The following infographic summarizes what was learnt during Practicum V. Moreover, a wide explanation of these learnings is exposed below.
After the implementation of this practicum, I reflected about my teaching performances and the situations that I experienced in the classroom in detail. Therefore, some conclusions were extracted. To start with, I was able to display that, indeed, I tend to encompass too many contents and activities when planning my lessons and, consequently, I always have problems adjusting the lessons to the timing that I hold and the needs of my students. Hence, by observing the English teacher I was able to see that she dedicated a lot of time to work the same English content with the pupils. At first, I thought that it was excessive, as she devoted many sessions to learn vocabulary related to fruits, which I consider it is really simple for first graders. Nonetheless, I was able to observe the progress from the first session to the last one. Thus, at the beginning, even though they only had to learn six words, many youngsters had a lot of difficulties accommodating the vocabulary. Moreover, in the following sessions, various students had forgotten the terms worked and thence, through the tasks proposed, they were able to review them and internalize them. Thereby, at the end of the sessions, all pupils were able to recognize the meaning of these words and they could use them appropriately. On the other hand, when I effectuated my teaching unit, I could discern that many learners did not have enough time to assimilate the terms due to the short time spent reviewing the content and the amount of new vocabulary that was introduced along the sessions. That is why, I have learnt that it is very important to be realistic when planning, and that several sessions should be always devoted to the learning of the same content. Therefore, this way teachers can display the students’ development in relation to language learning.
Besides, when I started implementing the teaching unit, I could observe that with the first class group it was a bit chaotic, as I had to rush during all the session in order to accomplish the development of all the activities. As a matter of fact, I was not able to finish all tasks and I got pretty stressed. My school mentor told me that I should reduce the load of activities and content and prioritize the implementation of the most relevant ones. Thus, I had to adapt the lessons and the materials that I had prepared in short time. Nonetheless, due to these modifications, I was able to execute the following sessions adequately, as they were adapted to the rhythm of my pupils and they attended their individual needs properly. That is because I had more time to provide adequate scaffolding to students, and they could receive a more individualized attention. Wherefore, after this practicum, I acknowledged that it is better to plan less, as by implementing few but efficient activities usually better educational results are achieved. Furthermore, it is significant to plan the sessions taking into consideration the time that one can spend in classroom management. Thence, I have learnt that some minutes should be always dedicated to the possible unexpected situations or management troubles that can arise in the classroom. In fact, I could perceive that this strategy was successful in the co-teaching activity, as we planned the session bearing in mind the time we could lose in classroom management issues. Hence, we stated to the timing we had properly. Thereby, from now on I will plan my sessions keeping in mind the possible unexpected situations that can occur in the classroom.
In addition, in this practicum I have learnt that the gamification of tasks is very useful, especially with young learners. Indeed, pupils seem to be always willing to participate in games and they tend to be much more engaged than in regular tasks. Thence, I could observe that through the games that I had planned they significantly learnt English. Besides, I could display that this strategy was beneficial for disruptive learners, as they were surprisingly involved in the development of the tasks. Moreover, they also used English during the implementation of the activities and this was really satisfying, as they are not usually disposed to utilize it in class. In fact, it is also difficult to get them to participate in the English lessons so that is why I felt really content with the teaching unit’ results. What is more, I also learnt that it is crucial to create a welcoming and comfortable environment for students. That means to design activities and organize the classroom in a way that encourages students to express themselves freely and that allow them plenty of opportunities to talk with their peers and the teacher. Hence, a classroom arrangement that promotes an horizontal relationship between pupils and the teacher it is the circle or semicircle organization. Through this organization, pupils do not regard the teacher as an authoritarian figure but as a guide that gives them support in their learning process. Thence, the students feel at ease and this fact promotes their use of English. Therefore, it is also relevant to create activities in which learners feel confident to use this language. Thereby, this is achieved by providing proper scaffolding to pupils so that all students can perform the activities adequately. Thus, the use of visual support or strategies that foster the students language usage is key for constructing a cozy environment. Moreover, the design of activities in which students can share personal experiences or they can talk or write about their interests it is also chief for the development of linguistic skills. For instance, the project that I designed was about cats, which is the animal that the second graders chose to represent their classroom. Thereupon, to start designing a project from their personal interests was really beneficial, as students already knew information about the topic and they were motivated to know more. Moreover, they also wanted to share what they knew with the rest of the classroom. Hence, I could observe that through the construction of a comfortable environment within the classroom, pupils do not have fear of making mistakes and speak up. Students understand that making mistakes in the four linguistic abilities it is a part of the learning process. In addition, the role of the teacher is essential as these errors have to be corrected in a supportive and positive manner and the instructor should always stimulate the reflective feedback instead of the corrective one. Thence, I have learnt that this metalinguistic reflection helps pupils to find language patterns (e.g: the plural nouns are usually formed with a final “s”) that aid them in their language learning process.
