Is the Costa Rican's School system working?

There has been many problems in the field of education in Costa Rica. Students aren't getting the appropriate education that the Ministery of Public Education is providing them. They deserve a much better level of teaching.The purpose of this article is to point out a few of the problems that Costa Rican's Public schools are facing. We'll focus in the field of Engish Teaching as a second language.

One of the main and most important point is the amount of hours that students get each week to learn a new language. Having a 40 minute class is absolutely not enough for students to learn a new language. Furthermore it take about 5 to 10 minutes before all the students arrive , and for the teacher to get their attention. Another 10 minutes at the end of the class because students tend to get anxious to leave so they put away everything before time. That leaves abou 30 to 35 minutes of class, which is impossible to actually teach something. Maybe two grammar exercises, but what about the main goal of teaching all the four skills? This is obviously not happening in the classrooms.

Imagine having to teach a class of 30 to 35 students. Anyone would go crazy with just the thought of that. This is the actual case in many schools, and that's what's making it more difficult for teachers to handle a class full of students. It's not easy to constantly have all their attention the whole time. Teacher's also have to be careful with the kind of material they use to teach. Every student has their different ways of learning, and the teacher has to make sure she's able to satisfy each student at the same time, which most of the time is unsuccesful.

There are many different types of methods that can be used to teach. The use of the Communicative Approach hasn't changed in years. Offcourse this approach has it's benefits and it's down sides, but we can see that for years this Approach hasn't been very much affective, but it is still being used. Times have changed and teachers should implement new ways of teaching. It doesn't cost anything to simply try out new things. If it doens't work you can always go back with the old.

It's pretty obvious how technology has develop within these last few years. The use of it in classrooms isn't an exception. Having a computer, internet, beamer, radio and so one in a classroom can drastically improve teaching. Students tend to be more interested in new things, and technology is a good way to get them interested in learning. Offcourse these resources aren't that cheap, but investing in them would be worth it.

Another important factor is the quality students get. Wealthy people who can afford private school have a huge benefit. Parents who aren't as fortunate has to send their children to public school where they find teachers with less experience, less education, less up to date with effective teaching methods. Students have limited access to a wider range of knowledge. They graduate knowing "less" than others, which can sometimes be dissapointing when encountering others who know more than they do.

The importance of learning English should be made clear to everyone. English isn't taken very seriously. Students see it as another simple course that they are forced to take, which they don't necessarilly need. English plays an important role worldwide. People who know English are most likely to get a better job, and advance easier in life. If English was promoted in a better way and to clarrify the importance of it in life.

It's clearly enough that the public school system needs drastic improvement. In order for a change to come, the Ministry of Public Education must evaluate the whole situation and start implementing changes little by little.

Class Observation:

School: Colegio de Curridabat

Professor: Dennis Castro Mora

Course: English

Level: 9th grade

Interview :

http://youtu.be/w1S2jRv3i-I