Last summer I received quite disappointing news: after 7 years of great experiences with the bilingual sections, proper bilingual groups in which you could speak English from the very first moment and nearly all the time, you could forget about the textbook most of the time and devote your time to develop projects about science, technology, literature, history or any cross-curricular topics - for example by reading a book and creating a project with its historical and social background and, finally watching the film whenever it existed-.
The question was that, due to restrictions in the number of teachers, the bilingual sections still exist, but they are mixed with the rest of the students. As a result, you have 25-29 students in a class, 15 of which are mostly brilliant and 6-7 have serious problems to follow a normal lesson.
Someone will say, "that is what attention to diversity is about ''. Yes, please, could you come and show me how to do it? Everybody knows the theory, created by pedagogues who seem to have never taught a normal group. You will either make the good ones bored by going slowly and making sure most people understand texts, grammar and vocabulary exercises or follow the rhythm of the majority and leave behind those with a lower level. "You should give them revision exercises''. I do, and the only ones who do them are those who could have spared them, because they have a good command of the level. Students who need revision hardly ever do anything by themselves, because they have arrived here, to the level they are in now by being passed by their teachers, not by the knowledge they have acquired. We are all being very cynical in education, or should I say, we are all forced to be very cynical.
However, I find it difficult to adapt to unfair situations, so what is the most plausible solution? In my opinion, and it is written in our department programs since years ago, presentations and projects are the most powerful tool of attention to diversity, because students can do the works at their own level, There is no limit to make a powerful job and students with more difficulties and less motivation can do something very simple: grade 5.
That is what I did. It is not the same, and it is unfair especially for good students, but they had the opportunity to reach their best and most of them have done it. I am really satisfied and want to share their creations.
