Professions Review

Overall, this lesson was good because they used great materials, took advantage of the space, had good voice projection. More importantly, they took into account the feedback that had been given before.

For the warm up, the teacher had a great voice projection and reviewed the previous vocabulary. In the presentation stage, the teacher had a great classroom management. For the practice stage, the teacher used a creative and engaging activity with simple materials.

To wrap up the lesson, the dynamic was very entertaining and kept the children engaged in the activity without losing focus on the topic that was being praticed.

Here are some pictures of the lesson

My dream job

For our last lesson, the objective was to have our students identify professions and express want they want to be when they grow up.

For the warm-up activity, we pasted  pictures about places in the town , students were asked to score a goal the ones that missed the goal, were given a piece of paper to match it with the pictures pasted in the classroom. In the pre-listening stage, 10 professions were introduced, by the other teachers wearing customes of the profesions. Some students participated in the activity by wearing some of the customes. 

In the 'during' stage, students played "What do you want to be?",  Five professions were described. One teacher described the profession while another teacher represented that profession. Students answered  a worksheet based on the description given by the teacher, and the picture in the worksheet.

In the post-listening stage, students played "Musical Chairs",  Students walked around the chairs while a song was played. When the song stopped, the student left without a chair picked up a number randomly, and said the sentence “I want to be a ___” based on the picture that matched the number they got.

To wrap up the lesson, the students passed a hat while a song about professions was played, the student who had the hat was asked a question about the topic.

In my house

For our second class, our objective was to have students identify four possessive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns while using the simple present tense.

For the warm-up activity, the students played the game "Mime a Hobby". Standing in a circle, the teacher introduced  the game by saying his name and something he likes to do. Then students did the same.

For the presentation stage, the teacher introduced the topic  with some charts and pictures, explaining the four possessive adjectives and the demonstrative  using household objects.

To practice the students completed a worksheet, about the topic presented, while a teacher monitored them. In the production stage, the class was supposed to be divided into two groups, one group holding a picture of a house hold object and the other group holding  the name of the object. However, for this class, there were only two students so we had to improvise a little.

To wrap up the lesson, the teacher pasted a cross (one for each student), made out of masking tape, on the floor. Then, they walked around the classroom while another teacher made some noise with a marker. When the teacher stopped making noise, everyone looked for a cross to stand on, the one with no cross to stand on, went to the front to write a sentence on the board.

 Group 1

In the classroom

Group Members: Tomas, Bryan, William, Eduardo and myself.

 For the warm up activity, students played "Sharks are Coming". The teacher explained the game, after practicing 2 times, students made groups of 3 and they completed a word, from the vocabulary to be used in class, in a piece of paper.

For the pre stage, the teacher introduced the topic with some  pictures and flashcards, students were required to repeat the new vocabulary, while the teacher monitored and corrected the pronunciation.

 For the during part, to show the meaning of the verbs to the students, the teachers acted each verb, and using the present participle form of the verbs.

For the post stage, students played acting and guessing. The teacher made groups of three students. While one group acted out the action, another group guessed the action.

Here are some pictures of this lesson

After the lesson, we got our feedback from the other classmates and the teacher. There were a lot of things to improve but overall it was a good lesson.

Teaching Young Learners

DIAGNOSTIC CLASS

For the classes in this course, my class was divided into four groups. In the first class, all the groups designed activities to diagnose the students' level of proficiency. A diagnostic class must be taught  at the very beginning of the course to know our students' knowledge. More importantly, teaching a diagnostic class helps us design our lesson plans since we know which topics don't have to be taught anymore.

there were several topics that we used in order to diagnose the students:

The numbers 

The Alphabet

Subject Pronouns

Family Members

Classroom Objects

The activities used in this class, helped us identify how well the students master these topics. I must say it was good to see that most of our students already  knew 75% of the content, they just needed to refine their pronunciation and the meaning of some words. Moreover, the activities presented in this class were well-made, catchy and dynamic for the children.

