Mathematics teachers propose that there be primary school teachers with a mathematics specialty, just as there are music, physical education or English teachers. A teacher, qualified in the degree of Education, who knows the subject and didactics in depth and who either teaches it, or coordinates and guides all the teachers in his school and guarantees that it is transmitted appropriately. And consider, in any case, mathematics specialists for 5th and 6th grade, as in Portugal.
This is how the Spanish Federation of Societies of Mathematics Teachers (Fespm) has reacted to the reinforcement plan announced by the President of the Government to improve mathematics, after the negative results of the PISA report, and whose measures have yet to be specified. “It makes no sense that there are no teachers with a specialty in mathematics when it is this area of ??knowledge that we have detected is going wrong,” says Onofre Monzó, vice president of Fespm.
Basically, Fespm calls for more intensity in teacher training, from preschool to high school, in university degrees and in continuing training. And along with training, time to coordinate and prepare classes (subtracting it from bureaucratic tasks).
In addition to creating the mathematics specialty in the Early Childhood and Primary Education major, it proposes increasing the hours of this subject in the general study plans, which are currently in the process of reform.
In secondary school, they want every teacher who teaches mathematics to have obtained a secondary school master’s degree in this specialty and not in others. In ESO, mathematics teachers, like the rest, need to complete a secondary school master’s degree.
These classes can be taught by graduates in physics, engineering, economics or biology, in addition to mathematicians. However, it is not a necessary requirement to teach mathematics to take the secondary master’s degree in mathematics and experimental sciences. These graduates may have completed a secondary master’s degree in another specialty (physics and chemistry, biology or geology) and, instead, teach mathematics. In fact, this is what is happening due to the lack of mathematicians interested in teaching.
Regarding continuous training, they demand more time to update knowledge, improve didactics, and adapt to new curricula. Not with online training, but in person.
In addition to training, the reinforcement plan proposes extracurricular classes to help the most lagging students and reduction of ratios in classrooms. The federation considers that school reinforcement outside school hours is a mistake. “It would be recognizing the inability of the system to serve everyone and is not aligned with the idea of ??an inclusive school,” says Monzó.
In his view, excellence in mathematics education requires equity, high expectations, and strong support for all children. “We must ensure that personal and social circumstances do not constitute an obstacle to achieving maximum potential,” she says, while guaranteeing a minimum standard for everyone, to be “an informed citizen and not be fooled.” In this way, the federation defends that the compensation of difficulties be detected and treated within the classroom.
Regarding the reduction of ratios, the federation believes that it is a measure of limited scope. He considers that “it can help improve the training of our students”, but that it would have to be accompanied by others such as increasing resources and freeing teachers from bureaucratic tasks so that they can dedicate themselves to coordination, training and personalized attention to the student. .
