MDD 1

Names:
Claudia Millafilo Antilef
Aracely Rodriguez Rodriguez
Teacher: Carolina Rojas
Subject: Teaching Practice II
May 10th, 2015

Index

Introduction....3
General Information..4
1.Community in which the school is located and/or serves, municipality
or owner and school factors5
1.1 How these Factors May Impact My Lessons.6
2. Student Characteristics and Their Instructional Implications6
2.1. Description of First Characteristic of Student(s) in this Class...6
2.1.1 How This Characteristic Will Impact my Lesson.......7
2.2 Description of Second Characteristic of Students in this Class..7
2.2.1 How This Characteristic Will Impact my Lesson7
3.Physical Aspects of the Classroom and Their Instructional Implications.8
3.1 Description of First Physical Aspect...8
3.1.1 How This Aspect Will Impact My Lesson8
3.2 Description of Second Physical Aspect..8
3.2.1How This Aspect Will Impact My Lesson.9
Reflection..10
References...11

Introduction
In the present piece of work, aspects regarding the MDD1 are going to be
covered based on our teaching experience II. All the answers provided in the
different points are according to the group of students we are observing during this
semester. The idea of this work and the MDD itself is to contextualize where and
who we will be teaching at the end of this process. The importance of this is to
perceive the different elements that might have an influence at the moment of
planning or carrying out lesson. At the end of this report, there is a reflection,
which covers the main factors we are going to have in mind when teaching.

General Information

Grade Level: 7th and 5th grade

UCSC Supervisor: Carolina Rojas

Mentor Teacher: Pamela Barraza

Teacher Signature: English

Name of the School: San Vicente

Contextual Factors

1. Community in which the school is located and/or serves, municipality

or owner and school factors:
We are doing our teaching practice II in Colegio San Vicente, located in
Brasil Street #396, San Vicente, Talcahuano. Colegio San Vicente is a public
elementary school that teaches lessons from pre-school to 8th grade elementary.
Apart from teachers, the school provides to students psychologists,
phonoaudiologists, and teachers dedicated to integrate students with special needs
in order to ensure diversity.
The students belong to a low socioeconomic status and the school has
declared to have problems with drugs, alcohol, violence and pregnancy among
students.
The teacher did not use English during the lessons and there is a clear
observable grammar-translation focus in the different stages of the lesson.
However, the own school curricula determines to start with English lessons in the
first year of elementary, yet students still have difficulties with basic words and
forms of the language in 5th year. Peripheral learning is enhanced in the 5th year
classroom through the use of posters and drawings related to the units, which they
are covering in the subject. According to Lozzanov (1978), it is a good technic
where students can learn unconsciously. In another respect, the students behavior
can be defined as disperse as they throw things at each other, curse among
themselves and refuse to sit during class, the teachers response to this behavior is
yelling.
The size of each class helps the teacher to assess students individually
most of the time. The 5th year class has 12 students and the 7th graders are around
20 and their head teacher is our guided teacher.

1.1. How these Factors May Impact My Lessons:

In the 5th year group it would be easier to create communicative activities, as
the group is smaller than the other one. Thus, the sitting arrangement can be
modified into a semi-circle, so that the teacher can have a wider view of what their
students are doing. In respect of the methodology, our aim is to use a
communicative approach so as to observe outcomes regarding the use of
English at the end of the lesson. As students are used to learning from a grammar
perspective, this new way of teaching and learning might have an impact on
them, specially in the way they the perceive the subject. They like talking and
move around, so the activities may be attractive to them. In addition, the use of
songs seems to motivate them, since they start each lesson singing and following
the teachers instructions and sing along with her. Last but not least, the existence
of physiologies will be an advantage for the teachers to-be, because if there
is unusual behavior in one or more than one student, one option is to go and talk
to them so that they can guide or orient them in whatever the problem is.
2. Student Characteristics and Their Instructional Implications:
There are two characteristics that have called our attention since day one:
-Students behavior
-Students level of English
These two factors are highlighted because there is an observable clear
relationship between those two. It is possible also to make a comparison on how
these variables act in the two groups of students we are working with
comparison that can be based on aspects such as age, students background, to
name but two.
2.1. Description of First Characteristic of Student(s) in this Class:
In the four lessons that have observed so far, the students behavior is an
issue in 5th grade as well as in 7th grade. As it was mentioned before, 5th grade is
made up of a small group of students; however, the teacher still loses times waiting
for them to stay in silence. On the other hand, the 7th grade is a numerous group.
There are two students who definitely do not let the teacher carry out her lesson as
planned. They are always messing around and distracting the rest of the class,
since what they say seems to be funny for the others. They are very rude, for they
reply to the teacher in a very disrespectful way. They sing during the lesson and
interrupt the teacher while speaking. In the conversations that the pre-sevice
teachers have maintain with them, students say yo no s nada, soy porra/o for

example. However, when we stayed alone in the classroom with them, they did not
hesitate to ask their questions regarding the activities given.

