2023-12-14 19:40:07
The Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) considers that the confusion of teachers when incorporating new didactic approaches into their work is one of the causes of the lack of knowledge among students of the Spanish language, both in its oral and written expression. Among other factors that contribute to ignorance of the Spanish language and literature, academics cite “the emergence of multiculturalism and diversity” in classrooms, “as well as the programs that their indispensable development requires.”
These are some of the conclusions contained in the study ‘The teaching of language and literature in Spain, with special attention to the use, knowledge and learning of Spanish’, a study that above all collects opinions from the members of the RAE rather than recommendations based on statistics. “The ability to relate concepts, phenomena, problems and even disciplines can be considered a competence, but it can only be achieved by professionals who know in a certain depth the contents that articulate each of these subjects,” argues the RAE, which feels that there has been a “relationship at the level of demand.”
The director of the RAE, Santiago Muñoz Machado, demanded, not without much skepticism, the signing of an educational State pact, while denouncing the lack of professionalization of teachers. Another evil that deteriorates education, according to the RAE, is the precariousness of teaching work, in many cases “not sufficiently remunerated”, a circumstance that leaves very little time to prepare classes and to delve deeper into the content of their respective subjects.
“It is unfortunate, in our opinion, that pedagogical renewal courses and those related to the use of new technologies are much more frequent among us than those that focus on updating teaching subjects.” Sometimes teachers are offered ‘coaching’ and ‘mindfulness’ courses instead of those intended for training and updating knowledge related to their subject.
For the organization, the educational system suffers from an imbalance between the acquisition of skills, on the one hand, and new content, on the other. “In many faculties of Education it is understood that students should not be presented with new content, but only teaching strategies aimed at applying what they already have.”
Teaching load
According to academic Salvador Gutiérrez, director of the ‘Español al día’ department, a greater teaching load of the subject of literature and Spanish language is necessary, so that students have more time for practical classes.
The study deplores the interpretation that learning must be an experience that is approached through play, “rather than as a process that requires attention, concentration and effort.” «It would, of course, be very unfortunate if the natural tendency of students to opt for the simple and to avoid perseverance or effort (with the important exceptions that should be noted) were implicitly supported by an educational system that could sometimes give the impression of considering personal effort or self-demand relatively secondary.
In addition, academics reject the replacement “of reasoning with the free expression of emotions.” “The development of articulated thinking requires establishing chains or hierarchies between ideas, a process that clashes head-on with the spontaneous expression of any unargued impression,” the document states.
“In many faculties of Education it is understood that students should not be presented with new content, but rather with teaching strategies”
The RAE argues that the enthronement of the immediate and instant access to information results in the disinterest of students, seduced by tools such as ChatGPT, which they resort to to do academic work. «A few years ago, students argued that the existence of calculators made memorizing multiplication tables unnecessary. Today they also often argue that word processors correct many spelling mistakes (which, in their opinion, would make it unnecessary to memorize spelling rules), and they will soon argue—one might think—that recent developments in artificial intelligence make it unnecessary to learn how to spell. summarize information, make reports, organize ideas or develop, support and criticize hypotheses, positions or reasoning,” the study argues.
The document is incisive about the decline in reading comprehension, which can be explained by a lack of habit. «Although there are notable exceptions, most textbooks are difficult for students because they are not used to reading and because the speeches with which they are familiar are short, if not syncopated, texts written with a reduced lexicon. In most cases, such speeches do not also contain reasoned and argued expositions,” says the RAE.
According to the document, the model of success transmitted by athletes, singers and communicators leads young people to disdain the skills that are acquired through effort. Academics are categorical in rejecting the idea that schooling inexorably leads to a reduction in the quality of teaching, as politicians sometimes invoke.
In the opinion of philologist Ignacio del Boque, the educational system requires stability, which requires a political agreement that lasts several generations. With the study, which has been prepared with the collaboration of secondary and high school teachers, the Academy does not intend to supplant “public or educational authorities or amend anyone’s plans, but rather to encourage a public debate that encompasses the entire society.” said in the words of Muñoz Machado.
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