Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Upla Final Practicum Portfolio
Upla Final Practicum Portfolio
Rodrigo Gonzalez
Introduction
Reading Articles
Reunión de Profesores
Reunión de Apoderados
School Information
Lesson Plans
Learning Material
Evaluations
Introduction
This portofolio has the purpose to show and collect information about my
professional practicum that I did on the first semester of 2009, in a Public school of
Valparaiso, “Liceo Politécnico A. Nasar A-23 de Playa Ancha”.
In this portofolio I will collect any kind of useful tool or tips that made my process
better but not only good things but also I will try to collect any kind of feedback that
my guide teacher gave me during my classes in order to improve my knowledge
and to grow up as a english teacher. I will also collect materials and techniques
that I used in my classes and all information related to this wonderful process.
Finally, I would like to say that this educational tool will represent an exelent
material in a close future as a teacher of english.
READING ARTICLES
by David Martin
Over the short history of the ESL/EFL field various methods have been proposed.
Each method has in turn fallen out of favor and has been replaced with a new one.
Audiolingualism, functionalism, communicative paradigms, and now the fad is
"task-based syllabuses." In his critique of the task-based syllabus Sheen
(1994:127) points out, "frequent paradigm shifts in the field of second and foreign
language teaching have not resulted in significant progress in language learning."
Since no method has been proven to be more effective than another, many
teachers have jumped on the "eclectic" bandwagon. Common sense would have
this as the best available choice since variety is the spice of language.
Other than considering method, what can the EFL teacher do to ensure success?
What follows are some DOs and DONTs that I have found to be very useful in
teaching EFL in Japan. None are revolutionary; these are principles I didn't
necessarily learn in ESL graduate school, but should have been taught.
This cannot be overemphasized. You will be able to control your class better and
gain more respect if you learn the students' names early on. If you are one who
has a poor memory for names, have all the students hold up name cards and take
a picture of them on the first day of class. On the second class, impress them by
showing them you know all their names.
Expect your students to use English 100% of the time, and accept it if they only
achieve 95% usage. Do not let them get away with speaking their mother tongue to
communicate with their partner. Deal quickly with inappropriate conduct in a
friendly yet firm manner.
\3. Be overly prepared.
If you don't have a clear lesson-plan down on paper, then make sure you have a
mental one. You should know about how long each activity will take and have an
additional activity prepared in case you have extra time.
4. Always consider the learners' needs when preparing for each lesson.
Why are your students studying English? How will they use English in the future?
What do they need to learn? If many of the students are going to study abroad at
an American university, for example, then the teacher should be preparing them for
listening to academic lectures and academic reading to some extent. If, on the
other hand, most of the students have no perceived need for English in the future,
perhaps you should be focusing on useful skills that they may use in the future, but
may not be essential--skills such as understanding movie dialog, listening to music,
writing a letter to a pen pal, etc.
If the lesson you have prepared just isn't working, don't be afraid to scrap it or
modify it. Be sensitive to the students--don't forge ahead with something that is
bound for disaster.
This is an ongoing process. Students may have already been taught a particular
grammar point or vocabulary. In Japan, with Japanese having so many loan words
from English, this is especially true. I have explained many words carefully before,
such as kids, nuance, elegant, only to find out later that they are now part of the
Japanese language.
This includes pronunciation, syntax, and sociolinguistic areas. You don't have to be
a linguist to teach EFL--most of what you need to know can be learned from
reading the students' textbooks. Often the rules and explanations about structure
in the students' texts are much more accessible and realistic than in texts used in
TESL syntax courses.
9. Don't assume that your class textbook has the language that your
students need or want to learn.
Most textbooks follow the same tired, boring pattern and include the same major
functions, grammar and vocabulary. The main reason for this is not scientific at all--
it is the publisher's unwillingness to take a risk by publishing something new. Also,
by trying to please all teachers publishers force authors to water down their
materials to the extent of being unnatural at times. It is the teacher's responsibility
to add any extra necessary vocabulary, functions, grammar, or topics that you feel
the students may want or need.
10. Don't assume (falsely) that the class textbook will work.
Some activities in EFL textbooks fall apart completely in real classroom usage. It is
hard to believe that some of them have actually been piloted. Many activities must
be modified to make them work, and some have to be scrapped completely.
Most teachers and students are dissatisfied with textbooks currently available.
Nevertheless, it is essential that you choose a textbook that is truly communicative
and meets the needs of your students.
The building blocks of language are not grammar and functions. The most
essential thing students need to learn is vocabulary; without vocabulary you have
no words to form syntax, no words to pronounce. Help your students to become
vocabulary hungry.
