Second class (Sept. 10th)

 Hello dear readers. Today I want to share with you the second excited Saturday with the Teaching Practicum II. You are right, I am talking about the Practicum with “teenagers” which I consider my “best school” to learn how to become a better teacher. I want to start by saying that I enjoy every moment whit this 16 students and their occurrences and of course with my tutor, who is a creative and funny young lady.

In this class, as it is usual, my tutor started with the community building. The teacher asked them to make a table and divide it into 9 squares on their notebooks, so they could write down the name of animals in each square, and if they had the animal mentioned by the teacher they had to cross it out until one student had no one to scream: “Animal Bingo”. Everyone was expecting what the teacher would say, even me, so I would like to do it with my own students.

After this, before reading the chapter, she asked them to answer some questions about the previous class, so they could activate squemata to get ready for the following reading section. I considered that the teacher wanted to check how much students learn what I think it is more than important. Then, students were asked to ask one each other some questions related with the new topic and give their opinions. The topic was related with the Trauma that people can have when they are foreigners in any country. I would just modify a little bit this activity. I think it is better that after one student gives his opinion ask to the rest what they think, so we can have more details and ideas.

Also, a video with interviews about students in foreign countries was shown, so
students could take notes about what they were able to listen. I liked it because I could see how students were paying attention to every detail, and how they would give their answers. I think that this was a good activity because they were using most of the skills like: listening, writing, and reading. Another activity was to match expressions with their meanings. I liked it mostly when I realized that I was participating by giving my matching, too. This was a good way to engage students with the topic, so when they had to read, they would understand better. Then, students read a second set of paragraphs (taking time) and then they answer some of the questions on their books.

But what I enjoyed the most was when I performed a role play with one of the students. It is supposed that I was a exchange student from the USA and the other girl was a citizen and she helped me with some information to had a good time in El Salvador. I was very excited and I could see how students were looking at me curiously. Then I helped reading some phrases, and students had to put the phrases (the ones they had in pieces of paper) with the corresponding verb. I liked that to make the pairs the teacher gave us litter pieces of paper with a number, so the one who had the same number should be a pair. I also learned that technology helps a lot because students used their phones to take time while they were reading.

As a conclusion, I think you will not read in my blogs anything negative or that I would not an activity, and I say this because my tutor is very creative and there are moments in which my notebook is not enough to write down every single detail. I will learn a lot in this stage of my Major. I am proud of everything because I am doing my best.

First class (Sept. 3rd)

Hello. I am very enthusiastic for writing you about my first practicum experience with teenagers. It is a pleasure for me to have the opportunity to share a good time and learn with a group of 16 students and with an amazing young  lady as my tutor who, since the first time, was gentle and attentive with me. She introduced me with the whole class, and let me give them some words. I explained that I am in my fourth year of languages for teaching, and that nowadays, I am taking the practicum II subject, and that was the reason why I was assigned to be with them  in that classroom. Honestly, I was kind of nervous, and it was not because I considered myself without the necessary skills to be there, but because I wanted to give my best impression. And you know what? I did it! You will see later why I say this when you read the rest of my great first day.

Firstable, the teacher  started with the community building activity. Students were asked to write down 3 different categories for example: food, verbs, and countries. They had to write the largest group of words in each category in 30 secods. The first thing that came to my mind was I would love this activity if I were the student. It was a good idea to use our brains in such activity too wake up all senses. The second activity was even better than the first one because the teacher pasted three different images embossed, so students could tell what they see first. This can be better explained with the following picture.

I would do the same  activity, but I just will change the size and color of each image, and I am pretty sure my students would love it. After this, the teachers showed a video in which students could watch 10 mind illusions (twice) and take notes about the most interesting one. In the same activity they answered questions related with the  video. The questions were simple but clear with necessary information before starting the reading. Then, the teacher presented some new vocabulary, so students could match them with their synonims.

What I like the most is that students are counscious about their own learning. They follow perfectly each instruction, and this makes easier  the delivery of the class. Another activity that made me think that it was a good way for students to read was when they were asked to take  out their phones to take the time before they read. I was wonder how students were actively participating in all the activity. I definately would do this activity with my own students. students had also some picture to interact and give their points of view, and everything was related with the  topic. I just would like students to stand up to share their ideas.

Finally, students were asked to stand up because they were bored, so the teacher considered proper to make a game, so they could laugh and  have fun. I loved when the teacher noticed that students were tired of being sitting (because I could notice it, too). She made a game with physical movements. A teacher needs to stop a class if the students are not concentrated. That was for  me the most meaningful in that class.

Error analysis

Error analysis exercise experience

Hello everyone. I feel excited for writing you and for letting you know about some things I have been doing recently. Firstable, I want to tell you that my classmates and I were asked to make an exercise that consisted in writing down in two different columns:

1.     The things that I wrote.

2.     The things I should have written.

In a table, I was supposed to analyze what I wrote in order to fix any grammar mistake, so you readers can be able to read exactly my thoughts. And to be honest, I was very interesting in being capable to express myself clearly.

Personally, I consider this activity was very useful for me because even though it is important when others give us feedback, I believe that it is even more regarding when by ourselves, we can analyze what we are doing in any activity. At first, I have to say that it was very “Hard” because it was not an easy job, but when you have a guide (teacher) with you, telling you step by step what you must do, the activity becomes possible to perform. In my case, my teacher sent me a set of my own phrases in which were not that clear, so I had to look for fixing them. I felt proud and satisfied when I reread the things that I wrote on my blog entries, and mostly when I was able to find the mistakes.

I totally believe in this activity as a good way for students to build their own knowledge and develop their thinking skills because it happened to me. I definitely would do the same activity with my students. It is just necessary to take a short time to verify what we do in an activity, and to be open minded that there is always a better way to do something.

This the table with his corresponding corrections:

I WROTE	I SHOULD HAVE WRITTEN_____BECAUSE
1.       And I am saying this because when I first heard the word I thought in the same	And I am saying this because when I first heard the word mentioned before, I thought about the same.
2.       In order to know more about teens, and get engage_ with this topic	In order to know more about teens, and get engaged with this topic
3.       I go through many online sites to look for all kind of relevant information because I did not have any idea about this topic	I went through many online sites to look for all kind of relevant information related with teenagers because I did not have any idea about this topic
4.       In this stage they use to ask themselves questions like “Who am I”?	In this stage they usually ask themselves questions like “Who am I”?
5.       because they have just started to judge the way they are treat_ and guide_.	because they have just started to judge the way they are treated and guided.
6.       a great opportunity not to interference in the process	a great opportunity to not to interference in the process
7.       so if the teacher works with them___	so if the teacher works together with the students
8.       so they can feel that the teacher is not the “boss” in the grade but a friend who listens to them	so they can feel the that the teacher is not the “boss” in the classroom but a friend who listens to them
9.       there is something else that take_ place in this situation	there is something else that takes  place in this situation
10.     In this stage teenagers have develop_ an ability to reason	In this stage teenagers have developed  an ability to reason
11.   rules but the rule of the group they think they belong__.	rules but the rule of the group they think they belong to
12.   what  is going on whit them	what is going on with them
13.   we will be able to find the answers of  questions related with the teens’ behave	we will be able to answer questions related with the teens’ behavior
14.   which cannot be very pleasure  for them	which cannot be very pleasant for them
15.   I aslo spect at the end of this course	I also expect at the end of this course
16    I looked  some information for  the University	I looked for some information about the University