Characterizing English language teaching in 5th grade at an educational institution in Colombia

Caracterización de la enseñanza del inglés en quinto grado en una institución colombiana

Abstract

Intercultural communication and scientific and technological advance impose the development of communicative competence in one or more foreign languages at an international level, and Colombia is not an exception. That is why there is an interest in raising the quality of English language teaching in primary education. This article characterizes this process in the fifth grade of primary school at the San Isidro de Ibagué Institution. A study of the curricular standards and guidelines of the Ministry of Education was carried out to identify main difficulties in English language learning according to Colombian legislation in the institution under study. The empirical study was carried out through surveys, class observations and interviews allowed us to learn that, despite the transformations introduced by the Ministry of Education in Colombia to promote the learning of English from the basic primary level, the expected objectives are not achieved because the didactic and innovative strategies to achieve them are insufficient and due to the theoretical-methodological preparation of the teachers to facilitate communicative and developmental language teaching in primary education in Colombia,   particularly in the San Isidro city of Ibagué institution.