If there is any problem with the posts, the portfolio is uploaded in Slideshare.com; follow this link to download it:
Friday
Practicum Portfolio
If there is any problem with the posts, the portfolio is uploaded in Slideshare.com; follow this link to download it:
Introduction
For the last few months of this semester I began one of the final steps for my teaching career; I put on my teacher’s shoes and I met a group of nine students who would turned out to be my first class as an English teacher.
This portfolio gathers information about this final step; personal and professional situations that occur while I was teaching at Pan American College in Viña del Mar; it contains reflections, evaluations and feedback about this process; and the work carried out during these three months of learning and teaching.
This is the final practicum of my career, but it is the beginning of my professional life.
1 General Content
1.2 Reading
Lessons Should Be Learner-Centered
“With English language learners, the temptation to have a teacher-centered classroom arises because the perception is that the teacher has the English proficiency the students nee. Therefore, all knowledge must come from the teacher. However, it is important to remember that English language learners are not deficient just because they do not speak English. They bring a rich and varied background of experiences and talent to the classroom. Teachers who follow principles for success find ways to use their students’ knowledge, including their first language and culture, even when the students do not speak English.”
This is an extract taking from the book “ESL/EFL Teaching. Principles for Success” chapter four, page 90. Authors Yvonne S. Freeman and David E. Freeman.
Watch and Learn videos: Weta Learning Media
Looking for spelling materials online, I found you tube videos called “Watch and Learn”. These videos are filmed inside the classroom and they captured effective techniques for English teaching.
One of these videos is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqnhPwfVgKI&feature=channel
These videos are part of WETA Learning Media. Weta has created and sustained four award-winning educational multimedia services, such as Reading Rockets; Colorín Colorado; AdLit.org; LD Online.
In You Tube these videos are found in the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/wetalearningmedia
High Expectations
"When I talk about expectations with my students, they need to know it's not about a battle with me or a score on a math test; it's about the rest of their lives. Every little piece is a stepping stone to where they are going. Where will that turn out to be? The reality is that their options tomorrow will be determined by what they can take from school today.
Like it or not, they are taking everything I can give them."
This is an extract taking from the article “Creating a Culture of High Expectations” by the author Cynthia Farmer.
http://www.alliance.brown.edu/pubs/voices/1qtr2002/highexpect.shtml
Differentiated Instruction (DI)
“There are generally several students in any classroom who are working below or above grade level and these levels of readiness will vary between different subjects in school. It is important to offer students learning tasks that are appropriate to their learning needs rather than just to the grade and subject being taught. This means providing 3 or 4 different options for students in any given class (not 35 different options). Readiness (ability), learning styles and interest vary between students and even within an individual over time. In a differentiated classroom all students have equally engaging learning tasks.”
This is an extract taking from the website “Enhance Learning with Technology” by P. Theroux.
http://www.members.shaw.ca/priscillatheroux/differentiating.html
1.3 Pedagogical Artifacts / Reflective Writing
Observation stage
I. Introduction
• What do you think the cartoon provided below is illustrating? Why? Answer briefly.
Misinformation. People who prefers to receive information from TV and the media, and not check the reality of things by themselves. It is not necessary for them to look for information, these are people who doesn’t questions what happens outside walls; to me their opinion of things is not meaningful.
II. Reflective writing
• Taking into account the information you collected during the observation stage,
1. Reflect on the importance of the initial observation period in final practicum.
It is a very important stage; during this time we have the chance to meet the students, their interests, background, knowledge and personality. With this information we can create our lessons thinking about the students, and motivate them with matter of their interest.
2. Refer to the observed issues in assigned school, and explain if these issues caused a change on the expectations you had about this particular period.
One important issue is that the administration of the school is not taking serious by the students. At one occasion three students arrived one hour late to class, and when asked for a pass they decided to stay out in the schoolyard. The school inspectors did not took matter in hands, and the students were allowed to stay out of class, hanging around in the schoolyard. The lack of authority in the school causes problems between the student and the teacher. For the teachers is not meaningful to call the roll or to annotate the students because there are not consequences for bad behavior. I think school administration is of importance to maintain order in the school.
3. How did you feel? Provide one example you consider most relevant to support your answer.
During my time as an observer I felt welcomed. The students were glad and excited for a change. They asked several times when I was starting as a teacher, I felt comfortable and eager to start with my classes and make them more interesting and motivating for them.
Team teaching stage
Teaching stage
I. Introduction
On the second week of November I arrived to school, signed my folder and walked to the class. On the schoolyard there is a stage that blocks the entrance to the English class, there are also numerous students outside their classrooms; I walked across the yard and enter the English class through a second entrance. In the class the students and the teacher stand in a circle talking. I enter the classroom to begin the lesson for the day but the teacher stops me. There is a strike in the school. The stage in the yard was to perform a goodbye ceremony to the students from 4th year of high school. An incident happened and the ceremony did not take place; the teachers decided not to teach and the students not to enter classes. The English class was in their classroom talking about the events and people who may cause the strike; this conversation lasted all 45 minutes. There were no classes that day.
II. Reflective writing
This event was highly uncommon, during my teaching stage and as an ex-student from this school I can say that this situation never happened before. A possible strike and a day without classes in the school reflect the changes that the establishment has gone through, and how different the students from these times differ from the students from 10 years ago. Situations do happen inside schools and classrooms, which may end up in a day without teaching.
The conversation that took place inside the English class reveals how the students feel about the school, its teachers and administrators. It was clear for me that they do not whish to study and that they do not feel respect for adults.
