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My journey through rediscovering learning

I believe that deciding on making this course has been the greatest decision in my teaching career so far. I
have learned so much about myself as a learner. Although I knew that people learn in different ways, I
had never stopped to think how I could adapt my teaching to meet my students needs. Somehow I just
focused on teaching the way I learned. It seemed so natural to me to learn this way. Boy was I wrong!
During this course Ive been able to experience what learning really is. Through the experience of taking
Korean classes without previous knowledge, Ive been able to understand better my learning. In the same
way, I have also been able to see the process of my peers learning, too. This has given me an insight on
what goes through this incredible process we call learning.
One of the quotes that I really like is Albert Einsteins I never teach my pupils, I only attend to provide
the conditions in which they can learn during the chapter 5 reading. The wisdom behind this wonderful
quote is unmeasurable. As a teacher I used to provide lots of information that I thought was essential to
aid my students learning, but as I have realized during this course we, the teachers, shouldnt bombard our
students with lots of information and complicated instructions, instead we should provide the appropriate
conditions in which learning can be constructed and our students can benefit from real life practice among
their peers, in order to have effective learning. The teacher role should be as of a guide, pointing the
directions where students should be heading, but allowing them to walk to their final destination of real
effective learning.
Another important part of this first week that really struck me was when the trainers showed us how
different learning styles can be addressed in a variety of activities which could appeal to all of our
learners. I have already started to implement these strategies in my classrooms, and the response that Ive
gotten from my students so far, its amazing to say the least.
I also discovered that I am a kinesthetic learner. I didnt like the idea at first, but when I completed the
test that Ruby gave us I realized that it was quite true. I am a kinesthetic learner. Another interesting thing
about my type of learning, or any type of learning, is that your second ability as a learner is the one that
boost the first one. My second learning ability is visual. Thats why I always had the impression that I
was a visual learner. I learned that I see things and then I need to put them into practice in order to make
them meaningful to me. Every time I see a grammar explanation, I need to write it down. This helps me
into making my learning more efficient. So, identifying students learning styles is very important. In this
way we can design our activities to boost their learning. Using the appropriate strategy could provide us
with a dramatic result in learning.
Some interesting things Ive been able to observe about learning are that truly and significant learning
occurs when we feel in a secure environment where trial and error are not there to tell us how proficient
we are, but tools to be used to construct meaningful learning. Another important thing Ive been able to
understand is that learning can occur in a variety of ways. We shouldnt measure learning with a score
based on initial response to the material provided to our students. Thats not our job as teachers. We
should provide our students with the conditions, a perfect stage, where through experiment they build on
their personal learning, making those lessons that we go through during a book more meaningful for
them.

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About language learning, I learned how powerful working in groups can be. I went through a Korean
class with Roger, where I was able to use the language in a meaningful way with my peers. Together we
were able to experiment, and we built an efficient knowledge on the tasks at hand. Roger was there only
for giving us instructions, and then he vanished from our sight. We had time to experiment and
experience the language in the comfort of our common knowledge, which was little, but it didnt hinder
our eagerness into trying this new language. We practiced it without inhibitions. We repeated multiple
times until we got it right. And it never felt weird or awkward to try this new thing out. Confidence is of
extreme importance when learning a new language. I dont see myself experimenting that much if I have
been under the pressure of being observed by my teacher, who wouldve corrected me many times when I
mispronounced something.

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My biggest realization
Description
I wasnt quite sure what to expect when I decided to take the SIT TESOL course. I thought it would be
more of the same, lots of theories, and not many practical things. I have been a teacher for a long time,
but like everyone in this line of work, I sometimes find myself with students that have a hard time
learning the target language that they want to acquire. I looked at things from my perspective, ignoring
totally any other that lied around. I couldnt understand why if the class was being explained clearly, or so
I thought, they couldnt get it. Then I took Rogers Korean class. I was shocked!!! He explained and
taught us vocabulary about directions and the numbers without speaking a word. I couldnt believe what I
was seeing. I learned vocabulary effectively in a language I have no experience on, and my teacher didnt
explain that much. He gave us the essential, then he disappeared and we went on to practice with our
partners until it came really natural for us to say the numbers and give directions.

INTERPRETATION
Something that hindered my
ability to understand why
students wouldnt understand an
specific lesson was that I taught
too much the lessons, giving
students less experimenting time
I was also hindered by the fact
that I didnt know any Korean.
This was my first experience
with this language. I have never
even thought of studying it.