Not always, but in general, present and practice more structured activities before
freer, more open ones.
It is the opinion of many ESL experts that listening is the most important skill to
teach your students. While listening to each other and to the teacher will improve
their overall listening ability, this can be no substitute for listening to authentic
English. As much as possible, try to expose your students to authentic English in a
variety of situations. The best way to do this and the most realistic is through
videos. Listening to audio cassettes in the classroom can improve listening ability,
but videos are much more motivating and culturally loaded.
Many familiar teaching points can be turned into games, or activities with a
competitive angle. A sure way to motivate students and liven up your classroom.
Language and culture are inseparable. If culture isn't a part of your lessons, then
you aren't really teaching language, you are teaching about language.
By all means teach the more important aspects of pronunciation, but don't
bombard the students with minimal pair drills that cannot be applied to real
communication. They don't really understand the meaning of any of those minimal
pairs you teach anyway, do they? A more rational approach would be to teach
pronunciation in context, as necessary. For example, if you are teaching a section
on health, teach syllable stress with sickness words: fever, headache, backache,
earache, constipation, etc.
Explain exactly what they are expected to learn in a particular lesson. Make sure
that students know what they are doing and why. The lessons should be
transparent to the students, with a clear organization.
You don't have to be an actor or clown, but students appreciate it when the teacher
shows genuine interest in teaching. Teachers who are jaded with EFL would do
best to hide it, or consider moving on to another profession.
Students want, more than anything, to talk with the teacher. Don't overdo pair and
group work to the point that they haven't had a chance to interact with you, too.
For speaking this would mean allowing time for free conversation, for writing doing
freewriting, for reading allowing time for extensive pleasure reading, and for
listening, listening for entertainment sake.
Make it a habit to get the students to laugh at least once per lesson.
27. Circulate.
Move about the classroom. At times sit with groups and monitor, as well as joining
in on the communication. At times walk about, listen and observe.
Depending on the subject, you should be talking from about 5% to 30% of the
lesson. For speaking or writing, more than 10-15% would probably be too much.
Most lessons should be student-centered, not teacher-centered.
How do you expect your students to understand real English if you don't speak at a
fairly natural speed? Oversimplified and affected speech will hurt your students in
the long run. Shoot for moderate complexity and more repetition if needed.
Watch their faces and reactions. Do they understand you? Are they interested or
bored? Try to be aware of what is going on in your classroom at all times. If you are
starting class and one student is still talking, try to gently get him/her to stop. If you
are sitting with a pair of students on one side of the room, try to be attentive to
what is happening in other groups as well. There may be a group across the room
that is confused and doesn't know what to do.
Shy, introverted students are not going to change their personalities overnight in
order to learn English. Give these students opportunities to talk in small groups, but
don't expect them to shout out answers in front of the whole class.
Language learning is not about intelligence; the important thing to stress is that the
students are improving.
If you do, you will lose hard-won respect. Even if you have to go so far as to leave
the classroom, do it in a controlled manner, explaining to the class or student why
you are unhappy with them.
36. Be frank.
Praise your students when they are getting better and encourage them when they
are not doing as well as they can.
37. Be a coach.
At times you must be more of a coach than a teacher. Push the students to write
those few extra lines, to get into their groups faster, to extend their conversations.
Teach first and then test; don't test things that haven't been taught. Also, remember
that the main purpose of language is communication. This means that when
marking a dictation portion of a listening test, for example, a "What [ ] your
name?" response should get nearly full points because the listener has
demonstrated full comprehension.
40. Be reflective.
Think about your own teaching. After each lesson is over take some time to reflect.
Was the lesson effective? What were the good and bad points? How could it be
improved?
EFL teachers don't have to become jaded with teaching. Get into it. Look at new
coursebooks and teacher training books to get new ideas. Share your ideas with
colleagues. Go to conferences.
There are those times when nothing goes right despite our best intentions. We
must be humble enough to admit to ourselves and to our students that we just
messed up.
Pedagogical artifacts and
reflective writings
Observation stage
Pedagogical artifact Nº 1
I think that this period is essential If you want to get a succesful practicum
process.
Reflection
I think this period is really important not only for us but also for students, here you
can create emotional bonds with them and, as a consequence, to create a good
atmosphere to work in a proper way. In my personal case, I consider that my
observation time was very poor, but despite of that fact, I believe that I could create
those emotional bonds with my students, maybe not with all of them but with most
of them.
