Instruction for Mathematics and Science in Primary and Lower Secondary Grades
Grade at Which Specialist Teachers for Mathematics and Science are Introduced
In Grades 1 to 5, a general classroom teacher teaches all subjects, with the exception of music or sports in Grade 4 or 5. In Grade 1, an additional preschool teacher frequently assists the general classroom teacher. In Grades 6 to 9, all subjects are taught by specialist teachers. These teachers are specialized in and are certified to teach one or two subjects in specific combinations: mathematics and physics; mathematics and computer science; chemistry and physics; or chemistry and biology. In general, geography teachers do not have a second specialization from a science area but, rather, from a social science subject (e.g., history, languages, or social science).
Instructional Materials, Equipment, and Laboratories
Students are required to have textbooks and workbooks for their use in every school subject. Teachers decide which textbooks and workbooks will be used in their classes from a list of approved textbooks and available workbooks. Students can purchase their own textbooks or borrow them free of charge from the school library for the whole school year.
In general, schools have some classrooms equipped for science experiments, and a small number of schools also have a laboratory for such experiments. At least one computer room usually is available to students from Grade 6 onward. Schools are responsible for purchasing materials to support mathematics and science instruction, such as manipulatives (e.g., counting materials, cubes, geopanels, and geometric shapes), as well as materials requested by teachers, such as small equipment and materials for science experiments.
Use of Technology
Students are allowed to use calculators for mathematics from Grade 6 onward, but only in a limited capacity.32 Graphing calculators are not allowed. Students are expected, but not required, to use calculators for science subjects starting in Grade 6. In most classrooms in the lower and upper grades, a computer is available for student and teacher use. Computer rooms, which have many computers connected to the Internet, are used in most schools for regular computer-assisted lessons within different subjects in the higher grades. According to the mathematics curriculum, students should learn how to work with tables and data displays on computers from Grade 6 onward. Also for other subjects, students often are expected to present topics in the form of electronic presentation, prepared at home, using a class computer and overhead projector. The curricular documents for mathematics and the different science subjects also recommend educational software for school use. The National Education Institute supports teachers with training in using specific applications.33
Accommodation Policies for Instruction and Testing
In Slovenia, the right of all children to develop their potential optimally and their right to nondiscrimination form the basis of the concept of inclusive education and participation of children with special needs in the regular school system. Special education is offered to children and students ages 1 to 26. The inclusion of a child with special needs in the special school program is based on a written request by parents or the school. The placement committee, set by the ministry, proposes the optimal school program for the child based on the judgment of various specialists, and by following national documented criteria for identifying the type and level of the child’s disability or disorder.34
Almost all children with special needs, presenting 6.5 percent of all student cohorts, are enrolled in regular kindergartens and schools. All schools should offer special inclusive educational programs with lower educational standards, or adapted implementation of the regular program to children with special needs in the school neighborhood. The adaptations of the regular program consist of different organization of teaching, methods of assessment, progression through grades, and the schedule of lessons. However, a child is expected to reach the minimal curricular standards of knowledge together with his or her classmates using special learning or teaching tools and materials, such as a (specific) personal computer, a permanent or temporary assistant, taking tests printed in an enlarged format, and being allowed longer testing times. For children enrolled in the education programs with a lower educational standard, the subject curricula, educational cycles, and completion requirements are adapted to their special needs. Classes that contain students with special needs may be smaller.
Students also may be recognized as talented or gifted children at the national level. Schools should support them by offering specific activities and additional enrichment lessons, mainly out of regular lessons, following the national document Concept for Work with Gifted Children. Teachers are supported by in-service teacher training programs, offered at the national level, for work with talented children and children with special needs.35