Week 6: not tight nor dark but light and spark

Week 6
Date: Monday, August 26th  to Thursday, August 29^nd, 2019
Topic: Conditionals review.

     This week I have done some new activities regarding teaching processes. My teacher and I are still doing some review about conditionals for tenth graders in order to feedback their learning process, moreover we have designed some questions for the next week oral exam about Future Simple tense and sports vocabulary. On Monday, we did a workshop related with Da Vinci with 10°14 in which students had to watch a short video and answer to some questions. This was for listening skill. At the end of the class, we gave a prize for the one who did the activity the best. Students feel motivated when they receive bonuses and presents, they also must understand that their learning process is not based in stimuli but in autonomy, self motivation, discipline, and knowledge for their future; this is something we as teachers must make them realize about. However, I feel students are more engaged and motivated, they want to learn and they are starting to treat me as a "real" teacher, not only as the teacher assistant.

     On Thursday, students were doing some external tests, because of that I was doing accompaniment and observation process, besides some planning for next week in which we are going to visit the laboratory for online exercises and an interactive class. I must say these students are lucky about having such tools for their learning process, however, some of them do not use all the instruments and material we as teachers design for them. I think this is part of the Practicum, to learn about the experiences and having some analysis from them, in which I have discovered that students feel motivated and use these devices and classes I plan in the extent their teachers be not strict and tight. One can be a kind and demanding teacher at the same time and this will give a positive outcome in terms of teaching and classroom management.

Week 5: a productive day

Week 5
Date: Monday, August 19th  to Thursday, August 22^nd, 2019
Topic: Conditionals and Future Tenses.

     We had a holiday at the beggining of the week, so I didn't go to class on Monday. Because of this, I replaced this class on Thursday, so I stayed from 1:00pm to 6:40pm at school. The day started with 11°11, I had to work listening exercises. If I'd had knew this was going to be so hard, I'd paid more attention to Communicative Competence classes. My students are in basic level, but they didn't understand anything about topics they were listening to, nor even simple words. However, when they listened to the audios and read the captions at the same time, the task got a little bit easier for them. I think it is a skill that is tough to develop to them taking into account their previous teachers have used more Spanish than English in classes (this is a fact, they've told me about it).

     As English teachers, I think we need to talk in the target language, but, according to some authors I read in Processes in English Language Acquisition subject, using Spanish turns easier the learning of a second language, it is a tool that motivates and engages students in their learning processes due the trust and confidence they feel. I think I'll implement Spanish as well in my classes from now on and make some analysis about outcomes in students. I must say, that the fact they are in their last year of high school could be a reason about their lack of motivation and low skills; they are anxious about their near future, their graduation; they are tired because they've been studying for so many years. At this point I must say I also felt like that a long time ago when I was in my last year of school.

     In the other hand, I was also teaching in 10°13 and 10°14. With both of them, I worked Conditionals (Zero, First, and Second). I made my planning and it was successful because students were receptive as I was explaining the topic, they participated a lot in class. I brought some songs in English that use Conditionals, then I showed them the lyrics and asked them to identify the types of Conditionals. After this, I made a Rotation activity, that my cooperative teacher taught me, to dynamize the class, it was just great. I wish I had my own groups. If I had mine, I'd implement more strategies, because sometimes, as a preservice teacher, one feel disabled, retained, or limited to apply some activities and methodologies. However, this issue can be easily solved by effectively communicating with the cooperative teacher.

     I really enjoyed this day, even though it was a long one, but I need to get closer to the real educative context for experience.

Week 4: Images, candies, and motivation

Week 4
Date: Monday, August 12th  to Thursday, August 15^th, 2019

     This week was loaded of emotions. It was started a new unit about Conditionals for tenth graders and Future Simple, Future Continuous, and Future Perfect Simple for eleventh graders. I started with some feedback about students' previous knowledge asking them some questions and then doing an exercise about this part of grammar. As I have promised to one group, I brought them a kind of motivation, a candy, they were so grateful and loaded of emotions. I realized that students are sort of "interested", they pay attention to your classes if you are a good teacher, non-strict one, very kind, and calmed. That's my personality, so that I think I get along well with my students. They were very receptive and they also participated a lot in class. Even though I am teaching for a 90 minutes class, two classes a day, I felt comfortable and wishing my next class, next week, to get started.

     Another aspect is related with class material. I've realized that students are more visual and they really like watching videos and images, matching words, verbs, and so, with pictures. I am glad to bring these material and students are motivated in class. This is a great deal for us.

Simple future not as simple

Week 3

Date: Thursday, august 8^th, 2019

Time: from 1:35pm to 3:05pm, from 3:35pm to 5:05pm

     Today I didn’t have class for eleventh graders because they were doing a simulation test for their Pruebas Saber Pro test, so I just used this time for being in the classroom in an observation class and doing some planning. In 10°13 group, I worked the same topic as I did in Monday, however, there were some changes in the methodology and times of the class. For instance, I changed the activity related with creating sentences about Simple Future that I implemented on Monday. The outcomes were notorious in terms of time and interest from students. This group was more receptive and participative than the other group even though students in both groups are in basic level. Although I planned time regarding activities for a 90 minutes class, I ended 20 minutes before the class ended, so I had to work with the workbook. These aspects are important to handle in the practice process.

     Teaching some topics can be tough if you do not have an organized agenda. Because of this, I learned that is always important to establish the sections of a class, the time in which every activity is going to be developed, and having a Plan B if class ends before time. In the agenda is also important to have another activities for students, some games just in case. This is part of the methodology and strategies, when teacher has experience an agenda is not necessary at all.