On the other hand, during this practicum, I have learnt how to properly design a teaching unit based on project-based learning (PBL). In fact, through this project, a part from learning English, my students also developed artistic abilities while creating the lapbook, their mathematical skills were fostered as they had to solve some problems and they learnt Natural sciences, as through the cats we worked the mammals’ characteristics, the classification of the animals in accordance to what they eat, the animals that belong to the feline family etc. In addition, they also learnt how to use Plickers so that their ICT knowledge was encouraged.
Therefore, I could display that through this interdisciplinary project the students were able to learn various contents and work some skills than in a regular traditional English lessons they would not have learnt. As a matter of fact, students learnt English without realizing they were in many occasions, as they were indirectly using the knowledge that they learnt while playing games, solving problems, reading a story etc. Moreover, as the content was contextualized it was meaningful for them as it had a real purpose. Instead of systematically learning grammatical structures or vocabulary, they were preparing a lapbook with games and activities that they would show to their families as cat experts.
On the other hand, I also learnt that the digital tools are relevant so as to foster the students’ motivation towards language learning. In my particular case, I used the Plickers application, which was really efficient to review the meaning of the vocabulary worked. Pupils were amazed with the QR codes cards and they all wanted to respond to the questions correctly so that they made an effort to remember the words learnt. Hence, I could observe that since students are already interested and engaged in using technology, when we as teachers incorporate digital elements in the classroom, learners become more interested in the subjects, in this case in the English subject. Therefore, an active participation is being promoted and the learning process becomes more fun and enjoyable for children.
Furthermore, I also have learnt that routines are relevant in the English classroom in order to help the kids to stay calm and to feel secure and confident in the classroom. They promote a positive environment that create a sense of community too, by encouraging cooperation and shared purposes among pupils. Hence, it fosters students’ autonomy and it reduces learners’ misbehaviours. Therefore, during my internship, I did not have the opportunity to apply any classroom routine as I had a limited time to implement my project and I could not destinate these minutes to do routines. Nonetheless, in the seminars I learnt a lot of classroom routines that I will surely apply in my classroom in a near future. I believe that routines serve as smooth transitions among lessons and activities that help students to relax and, consequently, less disruptions occur within the session.
At last, after the implementation of my teaching unit, I was able to observe that pupils learn much more efficiently in pairs or groups than individually. In my case, I included individual work on my teaching unit as I wanted each of my students to have a lapbook for themselves. Nonetheless, even though my pupils were motivated in the implementation of the tasks they had to do individually, I believe that the tasks that were conducted in pairs, small group or the whole group were much more beneficial for them. Hence, since learning is socially constructed, the students were much more actively involved in their own learning process when they worked with others. They could benefit from the others’ ideas and they could share their thoughts and discuss among them using language. Indeed, I also observed that it motivated them much more to work in pairs, as it gave them a sense of achievement when they reached a common goal. Above all, it provided them with many opportunities to experiment with language in natural settings as for instance by playing the Who is who? game. All in all, in this practicum I have learnt a lot from the seminars as I learnt a lot of resources to use in the classroom. For instance, now I have many ideas of language support materials to locate in the classroom when implementing my lessons such as word banks or Venn diagrams. On the other hand, I also have acquired ideas of materials and strategies to encourage the use of English. For instance, the mail box for the teacher is a good strategy to get students to use the words that they know in English to write a message to the teacher. Furthermore, I also have learnt classroom management strategies and tools that I am definitely going to use in my lessons such as rhythms or applications such as the Bouncy Balls. Nevertheless, I also have learnt a lot from my teaching internship at the school, as I have learnt songs (e.g: Slippery fish) among other strategies (e.g: painting a flower in accordance to the students’ behaviour) in regards to classroom management. In addition, from the teaching experiences that I have had and the observations that I have made I have gained a lot of knowledge in relation to teaching and learning. To conclude, I would say that both the internship at school and the seminars have been helpful and really useful as I have learnt a lot from them and now I feel more prepared to become a teacher.