So far in this ELAB I have taught several times in my classes. Fortunately, I have been working with a good teacher who supports and helps me in every situation. She has given me the possibility of creating new activities and teaching material for the students with whom we work.
I started working the first semester with high school students. During that experience, I could not be so much of a teacher because that was not ELAB 3’s purpose. Nevertheless, I did have opportunities of teaching 12th graders and I think that with their English level I can teach a lesson with whatever imaginable resource and the right questions. Their speaking proficiency is very high which allows teachers to develop a class only with them speaking and practicing their speaking skill. However, they do other things in their classes and not only speaking. Now, I am working with 4th, 5th and 6th grades. In this ELAB 4 I have had more opportunities of teaching them and I have been able to notice that varying resources is very important because students have different learning styles and teachers need to provide all students with the right input.
Through this experience and the methodology class I have become aware of the quantity of resources we have which are not always limited by the economical resources. In this journal, I will explain and mention all the small elements I have used to create different activities and spending very little money.
Some time ago, the 6th graders had to begin a new lesson. The lesson dealt with comparatives and superlatives. For my activity, I created a very small worksheet and asked them to stand up if they were “the shortest student in the class” or “more popular than…” It really worked perfectly, and most importantly, students learnt how to use the rule without explicitly explaining it. Students are one of the resources inside the classroom. It is clear that by doing this activity they will never forget since they were involved in it. At the same time, I used TPR (Total Physical Response), and they answered to the commands.
Another resource I have used in my classes is images. With images you can have your students do simple tasks such as recognizing colors, describing clothes or activities up to more complex activities such as writing an essay based on inferences from the image. Images can be taken from the internet, newspapers, articles, books and magazines. They are inexpensive and easy to obtain. Another positive feature about working with images is that you bring realia to the classroom with them. For example, if it is a newspaper image, students can recognize settings, streets and people which will help them remember what they have learnt when they see those things again.
Flashcards is a type of image I have used. At the beginning of this second semester the 5th graders were working with a unit from the book called “Animals”. During my winter break I printed over a hundred images to make flashcards in my house, so I had many animals. I told my teacher who agreed to use them in one of the class. The task was to work in pairs and describe the animal in the flashcard. It was so much fun because some of the students even gave the animals names. Some girls danced when presenting their animal. Making your own flashcards is very easy and inexpensive.
Lastly, I have been using many games. I want the students to have fun when they are learning with me. When I was teaching jobs and professions, I brought little pieces of cardboard with different jobs and professions written on them. I asked the students to do mimics and it was really fun. At the end, they learned the necessary content and had fun. Another game I did was a memory game with past tenses of irregular verbs. It was fun and good practice for the students. I have also used crosswords which can be made with a downloadable program from the Internet[1]. This one was also to reinforce past tenses of irregular verbs. Again, cardboard is very inexpensive and an accessible material.
Doing all these activities and using many different resources has been really successful. One of my main aims has been to blend learning with entertainment and it has worked. The students have had good results which can be a proof to say that they are really learning when I teach them.
I could identify two major strengths during this ELAB. One is creating material. I think that we need to find resources everywhere. Cardboard has become one of my best friends for teaching because you can do several things with it by just writing a word. I have discovered that I am quite creative and that teaching the content of the textbook does not have to be by using it. Classroom management has also been one of my strengths. I do manage my class and the time. Students behave very well and the most I get from them are yells once in a while when we are playing.
According to my teacher I need to ask students to behave properly, but I do not mind having a little noise in the classroom. I believe it is just a discrepancy of opinion. Anyway, I think we need to build the environment and that will not happen until I have my own class because in my position I cannot interfere with the teacher-students routine. One of the noticeable weaknesses I can perceive is the lack of mechanics in my teaching. I do not have the map of my planning in my head and sometimes I forget about essential things such as giving an appropriate warm up or correcting tasks. I do believe, however, that I will get more practice with the years. Therefore, one of the changes I would introduce in order to improve my weakness is to bring my planning into the classroom so that I have everything clear. I know that the structure of the class is essential for students learning, so I need to improve that area of my teaching.
One action that I have taken has given me great benefits. Participating in seminars and workshops has become a great help for me. Going to the TESOL, for example, was extremely enriching because I took many ideas from the conferences I attended and put them into practice in my ELAB. Encountering experienced teachers is an aid for all newly qualified teachers and for me while I am working in my ELAB because they can teach you, in a way, how to teach a content, resources to be used, how to vary activities, and so on.
My objectives were very clear. I wanted students to work in group and I wanted them to have fun. Fortunately, my two objectives were fulfilled. Along with those objectives, I wanted students to learn which I think was also accomplished. My best recompense has been seeing my teacher laugh and play with the students while I am conducting the class. I really hope that she will incorporate my activities in her teaching. I am quite sure that my students are learning and having fun at the same time. Of course, not everything must be fun, but when the content is a bit complex and tedious, games can help very much. In the end, they are just children, they love having fun.
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