Disparities between the National Bilingual program policies and the teaching practices at La Armonía School

Abstract

This paper studies the participants’ experiences while teaching on eleventh and tenth grade at La Armonia School with the influence of the guidelines provided by the Ministry of National Education in Colombia on the National Bilingual program through three documents; the basic learning rights (DBA), pedagogical principles and guidelines (suggested curriculum), and basic standards of competence in English (EBC), leading to an identification of disparities between the ideas presented in these documents and the realities stakeholders face in classrooms in regards to methodology, English level, topics, class planning, and assessment. While facing theory and evidence this case study gives the readers an idea of the root problems that are causing the difficulties in carrying out the NBP under the guidelines provided to do so. Some of the difficulties are based on the low students’ English level, the lack of teachers’ knowledge about the methodologies, methods, and processes suggested and their application in their teaching practices and the lack of training given on the documents used. This document presents the gap between the theory presented in the guidelines established by the MEN and real teaching practice. The conclusions present the current state of these disparities at Colegio La Armonía, since it is the first public school that intends to become bilingual.