20.

- EL ÁREA DE LENGUAS EXTRANJERAS EN EL

CURRÍCULO. CRITERIOS A REFLEJAR EN EL
PROYECTO EDUCATIVO DE CENTRO Y EN EL
PROYECTO CURRICULAR DE CENTRO.

20.- THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE AREA IN THE

CURRICULUM. CRITERIA TO BE REFLECTED IN
THE SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL PROJECT AND THE
SCHOOL CURRICULAR PROJECT.

1.- Introduction.

2.- The foreign language area in the curriculum.

2.1.- Curriculum

2.2.- The foreign language area

2.3.- Communicative competence.

2.4.- Objectives

2.5.- Key competences.

2.6.- Contents

2.7.- Pedagogical methods.

2.8.- Evaluation criteria.

3.-Criteria to be reflected in the school educational project and the school

curricular project.

4.- Conclusion-Critical view

5.- Bibliography.

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1.- INTRODUCTION.

“Language is wine upon the lips.”

- Virginia Woolf

I have chosen to develop this unit because I strongly believe that there is more
to communication than just one person speaking and another one listening.
Human communication processes are quite complex and they deserve deep study
if we want to teach a foreign language successfully. Similarly, we teachers
require expertise, or at least, knowledge about the main means of
communication; that is, language. As Virgina Woolf put down in words, language
broads our horizons and it is a vehicle to learning, enjoyment and expression,
so the more competent our students may become, the wider their horizons will
be and the better they will fit in the 21st century society.

This unit aims at the explanation of the place of the foreign language area in
the current curriculum, and thus, I will start by definition of the concepts of
curriculum and curricular concretion, and a thorough description of the
curricular elements of our area will follow. After that, I will study two
documents of paramount importance for school management and teaching
planning: the School Educational Project, and the Didactic Programmes.

2.- THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE AREA IN THE

CURRICULUM.

2.1.- CURRICULUM

The term curriculum has been profusely studied, and thousands of possible
definitions devised. In any case, Organic Law 3/2020 (December 29th) which
modifies Organic Law 2/2006 (May 3rd) of Education (LOMLOE) defines it as the
set of objectives, competences, contents, pedagogical methods, and evaluation
criteria for each of the regulated teachings under this Law (art 6.1.).

Furthermore, it states that:

The curriculum will be aimed at facilitating the educational development

of students, ensuring their comprehensive education, contributing to the
full development of their personality, and preparing them for the full

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 exercise of human rights, active and democratic citizenship in today's
society. Under no circumstances should it be a barrier that leads to
school dropout or hinders access to and enjoyment of the right to
education. (Art 6.2)

In order to ensure a common education and guarantee the validity of the

corresponding qualifications, the Government, after consulting the
Autonomous Communities, will establish the basic aspects of the
curriculum in relation to objectives, competences, contents, and
evaluation criteria, which constitute the minimum teachings.

This means that once the basic aspects of the curriculum have been set there
starts a process known as curricular concretion, by which the prescriptive
curriculum is conformed to the particularities of a teaching situation through
several levels. Though the number of levels recognised might vary, four levels
of curricular concretion are usually acknowledged.

1. First level.‐ Known as the “prescriptive curriculum”: official legislative

body enacted by Education Authorities (LOMLOE, Law of Education of
CLM, RD 157/2022, D 81/22).
2. Second level.‐ The curriculum is adapted to a specific school through the
School Educational Project and by the didactic programmes elaborated by
the Teaching Staff.
3. Third level.‐ Each teacher adjusts the curriculum to a certain group of
students by developing a didactic programme.
4. Fourth level.‐ When necessary, the curriculum will be further adapted to
certain pupils by means of specific Reinforcement Programmes, or even
by means of Individual Curricular Adaptations.

2.2.- THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE AREA

The importance of our area for the global development of children is manifest,
as it is the only area that is taught in both Primary and Pre-Primary Education
as it is intended: Order 23-04- 2002, sets the general implementation of the
teaching of a foreign language in the second cycle of Pre-Primary Education and
Primary Education.

It is true that other knowledge grounds like Mathematics or Spanish Language

are also taught in both stages, but on the contrary, they appear as a part of the

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so‐called “ambits of experience”. Only English stands with certain autonomy in
this stage, though the characteristic globalisation of this stage makes it
impossible to describe English on isolation in the frame of Pre-Primary
Education. Due to this fact, I will focus on the Primary Education stage.

The area is mentioned in LOMLOE as one of the areas of Primary Education. This
act also establishes as an objective of Primary Education (Art. 17):

f) To acquire, at least, in a foreign language the basic communicative

competence that allows them to express and understand simple messages
and to cope with daily situations.

