TEACHING PRACTICE

FINAL ESSAY
MILTON ORLANDO MARTINEZ
TEACHING PRACTICE
I 2014
Teachers are an extremely important facet of any society for a multitude of reasons.
Teachers are the people ho educate the youth of society ho in turn !ecome the leaders
of the next "eneration of people. #schooldee.com$. Teachin" is not only a profession% it is
an art too% !ecause teachers shape and mold students. This paper has as main purpose to
"i&e an idea a!out ho important it is to !e a "ood teacher% and ho a !e"inner teacher has
faced the first formal teachin" experience of his professional life.
In this paper% it ill !e descri!ed the folloin"'
o Teaching critical reflection of TP.
o Systematiation of TP !rocess.
o E"!ortfolio a!!lie# to ELT.
o A technological teacher $rs a non"!re!are# classroom.
o Concl%sion.
Teachers can enrich a youn" "eneration of children so that the future is a safe%
secure and "reat place to li&e in for e&ery person in the society. #schooldee.com$. This
profession is surely the most important of all% !ecause teachers are the ones ho educates
and ma(e conscience into the future leaders of a country and the people ho ill ma(e a
direction to society. That is hy it is important to !e a prepared and &ery committed
teacher% !ecause e are shapin" human minds% mind hich ill chan"e li&es.
TEACHING CRITICAL REFLECTI&N &F TP.
In a profession as challen"in" as teachin"% honest self)reflection is (ey. That means
that e must re"ularly examine hat has or(ed and hat hasn*t in the classroom% despite
ho painful it can sometimes !e to loo( in the mirror. #Leis$. To reflect% is an essential
tas( for teachers% !ecause that is ho I can reali+e ho I am performin" my Teachin"
,ractice. Me% as a !e"inner teacher% I ha&e faced some pro!lems !y performin" my
Teachin" ,ractice% and the most difficult for me has !een the experience% !ecause I ha&e to
admit that I feel (ind of ner&ous !efore de&elopin" each class% !ut hen I am in the
process% I feel secure and conforta!le% !ecause I (no that I am doin" my !est% and I ill
impro&e !y the time.
Another thin" I ha&e to admit is that at the !e"innin"% I as afraid% !ecause I as
not sure a!out myself% it as &ery hard% !ut I could "et it o&er and I (ept "oin" on. It has
!een really hard% preparin" class- perform them and !e aare of the acti&ities that I ha&e
had to de&elop in order to teach En"lish in a different ay. Throu"h the process of this
Teachin" ,ractice I ha&e reali+ed ho hard it is to !e a teacher% it is not as easy as I
thou"ht% I thou"ht it as one of the easiest .o!s% !ut it is all the ay around% it is one of the
hardest and could e&en !e the hardest .o! of all. Therefore% I must !e prepared and do not
accommodate as some other teachers use to do it.
This Teachin" ,ractice has shon me that I can do a "ood .o! as a teacher that all I
need is passion for teachin"% then% e&erythin" else ill !e easier% !ecause if I ha&e passion
for doin" somethin"% I ill en.oy doin" e&ery sin"le thin" that has to deal ith teachin". I
ill care a!out my on impro&ement and I ill try to learn more and !e more prepared. I
ha&e opened my eyes and no I can see that the more passion a teacher has the !etter
teachin" process he/she performs. I do not thin( that I am a "ood teacher% I am not e&en
close to it% I ha&e to ma(e a lot of mista(es first% and then fix them up% I ha&e to ma(e !i"
sacrifices% and learn a lot of thin"s% I need experience% time% students and my actions ill
say if I am a "ood teacher% otherise% if I say it% it ould !e a lie.
Durin" this course% I ha&e understood in a !etter ay ho much I ha&e to push
myself in order to impro&e and (eep thin(in" on !ein" a "ood teacher one day% there is a
phrase that says 0Don1t stop hen you1re tired% stop hen you1re done2. I ha&e faced a lot
of pro!lems throu"h the pass of this su!.ect- I ha&e had to ta(e myself to the limit a lot of
times% and honestly% I am tired% I ha&e or(ed hard% I ha&e done my !est% and it has not
!een enou"h sometimes% it means that I ha&e to "o further from my limits and do it !etter.
This is really orthy% I (no I ill not !e re"ret a!out this% !ecause I do not do this
!ecause of money% I do it !ecause I li(e% I (no that 0money ill come2% I .ust ha&e to !e
patient and en.oy my .o!. That is one of the thin"s that I ha&e learnt this semester in this
su!.ect.
SYSTE'ATI(ATI&N &F TEACHING PRACTICE PR&CESS
Teachin" ,ractice process is not a simple thin" that is "oin" to !e tau"ht ith no
preparation% it needs a &ery deep preparation in order to ha&e "ood material to teach% and
there are some tools that are called artifacts of the teachin"% they are plannin"% pro"ram%
sylla!us% outline% lesson plans and ru!rics #these are the artifacts that I ha&e !een usin"
durin" my T,$. All of them are &ery helpful and essential% ithout them- there ould not
!e any lo"ical order for a course.