2.1.1. How This Characteristic Will Impact my Lesson:

First of all, as most of the students tend to be rude, at the beginning of the
first intervention, we will convey them the rules (maximum 3) which might have
to do with the use of different values or technological devices in order to carry out
the lesson as planned and take advantage of the time to learn in a comfortable
atmosphere. Moreover, as students are usually messing around, it is possible that
it may be difficult at times getting their attention or keeping them quiet. Therefore,
in-class activities would be done in a way that students can get a reward by
completing them. Moreover, The presence of positive feedback will be needed for
any act of participation that the student is involved in.

2.2 Description of Second Characteristic of Students in this Class:

Regarding their knowledge and usage of English, it can be said that they do
not reach the expected level they should domain. They tend to mispronounce
many words and most of their answers are provided in their mother tongue, which
does not allow enhancing their proficiency in the language as well as the fact that
they receive little input from the teacher. In respect of their participation in class,
almost all the students raise their hands in order to answer a question previously
asked by the teacher. Their first attempt is a reply in Spanish, thus the teacher
says in English?!.
2.2.1 How This Characteristic Will Impact my Lesson:
Their little manage of the language will require us to use very elementary
English, and as they tend to mispronounce words there must be an emphasis on
pronunciation. Another aspect to take into consideration is their little willing to do
the activities and their disbelief in themselves and their capacities. It will very
important to remind them that they all can and praise them when they do well. As
a consequence of the fact that they receive little input of English, it will be our
responsibility to provide it to them as much as it is possible - the idea is to expose
them to the language so they improve their listening skills. Another aspect to have
in mind is the possibility to come into an agreement in terms of the usage of
Spanish. It can be possible that they use their mother tongue when it is necessary;
for example, to clarify instructions.

3.Physical Aspects of the Classroom and Their Instructional Implications:

The lack of heating in the classrooms and their location inside the school
are the physical aspects that dragged our attention and that might have a negative
impact in our lessons.
3.1 Description of First Physical Aspect:
There is no central heating or any way of getting the classroom to be
warmer. Students are usually complaining about the cold (specially in the
mornings). Students cover their hands and heads with winter clothes, and adopt a
crunched position.

3.1.1 How This Aspect Will Impact My Lesson:

For this reason, to get students attention would be a little harder at first;
therefore, warmers would be needed not only to introduce the topic, but also to
make them move and get warmer.
The teacher uses songs such as; if you are happy and you know it and
Hocky pocky in order to make students move and also to motivate them According
to Dornyei (2001) is the teachers responsibility to help students motivate with the
lesson so as to generate a positive attitude on them. In the light of that, as preservice teachers we must include in our lesson plans warm-up activities that
include physical movement.

3.2 Description of Second Physical Aspect:

The second aspect to take into account is the one with location inside the
school. Both of our groups of students are located in the second floor of the
educational building. Both of these classrooms are far away from the teachers
room and others with educational personnel. Besides being the second floor,
teachers are asked to keep their doors closed so the noise gets isolated from one
classroom to another.

3.2.1How This Aspect Will Impact My Lesson:

We have witnessed how this aspect has an impact in the stages of the
lessons. Both, students and teacher are isolated from their other peers so students
take advantage of this factor to mess around even more, shouting and running
through the classroom.
The method of punishment that the teacher uses is calling the students
parents to let them know that their son/daughter is misbehaving; furthermore, is
almost impossible to ask the student to be out of the classroom as they see this as
an opportunity to keep messing around outside (because outside the classroom
there would be nobody to watch them).
This aspect can be shaded by the fact that we will be teaching in pairs so
students will have more eyes on them during the different stages of the lesson.
Students will know that they have to behave because one of us will be trying
to keep them quiet and if not we can finally take the student out but with one of
us with him/her.

Reflection

There are many factors that called our attention and we are aware that they
will effect our teaching intervention somehow. Firstly, the fact that students often
misbehave and they do not domain the level of English they are expected will
make our teaching intervention even more challenging. On one hand, students
behavior could be fixed by calling their attention with different techniques. As they
like moving and talking, it would probably be a good idea to have activities that
require those characteristics. On the other hand, their level of English will not
reach the level they should but still we can help them to stop making the
mistakes they are accustomed to do. Secondly, it will also be a challenge to put
away the stuck thought they have regarding their limited capacities when learning
English. It will be our responsibility to help them to believe in themselves and to
make sure that they are able to observe their learning outcomes. If they do not
change their mind, it is going to be difficult to keep them really learning. Thus, in
this scenario positive feedback will be crucial at the end or during an specific
activity. Thirdly, it would be a good idea to include students interests in the
different activities, in that respect they will feel part of the process and important,
which will definitely motive them. Last but not least, it will be highly necessary to
share the purpose of our meetings. Tell them what they actually can win with
learning English. All the advantages they can take with the language in their future
and as an opportunity to move forward as we know they have got a vulnerable
background.
All the aspects mentioned before are of major importance for us as future
teachers. Observable characteristics must be taken into account, and to know our
students has to be considered when planning. However, most of the teachers at
the moment of planning do not consider this aspects when planning and they only
stick to the model of teaching which is more confortable for them; that is to say,
teachers are enhancing teaching but not learning.

References:

Lozanov, G. (1978). Suggestology and suggetopedy. Retrieved Jan. 25, 2006 from
http://lozanov.hit.bg/.
Dornyei, Z. (2001). Motivational strategies in the English classroom. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Nunan, D. (1989). Understanding language classrooms. New York: Prentice Hall.