The teacher is the person in charge of the educational activity or teaching of a group of pupils in an educational centre, holding a teaching qualification.
In Spanish legislation, the LOE law states that primary education can only be taught by those who hold the title of Primary Education Teacher, an equivalent degree, or are duly qualified. These teachers will have competence in all areas of this level. The teaching of music, physical education, foreign languages or such other subjects as may be determined by the government, after consultation with the Autonomous Communities, shall be taught by teachers with the corresponding specialisation or qualification.
The teacher establishes the programming, the assessment of student learning and of the teaching process, tutoring, guidance and support for students, attention to the intellectual, affective, psychomotor, social and moral development of students, and the promotion, organisation and participation in the complementary activities proposed by the centre.
Furthermore, as co-responsible for the education of pupils, they are required to contribute to a climate of respect, tolerance, participation and freedom at the school in order to foster the values of democratic citizenship in pupils. Likewise, they must inform families about the learning process of their children and guide them so that they collaborate in this process.
In the organisational dimension, the teaching staff are responsible for coordinating the teaching, management and leadership activities entrusted to them, participating in the general activity of the centre and in the assessment plans that are determined, and researching and continuously improving the corresponding teaching processes. All these functions will be carried out through collaboration and teamwork.
In Spain, the regions have competences in educational matters, and so, for example, the decree that regulates the Primary Education curriculum in Asturias (BOPA no. 140, 16 June 2007, Article 23) indicates that the teacher is responsible for the teaching programmes in each cycle and year. They will draw up these documents on the basis of the specifics of the curriculum (Article 22) and “they will be organised in their content and timing according to the different areas, coordinated by the group tutor in such a way as to facilitate globalised treatment by teaching units, centres of interest or projects, without prejudice to the coordination of the cycle”.