Team-teaching stage
Pedagogical artifact Nº 2
I can say that this stage was very useful to know, learn and share new
methodologies of how to teach English in an EFL clasroom, speacially in a huge
class, about 40 students. We, me and my guide teacher, worked very well together,
I always tried to be a good helper. She always worked with lots of exercices to
make classes intereactive and meaningful, that is a good factor that I could
internalized and, in some degree, apply in my own classes.
Reflection
Instead of the fact that it was a short-term process, It was really significant for me,
to feel the support, the feedback of my guide teacher, the constructive critiques that
I received from my teacher. In this stage I could realize that I need to improve my
way of teaching, the class managment.
I. Datos Generales
Nombre del Establecimiento Educacional: Liceo A-23
Profesor en Práctica: Gino Muñoz Olmedo
Fecha: 10/06/2009
Tabla de la Reunión: Es guiada por el director.
Hora de Inicio: 17.00
No existe tabla, mas bien el director va habalndo de los puntos necesarios de saber, estos fueron
principalmente la recalendarización de los horarios por la recuperación que se debía hacer
despues del paro de profesores, tambien se dio a conocer el nuevo reglamento de evaluacion, el
cual fue creado por los profesores y directivos el año pasado y fue aprovado por la coorporación.
Luego los profesores se reunieron por departamento para ver en que se habia
concluido con los cursos y para planificar en conjunto elementos a ver durante las
recuperaciones, se concluyo que se tenia que entregar una pauta a UTP con los
aspectos señalados.
III. comentarios
La reunion, aunque algo extensa, sirvio para dejar en orden los procesos que seguirian despues
del largo paro de profesores, como se iba a recuperar las clases (viernes en la tarde) y como se
teninan que seguir lo conductos regulares para no entrabar el proceso de enseñanza de los
alumnos. Se hablaron de temas importantes para el futuro del Liceo, encontré una reunion
necesaria para los profesores.
I.-Datos Generales
Temas tratados:
- Se habló sobre la reincorporación de los alumnos a las clases habituales despues del
periodo dodne los profesores estuvieron en paro.
- Se formo una discusión acerca del tipo de recuperación que se haría, que finalmente
serian los viernes en la tarde. Cada viernes, a partir del consiguiente, representaria un dia
de la semana, es decir el primer viernes despues de la llegada al establecimiento despues
del paro, sería dia lunes y asi sucesivamente.
- Se hablo del rol del apoderado en la enseñanza de su pupilo, que la educación es una
meta compartida entre escuela, sociedad y familia.
- Los apoderados plantearon su preocupación, por los constantes robos que ultimamente se
han sufrido no solo en esa sala sino que en el establecimiento.
Como conclusión podemos decir que la reunión de aopderados sirvió para informarles sobre los
cambios grandes que vendrian con respecto a la recuperacion de clases, de los horarios nuevos
para que estuvieran al tanto de a que hora se entraba y se salia el dia viernes, obviamente también
se entregaron las notas parciales que hasta ese momento por el contexto eran pocas.
III.Comentario:
A modo personal me pareció una reunion un tanto monotona, donde no se tocaron en profundidad
temas de, quizas, mayor relevancia, aunque no desmerezco la importancia que tenia el hecho de
informar sobre las recuperaciones de clases, pero sin duda hubiese enfatizado mas los temas
como el comportamiento en sala de clases de sus pupilos.
SCHOOL INFORMATION
Errazuriz S/n
ADRESS
CITY Valparaiso
Expected Outcomes: students will be able to produce sentences in simple past and
to read and identify verbs in that tense.
Time Comments
Expected Outcomes: students will be able to hear and recognize words in past
simple in a short conversation also they will be able to produce sentences in
negative form and finally they will internalize new vocabulary.
Time Comments
Time Comments
Time Comments
Lesson plan
Date: July 29th Level: 2nd grade of high school
Expected Outcomes: students will be able answer questins in simple past, they will
learn new vocabulary and they will be able to understand a short reading.
Time Comments
Time Comments
Expected Outcomes: students will be able to understand grammar use through the
global test related to the unit Nº 3 “ how was your summer?”
Time Comments
Verbs
Rick: So what _(1)_ you do last weekend, meg?
1. a) do b) did c) fit
Meg: Oh, I _(2)_ a great time. I _(3)_ to a karaoke 2. a) had b) have c) cap
Where Did she go After the tennis She went home and
match? took a shower
EVALUATIONS
Summative quiz
QUIZ
Name: _____________________________________ A
Date: ___________________________
2. ________ Brushed
Cepillar
3. Go _________ ir
5. Write Wrote
________
6. Call Called
________
7. Walk _________
Caminar
9. Drive Drove
________
Global Test