Program
It is a document% in hich the topics that ill !e studied are put in a lo"ical order%
there% e put topics and su!topics that e can study and learn a!out them% topics in hich
e can use structures and teach accordin" to the students1 needs. 3irst% the most !asic
thin"s a!out the lecture% and hen time "oes !y% there ill !e thin"s that ill !e tau"ht
ith the !ase of the first topics and relatin" them to the next topic% in order to ha&e
se4uence and a lo"ical order to facilitate the learnin" process for the students.
Sylla)%s
5ylla!i ser&e se&eral important purposes% the most !asic of hich is to
communicate the instructor6s course desi"n #e.".% "oals% or"ani+ation% policies%
expectations% re4uirements$ to students. #cmu.edu$. 5ylla!us contains !asically the
information of each unity that ill !e de&eloped ith the students in order to ha&e more
explicit information a!out hat the topics contain and hat to teach accordin" to the needs
of the students. 5ylla!us is &ery important !ecause it is a "uide for teachers hen they are
teachin" ith text !oo(s. 7The sylla!us is a small place to start !rin"in" students and
faculty mem!ers !ac( to"ether.7 #Ru!in$. It is a &ery helpful tool to explain ho a course
ill !e de&eloped.
&%tline
The sylla!us is a plannin" tool. 8ritin" it "uides the instructor6s de&elopment of the
course. Throu"h the de&elopment of a sylla!us% instructors are a!le to set course "oals%
de&elop student learnin" o!.ecti&es% create and ali"n assessment plans% as ell as esta!lish
a schedule for the course. #uleth.ca$. An outline is a &ery helpful tool in teachin" !ecause
you can put there all the acti&ities that you can do in a class% or in the entire course. 9an !e
a "uide for ma(in" a lesson plan and also for shoin" acti&ities that can !e modified in
order to impro&e the process of teachin" and "et !etter results.
Planning
:One of the most important #principles of "ood teachin"$ is the need for plannin".
3ar from compromisin" spontaneity% plannin" pro&ides a structure and context for teacher
and students% as ell as a frameor( for reflection and e&aluation6 #5pencer% ;<<=$. It is
important to plan !ecause there% I could ha&e the information a!out the topics that follo to
the one that I am teachin" and in that ay% I can control or di&ide the lon"est topics in
order to ha&e a schedule for each topic ith the necessary time to !e a!le to de&elop it and
a&oid any misunderstandin" pro!lem or to a&oid any missin" of any topic in order to sho
the content of the topic that I ha&e to de&elop. In this ay% I could ma(e a schedule a!out
the course and I could ha&e an order ith each topic and e&aluations that ere necessary.
Lesson Plan
A lesson plan is a detailed "uide for teachin" a lesson. It*s a step)!y)step "uide that
outlines the teacher*s o!.ecti&es for hat the students ill accomplish that day. 9reatin" a
lesson plan in&ol&es settin" "oals% de&elopin" acti&ities% and determinin" the materials that
ill !e used. #9ox$. Lesson plans ha&e !een &ery helpful durin" my Teachin" ,ractice
!ecause they are the map that teachers follo hen teachin" and the details that they
present ha&e my on style. A lesson plan is an essential tool that e&ery sin"le teacher needs
to ha&e in order to perform a "ood Teachin" ,ractice% otherise% the class could !ecome
into a completely mess and there ould not !e a lo"ic order of the topics. In my case% it
as hard to learn ho to ma(e them !ut at the end I ha&e learned ho to ma(e a lesson
plan% I do not do the perfect% !ut I do my !est and I (no that I can impro&e and I ill
impro&e as much as I can.
Learnin" ho to ma(e a lesson plan has !een hard% !ut at the end I "ot the idea and
I ha&e !een applyin" them into my Teachin" ,ractice and they ha&e !een &ery helpful% I
ne&er thou"ht ho easy a class could !e hen you ma(e a lesson plan and follo it as it
has to !e folloed.
R%)rics
As e all (no% e&aluation in teachin" is &ery common% and it is the ay to
e&aluate students and sho them that they are capa!le to perform the lan"ua"e. It can !e of
different ays% and the !est ay of e&aluate the results of those e&aluations is throu"h the
use a ru!ric. 0A ru!ric is an easily applica!le form of authentic assessment. A ru!ric simply
lists a set of criteria% hich defines and descri!es the important components of the or(
!ein" planned or e&aluated. 3or example% students "i&in" a research presentation mi"ht !e
"raded in three areas% content% display% and presentation.2 #us.iearn.or"$. This is a &ery
important and precise ay to e&aluate !ecause there is no dou!t a!out the "rade and the
results are !ased on the four macro s(ills% !ecause they are the center of teachin" En"lish.
