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.