Secondary education

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The Intelligent Classroom®

The Intelligent Classroom is a community of learning in which the principal objective is the development of students' intelligence and values. They plan, carry out and manage their own work, with the teachers' supervision, diverse educational methods and real tasks. This is evaluated by students and teachers in an open multiuser space equipped with technology in accordance with the principles of quality and continuous improvement.

Secondary Education (Educación Secundaria Obligatoria) is the period from 12 to 16 years. Students learn the basic elements of their culture, especially the scientific, technological and humanistic aspects; to reinforce the habits of study and work; promote independent learning and the development of personal abilities; students learn to take responsibility for their rights and obligations.

The SEK-Intelligent Classroom Educational System, the result of the most advanced educational research and endorsed by the best national and international experts, is put to full use in Secondary Education.

Theoretical foundation

It's principal premises are as follows:

- The immediate objective of learning is the construction of meaning and the development of intelligence and values in all students.

- Learning tasks must be real and authentic.

- Teaching-learning methods are at their most efficient when they are varied.

- The control of the learning process should pass into the hands of the students in a progressive way.

- The role of the teacher is not to convey facts, but to mediate the students' learning.

- The students' role is to participate actively and responsibly in their own learning process.

- Testing should not only be directed at content, but also for processes, and should use multiple contexts.

- The interaction between teacher and student works best within a true "community of learning".

- Culture and quality strategies substantially improve results.

In our system, we have abandoned the traditional paradigm which revolves around the teacher and teaching, replacing it with an innovative design in which the student and their learning is at the centre. We believe this is an important step in the development of Education Science.

- Open Classroom
A large, well-lit space with areas for seminars, small group meetings or relaxation. There is no compartmentalisation, which fosters the communication between teachers and students; they may meet in general sessions, participate in classroom discussions, form small or larger groups or work individually according to the nature of the tasks they are performing. Furniture is modular and adaptable to the requirements of this new type of school space.

- Flexible timetable
The timetable is not set in equal time blocks, but in periods appropriate for the requirements (depth, duration, complexity) of the tasks to be performed. The student has time available for their own programme of work, assisted by the presence and continuous support of their teachers and most especially their tutor

- Team work
Teachers and students work in teams, not only for planning teaching activities, but also in all the processes of learning. In this way, we break with the traditional isolation of the teacher in the classroom. Teachers interact and establish continuous communication with students

- Educational Units
The subject matter to be learned from the main areas of knowledge (humanistic, scientific-technological and linguistic) are distributed into education units and are delivered as follows: presentation of the subject to the whole group (motivation, analysis of previous knowledge, conceptual map, procedures for the work to be done); individual work or work in small groups (with traditional resources, software, network resources, multimedia and the continuous support of the teacher); group discussions with the teachers to evaluate the knowledge acquired; self-evaluation and, lastly, feedback into the curriculum with modification to suit individual needs. Testing is continuous and helpful feedback is given throughout the process

- Foreign languages
Languages, during continuous interaction of students with specialist teachers, are used for as a vehicle for communication, documentation and doing classwork in the second language

- Monitors
Understanding and communication are often easier between students themselves, so we set up monitors at three levels: academic, sports and social

- Integrated resources: library and technological resources
The Intelligent Classroom favours the integration of educational resources that can be used by teachers and students in a natural way and in their daily work: learning guides, library, computer equipment, educational software, video and audio resources.

- Tutorials
Each student chooses a tutor from the teaching team. The responsibilities of the tutor are: guiding the student in learning and driving the consolidation of personal and group attitudes and values. The programmes Learning to be , Learning to think and Middle Years Programme complete the curriculum.

Further information can be obtained from the books, El Aula Inteligente, nuevo horizonte educativo (1998) (The Intelligent Classroom, New Educational Horizon) and El Aula Inteligente, nuevas perspectivas (2003) (The Intelligent Classroom, New Perspectives), edited by Espasa Calpe

Technology in the classroom

In the Intelligent Classroom, technological resources are in their natural environment and become tools for working.
The systematic use of the computer stimulates interactions and promotes active learning in teams. Looking up information on the Intranet, such as details about our Education System, educational units or self-evaluations, makes the computer really useful in the classroom. The ability of the computer to store information and its use as a tool for research and consultation, allows the students to progress from memorisation to take a more active role by using higher quality mental processes. In this way they can apply what they have learned to other areas of knowledge.
The use of the computer also improves communication via forums, debates, hyper-links and electronic mail