1

Margarita Martnez Rangel

Amy Davis
COMEXUS Methodology
July 31st 2016

If you want to build a ship, dont drum up people together to collect wood and dont assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea
Antoine de Saint-Exupry

Pedagogy is a set of approaches that teachers put into practice when they teach and it is based on objectives, goals and
planning. Also, we can say that culture is a collection of teachers beliefs to enhance students learning through motivation,
exposition, direction of activities and feedback. Moreover, pedagogy is about education so, the main actors for success on the
teaching learning process are teachers. Teachers should make a self - reflection in order to monitor their weaknesses and
strengths and as a result, achieve better outcomes from their practice; furthermore, teachers are responsible for management and
monitoring students learning.
This week, we have used instructional strategies that have helped me in many important aspects, such as re assess my
pedagogical beliefs and my theories, approaches and techniques I have applied during my teaching practice in my context. For
instance, I would reflect I have worked with Blooms Taxonomy before but, the particular style we reviewed this week aided me to be
more specific when setting the objectives and to adapt goals into my students needs and background in order to they can construct
language throughout prior knowledge plus the guide and tools I give them to build this language and to produce it.

Here we can see a wide range of verbs that lead both parts of the
teaching and learning process into metacognition.
Revised version of Blooms Taxonomy
Similarly, we analyzed in class Vygotsky and Piagets
theories making comparisons and sharing points of
view among peers. This deep
analysis made me ponder some aspects
about

my

own

teaching

strategies when planning and designing

classes for my students. For example, we as teachers can implement both theories to our planning on the condition that we adapt
these theories to our students background and need; just in this way we can reach our goals. Some of my groups may being on the
side of Piagets theory, which claims that learners depend on their current stage of cognitive development. So they cannot deal with
operations or knowledge they have not already mastered; Piagets idea is mainly about that learning cannot be accelerated.
Reflecting on this assumption, I have found that few of my students fit into it since they want to go at their own pace and they do not
want to be rush in order to learn something; these students take more time to digest information.

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Then, about Vygotskys theory I have performed an intense insight exploration where according to the hypothesis that children learn
best in a social context through scaffolding; therefore, teachers need to reduce their control over the learning when the child is being
successful or increase control when the errors are made; peer tutoring can occur, where advanced students help and teach less
advanced learners. Also, collaboration happens between them which may probably result in a successful outcome. Through this
reflection I have made, I can identify exactly which groups of students belong to Vygotskys theory and this will help me to select
appropriately activities for students to develop during class time, also it will make easier that learners assist each other amongst the
learning process.
Here we can see an accurate summary of main differences of these theories.

Retrieved on July 31st from

http://www.google.com/search?Piagget.%Vygotskyhoddereducation.co.uk/

On the other hand, we explored the Prism Model which is about the
development of the second language around four major components:
academic, socio cultural, linguistic and cognitive. Each of these aspects create solid foundations on the learners learning process,
which lead them to metacognition and into a successful production of the language. This model combined with Mexicans model
about competencies will help me to link the dimensions of the Prism Model and the competencies to guide my students to a real
development

on

the

four

skills:

reading,

writing,

listening

and

speaking.

According

to

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http://www.thomasandcollier.com/assets/predicting-l2-academic-success.pdf all these dimensions of the Prism Model are
interdependent, so we need to work every dimension to make it a successful model into the classroom. It is another similarity with the
Mexican Educational System, in which every competence needs to be linked in order to function correctly and achieve a meaningful
understanding to learners.
In conclusion, often teachers are pushed, into schooling trying to produce learning into people according to some plan
often set down by others. Paulo Freire (1972) famously called this banking making deposits of knowledge. It can quickly originate
into treating learners like objects. In contrast, to call ourselves educators we need to look to acting with people rather on them. So,
educators should combine and make a good, productive balance of theories which they can apply into their teaching practice. My
pedagogy has been always humanistic, and with these past two weeks I have reassured my philosophy and see the human before
the learner. As much as I can get to know about my students, the more we will succeed into a meaningful teaching learning
process.

Thomas and Collier (1997),

language

development

proposed the Prism Model of Language Acquisition for School. This model includes first and second language cognitive development, academic development,
as well as social and cultural processes.

The challenge that I will face is the lack of time to make my lesson plans according
to

this new point of view of the theories we have covered during classes. Also, I will need

time to apply the different techniques during my practice. Moreover, the lack of motivation in my learners, due to the low social level
and background of my learners which is that they think studying a second language is not necessary. All of the challenges I see them
as dares and I feel able to face them and overcome through them successfully.

References.
CIMA notes
http://www.google.com/search?Piagget.%Vygotskyhoddereducation.co.uk/

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http://www.thomasandcollier.com/assets/predicting-l2-academic-success.pdf

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CATEGORY
Amount of
Information

Quality of
Information

Mechanics

Paragraph
Construction

Diagrams &
Illustrations

All topics are

addressed and all
questions
answered with at
least 2 sentences
about each.
Information
clearly relates to
the main topic. It
includes several
supporting
details and/or
examples.
Little to no
grammatical,
spelling or
punctuation
errors.

All topics are

addressed and
most questions
answered with at
least 2 sentences
about each.
Information clearly
relates to the
main topic. It
provides 12
supporting details
and/or examples.

All topics are

addressed, and
most questions
answered with 1
sentence

One or more
topics were not
addressed.

Information relates
to the main topic.
No details and/or
examples are
given.

Only 1 or two Inconsistencies in

ideas relate to the the
way
topic.
information
is
presented on the
Details missing
topic.

All paragraphs
include
introductory
sentence,
explanations or
details, and
concluding
Diagrams and
illustrations are
neat, accurate and
add to the reader's
understanding of
the topic through
explanation.

Most paragraphs
include
introductory
sentence,
explanations or
details, and
concluding
Diagrams and
illustrations are
accurate and add
to the reader's
understanding of
the topic through
explanation.

A few grammatical, Many

spelling or
grammatical,
punctuation errors spelling, or
punctuation
errors.
Paragraphs
included related
information but
were typically not
constructed well.

Grammatical and
punctuation
errors interfere
with the meaning
behind the paper.

Paragraphing
structure was not
clear and
sentences were
not typically
related within the
paragraphs.
Diagrams and
Diagrams and
illustrations are
Illustrations are
neat and accurate inaccurate do not
and sometimes
add to the reader's
add to the
understanding of
reader's
the topic through
explanation.
understanding of
the topic through

1
Inconsistencies in
the way topics are
addressed.

No attention paid
to the grammar
details.

No paragraphs
present.

Diagrams and
illustrations are
not present.