The Curriculum at IED del Barrio Simón Bolívar: A Comprehensive Overview

In Colombia, significant pedagogical reforms throughout the late twentieth century reshaped the country’s educational landscape. These reforms influenced the way curriculum is perceived and designed, reflecting broader socio-political and cultural factors. The curriculum at Institución Educativa Distrital del Barrio Simón Bolívar (IED del Barrio Simón Bolívar) embodies these shifts, focusing on integrating the cultural, economic, philosophical, political, and social contexts of the community to foster holistic student development. This approach aims not only to equip students with academic knowledge but also to contribute to the formation of their cultural identity at local, regional, and national levels.

The school’s curriculum design emphasizes the development of students' personal values, cognitive and emotional skills, and moral principles. This aligns with a pedagogical model that prioritizes human development through a social-critical lens. By addressing real-life issues and engaging students with their social values and political participation, the curriculum fosters critical thinking aimed at transforming their immediate environment. The school sees itself as a social agent capable of driving change and promoting the collective well-being of the community.

Global and Local Perspectives in the Educational Project

At IED del Barrio Simón Bolívar, the curriculum is informed by both global educational frameworks and local needs. The school's institutional educational project is guided by the principles established by Colombia's Ministry of National Education, specifically those outlined in Deborah Dezure's definition of curriculum:

"An undergraduate curriculum is a formal academic plan for the learning experiences of students in pursuit of a college degree... [It includes] goals for student learning, content, sequence, learners, instructional methods, instructional resources, evaluation, and adjustments to teaching and learning processes" (Dezure, n.d.).

This definition serves as the foundation for IED del Barrio Simón Bolívar’s curricular framework, which is designed to achieve specific goals by 2030. These goals focus on improving the living conditions of vulnerable communities, implementing institutional self-evaluation, refining pedagogical strategies, fostering inclusion, and leveraging new educational trends to ensure quality education.

Curriculum Objectives in Foreign Language Education

The English curriculum at IED del Barrio Simón Bolívar is structured to develop linguistic competencies, including listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Additionally, students are encouraged to engage in various modes of communication such as reception, production, mediation, and interaction. The overarching goal is for students to express and understand information about their reality in a foreign language, thereby positioning Colombia within the global communication network, fostering cultural openness, and integrating into the global economy.

This pedagogical framework follows the social-critical approach, aiming to create a generation of students capable of influencing their environment through critical reflection and communication. The study of language in this context is not merely a tool for communication but also a means of expanding knowledge and understanding of one’s social and natural world. Thus, the study of English at IED del Barrio Simón Bolívar is seen as a transformative process that involves both linguistic and cultural education.

Pedagogical Approach and Methodology

The English syllabus incorporates theories of second language acquisition, the communicative approach, and task-based language learning (TBL). However, despite the emphasis on TBL, some teachers continue to apply the Presentation, Practice, and Production (PPP) model, a more traditional approach to language teaching. This discrepancy highlights a need for further professional development in TBL methodology.

The syllabus also outlines the importance of learning strategies, referencing Rebecca Oxford’s (1990) work on language learning strategies and Prabhu's (1987) procedural tasks, such as information-gap, opinion-gap, and reasoning-gap activities. These strategies aim to facilitate communication and improve student engagement by making learning more contextually relevant and interactive.

Resources and Technological Integration

One of the challenges facing IED del Barrio Simón Bolívar is the insufficient and deteriorated resources for teaching. While the school is equipped with basic infrastructure, including classrooms, computer labs, and audio-visual rooms, the resources available for language teaching are often inadequate or inaccessible. At site one, for example, there are 20 classrooms, two computer rooms, and an audiovisual room, yet the resources are limited and in need of repair. Site two, meanwhile, is in the process of adapting a classroom into a computer lab.

The integration of technology into the teaching process, especially for foreign languages, is recognized in the institutional educational project. However, there is a lack of clear curricular guidance on how to incorporate emerging pedagogies and technologies in English language instruction. This gap presents an opportunity for the school to contextualize and integrate information and communication technologies (ICT) into its language teaching strategies to promote cultural exchange and reinforce the relevance of English in global contexts.

Evaluation and Assessment

The school's approach to evaluation focuses on both summative and formative assessments, as outlined in the institutional educational project. Teachers assess students based on cognitive, procedural, and attitudinal aspects, with self-assessment playing a key role in developing student autonomy. While the assessment criteria are comprehensive, there is a focus on preparing students for standardized tests, such as the Saber Test, which limits the scope of assessment to academic performance rather than comprehensive, holistic development.

A balanced approach to assessment, considering both qualitative and quantitative aspects, is essential for fostering a more inclusive and accurate evaluation of student progress. Comprehensive assessment frameworks would better reflect the school’s commitment to developing well-rounded citizens capable of transforming their communities.

Conclusion: A Path Forward

To fulfill its role as an agent of social change, IED del Barrio Simón Bolívar must continue to refine its curriculum, ensuring that it aligns with the realities of students’ lives while also fostering critical engagement with global issues. The school must also reassess its pedagogical methodologies, integrating ICT and innovative pedagogies to enhance English language learning. By doing so, it will better prepare students to navigate the challenges of the globalized world while remaining grounded in their local context.

Curricular Focus	Key Elements	Current Status	Future Goals
Pedagogical Approach	Social-critical approach, communicative and task-based methods	Some teachers continue using PPP model	Full implementation of task-based methodology
Language Learning	Develop listening, speaking, reading, writing, mediation, interaction skills	Focus on linguistic skills	Incorporate cultural and social contexts more deeply into teaching
Resources	Classroom infrastructure, computer labs, audiovisual rooms	Insufficient and deteriorated resources	Improve and expand teaching resources and access to ICT
Assessment	Cognitive, procedural, and attitudinal assessment, self-assessment	Focus on standardized tests	More comprehensive assessment approaches for holistic development

References

Colombia. Ministerio de Educación Nacional. (2021, April 2). Currículo. CURRÍCULO: (mineducacion.gov.co)

Dezure, D. (n.d.). Innovations in the undergraduate curriculum. State University of New York. https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1896/Curriculum-Higher-Education.html#ixzz6dW5ak5YP

Oxford, R. (1990). Language learning strategies: What every teacher should know. Newbury House Publishers.

Prabhu, N. S. (1987). Second language pedagogy. Oxford University Press.