The area is then fully depicted in Royal Decree 157/2022, (March 1st), which
sets the arrangement and minimum teaching requirements for Primary Education,
reading as follows:

The Foreign Language area at the stage of Primary education has as main
objective the acquisition of the basic communicative competence in the
foreign language, as well as the development and enrichment of the
students’ intercultural awareness

As we can see, communicative competence is the main concern of our area, so

an explanation of this term is relevant for a proper development of the unit.

2.3.- COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE.

The Council of Europe found the need for a common European framework for
languages to improve the recognition of language qualifications and help
teachers co-operate. This led on to the creation of a "European Language
Portfolio" which was the grounds for the Common European Framework of
Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFR, or CEF or
CEFRL): the international standard for describing language ability.

The Council of Europe (2020), recommends teachers to incorporate

communicative strategies which allow pupils to communicate successfully in
different real-life situations. In this sense, the CEFRL has adapted the Canale
and Swain´s model (1980), which draws upon the notions of Chomsky (1965)
and Hymes (1972), to devise its own model of Communicative Language
competence.

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The CEFRL makes a distinction between:

 General competences: knowledge, skills and attitudes which result in the

8 key competences.
 Communicative language competences (a component of the overall
language proficiency) which include:
o Linguistic competences: lexical, grammatical, semantic,
phonological, orthographic and orthoepic.
o Sociolinguistic competence: knowledge required to deal with the
social dimension of language use.
o Pragmatic competence: knowledge of the linguistic resources
available in a given language.

Law 7/2010 (July 30th) of Education of Castilla- La Mancha establishes, as a

basic pillar of the Education System:

d) The fostering of reading, of communicative competence and

multilingualism, and of the multicultural competencies to attain that
every pupil were competent in Castilian language and at least in a
foreign language at the end of the compulsory education.

Next, I will devote study to how our area is conceived in terms of the major
components of the curriculum: objectives, key competences, contents,
pedagogical methods and evaluation criteria.

2.4.- OBJECTIVES

Decree 81/2022, (July 12th), which establishes the arrangement and the
curriculum for Primary Education in Castilla-La Mancha defines objectives as
achievements that are expected to be reached by students at the end of the
stage and whose attainment is linked to the acquisition of basic competences.

They constitute the core of the intentions of any curricular design, serving as
reference points that specify the statements of the key competences, which
address the development of skills related to know-how. In this sense, the
curricular element of specific competences serves as a bridge between curricular
objectives and key competences, also serving as a reference for the profile of
the students upon completing the stage. For the subject area, the following
specific competences are proposed:

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 1. Understand the general meaning and specific, predictable information of
short and simple texts, expressed clearly in the standard language, using
various strategies and resorting to different types of support when
necessary, to develop linguistic repertoire and respond to everyday
communicative needs.
2. Produce simple texts in a comprehensible and structured manner,
employing strategies like planning or compensation, to convey brief
messages related to immediate needs and respond to everyday
communicative purposes.
3. Interact with others using everyday expressions, employing cooperative
strategies and utilizing analogue and digital resources to address
immediate needs of personal interest in communicative exchanges
characterized by courtesy and politeness norms.
4. Mediate in predictable situations, using strategies and knowledge to
process and convey basic and simple information, in order to facilitate
communication.
5. Recognize and use personal linguistic repertoires across different
languages, reflecting on their functioning and identifying personal
strategies and knowledge, to enhance responses to specific
communicative needs in familiar situations.
6. Appreciate and respect linguistic, cultural, and artistic diversity through
the foreign language, identifying and valuing differences and similarities
between languages and cultures, to learn how to manage intercultural
situations

By achieving these competences, the aim is to fulfil the objectives established

for the stage. Of the 14 set objectives, and besides objective f), the subject
area contributes more specifically to the development of:

a) Understand and appreciate the values and norms of coexistence, learn to

act according to them empathically, prepare for active citizenship,
respect human rights, as well as the pluralism inherent in a democratic
society.
b) Develop habits of individual and teamwork, effort and responsibility in
studying, as well as attitudes of self-confidence, critical thinking,
personal initiative, curiosity, interest, and creativity in learning, and an
entrepreneurial spirit.

