Education Autobography

Probably my story didn't start like many of you who decided study this degree because you liked English or because you wanted to travel around the world and you want to learn the language to communicate with other people.

Well, I will tell you how I decided to study this degree but first I am going to explain my experience with the English subject. I studied in a public school until ninth grade where the teacher could know a lot about English but his teaching methodology was not the best; he dedicated to writing sentences in Spanish on the board and students will translate to English that it all. Also, the grade note in English depended more on the behavior and how to relate in a respectful way with the teacher, instead of what you know about English. It is the reason because in ninth I still did not know the verb to be. Then, for ten and eleven grades, I changed from another school. So I entered to media technical in English, but I did not present the admission exam. When the first class began I remembered that the teacher spoke most of the time in English, and in my previous school, my teacher did it in Spanish. Which affected my performance in comparison to the other students, I did not understand almost anything. 

Even if I try and review I never really got good grades, I confess that I hated English. With the passing of the time, I remember that my teacher called my parents for a school meeting, and she told them that the best thing they could do was retire me of the technical because I could fail the school year. I looked at my parent I said I hadn't been striving for a year and a half so that I finally had to give up everything. So my parents supported me and paid me a private English teacher. Ironically, I improved considerably, and in the icfes tests, it was the most hight scored. So as a personal challenge I decided to study English. But in the process of learning through the degree, I discover that teaching it is something that I love, obviously, there are moments inside the classroom like class management that become desperate but I would not change for anything to be able to give a little of my knowledge to my students is really satisfying.

Teaching vs riding a bike.

Teaching can be compared to learning to ride a bike. First you ride the bike with the wheels, and it is like the process of acquiring theories, then you take the wheels off and it is when you start making small observations in the schools and gain confidence with the context, finally you are ready to pedal alone and it is when you start doing the practice and enjoy the teaching trip.

Journal 7

It was hard to get back to the routine after vacation especially when the students arrive more talkative than normal. However, with 603 it was very good to have started asking how they did, what they did on vacation because it's something than like and excited them to talk about. After this, we socialized a task to close the topic of body parts to which the students were very participative. Then in the second hour after recess, I used a video to explain the parts of the house in relation to the furniture within this. In general, it was not complicated for them to understand because some students knew the vocabulary. Also, the images in the video helped in the process of associating new words.

The same day I had an hour with 701, I implemented questions about the holidays. So students would do in pairs and speak about it. But it didn't really work out in the way I expected. While they talk with their classmates, no one was quiet, but when they had to go in front of the class they didn't feel so confident to say it in English. 

The next two hours I continue with module 3 that make emphasis on the care of the environment. So I use a video about water pollution in order to students identify the causes and consequences of this environmental problem. And finally, students listen and sing a song about the importance of water. This song would charm them in addition to raising awareness of saving water.

Journal 6

This week I feel it was heavy, planning, qualifying recovery workshops, and taking out notes. One thing that really helped me was to leave some workshop to reinforce the last topic while I called them individually to know the final note. In both grades, the classes were based on finishing activities that were not achieved to perform the previous class.

Journal 5

This week I had all the hours with 603. I started the class explains some exercise of the homework that was not very comprehensible for the students. I think that was a good idea because it clarified and put to one side the misunderstanding and confusion. Then, taking into account what I explained students carried out an exercise to complete, for this they will put in practice the learned vocabulary of the body parts. I noticed that the activity of related pictures with phrases is really enjoyable for them. In special because they are very visual.

Tuesday time was not very good with 701 because I had to teach the class outside the classroom. Because the roof was being repaired and cleaning. Also, I had planned to use the video beam and I couldn't.  I tried to borrow the library or the Gael room to give the class, but these were busy. I had to give the class with the only resource that I had at that moment the voice to socialize the work of restoring. Obviously, there's a lot of distractions outside and the girls were very talkative.

And the two hours of Thursday with 701, I planned to use a song about the zoo and the animals but unfortunately, the technological resources did not work. So students misbehaved and talkative. Then I manage to apply my plan B.

Journal 4

My first class was with 603. I started reviewing the homework of the family tree. But before, the cooperator teacher who is the same course director had to take a few minutes of the class to scold the students for the constant complaints of the teachers because of they are so talkative in all the class. The two hours were used in the presentations due to indiscipline, I made some interruptions to control the class behavior. Also, I had problems with the resources room because the woman in charge did not separate the implements on time for the class. The next day class with 603 was not possible due to the celebration of a Eucharist in commemoration of memories of the armed conflict in Colombia the class.

