WEEK 2 - REPETITION & REFLEXION

Although this week we only had one session due to the novatadas, this post will be a little longer to compensate. It turned out to be a session full of debates and reflections, the kind that make you reconsider what kind of teacher you want to be.

SESSION 1: (THE ONLY ONE)

We began by giving voice to those classmates who had not yet introduced themselves in the first week. After that, we moved on to a key moment: the draw for the submission dates of the two most important assignments of the semester, scheduled for November and December. Once this was done, we started to work on Unit 1: The Spanish Educational System.

Our professor, María Isabel Rodríguez Martín, shared her experience fighting for our rights as students and future teachers within the framework of the LOMLOE. She stressed how Primary Education teachers should not be assigned to Early Childhood Education, according to the law. This led us directly into a passionate debate about grade repetition.

Working in groups, we discussed how the decision to make a child repeat should always be taken collaboratively by the Equipo Docente and the EOA. In my group, we agreed that if a student has not fully developed the key competencies, repetition may sometimes be the right option. At the same time, we highlighted that there are children who might struggle but put in so much effort that they more than deserve to move forward. In the end, we realized that this inevitably takes us into the wide and complex field of adaptaciones curriculares.

Our professor illustrated this with the story of a child with dyslexia whose case was addressed by the Equipo Docente together with the EOA. Thanks to their commitment, the child was not retained but supported with specific measures, showing the true meaning of equality of opportunity.

We also learned from international perspectives: one of our classmates, originally from London, explained that in England there is an intermediate year between Year 1 and Year 2 designed precisely to avoid such sharp decisions. This opened up an even broader conversation about how each educational system tackles this issue differently, each with its strengths and limitations.

This debate reminded me that repetition is not a simple yes-or-no issue but a huge challenge for education. There are many layers: competencies, effort, inclusion, and above all, justice. My own experience as a private teacher has shown me that sometimes a method works with one student and fails with another. That is why flexibility and innovation are crucial.

As Fernández Bravo mentions in Cuaderno de viaje de un maestro (2025)“la educación consiste en
hacer felices a los demás" and "debemos construir la escuela para el alumno que no llega", so teachers must work together to help people (that connects to what I explained in the previous post). So, this perspective touched me deeply, because it shifts the focus back to the learner instead of the system.  I highly recommend to see Fernández Bravo's video Cuaderno de un maestro: https://youtu.be/zl6iSEC0zeE?si=Wq3FTJia3yJq8_hy

At the same time, I cannot ignore what my professor José Francisco Durán, who taught me Educación y Sociedad, used to repeat: “el problema real son las ratios.” After my own time in school placements, I could see clearly that when groups are too large, even the most brilliant methodology struggles to succeed. This is something I keep coming back to again and again.

Innovation (project-based learning, discovery learning, gamification) can be powerful, but unless we also rethink assessment and reduce ratios, its impact will always be limited. Creativity excites me—it allows us to design meaningful tasks, express ourselves as teachers, and engage children in learning. This session reminded me of how important it is to keep that creative spark alive, especially now that we have the opportunity to prepare exciting group projects. I honestly cannot wait to see what we come up with; I want to make something truly original this time, something that challenges me as much as it inspires others.

This reflection also connects to a post I wrote earlier on educational challenges. Although that post is in Spanish, I will link it, because it dives deeper into this complex topic and offers a broader perspective on the difficulties and contradictions we face in education today.

Read that post: https://portafoliodigitalmariaazanoncabeza.blogspot.com/2022/10/desafios-del-sistema-educativo-en.html

Although I am aware that I am very critical and analytical when discussing education, this session was incredibly enriching. The professor’s passion was evident, and the debate was intense. That said, I also hold some different views. 

For instance, regarding the LOMLOE, I do not fully agree with the idea that Primary teachers should not work in Early Childhood Education. Personally, I enjoy working with younger children, and I see value in that crossover. 

Likewise, while the professor suggested the possibility of having two teachers in one classroom, I do not find this idea practical. From my university experience, when two professors shared a subject, it often led to confusion because each had a different teaching style. For me, the best solution would be to reduce class sizes. With smaller groups, the main teacher could give more individual attention, respond more effectively to each student’s needs and and collaborate more efficiently with other specialists such as AL or PT teachers.

Of course, the law is the law, and we as teachers must respect it. But that does not mean we should not think critically. I believe in following regulations, while also developing our own reflective and well-founded positions.

In conclusion, my stance is clear: the main problem lies in the ratios. Without addressing this, neither innovation nor legislation can truly transform education. And yet, I remain passionate, analytical, and deeply committed to reflecting on these issues. Education is a vast field, and debates like this one only fuel my desire to keep learning and questioning.

Even though this week only had one class, it left me with plenty to think about. I hope that in the upcoming sessions I will not forget my essence—the creativity, the drive, the vocation that brought me here. Let’s see what we manage to create next week.

REFERENCES:

Azañón, M. (2022, octubre 30). Desafíos del sistema educativo en Castilla-La Mancha [Publicación de blog]. Portafolio digital de María Azañón. https://portafoliodigitalmariaazanoncabeza.blogspot.com/2022/10/desafios-del-sistema-educativo-en.html

Durán, J. F. (2023). Comunicación personal en la asignatura Educación y Sociedad (Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo).

Facultad de Educación, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha. (s.f.). Facultad de Educación. Toledo. Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha. https://www.uclm.es/toledo/educacion

Fernández Bravo, J. A. (2025). Cuaderno de viaje de un maestro [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/zl6iSEC0ze

Gobierno de Castilla-La Mancha. (2022). Decreto 81/2022, de 26 de julio, por el que se establece el currículo de Educación Primaria en Castilla-La Mancha. https://docm.castillalamancha.es/

Microsoft. (s.f.). Bing. Microsoft. https://www.bing.com

Ministerio de Educación, Formación Profesional y Deportes. (s.f.). Ministerio de Educación, Formación Profesional y Deportes. https://www.educacionfpydeportes.gob.es/portada.html

Pixabay. (s.f.). Pixabay – Free images & royalty-free stock. https://pixabay.com

Rory’s Story Cubes. (s.f.). Storycubes [Game]. Rory’s Story Cubes.

Some images included in this post are my own (Images by the author).

Tiger Games. (s.f.). Guess in 10 [Game]. Tiger Games.

Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha. (s.f.). Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha. https://www.uclm.es