Workshop: Body Language & Stage Fright 

Over the last two weeks, I, along with my classmates, had the opportunity to be part of two meaningful, funny and highly educational workshops with the theater and drama teacher Geovani, at the Art and Culture Department. 

In these workshops, we participated in different activities, designed  to help us cope with stage fright and use body language appropriately. The first activity was to walk around the room. To be honest, at first I  thought it was nonsensical to just walk around the room, howewer, later on I understood the purpose of the activity: to show how we use the space in the classroom. Geovani, explained that, in a classroom, we need to use all the available space, not just walking in circles or standing in one place as if rooted  to the floor.

Also, Giovani explained how important it is to be confident when teaching, he stated that children are like a fire and we, the firefighters. Therefore, we need to know how to control the fire, otherwise, it will consume us.

Moreover, I learned that what sometimes keeps us from being dynamic in the classroom is prejudice. Children have no prejudices, for them, there is nothing to be embarrassed about. For example, if a classroom activity requires jumping and singing, a child will gladly do it. However, for adults it may not be the same because we may be embarrassed to sing or just to jump in the classroom.Therefore, to be able to implement these activities in the classroom and to make the class dynamic, we just need to forget about prejudices and become children.

Furthermore, I learned the importance of modulating the tone of voice and being creative while controling our nerves in the classroom. Using the right tone of voice in a classroom is vital for the class. If we talk too loud, it will be disturbing and even annoying for children. However, if we modulate our tone of voice according to the number of students and size of the room, the lesson will be more enjoyable to meaningful. Moreover, for one of the activities, we had to describe ourselves throught a metaphor. I must admit this was very useful because it did not feel as if I was exposing myself. Instead, It felt as if I was wearing a mask that allowed me to say who I am. Aside from that, I learned that we need to know how to improvise and  be creative when sharing stories with our students.

To conclude, I must say that every teacher should attend these workshops because all the advice and information you get is extremely helpful for our performance in the classroom. More importantly, by performing well in the classroom, our students will experience a  different way of learning.

Materials

     As stated in my previous entries, when teaching children, we need to implement dynamic activities to catch their attention and make the learning process easier for them. Also, implementing activities while teaching makes our job easier. Moreover, to make the process even easier, there are certain tools or materials we can use in the classroom. Tools or materials such as:

• Flash Cards

These are very helpful in a class. They can be used for a variety of activities and topics, from reviewing a previous topic in a warm up activity to presenting a new topic. What is better about Flash Cards is  that they are inexpensive and easy to make. Therefore, we can adapt their design to our class.

• Modeling Clay

Moreover, modeling clay is a very useful tool to use with children. First, it is fun to use it in the classroom. Also, it helps children develop their find and gross motor skills. Aside from that, using modeling clay in the class, allows children show their creativity.

• Grouping Techniques

Furthermore, grouping techniques are very helpful in the classroom. There are several ways to make gropus in the classroom. For example, we can assign a number from 1-3 to each student, then ask 'number ones' to get together, the same with 'number twos' and so on.

• Musical Instruments

Aside from these, musical instruments can help us make the class fun, dynamic and easy to learn for our students. For example, when teaching the alphabet we can use a musical instrument, and assign a sound to each letter, to make the learning process easier for our students.

• Puppets

As well, Puppets can be used in a classroom activity. They are specially helpful with children from ages 5-7, because they catch children's attention and make them interested in talking.  Plus, it is very easy to make puppets ourselves.

• Spinning Wheel

In addition, we can use a Spinning wheel in classroom activities. It can be used to review a previous topic or to present a new one. It is important to mention how easy it is to use a spinning wheel, we just need to write the 'items' to teach or review on each part of the wheel; we can also just write the the 'items' in pieces of paper and stick them to the wheel.

To conclude, I must say this workshop was very helpful, because I learned about the different materials we can use for our activities in the classroom in order to make the class more enjoyable for our students. More importantly, I learned that all these materials are inexpensive and easy to make ourselves.