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 c) Acquire skills for peaceful conflict resolution and violence prevention,
enabling them to get on autonomously in the school and family
environment, as well as in the social groups they interact with.
d) Know, understand, and respect different cultures and differences
between people, equality of rights and opportunities for men and women,
and the non-discrimination of individuals based on ethnicity, sexual
orientation or identity, religion or beliefs, disability, or other
conditions.
e) Know and appropriately use the Spanish language and, if applicable, the
co-official language of the Autonomous Community, and develop reading
habits.
f) Acquire, in at least one foreign language, the basic communicative
competence that allows them to express and understand simple messages
and to cope with everyday situations.
g) Develop basic mathematical competences and initiate problem-solving
requiring elementary calculations, geometric knowledge, estimations, and
their application in everyday situations.
h) Know the fundamental aspects of Natural Sciences, Social Sciences,
Geography, History, and Culture.
i) Develop basic technological competences and initiate their use for
learning, developing a critical spirit towards their functioning and the
messages they receive and create.
j) Use different artistic representations and expressions and initiate the
construction of visual and audio-visual proposals.
k) Value hygiene and health, accept one's own body and others', respect
differences, and use physical education, sports, and nutrition as means
to promote personal and social development.
l) Know and value animals closest to humans and adopt behaviours that
promote empathy and their care.
m) Develop affective capacities in all areas of personality and in
relationships with others, as well as an attitude against violence, any
type of prejudice, and sexist stereotypes.
n) Develop daily habits of healthy autonomous active mobility, promoting
road education and respectful attitudes that impact the prevention of
traffic accidents.

2.5.- KEY COMPETENCES.

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The DeSeCo report (2005) defines competence as the ability to put into
practice, in different contexts and situations, the acquired knowledge, skills,
and personal attitudes. The concept of competence includes both knowledge
(theoretical knowledge) and skills (practical or applied knowledge) as well as
attitudes (personal commitments). It goes beyond knowing and knowing how to
do or apply because it also includes knowing how to be or exist.

Decree 81/22, defines Key Competences as: the performances that are
considered essential for students to progress successfully in their educational
path and to face the main global and local challenges. They are the adaptation
to the Spanish educational system of the key competences established in the
Recommendation of the Council of the European Union of May 22nd, 2018,
concerning key competences for lifelong learning.

Key Competences are defined by two characteristics:

 They indicate the ability to solve specific problems, to perform very

specific tasks.
 They refer to a particular context, preferably those that are real and
close to the student.

In summary, being more competent is not about knowing more, but about using
what one knows effectively to solve a specific problem in a particular context.

As is the case with all subjects in the Primary Education curriculum, the
contribution of the English subject to the development of basic competences is
uneven, owing to the nature of its contents. Nevertheless, its comprehensive
nature makes this contribution essential for achieving a well-rounded education
for students during this stage.

1. Mathematical competence and Science, Technology, Engineering, and

Mathematics competence (STEAM)
The competence is built through the acquisition of vocabulary that
enables the interpretation of the nearby physical world, as well as the
approach to certain features of the method with which scientific
knowledge is constructed: knowing how to define problems, estimate
possible solutions, develop strategies, design small investigations,
analyse results, and communicate them.
2. Competence in linguistic communication.

8
 The conception of this area, by emphasizing the social use of language in
different communicative contexts, clearly demonstrates its direct
contribution to the development of all aspects that constitute the
competence in linguistic communication.
3. Personal, Social, and Learning to Learn competence.
Language regulates and guides our own activity with increasing
autonomy. Therefore, its development and improvement within the
English area contribute to organizing thought, conveying affections and
feelings, and regulating emotions, fostering the development of this
competence.
4. Digital competence.
The basic use of the computer, handling a word processor, and guided
internet searching decisively contribute to the development of this
competence. ICT (Information and Communication Technology) serves as
an attractive, motivating, and facilitating tool for communicative
exchanges.
5. Competence in cultural awareness and expression.
The contribution focuses on the knowledge of cultural manifestations in
the school, national, European, and global contexts, as well as social
aspects of the environment, fostering an attitude of openness, respect,
and critical thinking towards the diversity of artistic and cultural
expressions.
6. Entrepreneurial competence.
The contribution of this area focuses on fostering entrepreneurial skills
and attitudes. The English language curriculum provides opportunities for
students to engage in tasks that require innovation, resourcefulness, and
the ability to adapt to different situations, which are all essential
elements of entrepreneurial competence.
7. Citizenship competence.
Through exposure to different cultures and perspectives, students
develop the ability to engage in respectful and open dialogue, understand
the rights and responsibilities of citizens, and appreciate the values of
democracy and social justice.
8. Multilingual competence.
Through learning English, students gain insights into linguistic diversity,
develop an awareness of language variation, and enhance their ability to
communicate across different linguistic contexts. This fosters an

9
 appreciation for multilingualism and supports the development of skills
that can be applied when learning other languages in the future.

