Teachers, Teacher Education, and Professional Development
Teacher Education Specific to Reading
The procedures established throughout Spain for becoming a primary education teacher apply in Madrid. In primary education, generalist teachers instruct in language and literature subjects. Beginning in 2010, the primary school teacher university degree was extended from three to four academic years of study, following the European process of convergence. The curriculum includes language and literature fundamentals and their pedagogy among the core subjects, as well as other optional courses related to these disciplines and a compulsory practicum.14-17 Teachers obtain a teaching position through open competition at primary and secondary public schools or a contract at private schools.
There are key elements of the bilingual program in Madrid that apply to state primary school teachers and state secondary teachers.18,19 In order for state primary school teachers to teach subject areas in English, teachers who are foreign language specialists must have obtained the Linguistic Certificate required for bilingual teaching positions. This certificate can be obtained through the procedures established by the official call issued by the General Directorate of Human Resources. Two procedures must be followed to obtain the certificate: 1) Obtain university degrees or official language certifications deemed equivalent to a Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) level C1 or above (these degrees and certifications are listed in the aforementioned official call), and 2) Pass an examination that recognizes—exclusively for teaching positions in the Community of Madrid—a CEFRL C1 level of linguistic proficiency that denotes effective operational proficiency.20 The certificate has a limited validity period. If, during the established length of time, teachers who have obtained the certificate do not carry out any teaching in English, their certificate will expire and they will have to renew it through future official calls.
In recognition of their efforts to teach in a foreign language, teachers receive a financial bonus in accordance with the number of hours taught in English. Teachers who have obtained the Linguistic Certificate must teach the maximum number of hours possible in English within the bilingual program, thereby ensuring its implementation and optimal results. English foreign language specialists in state primary schools who have not obtained the Linguistic Certificate required for bilingual teaching positions can only teach English as foreign language.
State secondary school teachers also must first have obtained the Linguistic Certificate to teach their subject areas in English. In recognition of their efforts to teach in a foreign language, state secondary teachers also receive a financial bonus in accordance with the number of hours taught in English. State secondary school English foreign language specialists who wish to teach the advanced English curriculum in a bilingual section must have obtained the required certificate to ensure its implementation and optimum results.
The certificate to teach the advanced English curriculum in the bilingual sections of state secondary schools in Madrid can be obtained in two ways: 1) Pass an aptitude test that consists of the presentation and defense before an examining board of a didactic unit for one of the grades of compulsory secondary education or Baccalaureate (it must be based on the advanced English curriculum and be written and presented in English), or 2) Obtain official secondary and tertiary cycle university degrees related to cultural, linguistic, literary, or translation studies from English speaking countries.
Requirements for Ongoing Professional Development in Reading for Teachers
In Madrid, there is an effort to implement quality professional development among teachers. One of the main goals is teacher training to maintain the high caliber of the Madrid bilingual program. The Regional Ministry of Education has made a firm commitment and a strong investment to provide Madridʼs teachers with the best possible teacher training adapted to the specific needs of the bilingual program.
One of the best ways to promote effective language learning is to facilitate cultural and linguistic immersion abroad. The English language teacher training program, which the Regional Ministry of Education has offered yearly since 2008, allows teachers to choose the type of immersion experience best suited to their personal availability and professional needs, whether in intensive courses in Madrid or in English speaking countries abroad. During the 2016–2017 school year, this training program offered 699 state primary school teachers, 665 state secondary school teachers, and 183 state vocational education teachers the opportunity to improve their linguistic competencies in English. Designed and delivered in collaboration with prestigious universities and institutions in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada, these courses are complemented with courses in Madrid and online courses organized by foreign institutions.
Since 2007, Madridʼs state universities have offered state secondary school teachers English language improvement courses throughout the year and intensive courses during the month of July. The variety of in-service training offered allows every teacher in the Community of Madrid to find the type of training course that best fits his or her availability and professional needs. A special program for the Professional Development of Teaching Competencies was first offered to primary and secondary teachers in 2013 and has been offered during the first term of the 2015–2016 academic year. It consisted of a four week program that took place at the University of Chichester in the United Kingdom, where classes in teaching methodology were complemented by direct observation and assistant teachership, with a range of tasks to fulfill so as to maximize the benefit of their time in school, supervised by mentor teachers in British schools. Another Professional Development of Teaching Competencies program was offered in 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 to primary and secondary teachers in Norwich through the Norwich Institute for Language Education, with a focus on agreed teacher competencies, and to include placement in Norwich and Norfolk schools for focused observation, materials gathering, and teacher support roles. Last, teacher training courses are made available through Madridʼs local teacher training network for teachers who have obtained their Linguistic Certificate and wish to further their professional development.