Speaking Activities 

For any ESL learner is important to develop the speaking skill. In this workshop, I learned that speaking is just as important for children, specially since they can learn the language more easily and almost with no accent, depending on their age.

Also, it is necessary to know how to make children speak, in other words, we need to use activities that interest and make children comfortable when speaking and interacting with their classmates. Thus, one of the keys to make children talk and feel comfortable is by being dynamic .

Moreover, when implementing a speaking activity, it is important to correct children appropriately. In other words, highlight their stregths while correcting the mistakes they have made. By doing this, our students will be encouraged to speak more.

Furthermore, using a speakig activity in the classroom may be very rewarding since we get our students to produce the language, however, it is easy to lose control of the class because of the dynamics. Therefore, we must know the different personalities of our students to balance the dynamic, discipline and control of the class.

SONGS AND CHANTS

When teaching children, songs and chants are often used because of several reasons such as: making the class more dynamic, catching children's attention easily and making the learning process easier for kids.

However, it is important to know how songs and chants differ from each other and when to use them.

Chants

A series of syllables that are sung or intoned to the same note or a limited range of notes.

Songs

A short piece of music with words that are sung.

When using songs or chants in the classroom, it is important to act according to the music, in other words we need to dance, sing and do mimics as the rythm goes. It is also important to  know in which stage we are to use it and the age of our students. For example, for children between ages 5-6 it is appropriate to use chants because chants do not have extensive lyrics, which makes them easy for children to memorize and repeat. On the other hand, songs can be used for different ages such as 8-11, because children are more likely to sing the whole song.

More importantly, it is necessary to know when to use songs or chants in our class. For example, If we want to review the previous lesson, then we can use it as a warm up activity. If our objective is not to review the previous lesson, then we can just use the song or chant during presentation.

These are some examples of the songs and chants used in class:

To conclude, I must say, the activities we did in class, using songs and chants, relly helped me understant when to implement them in a class. Also, it is important to know that we need to have a clear objective for the use of the song or chant in the class, to make sure our students learn as much as they can.

Don Bosco University

Teaching Practicum I “Teaching English to Young Learners”

Teacher: Eunice Menjivar

Topic: It’s my birthday party.

Objective: SWAT ask and answer the question “How old are you?”

Target Skill: Listening / speaking

TIME	STAGE	ACTIVITY/PROCEDURE	DETAILS
5 MIN	Presentation	Warm up. Students will pass a toy around while some music is played. When the music stops the students holding the toy will answer a question from the previous lesson.	Aim: review last lesson. Materials : Toy Type of learner: K Interaction: T-S
15MIN	Presentation	“HOW MANY LETTER DO YOU SEE?”using pictures with different amount of letters, students will learn the numbers from 0-15.	Aim: learn the numbers from 0-15. Materials: pictures Type of learner: V Interaction: T-S
5MIN	Presentation	Roleplay made by the teacher. A roleplay will be presented asking and answering the question: How old are you?.	Aim: show students the question; How old are you? Type of learner: Verbal. Interaction: T-S
10MIN	During	A track will be played. The track includes a natural conversation in which two children ask each other’s age.	Aim: show students a natural way of asking How old are you? Type of learner: A Interaction: T-S

15 MIN	During	Students will get in couples to discuss and practice the question “How old are you?	Äim: Practice asking and answering the question “How old are you?”. Type of learner: A,V.
15 MIN	Post	Using the “Hot toy” dynamic, some students will be chosen to ask and answer a classmate “how old are you?.	Aim: Have students asking and answering the question “How old are you?’ in  a natural manner. Material: Toy Type of learner: A, V. Interaction> T-S, S-S.

Learning Disabilities and Disorders

In the classroom, we will encounter challeging situations, from a technical issue with your equipment to dealing with different students' personalities. 

Learning disabilities, neurological processing problems  that affect the learning of someone's basic skills such as speaking and reading. In some cases, learning disabilities can affect organization, abstract reasoning, short-term memory and attention.