Week 3: My first day of teaching

Week 3
Date: Monday, August 5^th, 2019

Time: from 1:35pm to 3:05pm

     Currently, we are teaching simple future tense, “will” and “to be going to” for tenth graders, following the guidelines in Close – Up textbook. Today I was with 10°14 group, the agenda was:

• Vocabulary: about parts of the house and the neighborhood as well.
• Pair work: about discussing some advantages and disadvantages of the previous vocabulary.
• Activity: matching words. Simple future tense: will and be going to.
• Activity: comparing two images of houses and describing them. Writing and speaking exercise.

The girls were receptive, participative, and they were engaged with all the activities. However, in the end of the class (every class lasts 90 minutes) they were tired and some of them were also distracted. I think the most important and toughest aspect to bear in mind and to apply for a beginner teacher, is class management; it is hard to keep all students focused. I need to improve this skill. I think every teacher learns new methodologies and practices in the exercise of his/her profession; with a new day teaching comes a new day of learning. My cooperative teacher has told me some aspects to improve, as a feedback, in terms of class management. The greatest moment of this day was when the students told me they understood everything I taught them, and they were grateful because of that.

Attributes

Week 2
Date: Thursday, August 1^st, 2019

Time: from 1:35pm to 3:05pm, from 3:35pm to 5:05pm

     I did an observation process with eleventh graders because they had to solve a simulation test regarding Pruebas Saber Pro. The first half of the class was about this, then my teacher and I, did workshop about this same test. You know, students must be prepared to face their fate with bravery and wise. Then, in tenth grade, we worked the same topic as we did the last monday, but focused on listening exercises. As days go by, I have learnt that creativity is an important attribute teachers must have as we need to design tests, activities, and resources that involve students as the center in their learning process.

Week 2: Feelings about teaching

Week 2

Date: Monday, July 29^th, 2019

Time: from 1:35pm to 5:05pm

     Students are still reviewing types of houses vocabulary, also future tense, so that I prepared a warm-up activity and an end up activity. I feel so comfortable working with this group, they are participative, you can feel the empathy. I brought a wordsearch puzzle where they should find types of houses and then relate the word with its respective image, a kind of matching activity. Then, the teacher taught going to and will forms for future tense and gave some explanation and examples. This kind of observation helped me looking for techniques, methodologies, and strategies for teaching English. This feeling about teaching English is coming alive again, and I really like it. At the end of the class we played a game with types of houses. If students feel happy and enjoy the class, they will learn significatively. If the teacher feels comfortable, feel confident, feel happy and secure, students will learn twice.

Personalities

Week 1

Date: Thursday, July 25^th, 2019

Time: from 1:35pm to 3:05pm, from 3:35pm to 5:05pm.

     Today was one of those days in which you feel anxious because the upcoming events of the day. You know it is going to be perfect, but you also have the feeling you are going to be nervous. Well, I was in both 11°11 and 10°13 groups. The first class started at 1:35pm and ended at 3:05pm. It was with eleventh graders. Once again just a few students, but 25 in this case at the very beginning of the class, because they are currently being prepared to face the upcoming Pruebas Saber Pro 11. So, the first 30 minutes they were doing a simulacrum and then they were splitted in groups according to the level of English of each student. My group was then with 9 students. They received a short class by the teacher. After this, I did my presentation and introduce myself to the group. Even though this group is almost ending its high school cycle, I feel it more timid and shier than the group from Mondays, which is more active, receptive, and participative. Every single group has its own “personality”. Then, I was with 10°13 group. Tenth grades are more confident, risky, motivated. Just 10 students but I was only with 6 students because the other 4 were preparing a presentation because of Día de la Independencia, July 20^th. I’ve learned that every group is different, it has its own personality, which influences the developing of a class.

Week 1: First day at classroom

Week 1

Date: Monday, July 22^nd, 2019

Group: 10° 14

Time: from 3:35pm to 5:05pm
Cooperative teacher: Luz Dary Ramírez Castaño

Preservice teacher: Diego Andrés Barrios Quiroz

     This was the first day of my professional practice. I felt flustered at the beginning of this session, as always. But, as the class was going on, I felt more into it, more comfortable, happier, and motivated. My cooperative teacher is so kind, she has a lot of knowledge and methodology and I know I am going to learn a lot with her. The first half of the class (3:35pm to 4:20pm) consisted in watching a set of videos about types of houses and their parts, asking some question regarding this topic, and solving some exercises from workbook. Then, I did my part. I brought an activity to meet the 10°14 students, it was a bunch of questions in a bag, different kind of them, in order to identify my new students’ level of English. I played a song, then I asked my students to pass the bag. As the song was playing, I paused it. The one with the bag picked a question and answered it. ¡It was terrific! We had a lot of fun. There is a total of 10 students because the other part of the group is in advanced level.

Institutional Educational Project

     UPB school proposes an Institutional Educational Project (or PEI, in Spanish) in which student's holistic assessment embraces each one of the human development dimensions: espiritual, ethical, social, cognitive, corporal, aesthetic, and communicative. This, without ignoring the five types of learning from UNESCO in formation: the being, the knowing, the doing, living together, transforming oneself, and transforming society.

Evaluation in the UPB school

     At UPB school, evaluation is conceived as systematical, permanent, participative, qualitative, and continous process. It is presented through different learning experiences in order to determine students performance levels. Interests, learning paces, and learning strategies are considered. Evaluation is directly linked with formation a human capacities and competences.