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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).
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