Teaching!!!

Hello friends!!

I’m here again in order to tell you about my class. This was my third class and I planned to video-tape it. I started a little bit late but it was because of the teacher because he was late and I had to wait for him. I started with the warm-up and I had a little hard time when explaining because they didn’t get the idea, but later when I performed it, they could understand. Then, I started the other activities and all of them were a review of the last unit, so I had to make free practice. In one moment of the class, I felt kind of bored because I was just monitoring the students, and I felt that I was not doing anything! But I think I have to let students work by themselves. I was not nervous, but I was kind of tired because I didn’t sleep well the previous night. I have to consider that factor for the next class hehehe. I have planned many activities, but I didn’t finish them, so I gave the material to the teacher for him to use it. I think I did a good job, but I’m not sure because I haven’t heard about the teacher’s feedback, and also because I felt kind of bored during the class, but I think that can be because of the free practice, but anyway, I already finish the class, and I think it was acceptable!! =)

2 Entry!!

Hello, my friends!!!

I want to tell you about my second class in basic. As you know, this is a new experience because the basic group is totally different from the advanced one, but it’s nice to work with them. Something that really calls my attention is that there are many boys and just a few girls, and almost all the time, girls are the majority. This class was really nice for me, I think everything was as I expected. I came on time and I made a different seating arrangement, then I prepared all the material and I was waiting just for the teacher. I started the class late, but it was not my fault because they teacher got late. For this class, I was not nervous and I felt really comfortable.  I made my warm-up and the teacher told me that he liked it and it was awesome! Then, started with the last part of the grammar notes and exercises, and I was happy because I was seeing that students were working and they were also enjoying with the activities. I made them to work individually, in pairs, and also with the whole class. When the class was in the middle, I made a parenthesis and I asked them some riddles for them to enjoy; the first one that I said just a few of them could understand it, but to the others, they paid more attention and they were laughing about them. With the last activity, I tried to mix all the things they have studied, daily routines, time telling, adverbs of frequency, prepositions, etc. I brought a die in order to play with it, and students liked it. The teacher told me to finish all the activities that I have prepared, and they last the two classes. It was nice because I didn’t feel pressure for teaching, nervous or something else. I think, this was a wonderful experience because I felt a connection among the students and me. I think these experiences are the ones that I’m going to remember forever!!! =)

1rst Entry!!

Hi, people!!! This is my entry for my first class.... let me tell you that this class was kind of extrange because some things were awful and other really good...

Well, the point is that I think in general, this was not my day!  First of all, I had some difficulties to get to the classroom and that made me feel bad and nervous. =( I got 10 minutes late to classroom, and I felt really ashamed! The worst part was that the teacher had already started the class with the warm-up. The transition between him and I was kind of hard and strange at the same time. Even, I didn't know if I had to start the class with a warm-up or not because he had already done it. But, I decided to avoid it and continue with the rest of my class. But my bad luck didn't end there because I was going to teach the grammar with a song, and when I noticed that cd-player didn't have an input for usb, so I couldn't perfom the activity. Thanks God, I had one activity that was nice to teach grammar, and I used it though students didn't know that it was for grammar. I felt good because students didn't know the incident of the cd-player, also because they liked the activity that I performed instead. Afther that, I made other activities with flashcards and other materials, and I felt good because I heard some comments of the students that they were enjoying the activity, also that they had liked my flashcards =) even the teacher told me at the end that he had liked my flashcards. I think this group is very enthusiastic; therefore, I have to take advantage of that in order to have a nice class and students don't get bored. At the end, I got a good grade, and at least the activities that I performed were nice.

4th class!!

This was my last class of the first period, I was not nervous as the previous classes and I felt enthusiasm to teach. For me, this was a nice class because almost everything was as I expected, and I felt that the students were enjoying the class. I started with a warm-up in which each student had to think about a famous person they liked or admired because they was going to be that person in that moment and the rest of the class had to guess the name of the famous. Then, I continued with the class, and I presented a song which was kind of old and at the beginning I thought it may be boring for them, but actually I noticed that they liked the song. I prepared an activity for the students to order the sentences of the song while they were listening to it, and they did it perfectly; then, some of them were singing the song. The moment that was kind of bad, was when I asked them to make predictions about the song because they did not have too much ideas about it, so I think for next class, I should bring pictures or more activities to do for that moment. And as almost all the classes, I had to teach grammar, but in this class it was just a little part of it. I felt good because I could explain and answer all the questions students asked me. Then I presented some pictures about famous people and I asked them if they knew something about them. Finally, I asked them to do a matching activity that was in the book, and they did it really fast in less than one minute. I was happy because they had understood the topic.

