Dominican National Curriculum

Explain the educational approach of the Curriculum

The educational approach of the Dominican curriculum is Constructivism; it tries

to explain how one passes from a state of knowledge to a higher one. In general,
it is understood that knowledge is not a copy of reality, but a human construction.
This construction is produced as a result of the interaction with the physical and
social environment. Therefore, it depends on our schemes formed by previous
knowledge and experiences and the cultural practices in which we are inserted.

Three orientations are integrated into the foundation of the Dominican education
curriculum: the historical-cultural approach, the socio-critical approach and the
competency approach. The convergence of these approaches represents a
conceptual enrichment based on the current psychopedagogical theories that try
to respond to the complex educational challenges of these times.

Main (fundamental) competencies and relevance

The Fundamental Competences express the educational intentions of greater

relevance and significance. They are transversal competences that allow the entire
curriculum to be connected in a meaningful way. They are essential for the full
and integral development of the human being in its different dimensions, and are
based on the principles of human rights and universal values.

The Fundamental Competences of the Dominican curriculum are:

1. Ethical and Citizen Competence
2. Communicative Competence
3. Competency of Logical, Creative and Critical Thinking
4. Problem Solving Competence
5. Scientific and Technological Competence
6. Environmental and Health Competence
7. Personal and Spiritual Development Competence

Sub-competencies and relevance

The specific competences correspond to the curricular areas. These competences

refer to the capacities that the student body must acquire and develop through the
mediation of each area of knowledge. They are guided by the Fundamental
Competences and support their realization, guaranteeing the coherence of the
curriculum in terms of learning.

Labor-professional competencies refer to the development of capacities related

to the world of work. They prepare students for the acquisition and performance
of specific job-professional levels and to solve the problems derived from change
in work situations. Those skills are present in the different specialties of the
 Technical-professional Modalities and the Arts, as well as in job training that
include the Subsystems of Education of Young People and Adults and Special
Education.

Main teaching/learning theories, strategies and techniques recommended.

Here are some suggested strategies and techniques:

Recovery strategies from previous experiences that value popular knowledge and
guide and guarantee the meaningful learning of the elaborated knowledge. You can
use the school environment, the family and home environment, the care activities
usually carried out by women or the school itself.
Expository strategies of elaborated and or accumulated knowledge, using various
resources and materials (oral, written, digital, manipulative, audio-visual, among
others). Teachers, students or also people from the community invited by their
domain of themes can expose specific.
Discovery and inquiry strategies for the methodological learning of searching and
identifying information, as well as the use of bibliographic research and appropriate
forms of experimentation, according to the ages, the contents to be worked on and
the available equipment. Case studies and diagnostic activities can also be performed.
These strategies can be combined with those of exposition, with those of recovery of
individual perceptions and with those of problematization.
Strategies for inserting teachers, teachers and students in the environment. Within
the framework of these strategies, some activities mentioned in the strategies for the
recovery of individual perceptions, such as visits or excursions, can be used.
Socialization strategies focused on group activities. The group allows the free
expression of opinions, the identification of problems and solutions, in an
atmosphere of cooperation and solidarity.
Dialogic inquiry or questioning strategy. Through this strategy, questions are
formulated throughout the teaching and learning process: at the beginning to
introduce a topic or motivate, during the development to check understanding and
at the end to assess.
Aprendizaje Basado en Problemas (ABP). Es una estrategia de aprendizaje en la
que se utilizan problemas semejantes a los que el alumno o alumna enfrentará en su
vida con el objetivo de desarrollar las competencias.
Project-Based Learning Strategy. Through this strategy, students explore problems
and situations of interest in the context and take on the challenge of creating or
modifying resources or procedures that satisfy a need. The process of carrying out a
project is done in collaboration with others and allows obtaining original results or
products that generate interest and satisfaction.
Sociodrama or dramatization. It is a technique that presents an argument or theme
through simulation and dialogue of the characters in order to excite and motivate. It
is used to represent a fact, historical event or situation Social. To implement it, the
theme is determined, investigated, roles are assigned, the script is written, the stage
is prepared, the choreography, the scenography, among other activities.
Case Study Technique. This technique differs from Problem-Based Learning (PBL)
in that the situation described must be real, presenting a difficulty that a person, a
community or an institution is going through at a given time.
The debate. It is a technique in which two or more participants exchange
contradictory points of view on a chosen topic. For this, you must select a topic,
research on it, prepare arguments and presentations, assign roles and conduct the
debate in front of a jury.

