What have I learnt?

uring this practicum I have noticed that I have learnt a lot about what will be my job. Before this course, I knew how to be a teacher and what to be a teacher is but I did not know how to be a foreign language teacher, which is a completely different thing. I have learnt a lot of things and I feel I am ready for the job. During my placement teaching, for example, I have improved my group work class management. I was not used at all to work in groups and I thought that a teacher fronted way was better because group work was too chaotic and it had no real advantages. Nevertheless I have realized of the opportunities for communicating that pair or work group offer. It can seem obvious sometimes, but a language is learnt when you use it and if you are alone at home, you cannot learn a language, maybe improve it once you know it but that is all.

I have also realized of the importance of planning and organization. I am quite disorganized and I always keep things in my mind but being a foreign language teacher means having a lot of groups with different activities, materials, children, needs… and it is impossible to do a good job if your planning is not good, accurate and complete.

Another important change is that last year I was convinced that using the target language was not really important. I knew that using it was good, and I was going to do it but only in certain situations. In addition to that, I thought that it was better using the mother tongue because they understand it and you do not have to “waste” time trying to make yourself understood. Now, I have realized that using English during all the class is a good way for children to get used to the language and contextualization and, what is more, when there are those communicative events between teacher and student because you speak in English, I think that there is where they really learn English. In addition to that, they understand what the teacher says even when they are young because there are other resources to communicate like gestures that are essential. As an evidence of that, I have to say that I have been able to carry out all my teaching sequence in English and they understood me perfectly.

Related to using the target language in class, I have also learnt how to give clear instructions. Gestures are my first resource but using clear vocabulary and short sentences is also necessary. Furthermore, I have been able to work using PBL, I have seen the “power” it has on students, how they enjoy doing different things and getting involved in the activities and how they remember what they have done the days before. In addition to that, after having finished my teaching sequence, I felt quite fulfilled, proud of myself and it was the first time I got this feeling after a class. I am sure that PBL is a great methodology of teaching and I am convinced to use it as soon as possible in a school.

Thanks to my action research and the use of Shrek in the teaching sequence, I have discovered and learnt some ways of motivating children. Even through my classmates’ presentations I have learnt a lot of things. For example I have to say that thanks to the presentation about formative assessment I had a clear idea of how to asses.

There are more things that I have learnt but those are the ones that I wanted to highlight because I consider that they are important changes to better in my mind.

EPOSTL