What I really like is that I’m learning how to be a teacher because I remember that a teacher told us once “leave your troubles at home and be a new person in the class”, I’m saying this because I had some personal problems that affected my feelings before teaching, but I tried to give my best in the class and believe me that I forget them during I was teaching, and I think I did a good job. I will try to keep this in mind because I know that it will help me a lot. =)

3rd Class!

Hello classmates!

Let me tell you that for this class, I felt that I was not prepared enough because I got sick the previous days before teaching and that affected my nerves, feelings and mood. When I arrived to the University on Tuesday morning, I noticed that I have forgotten to prepare a warm-up for the class, and I felt terrible because my mind was in another planet, and I was trying to remember an activity but it was so hard to do it. During the class, I felt a little bored because I was working just with activities on the book, and I was analyzing that my students may have been bored, too. I tried to be friendly with them and to show them enthusiasm, but inside I wanted to know about what my students were thinking about my class and how they felt toward it because almost all the activities were done by them, and I was just monitoring them. I made pair-work, I asked them personal information about the cities they would like to travel, the cities they have already visited in our country or around the world, etc., also I asked them to make a debate and I divided the class in two groups, one group was in pro of living in the city and the other one in pro of living in the countryside. When I finished the class, the teacher gave me the feedback, and I noticed that I have made some grammar mistakes hehe but I have had less mistakes than in the previous classes and that made feel good =) moreover, I got a better grade. I was asking to myself why that grade because I felt that I have worked less, but then I noticed that in this class I made more free practice and that means that I let the students work by themselves and I was just monitoring them, and in the previous classes I have taught the controlled practice, so I had more participation. Then I understood that the most important is to think if my students are learning, and I will notice that in the free practice because they work by themselves and put in practice the structures and vocabulary they have already learned. I learned that the classes will not be the same all the time, and I as a teacher have the opportunity to make my students enjoy and feel each class unique.

Thank you for reading my ideas!! =)

2nd Class

Well, in my second class, I was more nervous than in the first class and I don't know why because it is supposed that you feel nervous at the first time but I wasn't in my first time, and I felt nervous today during the morning. But when I started the class I felt nice. In this class, I felt really preapred with all the acitivities and also because I used different materials, and I think I made a good job. I liked that way I explained the grammar and also how I made the students interact among them. For me, this class was better than the previous one, but I got less grade. I think the most important is that I feel satisfied with my job. I made some grammar mistakes and I have to pay specially attention on that in the next class, also the teacher told me that I need to have more enthusiasm, and I don't know what to do because I'm trying to give my best, and I feel that I have a good enthusiasm duuring the class, also I try to be friendly with the students in order to have more communication. I hope to give my best for the next class because I think I can do it.
Thanks 4 your attention!! =)

My first Class!

This was the first class that I had to teach, and it was so cool. I really like it because I was enjoying together with the students. Though they were students of advanced level, I think I could manage the class.

Before and during the class, I was not nervous, I felt good. But the days before, I was so nervous because I was thinking about how to teach the class, about the topic because it was a little bit hard for me, and I was trying to fit some activities for the grammar notes.

Personally, I really liked the warm-up which introduced the new topic, and the last activity in which  students put in practice what they have learned during the class and during the previous levels. I noticed that my students enjoyed with the activities and that made me feel good. 

What I did not like was the grammar and I think it was not so good. I must have been more prepared with the topic.

I liked that the students were paying attention to me, and they were participating during the whole class. To be my first class in the teaching practice, I think it is good and acceptable, but it is not complete good, I think I can give more and I'll try to do my best for the next class... =)                                                                                                               See you in the next entry!! ^_^