2.6.- CONTENTS

They constitute the curricular planning element that develops and specifies the
objectives (Escamilla, 2009). They are the essential means to achieve the
development of specific competences. In the context of the LOMLOE, they are
expressed in terms of basic knowledges: knowledge, skills, and attitudes that
make up the specific contents of an area and whose learning is necessary for
the acquisition of specific competences.

Basic knowledges, on the other hand, are structured into three blocks, which
should be applied in different real contexts to achieve the attainment of the
specific competences of the area.

A. Communication.- It encompasses the knowledge that needs to be

mobilized for the development of communicative activities such as
comprehension, production, interaction, and mediation, including those
related to guided information search.
B. Multilingualism.- It integrates the knowledge related to the ability to
reflect on the functioning of languages, as well as the knowledge that is
part of the students' linguistic repertoire, in order to contribute to the
learning of the foreign language and the improvement of their own
languages.
C. Interculturality.- The knowledge about cultures conveyed through the
foreign language is grouped, as well as the appreciation of them as an
opportunity for enrichment and the development of attitudes of interest
in learning about and understanding other languages, linguistic varieties,
and cultures

The graduation of these knowledge, their planning, and their sequencing should
not necessarily follow a specific chronological order, but rather should be
adapted to the didactic and formative intentions set by the students in each
cycle. In this sense, the learning situations should be an open space that
encourages students' curiosity and analytical observation to construct their
personal stance towards reality, a stance that should be considered potentially
transformative of the existing social reality.

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2.7.- PEDAGOGICAL METHODS.

CLT is best understood as an approach, not a method. It is therefore a unified

but broadly based theoretical position about the nature of language and of
language learning and teaching. It is nevertheless difficult to synthesize all of
the various definitions that have been offered. From the earlier seminal works in
CLT up to more recent teacher education textbooks we have definitions enough
to send us reeling. The following four interconnected characteristics do define
CLT. (Brown, 2006)

1. Classroom goals are focused on all of the components of communicative

competence and not restricted to grammatical or linguistic competence.
2. Language techniques are designed to engage learners in the pragmatic,
authentic, functional use of language for meaningful purposes.
Organizational language forms are not the central focus but rather
aspects of language that enable the learner to accomplish those
purposes.
3. Fluency and accuracy are seen as complementary principles underlying
communicative techniques. At times fluency may have to take on more
importance than accuracy in order to keep learners meaningfully engaged
in language use.
4. In the communicative classroom, students ultimately have to use the
language, productively and receptively, in unrehearsed contexts.

These four characteristics underscore some major criteria that communicative

activities must fulfil. Following Harmer, communicative activities must:

 create a desire to communicate.

 have a communicative purpose.
 be based on content, not form.
 use a variety of language.
 require no o little teacher intervention.
 have no o little material restraint.

Allwright, in relation with communicative activities, stated that:

“if the language teacher's management activities are directed

exclusively at involving the learners in solving communication problems

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 in the target language, then, the language learning will take care of
itself”

In addition, CLT also supposes a shift in both the teachers' and the students'
roles. While in traditional grammar-oriented approaches the teacher was only
regarded as a transmitter or a corrector, within CLT, the teacher is mainly a
facilitator, playing other roles such as co-communicator, adviser, participant,
needs analyst, group process manager or organizer of resources. On the other
hand, the pupil, regarded mostly as processor or performer, now develops a
variety of roles depending on the communicative purpose of the activity:
negotiators, participants, group managers, counsellors, organizers...

2.8.- EVALUATION CRITERIA.

These are defined as benchmarks that indicate the expected levels of

performance in students for the situations or activities to which the specific
competences of each area refer, at a given moment in their learning process.
The assessment of specific competences is carried out through assessment
criteria, which measure both outcomes and processes in an open, flexible, and
interconnected manner within the curriculum. They essentially serve a formative
function or improvement and optimization of the process.

Therefore, evaluation criteria are linked to the specific competence whose

degree of acquisition is intended to be evaluated. Due to time constraints, I will
proceed to provide examples using (the) assessment criteria established for the
(1st, 2nd, 3rd) cycle.

Up to this point, I have fully described the basic elements of the curriculum
from the point of view of our area. Next section is concerned with the next
level of curricular specification: the one including the School Educational
Project and the once called School Curricular Project.

3.-CRITERIA TO BE REFLECTED IN THE SCHOOL

EDUCATIONAL PROJECT AND THE SCHOOL CURRICULAR
PROJECT.

The concept of the Educational Project (EP) has undergone terminological and
component variations over time and changes in educational laws. However, its

12
essence remains the same – defining the school's identity, expressing its overall
objectives, and outlining the decisions and relationships that will make these
objectives achievable.