E"P&RTF&LI& APPLIE* T& ELT
An e)portfolio is a &ery helpful tool for teachers- it consists on the collection of information
a!out the Teachin" ,ractice resources. An e)portfolio can !e &ery useful !ecause there% you can see
ho much you ha&e impro&ed and the acti&ities that ha&e done !efore in some specific topics. I
ould use it !y settin" there the acti&ities that I ha&e done durin" my Teachin" ,ractice% I ould
also include the electronic resources that I ha&e used% li(e face!oo(% for example% there is a "roup
on face!oo( that I ha&e created in order to post information a!out the course and in that ay I can
(eep in touch ith my students durin" the ee(% !ecause e "et to"ether only on 5aturdays.
Another thin" I ould include is the methodolo"y that I ha&e !een usin" durin" this process. The
implementation of e)portfolio ill help me to "et record of the acti&ities that I ha&e de&eloped and
a&oid the repetition of them.
A TECHN&L&GICAL TEACHER +RS A N&N"PREPARE* CLASSR&&'
The use of technolo"y into the classroom is a source that is &ery useful and teachers
ha&e to ta(e ad&anta"e of it% technolo"y helps a lot% !ecause throu"h it e can ma(e our
class more interestin" and less !orin"% and e&en easier to prepare and mana"e for teachers.
In that ay e can catch the students1 attention and e&en en"a"e them into the teachin"
process% it helps to ha&e much !etter results at the end of a course% and students en.oy
technolo"ical classes !ecause that is somethin" that is updated and attracti&e for them. >ut%
hat happens hen a teacher "oes to a school here there is no technolo"y? 8hat happens
hen there are not enou"h computers nor internet access for students? 8hat happens is
that teachers use to accommodate and for"et a!out the real mission of a teacher% they start
to de&elop a class ith no real interest on the students1 learnin"% and there is hen teachin"
!ecomes too traditional and teachers lose their passion% !ecause they do not ha&e enou"h
resources #computers% data sho% and pro.ector$ to de&elop a class% therefore% they start to
!ase on text !oo(s and photocopies% classes !ecome repetiti&e and !orin". That is the
reason hy teachers ha&e to !e prepared not only ith (noled"e- teachers ha&e to !e
prepared to use e&en the en&ironment in order to ma(e a class out the traditional context.
My Teachin" ,ractice has !een (ind of difficult !ecause of the a!sence of
technolo"y into the classroom% !ut I (no that a teacher has to !e prepared ith material
and ideas for the de&elopment of a different% entertainment and out of the traditional
teachin" class% that is hy I ould !e prepared ith interacti&e and dynamic acti&ities that
are related ith the topic of the class in order to ha&e my students focused on the process.
The use of &isual aids ould !e &ery useful too% !ecause I can ma(e them to descri!e them
or "uess the action that an ima"e represents. The use of my laptop and a pair of spea(ers
can !e &ery useful to help them ith their listenin"% !y playin" them some audio recordin"s
and some son"s ith hich I can ma(e a lot of acti&ities that students can find &ery
interestin" and funny.
The use of the resources that a teacher has% is &ery important% !ecause a teacher has
to !e creati&e and (no hat (ind of resources he or she has in order to plan his/her class.
The use of technolo"y into the classroom is &ery important% !ut hen there is no
technolo"y in an institution% teachers are really tested !ecause there is hen teachers sho
ho ell)prepared they are in order to ta(e ad&anta"e of their creati&ity and the fe
resources they count ith. That is not an excuse to co&er simple and traditional classes%
teachers ha&e to demonstrate to themsel&es and their students that they are competent
teachers and that they care a!out the learnin" process that the institution has for the
teachin" of En"lish lan"ua"e.
C&NCL,SI&N
As a conclusion% I can say that this Teachin" ,ractice experience has !een &ery
hard% stressful and frustratin"% !ecause I did not ha&e teachin" experience and this has !een
ho I ha&e "otten into the orld of teachin"% a onderful !ut challen"in" orld% in hich I
ha&e to do more than my !est% to "o !eyond my on limits in order to impro&e. There are a
lot of excuses that I can use% !ut none of them is &alid% !ecause a teacher has not excuse for
a simple and traditional class. And that is the challen"e that I ha&e accepted durin" this
course% to !e a different teacher% learn from my mista(es% !ecause teachers are human too
and e all ma(e mista(es% e are not perfect% therefore% I ha&e to !e pushin" myself e&ery
sin"le day of my life since today% and ma(e thin"s as "ood as possi!le ithout for"ettin"
that I ha&e to accept critics and comments that people say a!out me% !ecause in that ay I
can impro&e and !ecome into a !etter teacher and a !etter person.
Teachin" ,ractice ha&e tau"ht me a lot of thin"s% some of them are to !e more
responsi!le and dedicated to hat I ha&e to do and also to (no hat my priorities are.
Another thin" I ha&e learnt is that the more conscious a teacher is a!out the thin"s that
ha&e to impro&e% the !etter teacher I can !ecome. This has !een a really hea&y challen"e%
and I ha&e faced it ithout technolo"y help% it has helped me a lot !ecause I ha&e trainin"
my creati&ity and no I can prepare classes not only ith technolo"y% I can use interacti&e
acti&ities and sho that the learnin" process of En"lish can !e de&eloped in a different and
en.oya!le ay.
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