Instruction for Mathematics and Science in Primary and Lower Secondary Grades
Grade at Which Specialist Teachers for Mathematics and Science are Introduced
In primary school (Grades 1 to 4), students usually have one teacher for all subjects. Beginning in Grade 5, every class has a different teacher for each subject. Each teacher is fully responsible for teaching his or her respective subject to one or several classes per grade, and will typically teach the same classes for the duration of pre-secondary school (Grades 5 to 8). The same is true of teachers in secondary school (Grades 8 to 12). In smaller schools, especially in small towns and villages, one teacher typically will teach the same classes from Grades 5 to 12. From Grades 5 to 12, students are taught by mathematics and science subject specialists. In Grades 3 and 4, the Man and Nature subject is taught by a teacher who is qualified in all primary school subjects, while in Grades 5 and 6 all three modules are taught by a teacher who is trained typically in one or two academic disciplines (e.g., biology and chemistry, or physics and chemistry).
Instructional Materials, Equipment, and Laboratories
Student textbooks differ by subject and grade level. All textbooks are approved by the Ministry of Education. One of the criteria for approving a textbook is that it follows the topics outlined in the curriculum. Schools select textbooks at the beginning of the school year. Typically, a textbook will come with additional supplements for teachers, outlining didactical and methodological guidelines. For each subject and grade level, there usually are two or three sets of approved textbooks and supplements.
In addition to textbooks, there are many other instructional materials available to teachers and students, such as handbooks with tasks or tests on mathematics or science, and guides for solving problems. Some of these materials are approved by the Ministry of Education. Teachers also utilize models of molecules, human body organs, and plants, as well as the periodic table, posters, pictures, schemes, and multimedia visualizations of scientific objects and phenomena.
Ideally, laboratory work should play a central role in science education, as it can help students to develop key scientific competencies, observational and manipulative skills, the ability to design experiments, and the ability to interpret and present experimental data. The implementation of laboratory work in science classes in Bulgaria, however, is limited by the shortage of school science laboratories and appropriate laboratory equipment. Even in schools where a science laboratory is available and relatively well equipped, laboratory work is limited by a shortage of experimental materials and supplies, as well as a shortage of laboratory assistants. In addition, a high student-to-teacher ratio of 25 to 1 makes it difficult to carry out laboratory experiments.
Use of Technology
There are no written policies in Bulgaria regulating the use of technology in mathematics and science instruction. In practice, each school has rooms equipped with computers that are available to students of informatics and information technologies. These rooms also can be used for mathematics or science lessons at the teacher’s discretion. While the use of calculators is not officially regulated, typically calculators are not allowed during national tests and examinations.