In 701 the cooperator teacher suggested working in the Tuesday test (retos). I used for that some balloons with questions inside of it and play the game hot potato. Most of the students felt motivated to participate. In the choosing of the correct answer was some mistakes of comprehension of the questions but in general, it was a productive class. 

Finally, the two hours with 701 was not as I expected, the students were talkative. The time I planned for the activities was too long so I had extra time which students took advantage to talk more. So I had to improvise to complete the 10 minutes with the hanged game with the previous vocabulary. As an aspect to improve to have another plan if things do not come out as expected.

Journal 3

The first hour with 603 was missed because it was Tuesday of test. In the next hour, I start checking the homework "word search" about family members. While I reviewed, the students had to develop in their notebook an informative chart about four members of their family taking into account vocabulary of physical appearance. The next day I began the class carried out the hangman game to review the spelling of certain words related to family members. This activity reinforces the alphabet and vocabulary. Then I present my family tree and make a short description keeping in mind the name of my family and age, in order students follow this model to make their own family tree.

With 701 an exam was carried out on the past simple in its three forms affirmative, negative and interrogative. In the end, I did the feedback of the answers. For the next class, I delivered the results and explain what students will do to make-up the exam. Then, in order to reinforce this topic students listened to two audios. The first audio about five short biographies of famous people which students identified the regular, irregular verbs and match the information with the corresponding picture. For the second exercise, they had to complete information according to the audio and answer some questions. In this part, there was a bit of indiscipline because a girl answered me it is already made in the book. This is because the books given by the Ministry are shared and at the end of the year are returned and some students write about it. To which I had to answer that the exercise was already solved in the book but I cared that she did it and learned.

What makes a good teacher?

A good teacher impacts the lives of his students. He/ She is the result of a combination of qualities. He not only dedicates himself to impart knowledge but also inspires, motivates, listens, creates. He is patient in the training of integral students.

Journal 2

During this week, in the first hour of Tuesday with 603 I applied an evaluation. It covered topics as daily routine, present simple and physical appearance. Where the results were not as I expected. Only eight passed the exam of thirty-seven students. In the second hour, I introduced the topic of family members for which I use a video. The class was going very well until one student lost her pen. I started to persuade them so that freely who had found a pen that was not her or had taken by mistake to deliver but not worked. So, I decided that the girl who lost the pen will pass through the desks to review. But this unleashed the chaos because two students ended up using rude words, so the cooperator teacher had to intervene calling attention and making a notation in the observer to these students.

For the next day, students will bring the homework on page 11 of the workbook that was related to family members. We socialize the answers. Then I delivered a photocopy with different exercises where students will put in practice the vocabulary learned.

With 701 we carried out a reading that included the use of the simple past. This reading was about the experience of a girl named Melissa who visited Barranquilla. Then, the students answered some questions related to the text. Students were divided into groups so that in the next class they exposed about a city taking into account aspects such as food, festivals, weather, clothing and the most representative places of this city. This activity left me surprised and proud of the skills of my students. Many of them had mistakes in pronunciation. However I saw their motivation, they investigated and did the best. 

Journal 1

Write a reflection about the classes you oriented this week (bear in mind the following aspects: what you planned, what you did, and what you would do differently if you were to teach your lesson again). Give examples and descriptions of those situations that, in your view, are relevant to your learning experience.

Today the first hour with 603 was not possible to carry out because in this time took place the celebration of the Language day. But, in the second hour after the break I reviewed the homework which consisted of using the present simple to match the verbs according to the pronouns. When I was checking the task I noticed that many students did not do the homework with the excuse that other students had erased the board, and those who had copied some had done wrong, but others had done very well. To which I began to think that it was not possible that having explained to them two classes still did not understand the topic, but as it was possible that some students had done the homework and had done well. That is the reason, I come to the conclusion that I will be aware of the time to tell them in advance the homework and not about time when rang bell. Perhaps that was the mistake I made and for which they did not do the homework.

On the other hand, While I checked the homework, they had to look in the dictionary the meaning of some words and color the photocopy that I deliver them about physical description.

Taking into account what happened I told them the task with time and confirm twice that they had understood what should be done. Students should bring to the next class a picture of someone who they admired, cardboard and all the meanings of the words that had not finished in class.

The next day I had an hour with 603. It was a productive day. I asked the students about the vocabulary of physical appearance in order to clarify any doubt. Then I delivered a piece of paper with a short description of somebody and they had to draw according to the description. Then keeping in mind the previous paragraph they had to write a description of somebody who they admired.

If I could do the activity of putting them to write about someone they admire, I would do it again because they like it, and they felt motivate and use the English.