I have been today with a 4th ESO ICT class in English, and they now focused on journalism and the world of communication. They have prepared for today’s class a powerpoint presentation in which they had to explain which are their favourite programmes, who is their favourite TV presenter… They have done it in groups of five or six people, and by listening and looking it was easy to identify who had prepared it a lot and who hadn’t. But although most of them hadn’t rehearsed the presentation, all of them have done it very well, explaining the contents of the presentation one by one in really fluent English - which proves clearly how used they are to speaking English in front of the rest of the class.
21.11.08
Maths through English!
Today I attended a Maths class in English, and I enjoyed it a lot. My first impression was fantastic. I would have liked to have maths classes like these ones! I enjoyed a lot the way Oriol and Carlota –the maths teacher- gave the class, it was like if they were acting all the time and it was so funny!
They have their 4th ESO pupils organized in seven groups of four or five people, so they can work together and help each other. It is amazing to see the big amount of materials they have to prepare in order to teach these classes. They have a specific dossier with all the materials, and in the class you can realize all lessons are really well-prepared. To form the classes, teachers ask students at the beginning of the course if they would like to be in the maths class in English. According to their level of English and their levels of achievement, they decide whether if they can join the group or not. But it is a really interesting option for those who want to improve their level of English at the same time that they study Maths.
They have their 4th ESO pupils organized in seven groups of four or five people, so they can work together and help each other. It is amazing to see the big amount of materials they have to prepare in order to teach these classes. They have a specific dossier with all the materials, and in the class you can realize all lessons are really well-prepared. To form the classes, teachers ask students at the beginning of the course if they would like to be in the maths class in English. According to their level of English and their levels of achievement, they decide whether if they can join the group or not. But it is a really interesting option for those who want to improve their level of English at the same time that they study Maths.
ICT to get the attention of the class
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My first visit created a sense of great expectancy. All of them were observing me, looking me up and down while the coach was explaining who I was and what I was going to do in their class. The relaxed atmosphere lasted only for a short time (lucky me!) and they started to ask me questions about what I am studying, why do I want to be teacher... and some funny things about my private life.
This week I have been observing how classes go, I have been sitting with the pupils and taking notes about my first feelings and impressions… The first thing I have noticed is that all of them have always a participative attitude. Using powerpoints and different ICTs, and doing almost all the activities with all the group at the same time, my coach gets the attention of almost all the class. So in my class, although the English level is really low, you cannot find the typical pupil who is always sleeping or doing other things in class, commonly known as a “lost case”.
So one of the first things I have learned is that the classic techniques to teach (the ones our teachers used when we were young) are no longer working. Those old techniques were a way of working through magisterial grammar classes, but they didn’t promote the interest of those who did not have a base of knowledge and therefore were previously considered as a "lost case". Apart from being more entertaining, these new techniques are better to encourage participation of students (who try to speak more in class with more dynamic proposals), rather than giving master classes in grammar, which is confirmed as not useful to prepare pupils to develop communication skills in English.
Along these lines, all classes at the university and with my tutor are helping me a lot. At the university, because we are learning the basic things of using ICT; when I am in class, because my coach gets a lot out of them, so she introduces me to the practical uses (by using her del.icio.us, for example).
This week I have been observing how classes go, I have been sitting with the pupils and taking notes about my first feelings and impressions… The first thing I have noticed is that all of them have always a participative attitude. Using powerpoints and different ICTs, and doing almost all the activities with all the group at the same time, my coach gets the attention of almost all the class. So in my class, although the English level is really low, you cannot find the typical pupil who is always sleeping or doing other things in class, commonly known as a “lost case”.
So one of the first things I have learned is that the classic techniques to teach (the ones our teachers used when we were young) are no longer working. Those old techniques were a way of working through magisterial grammar classes, but they didn’t promote the interest of those who did not have a base of knowledge and therefore were previously considered as a "lost case". Apart from being more entertaining, these new techniques are better to encourage participation of students (who try to speak more in class with more dynamic proposals), rather than giving master classes in grammar, which is confirmed as not useful to prepare pupils to develop communication skills in English.
Along these lines, all classes at the university and with my tutor are helping me a lot. At the university, because we are learning the basic things of using ICT; when I am in class, because my coach gets a lot out of them, so she introduces me to the practical uses (by using her del.icio.us, for example).
6.11.08
Variety is the spice of life
I have been assigned to a 2nd year of ESO class. There are only thirteen pupils in my class, and the thing that surprised me the most was that almost all of them have different nationalities.
As far as this question is concerned, I think that, as teachers, and considering that nowadays it is usual to have an increased amount of immigration in our schools, we should be taught to cope with issues of race, class and gender to get a lot out of this variety. Because, as it is said, variety is the spice of life, and we should be able to make a profit of that and teach them how to learn from the others.
Beginning of the practicum
I have been assigned to IES Salvador Espriu, in Plaça les Glòries in Barcelona. At first I was afraid of the place I was going to be assigned to because I currently live in Barcelona and I don’t have any mean of transport apart from the public one. So I feared to be assigned to a secondary school in Santa Margarida i els Monjos –which is a nice place, but a little bit far from Barcelona-.
I think that this secondary school is one of the best ones I could have never been assigned to. It is relatively new (it was built ten years ago) so it is technologically well-prepared, with one computer and one projector for each class and a lot of computer rooms, which is really interesting –it is essential in fact- to prepare and work with ICT activities.
After having our first meeting with the coaches and the rest of the CAP students, I have realized that I have been lucky with my coach and with my class group as well.
I think that this secondary school is one of the best ones I could have never been assigned to. It is relatively new (it was built ten years ago) so it is technologically well-prepared, with one computer and one projector for each class and a lot of computer rooms, which is really interesting –it is essential in fact- to prepare and work with ICT activities.
After having our first meeting with the coaches and the rest of the CAP students, I have realized that I have been lucky with my coach and with my class group as well.
First prospects
As I said in the introduction, the experience I am starting now is new for me. When I started my degree in journalism I had never thought about being a teacher, otherwise I would have studied another thing. Despite that, I have been working with kids for a long time, usually in the way of non-formal education but also giving remedial classes to kids from seven to eighteen. I have worked as an English teacher in summer camps, giving classes and talking in English 24/7 with five year-old kids that didn’t understand a word in English (it was quite exasperating because it was impossible to calm them down when they were homesick –most of the night times-). Consequently, I cannot consider myself as totally inexperienced in working with kids. However, I am sure that being in front of a class –this is what formal education means- with more than twenty teenagers observing you has to be totally different. We will see what happens.
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