Levels, cycles and grades.

Initial level
At the Initial Level, different educational intervention strategies are promoted, with
the participation of the family and the community. Its purpose is to contribute to the
physical-motor, intellectual, affective, social and moral development of children
under six years of age. At this level, the process of development of the Fundamental
Competences begins.
The initial level is organized in two (2) Cycles.
First cycle
In this Cycle, the child population from 0 to 3 years is served. The First Cycle of the
Initial Level emphasizes the satisfaction of basic needs related to the affective and
physical dimension, such as trust, security, food, sleep and cleanliness.
Second cycle
This Cycle includes the population of boys and girls from 3 to 6 years old. In this
Second Cycle of the Primary Level, the development of language, a greater conquest
of autonomy as part of the socialization process, as well as a physical development
that implies safer and more coordinated movements.
The initial level consists of the following grades Maternal, Kindergarten and Pre-
primary.

Primary level
The Primary Level will last 6 years and will serve boys and girls aged between 6 and
12 years. At the Primary Level, the process of development of the Fundamental
Competences continues. It may be developed in person or with the support of
facilitators and Information Technologies and Communication (ICT).
This Level is made up of two Cycles. The first comprises the 1st grades. to 3rd. and
the second of 4th. to 6th. Each of these degrees will have a duration of one year and
an effective teaching assignment of 10 months.
First cycle
The First Cycle lasts three years and is regularly aimed at the population of boys and
girls aged 6 to 9 years. It must guarantee the construction of knowledge or basic
cultural elements: adequate use of oral and written language, reading, calculation,
logical procedures, operations and basic concepts about nature and society that make
it possible to understand and undertake solving problems related to the reality of
everyday life.
Second cycle
This Cycle lasts for three years and regularly attends to boys and girls between the
ages of 9 and 12. Its purpose is to strengthen and deepen the learning made in the
previous Cycle and develop those that correspond to this Cycle, such as: deepen the
development of Communicative Competence both in the mother tongue and in
another foreign language, as well as the language and basic notions of mathematics,
science, the arts.

Secondary level
The Secondary Level will last for 6 years and will serve the school population aged
between 12 and 18 years. It promotes the development of comprehensive training
that guarantees citizens the autonomous and effective exercise of their own lives, in
an active, productive, conscious, dignified and democratic manner. At this level, the
development of Fundamental Competencies is consolidated and training
opportunities are provided for work and the full exercise of citizenship.
First cycle
The First Cycle has a duration of three years and is common to the different
Modalities. It marks a break with the childhood period and represents the beginning
of a stage of greater commitments and a sense of responsibility. In this Cycle the
students are prepared for a better development in life and for the conscious choice of
a Modality, based on their interests, needs, aptitudes and preferences.
Second cycle
The Second Cycle of Secondary Education has a duration of three years and is
developed in three Modalities: Academic, Technical-Professional and Arts. The
educational intention of the Second Cycle is to provide a training program that
contributes to the comprehensive training of the student. Each modality contains two
or more options, which are conceived with the purpose of providing the opportunity
to deepen or develop particular emphasis in areas of knowledge or skills for work that
prepare the student to develop their life project.
Academic modality
This Modality offers the student a comprehensive training that delves into different
areas of scientific knowledge and the humanities. In the Academic Modality,
adolescents consolidate their competences to participate in society as subjects with a
critical conscience, with productive capacities and with an ethical-democratic spirit.
This Modality has two outputs: a) Humanities and Sciences b) Humanities and
Modern languages.

Technical-Professional Modality
The Technical-Professional Modality allows students to obtain general and
professional training that helps them adapt to the permanent change of work needs.
In this way they can successfully integrate into the different areas of productive
activity and / or continue further studies.
The purpose of this modality is that students:
a) Develop Fundamental and Professional Competencies.
b) They understand the organization and characteristics of the corresponding
economic and productive sector, as well as the mechanisms of labor insertion, basic
labor legislation and the rights and obligations that derive from labor relations.
c) Build and develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to work in safe
conditions and prevent possible risks arising from work situations as well as promote
the quality and protection of the environment.
d) Develop the necessary skills to access higher education programs.

