TRAINING TEACHERS IN GENERIC COMPETENCES FOR STUDENTS

Literacy in Science, Mathematics and Language is a major challenge for Mexican Upper Secondary Education (MUSE). Students from the MUSE have overall modest results as only 60% of those who enter USE graduate from it. At the same time performance in reading, writing, Mathematics and Science is poor, as witnesses PISA results. In recent years the quality of Mexican education has come under close scrutiny on the part of academic literature, the press, public opinion and political parties. The last three years have seen enacted major changes in laws governing education and teaching. These changes have required constitutional amendments. The first of these increased compulsory education to include Upper Secondary Education (USE) and a second one sought to correct serious structural problems regarding the organization of the educational system, evaluation of teachers and its impact on equity and quality.

Previous to these changes MUSE underwent in 2008 a major curriculum reform that adopted a competences approach. The challenge of preparing teachers for the complex set of new teaching and learning conditions emanating from this collection of recently enacted laws and regulations has been met nationally with courses providing general information on the reforms but little or no opportunities to develop and practice innovative didactics and pedagogy. It has been left to each individual state, local or institutional authority to design and organize courses, programs or workshops in order to prepare teachers accordingly.

This paper deals with an educational program offering a 48 hour course for teachers in MUSE service, organized in 8 sessions throughout a five month period in order to accompany and support them in the design of an innovative intervention in their own classes promoting three competences: i) written and oral literacy and professional communication, ii) the application of formal languages to professional work and iii) the use of content knowledge for problem-solving.
This project has drawn inspiration and important lessons from a similar project undertaken between 20012 and 2013 at a major Mexican university and reported in various papers.