I was able to see the changes of the students and teachers and only in a period of 10 years. This event helped me realized that I am going to be a teacher of teenagers but they certainly do not think as I did when I was 16.
I. Introduction
• What do you think the cartoon provided below is illustrating? Why? Answer briefly.
Misinformation. People who prefers to receive information from TV and the media, and not check the reality of things by themselves. It is not necessary for them to look for information, these are people who doesn’t questions what happens outside walls; to me their opinion of things is not meaningful.
II. Reflective writing
• Taking into account the information you collected during the observation stage,
1. Reflect on the importance of the initial observation period in final practicum.
It is a very important stage; during this time we have the chance to meet the students, their interests, background, knowledge and personality. With this information we can create our lessons thinking about the students, and motivate them with matter of their interest.
2. Refer to the observed issues in assigned school, and explain if these issues caused a change on the expectations you had about this particular period.
One important issue is that the administration of the school is not taking serious by the students. At one occasion three students arrived one hour late to class, and when asked for a pass they decided to stay out in the schoolyard. The school inspectors did not took matter in hands, and the students were allowed to stay out of class, hanging around in the schoolyard. The lack of authority in the school causes problems between the student and the teacher. For the teachers is not meaningful to call the roll or to annotate the students because there are not consequences for bad behavior. I think school administration is of importance to maintain order in the school.
3. How did you feel? Provide one example you consider most relevant to support your answer.
During my time as an observer I felt welcomed. The students were glad and excited for a change. They asked several times when I was starting as a teacher, I felt comfortable and eager to start with my classes and make them more interesting and motivating for them.
Team teaching stage
I. Introduction
I was asked to do a test and a graded activity for the students. The content of these activities was primarily grammar, and the students were learning it for only two classes. The students were highly challenged with the activities I created, even so, they worked individually and a few students worked together and they completed the activities with no major problems.
II. Reflective writing
For what I observed in the first stages of the practicum, the students of this class were not considered to be excellent students, due to they are in the lowest level of English. They were not challenged by their teacher and their classes were mostly daily life conversations. When I started doing my team teaching stage I informed the teacher about the activities I wanted to do in my teaching stage, but his answer was “that is too hard for these students, they will not able to do it”. With the first activities I created for the class I was able to see that the students can do it, they are just not challenged enough and they stay on a “lazy stage” through out the class.
For what I have red and seen in different educational websites, teachers need to develop academic language and literacy. Teachers need to be committed to high expectations and high standards for all students. Teachers need to show students how to face change; life; difficulties; education; and how to face success. Provide them opportunities for real academic language.
"No one rises to low expectations,"...
http://blog.dispatch.com/edblog/2008/11/students_need_high_expections_and_tlc.shtml
Teaching stage
I. Introduction
On the second week of November I arrived to school, signed my folder and walked to the class. On the schoolyard there is a stage that blocks the entrance to the English class, there are also numerous students outside their classrooms; I walked across the yard and enter the English class through a second entrance. In the class the students and the teacher stand in a circle talking. I enter the classroom to begin the lesson for the day but the teacher stops me. There is a strike in the school. The stage in the yard was to perform a goodbye ceremony to the students from 4th year of high school. An incident happened and the ceremony did not take place; the teachers decided not to teach and the students not to enter classes. The English class was in their classroom talking about the events and people who may cause the strike; this conversation lasted all 45 minutes. There were no classes that day.
II. Reflective writing
This event was highly uncommon, during my teaching stage and as an ex-student from this school I can say that this situation never happened before. A possible strike and a day without classes in the school reflect the changes that the establishment has gone through, and how different the students from these times differ from the students from 10 years ago. Situations do happen inside schools and classrooms, which may end up in a day without teaching.
The conversation that took place inside the English class reveals how the students feel about the school, its teachers and administrators. It was clear for me that they do not whish to study and that they do not feel respect for adults.
I was able to see the changes of the students and teachers and only in a period of 10 years. This event helped me realized that I am going to be a teacher of teenagers but they certainly do not think as I did when I was 16.
1.5 Unit plans and lesson plans
The lesson and unit plans are already uploaded in this blog, follow the link to go to the proper post.
Some of the lesson plans are not uploaded correctly on Scrib.com, it is recommendable to download them as a word document to read them without problems.
Lesson plans from September 30th to October 8th
http://teacherpracticum.blogspot.com/2009/12/lesson-plans-from-september-30th-to.html
Lesson plans from October 13th to October 28th
http://teacherpracticum.blogspot.com/2009/12/lesson-plans-from-october-13th-to.html
Lesson plans from October 29th to November 4th
http://teacherpracticum.blogspot.com/2009/12/lesson-plans-from-october-29th-to.html
Lesson plans from November 5th to November 26th
http://teacherpracticum.blogspot.com/2009/12/llesson-plans-from-november-5th-to.html
Unit plans
http://teacherpracticum.blogspot.com/2009/12/unit-lessons.html
Some of the lesson plans are not uploaded correctly on Scrib.com, it is recommendable to download them as a word document to read them without problems.
Lesson plans from September 30th to October 8th
http://teacherpracticum.blogspot.com/2009/12/lesson-plans-from-september-30th-to.html
Lesson plans from October 13th to October 28th
http://teacherpracticum.blogspot.com/2009/12/lesson-plans-from-october-13th-to.html
Lesson plans from October 29th to November 4th
http://teacherpracticum.blogspot.com/2009/12/lesson-plans-from-october-29th-to.html
Lesson plans from November 5th to November 26th
http://teacherpracticum.blogspot.com/2009/12/llesson-plans-from-november-5th-to.html
Unit plans
http://teacherpracticum.blogspot.com/2009/12/unit-lessons.html
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