Modality in Arts
The Modality in Arts contributes to the formation of subjects who are involved with
a critical, sensitive and participatory attitude in the production and recreation of
culture; who understand, enjoy popular art and promote its social value. It offers the
opportunity to develop practical skills for the exercise of professions and occupations
in the field of art and / or pursuing specialized studies.
This Modality is intended for students to develop:
a) The Fundamental Competences, an integral humanistic formation and the creative
capacities and of self-realization as people and citizens.
b) Labor skills in fields associated with the arts.
c) Knowledge and skills that allow them to continue higher studies related to artistic
production, cultural management, research related to culture and art, the promotion
and marketing of artistic products and shows, among others.
The modality is structured according to the major areas of Art: Music, Visual Arts,
Performing Arts and Applied Arts.
Upper level
The Higher Level corresponds to the education process that begins after completion
of Secondary Education, leading to a higher technical, undergraduate or
postgraduate degree. The purpose of this Level is to provide scientific, professional,
humanistic, artistic and technical training of the highest level.

Student description (social-emotional-language development).

The situation of poverty in the homes pushes a large number of children and
adolescents to seek work at an early age. The report Dynamics of Child Labor in the
Dominican Republic established that child labor in the country was 12%. Despite
this last figure, it must be emphasized that more than 60% of the children and
adolescents who work in the Dominican Republic are 13 years old or younger. The
average age of children and adolescents who carry out activities considered as child
labor it is 12 years.
Today's society requires competent people to respond to the many challenges that are
presented to them. That is why the Primary Level creates spaces for the development
of learning that promote the sense of belonging to a culture, personal growth and
citizenship to participate in society. For this, from childhood, it is necessary to learn
to analyze, interpret and value the amount of information available, applying critical
thinking. At this level, it is essential to attend to diversity and learning rhythms,
exposing children to various experiences.
Language and thinking skills maintain an increasing rhythm during the Cycles in
which the Primary Level is structured, due to the fact that boys and girls develop their
capacities to express their own thoughts, knowledge, goals and actions. From the
representation of reality, they move to the expression of reality through language and
symbolic play. The social interaction of the game and the use of language enable the
affirmation of personal identity and the discovery of other people. In this interaction,
social identity emerges, taking sense of belonging and collective conscience. At this
stage of development, language evolves in constant interactions and changing of an
organic, psychic and social character.
At this stage, the boys and girls are aware of the rules established in their cultural
environment and develop feelings of shame and pride, as well as a clearer idea of the
difference between guilt and shame; It is the moment when the development of moral
conscience. These emotions influence their opinion of themselves and of other
people. A determining factor of self-esteem at this stage is the opinion that boys and
girls have of their capacity for productive tasks. That's why It is so important to give
support and accompaniment in school projects where they show their autonomy,
creativity and spirit of collaborative work.
Components and elements of the Curricular Design - Components and elements
in English as a Foreign Language Curriculum and briefly describe each one.
The new structure of the curricular design of the Primary Level consists of the
following components: competences, contents, teaching and learning strategies,
activities, means and resources for learning, and orientation for evaluation.
The components and English elements are:
The Foreign Languages curriculum is aligned with the Common European
Framework of Reference for Languages: The proficiency levels indicated in the
specific competences and achievement indicators related to oral and written
production and comprehension were established from the descriptors of said frame
of reference.
Fundamental competencies: they express the educational intentions of greatest
relevance and significance. They are transversal competences that allow the entire
curriculum to be connected in a meaningful way. They are essential for the full and
integral development of the human being in its different dimensions, they are based
on the principles of Human Rights and universal values.
Specific Competencies: These competences refer to the capacities that the student
body must acquire and develop through the mediation of each area of knowledge.
They are guided by the Competences Fundamental and support its concretion,
guaranteeing the coherence of the curriculum in terms of learning.
Contents: Vocabulary, Grammar, pronunciation etc.
Achievement indicators: These are some of the requirements or indicators that the
student has learned, for example, oral comprehension, when a teacher asks a question
and about a class already explained and the student answers correctly, it is
understood that the objectives were achieved.
Describe the EFL approach in the 1st cycle of the Elementary Level.
As I understand in the first cycle of the primary level the students don’t receive
English classes, they begin to take English classes from 4th which belongs to the
second cycle not the first.