Difficulties with basic skills are usually discovered during school years because the symptoms are easily picked out in basic skills such as speaking, reading and math. However, in many cases, people may never get an evaluation to know how to deal with the learning disability that affects them; and they just go on with their lives, sometimes having issues at work or at home without knowing the reason behind  it.

These are some learning disabilities and disorders.

Auditory Processing Disorder
This is a condition that  affects how the sounds travels unimpeded through the ear is processed. People with APD do not recognize subtle differences in sounds, even if the sounds are clear enough to be heard.

Discalculia
It affects a person's ability to understand numbers and learn math facts. People with D may also have some difficulties may symbols comprehension, telling the time or have trouble with counting.

Dysgraphia
It affects a person's handwriting ability and fine motor skills . This may also include illegible handwriting, poor spelling and difficulty composing writing.

Dyslexia
This learning disability affects reading and related language-based processing skills.


ADHD
This affects the ability of staying focused and paying attention, controlling behaviour  and hyperactivity.

Dyspraxia
This disorder affects the muscle control, which causes problems with movement  and coordination, language, speech and can affect learning.


To conclude, it is important to know about learning disabilities and disorders to identify them in our students. Moreover, by identifying these disorders, we will find the right way to teach our students without isolation.

Child Development 

A case of study

This case of study is based on Jean Piaget's  findings on the development stages in children. It is worth to highlight that his original job was to translate English Intelligence tests to French. However, he became intrigued with the children's answers because he believed their asnwers revealed important aspects of children development. Moreover, throughout his career he developed new scientific studies such as the Cognitive Theory  and Developmental Phychology.

In my case of study I will prove Jean Piaget's Preoperational stage by implementing two activities.

In the Preoperational stage, children cannot use logic, combine or separate ideas. Moreover, the child's developement is based on building experiences about the world through adaptation and working towards the stage in which they can use logical thought.

Child's Profile

Name: Sandra Pineda

Age: 6 

Favorite Colors: Silver and Blue

Objective

To prove Jean Piaget's Pre-Operational  stage in which children cannot use logic but they guide themselves through perception.

Activity One

In this activity I showed Sandra two sets of five crayons each, on a white page. I asked her how many crayons she could see in both pages, she inmediately said 5 in each. Then I made a slight change on the way I had arranged the crayons. Then I asked the same question and she provided a different answer. She said there were 4 crayons on one page and 5 on the other one.

Activity Two

In this activity I used 'glitter tubes' and two white pages. First I placed 3 tubes on my page and 2 tubes on hers. I asked Sandra If that was a fair distribution and she inmediately said 'No'. Then, I placed a crayon on her side. I asked the same question again and she said that was a fair distribution. However, she noticed that the objects were indeed different even if we both the same number of elements on our pages.

As as conclusion, I must say that at the beggining I did not think this would be such an interesting and enlightening case of study. I must also say that these two activities proved Jean Piaget's Pre-operational stage because Sandra guided herseld through adaptation and perception. More importantly, It is necessary for teachers to include this in our lessons, to make sure we give the best to  our 'little ones'. 

Teaching Practicum 1

Eunice Menjivar

My name is Eunice. I am 23 years old. I love animals and I consider myself a responsible person.

 I work as a teacher.  I'm also  a student . I have been interested in teaching since I saw my teachers in basic and high school. I always admired the way they shared their knowledge. 

As for the things I enjoy, I can mention reading, learning new languages, listening to music, spending time with all the special people in my life and teaching

I am studying a teaching degree at Don Bosco University. I'm also studying French. 

I became interested in learning English since I was  very young and I finally had the chance to study English when I was in my early teens.

I consider teaching a very challenging because you get to teach people with different backgrounds, customs and different personalities. Even so, teaching is a nice challenge because I'm able to share everything I know with my students and I also have the opportunity to learn from them.

I hope that when I graduate I can be as good as the teachers I've had and I also hope I can pass on the knowledge that I was given before, to my students.