In our autonomous community, the Order 121/2022, (June 14th), issued by the
Counsel of Education, Culture, and Sports, which regulates the organization and
functioning of Pre-Primary and Primary Education public schools, defines the
Educational Project as follows:

The Educational Project is the document in which the educational

community must express its needs and priorities in a unique manner. It
will gather the values, purposes, and priorities that underpin and guide
the different projects, plans, and activities of the school. It will also
incorporate the implementation of the curricula established by the Junta
de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha and will promote and develop the
principles, objectives, and methodology inherent to competency-based
learning aimed at active citizenship.

LOMLOE introduces significant changes regarding the Educational Project, of

which the following highlights are worth mentioning:

 It must promote and develop the principles, objectives, and methodology

inherent to competence-based learning aimed at active citizenship.
English language learning aims to equip students with the practical
language skills needed to face the challenges of an increasingly
globalized and interconnected world. It aligns with the broader shift
towards learning that emphasizes the ability to apply knowledge and skills
in meaningful contexts.
 It will also incorporate the school's digital strategy.
English language learning prepares students to effectively communicate
and interact in today's digital world. It enhances language skills while
also fostering essential 21st-century skills such as critical thinking,
communication, collaboration, and adaptability.
 It will adopt necessary measures to address any deficiencies in linguistic
competence.
The learning of a foreign language based upon the development of
communicative skills will contribute to this competence to the same
extent that the mother language will.

13
  It will encompass a cross-cutting treatment of values-based education,
sustainable development, gender equality, equal treatment and non-
discrimination, prevention of violence against girls and women, bullying
and cyberbullying prevention, as well as promoting a culture of peace
and human rights.
Languages allow social communication, as well as social and cultural
transmission. Knowing a foreign language helps valuing one’s language
and culture and fosters attitudes of respect, tolerance and appreciation.

With regard to the didactic programmes (the present-day term to refer to the
school curricular project), the aforementioned Order 121/22 defines the
didactic programmes as the specific instruments for planning, development, and
evaluation of each area within the curriculum. The didactic programming for
each subject (English included) will be part of the Educational Project and will
include, at least, the following elements:

 Introduction about the characteristics of the subject.

 Sequence and timing of basic knowledges.
 Evaluation criteria related to specific competences.
 Procedures and tools for evaluating students' learning.
 Marking criteria.
 Methodological, didactic, and organizational guidelines.
 Materials and resources.
 Plan for supplementary activities.

In addition to this, the schools will develop a curricular proposal, which will
include those elements and decisions which are common, and thus, applicable to
all the learning areas. The curricular proposal will be a part of the Educational
project.

4.- CONCLUSION-CRITICAL VIEW

“Learn a new language and get a new soul.”

- Czech proverb

I would like to reflect upon the fact that it is a common and enormously
frustrating experience for foreign language learners, presented the opportunity
to participate in authentic conversation with native speakers, to fail to join in
successfully, despite having a high level of proficiency in the classroom.

14
Conversation is fast, and to some extent this failure of the foreign language
learner can be attributed to the slow processing of language knowledge. By the
time the learner has formulated something to say, the conversation has moved
on. In my own view, it is essential to train our pupils in the acquisition of
communicative skills and competences, which combine the mastery of grammar
and vocab with abilities to interact in real-life situations. Thus, we will allow
our kids to enjoy the wondrous experience of learning and using a new language
to get in touch with new people and their culture.

All along the development of the unit I have discussed about the place of our
area in the curricular framework and in the school’s planning documents. To do
so, I started by describing the concepts of curriculum and curricular concretion;
then, I continued by the exposition of the curricular elements of our area, and
finally, I studied two main documents in which our area unfolds at the school
level: the School Educational Project and the Didactic Programmes

5.- BIBLIOGRAPHY.

In addition to the legal documents cited, we have used, among others, the
following texts:

·Brown, D. (2006). Principles of Language Teaching and Learning. Longman

·Council of Europe (2020). Common European Framework of Reference for

Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment – Companion volume, Council of
Europe Publishing

·Dildora, M (2021). Principles Of Teaching Foreign Languages. Journal of

Learning and Academic Teaching. Vol 2.

·Ergasheva, N. (2021). General Didactic and Methodological Principles of

Foreign Language Teaching. Texas Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies

·Israilova, D. (2019). Aims and principles of foreign language teaching.

International Journal on Integrated Education. Vol 2.

·Richard, J. and Rodgers, T. (2014). Approaches and methods in language

teaching. Cambridge University Press

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