Primary School Organization and Team Teaching Practices

Organizational Characteristics of Primary Schools

1. Stages and Cycles:

• Primary education consists of three cycles, each spanning two academic years.
• These cycles are organized into areas with a global and integrative character.

2. Curriculum Areas:

• Knowledge of the Natural, Social, and Cultural Environment
• Artistic Education
• Physical Education
• Castilian Language and Literature (and, if applicable, the official regional language and literature)
• Foreign Language
• Mathematics

3. Additional Subjects:

• In one of the later courses, Education for Citizenship and Human Rights is added, with special emphasis on gender equality.

4. Second Foreign Language:

• In the third cycle, educational authorities may introduce a second foreign language.

5. Instrumental Areas:

• Areas recognized as instrumental for acquiring other skills receive special consideration.

6. Tutorial Action:

• Throughout the entire stage, tutorial action guides the individual and collective learning process of students.

Definition and Characteristics of Team Teaching

A teaching team comprises all teachers who instruct students in a group and is coordinated by their tutor. The team meets as stipulated by assessment regulations and whenever convened by the Director of Studies, upon a proposal by the group tutor.

Functions of the Teaching Team:

• Ensure that each lecturer provides learners with information on programming, particularly regarding objectives, minimum requirements, and evaluation criteria.
• Undertake comprehensive evaluation and monitoring of students, establishing necessary steps to improve their learning as per specific evaluation legislation.
• Establish actions to improve the group's coexistence climate.
• Address conflicts within the group, establishing appropriate measures for their resolution.
• Ensure coordination of teaching and learning activities proposed to students.
• Understand and participate in developing information, where appropriate, for parents or guardians of each student.

Key Aspects of Effective Team Teaching:

Teaching teams are essential from the inception of study plans and are virtually indispensable for their practical implementation. The curriculum itself establishes the first key to a successful teaching team: a shared educational objective.

The explicit and public nature of these objectives requires transparency, as they serve as the fundamental reference point for the teaching team's work, guiding all decisions and actions.

The second crucial aspect is a set of assessment tools to monitor progress and drive continuous improvement. This involves a dual evaluation:

• Firstly, clear and meaningful information on student learning outcomes within the module is needed.
• Secondly, the teaching team's performance should be analyzed against established quality criteria, using student surveys, interviews, or external expert assessments.

The third element that strengthens a teaching team is a defined framework for action:

• A clear procedure is necessary.
• Teamwork is essential to establish a principle of transparency.
• The teaching team should have some organizational autonomy.
• The team should have the capacity to propose changes in the organization and methods of the module or the entire program.