Student: Emiliano Sebastian Torres Tealdo

Tutor: Cecilia Zemborain

MY FINAL REFLECTION

Dimensions of Reflective Learning

Thinking Back

The original aim of this experience was to start teaching very young
learners, putting into practice the theory we have learnt throughout the
year. It was very challenging for me, because I had never been in front of a
class before. And it is difficult when you are there, with all children paying
attention to you, expecting to do what you ARE supposed to do. But if I
learned something, it is that finding a balance between theory and practice
is complicated, and there is where the teacher’s abilities have to appear. I
found this experience enriching, fabulous and I am pleased for having had
the chance to teach very young learners.

The activities and the use of resources were coherent with what we have
studied this year. I tried to vary resources during different lessons,
including games, storytelling and songs, in order to motivate students
through different types of input. I based my activities on the different
modes children perceive the world they live in, and on the benefits of play
and narratives. I also put much effort on the resources I created; I
designed them in a colourful and engaging way, so children could benefit
from them and find them interesting.
The group I had to teach to was a big one. I cannot say it was significant to
all of them because there were always moments in which some children got
bored or did not want to participate in some activities. Overall, I think that
the activities helped them in some way because during my last lesson I
could elicit from them good responses, showing interest and engagement
with the materials, and vocabulary about the topics we dealt with in the
lessons. And last but not least, most of them enjoyed the activities showing
interest in them and accomplishing with the tasks. My only drawback is that
I had to talk all the time in English, and I feel that sometimes I lost them
during some passages of the lesson.

Regarding the specific skills or knowledge necessary to develop this

practicuum, I believe that there are three main points:

• Expertise on the L2: this point, even though we teach simple vocabulary
to young learners, is essential. Personally, I made several language mistakes
during the lessons because of my anxiety. They did not influence the
development of the lesson, but I felt terribly frustrated.

• Expertise on childhood development: this knowledge helps to understand

children’s behaviour and to know what their needs and interests are.

• Expertise on teaching very young learners: this is a point of inflection. I

cannot have expertise on this knowledge since these are my first steps in
teaching. I strongly believe that apart from theory, experience polishes
your abilities and, as time goes by, you gradually become a better teacher.

Thinking Forward

If I had the chance to develop this practice again, I would put more
attention to details like timing or include more varied resources, like drama
play. I think that this is just a starting point, a foundation for my future
practice.

I could find several flaws during my experience. Some of them were

because of my inexperience, but others were due to the group’s level of
English. I mention this because they were not used to having whole lessons
in English, and my performance discouraged them sometimes because there
was no intelligibility among us, even though I used all the strategies
available like gestures or body language. I had to talk to them in Spanish a
lot of times; that is something I regret, but I believe that if I become a
teacher of a group from the beginning of the year, I’ll put all my efforts on
the use of English as much as possible.

Thinking Inward

Firstly, the experience was meaningful to me because I had the chance to

teach for the very first time. I believe that this experience helped me to
understand what actually being a teacher is. Not only regarding topics
related to L2, but also how to deal with the relationship between teacher
and student within the classroom.

Secondly, regarding how I felt during the practicuum, and if I was satisfied
with my performance, I have mixed feelings. Overall, I felt great during
the lessons, even though I felt nervous or anxious depending on the
activities we were going to do (for example, a game on the board, with
children divided into teams). I am satisfied with my performance? No, I am
not. I do not want to sound arrogant, but all the school community
congratulated me for the lessons I delivered. However, all the flaws of my
performance (language mistakes, problems related to timing, speaking in
Spanish to the students) made me think that I could have done it much
better. I know that these are my first steps, and it is normal to make
mistakes at this point, but I want to be honest and express what I feel.

Thinking Outward

One situation I noticed during this experience was the low level of English
during the classes. In my opinion, it has to do with two implications: The
position of the school regarding what they expect of teaching a foreign
language, and the role of this foreign language in our community.

In San Vicente, Misiones, we have a lot of social influence from Brazil

because of the proximity of this country. That’s why, for example,
Portuguese seems to be more important than English in schools. I think it
makes sense, because this other foreign language could be much more
useful in the community. But, as a teacher of English, I would like to focus
on the Communicative Approach in schools. This could be challenging, since
in the city there is just one school where English is taught in kindergarten,
and a few have English as a subject in Primary. But if I graduate from this
course and apply for a job in schools, I would try to articulate the subjects,
trying to make English an important and essential tool for this community.

Conclusion

To sum up, this experience has been enrichful. I had, for the first time in
my life, the chance to teach in a classroom. I learned a lot not only about
teaching itself, but also about my own development, my strengths and my
flaws.

Sometimes, I felt frustrated because I could not deliver my lesson as I

wanted. It was tough, but it was part of the process. I believe I need to
reflect about my teaching, but understanding that I WILL FAIL most of
the time. I know that I will not be the perfect teacher in four years, this
development takes the entire life. We all learn something new every day.

Children taught me that, as Teté always says, that we teachers need to see
the world with children’s eyes. When I had the chance to talk to them
individually, I learned that all of them have their own lives, problems and
interests, and their impact on their personality and development. Even
though I already know it from the “theory”, I understood that a teacher is
not only a person who comes to the classroom and teaches for an hour. A
teacher must be a guide, a supporter. It is hard and, sadly, you cannot
listen and give at least some kind words all the time. That is why, by the
end of the practicuum, I smiled to them all the time. I tried to support
them, to encourage them; I tried to make them smile, to be happy. The
period we shared together was short, but special. I will never forget the
hug they gave me when I told them that that was the last lesson.

I know that I am, sometimes, self-demanding. I am always worried about

the mistakes I make; that makes me feel stressed and I cannot see things
that are important in that moment. So I will try to calm down and relax
myself during this experience, always having in mind the responsibilities and
effort needed. I will try to be less demanding; I will try to enjoy the
journey.