communication
- Information technology and communication
- Entrepreneurship and civic education
- Integrated activities (project methodologies)
In Northern Ireland, the following areas are
underlined at Key Stage 3 level.
- Investigating & problem solving
- Linked to other curriculum areas
- Relevant and enjoyable
- Media-rich
- Skills integrated
- Active and hands on
- Offers choice
- Challenging and engaging
- Supportive environment
- Culturally diverse
- Positive reinforcement
- Varied to suit learning style
- On-going reflection
- Enquiry based
As mentioned previously, teaching at Key Stage
4 is geared towards completing the GCSE exams so the areas above sometimes take
second place to exam training.
Evaluation and Assessment
Another huge difference between the two
regions is the approach to evaluation.
While the LOMCE sets out proposals for external tests at the end of each
stage of education, they have yet to be fully implemented. Tests at primary level would be purely
informative and would have no bearing on the progress of the child to the next
level. The reválidos or final
exams for ESO and Bachillerato have not been applied fully but the expectation
is the students will have to take them in 2018. The exams have faced fierce opposition with teacher and student
organisations going on strike in protest. Confusion reigns, but it seems that
tests at the end of ESO will not be obligatory for everyone, only those in 4th
of ESO that have been selected will take it, it will be limited to the core
subjects and it will have no effect on neither their academic results nor their
academic record. The final
evaluation in Bachillerato will essentially be the new selectividad and thus
will only be required for students wishing to gain access to a university
course. Thus, as it stands,
gaining qualifications to prove the completion of obligatory and
post-obligatory secondary education depends entirely on the exams set by the
centres themselves. This is a
world away from the situation in Northern Ireland. At the end of obligatory education, students sit the GCSE
exams - usually 10 subjects but can be as low as 5 and up to 12. Maths, English and sciences are
obligatory and students usually take one language, history or geography, an
arts subject and technology. By law, religious education must be offered and
many schools make it obligatory at GCSE - however, parents do have the right to
withdraw their child if they wish. There are up to 60 qualifications available,
some academic and others vocational or applied. Assessment is based on a final exam, set by the CCEA and elements
such as coursework, fieldwork, experiments and investigations carried out over
the two years before. Students can then choose whether to continue into
AS/A-Level or into higher education.
At AS-Level, students usually choose 4 subjects and continue with either
3 or 4 at A-Level. (3 A-levels are
necessary for most universities, but places at Oxbridge or for medicine or law
usually require 4.) There is no minimum content set by the Department for
Education, except physical education and students work towards the exams held
at the end of each year, again set by CCEA. As students choose so few subjects, they specialize earlier
but miss out on breadth of knowledge that Spanish students receive.
From my point of view, there are several
benefits and drawbacks from both systems.
The system in Spain offers a more integrated
approach and allows for more cooperation between subjects which facilitates
project based work and CLIL. I do
believe however, that some form of external examination at the end of
obligatory education is necessary, not least because placing the responsibility
for this on the centres can lead to some irregularities in the consistency of
the qualifications and it is difficult to ensure their homogeneity.
That being said, in Northern Ireland there are
probably too many external examinations.
That access to some schools post-primary is still based on academic
achievement at 11 years old is a scandal. However, the fact that everyone takes
the same English, Maths or Science exam etc. at GCSE means that everyone is
judged by the same benchmark, which also allows parents to choose the school
that is best for their child by comparing results.
From a languages point of view, Spain
obviously surpasses Northern Ireland in spades. Added to that the ambitious EDUlingüe 2020 plan from the
Xunta de Galicia and Northern Ireland is in danger of falling even further
behind its UK and European counterparts.
(Selected Bibliography)
(Selected Bibliography)
http://www.stran.ac.uk/media/media,748093,en.pdf Review of
Current Primary Languages in Northern Ireland (2017)
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