GENERALIZATION
Students sometimes might feel
overwhelmed and insecure when
learning a new language. Too
much information might make it
harder for students to understand
the lesson.
Its important to understand that
learning a new language might
feel overwhelming.

Working with my partners really

helped me a lot. They provided
me with feedback, and I didnt
feel uncomfortable.
The sense of freedom was a very
helpful factor. Being able to
practice without the fear of
making a mistake in front of the
teacher was really relieving.

Usually receiving help from

peers who share the same level of
knowledge as you do can be
really effective.
Sometimes students might feel
scared of practicing the target
language in the teacher presence.

PLAN ACTION
I will simplify my instructions in
order to give students more room
for practice and not complicate
their experience with the new
language, making it more joyful
for them to learn.
I will give time and space for my
students to practice with their
partners without my presence. In
this way their level of confidence
can increase as they make the
language a little more theirs.
I will encourage students to give
peer correction, and to interact
with their classmates, so they can
build knowledge along the way.
I will become a ghost in my
classrooms. This way Ill be able
to give my students the space so
they can build their confidence
and knowledge.

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Its all about perspective
Description
Friday was a really interesting day. Mary Scholl went onto giving us a workshop on Non-violent
communication. She explained how judgment can affect our perspective of whats happening. Sometimes
we rush into blaming someone or ourselves. This often leads into frustration for us or others. She
explained that looking for a guilty person doesnt solve the problem, instead it adds to it. She told us that
asking ourselves questions and objectively observing a situation might serve us way better. How do I
feel? Why is this student not paying attention? Is he or she worried about something? Is he or she bored in
class? Does he or she have a need to make connection with someone at the moment? These are some
questions that we should consider. Not jumping to conclusions quickly helps us to broaden our view of
the situation. Then approaching the person to gather more information on how we can help them into
fulfilling their needs. This can make a really big change into that student interest in learning, since were
showing interest in helping with the situation. We can arrive into better results by showing real empathy
with our students and fellow workers, thus making our goals of effective learning achievable.

INTERPRETATION
GENERALIZATION
Something that hinders our Usually when we judge ourselves
ability to see the problem from or another person we become
another perspective is judgment.
unable to give a real solution to
the problem.
Frustration can hinder our ability Oftentimes, when people feel
of observing the real situation frustrated might not realized why
thats happening in front of us.
their needs are not being met.

One thing that helps when

observing one of our students
being distracted by a phone, or
conversation with one peer is
empathy.
Being aware of peoples needs
help us serve our purpose of
giving
students
and
our
colleagues an environment where
we can all achieve our goals.

PLAN ACTION
I will show empathy with my
students in order to understand
better how I can help them into
meeting their needs.
I will avoid judgment. I will
focus on how situations make me
feel, and how they make my
students feel, in order to provide
a better answer to meet my needs
and my students needs.
I will be aware of my students
needs, so Ill be better prepared
to fulfill their needs and make
sure their learning becomes
effective.

Sometimes our students may not

show so much interest in our
class in a specific moment. They
might have other needs during
that moment, such as making
connection or even a family
issue.
Usually when people feel that I will provide my colleagues and
their colleagues or teachers are students the support they need in
helping them to fulfill their order to achieve their goals.
needs,
they
show
more
enthusiasm in achieving their
goals.

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In conclusion, this has been a wonderful week full of knowledge and great advice. I wish I couldve
thought of taping the whole thing! Thanks to all the trainers, Ive been able to rediscover how the process
of our learning is. This has given me the opportunity to reflect on me as a learner, and to think about how
I work as a teacher. Im definitely taking more into consideration my students learning styles in order to
effectively adapting my lessons to help them fulfill their needs of learning.
Adal,
I really enjoyed reading about how powerfully the first two weeks of the course affected you! You have
clearly expressed all of the elements of the DAPA (or of the ELC). Next time, Id like to see you do
straight Description without interpretation or generalizations in it. Your Interpretations and especially
your Generalizations then go in the columns below the Description.
Interpretation is past tense, looking back on the specific events you described.
Your generalizations about what helps learning are perceptive and wise!
I look forward to continuing down the path of learning with you!
LM
Evaluation: Successfully reflected using ELC to analyze multiple interpretations/generalizations based
on robust descriptions of two slices, and formulated multiple relevant SMARTA action plans. Needs to
work on Describing, Interpreting, and Generalizing in separate, distinct stages.