This week has been short too, as we had San Sebastian in the middle. I have been reflecting on my school’s policy regarding English teachers, who have to pretend they are native, and also on this trainee placement compared to the previous two.
The week has been intense, especially because after Christmas we decided that I would take over the pre-primary teacher in one 4-year-old class and one 5-year-old class. So now she watches and I perform, and we discuss afterwards. Compared to my last school placement, when I took the teacher’s place everyday, this time is different, because I hardly have any time to plan and prepare with the teacher. Last year the teacher and I went to school 45 minutes before lessons started (she used to do that, and I joined her), so we had plenty of time to plan the day and discuss. I got more directions as to how to do things. This year, we only have time for short directions on our way to class, because the teacher has other lessons before, and so do I. So, this placement is giving me a chance to work on improvising. Of course, I have read the teacher’s guide, so I know the description of each activity in the unit, but most of the times I don’t get to see how my teacher performs it before I do. This has some pros and some cons, but I think it is good learning. I know that the teacher is there, and that she will step in if she sees anything too wrong, so I feel ok with it. The experience is close to being sent to a school to take over a teacher who is on leave, which is the main work experience I am likely to get once I finish my studies.
One of the days I came out thinking that we did a fantastic lesson; my storytelling was good, children were really into it and participating a lot… Other days I saw many things that needed to be improved, mainly planning the activity itself.
Last week I had a meeting with my university supervisor for the school placement, and he suggested I wrote more about general topics, like diversity etc. So far, I have been writing about those aspects more closely related to English teaching and learning, although I have mentioned that at the end of the day, the questions that interest me the general ones: how do you create a positive learning atmosphere? what should you do with those who feel less confident? Most of the times, I have dealt with those topics in my blog, because for some strange reason I feel like those thoughts belong there, and this diary is more related to teaching English.
From what I have seen so far, English lessons can be hard for those who I called the “gourmets of education”, especially due to aspects linked with the management of time. English lessons in pre-primary last 30 minutes. In primary they are a bit longer, 45 minutes, but since we walk up to collect each group in their regular classroom, and take them back there once we finish, they end up lasting 30-35 minutes too. English teachers run on a very tight schedule. For example, in pre-primary, the material we use is planned for 45 minute lessons, and since we only have 30, we have to “compress” activities a little. If a child has a bad day and poses “problems”, often they are asked to leave the classroom. I have also seen that not all children get the highest expectations from their teacher. Am I happy with that? No. Do I have an alternative? Being just a student, I can’t claim to have a solution, but I am determined to try something else if I ever get the chance to be a “real” teacher. You can’t just give up without even trying. That attitude doesn’t match the ideal teacher I have in my head.
English classes have an extra source of diversity, compared to regular lessons, as many students attend English lessons outside school. I think we should take more advantage of that than we do, and take this information into account when we set groups in the English classroom. That way, we could make sure we apply heterogeneous grouping and encourage cooperative learning, using peer tutoring as one of the main tools to develop lessons. There is a lot to do in that area, from what I am seeing in my placement.
iruzkinik ez:
Argitaratu iruzkina