I am José Eduardo Escobar Vásquez. I am a student at
Universidad Don Bosco. I am studying the major in languages teaching option. I
am studying my ninth semester. This is my fifth year in this major.
In all this time studying at the university I could
understood and learnt a lot of important things. Useful things that I will be
able to put in to practice not only in the future at my job, but right now in
some subjects in which I have to implement some strategies for teaching. Last
year and at the beginning of this year I was teaching some classes for my
social work. I was teaching English to some kids on Saturdays.
When I started this year of classes I had to take this
subject called Teaching Practicum II. In this subject we had to deal with
teenagers in the classroom. I thought that this situation would be a little bit
difficult for me because I know that teenagers sometimes are problematic. Also
in this subject I studied a new framework to plan my lessons, ECRIF. At the
beginning I had hard time planning with this framework because I have never
heard or read something about it. When I started to plan with this ECRIF, I
spent a big part of the day thinking about what I could implement in each stage
of this framework. I had a lot of doubts while planning my lessons, but now I
feel really comfortable with this framework because I know better how it works.
Now, I can plan a lesson with this framework on less time. I think that
practicing is the best way to get something. Personally I prefer to work with
this framework because it is better. This framework is really complete and it
is more understandable while delivering a lesson. We as teachers could appreciate
in a better way how the process of learning works on students. With this
framework teacher has the total control of what he is doing during the lesson. Teachers
can adapt the different activities for each stage of this framework in order to
take advantage of it.
I could see and learnt some things from my classmates.
Most of they are really creative with the activities that used for any stage of
their lessons. I would like to share some things that catch my attention from
Vanessa Aguilar. She is a great teacher, I admire her attitude a lot. She looks
confident when she is in front of the students. She is willing to help, to give
her best in anything that she proposes to do. She is really creative with the
material that she used in her classes. She presented some ideas that I have
never thought about them. She is really serious when she is delivering a lesson
(I cannot be that serious). Probably been serious while delivering a class is a
good way to stand, a good attitude to take. At the end of the course I could
see and perceive that she was more relaxed while giving her class. Students
felt comfortable in her classes. Teacher Vanessa encouraged them to
participate, and they did it. In the three lessons that she delivered I could
see that she was really prepared for them. That’s a characteristic of a great
teacher.
I conclusion, I could say that I improve a
little my skills for teaching English. I feel more confidence standing in front
of students. I feel really exited making the material I will use for my class
because I saw that students learn better and enjoy a class with creative
material from the teacher. I saw that with the activities that I use with them.
For example with the crazy hat and the big smile. I think that I reached most
of the objectives of this course. I can plan a lesson using ECRIF in
approximately 2 hours, and that is a big step for me!! I know that with more
practice planning I will create my lesson on less time. I can differentiate
which activities would work better for students. If we want good results in our
students we should learn from all of them. All the people is different and all
of them have something to teach us. It is our duty to identify the differences
between our students and take those differences in our favor. We could explode
the best of them, and we have to do it.
