Journal - secondary practicum period

1. Taller de Práctica Docente 2016
Journal
Alumno residente:​ Gómez Antonella Belén
Tutores​: Zemborain Cecilia y Velazquez Aurelia

2. Nivel Secundario
Institución educativa​: Instituto María Auxiliadora
Autoridades​: Christian D. Abraham Rodeja
Docente a cargo​: Cerdán Belén
Curso​: 5to ‘B’ Naturales
Turno​: Mañana
Nivel lingüístico del curso​: Pre-intermedio
Clase de observación N°1
Fecha: 06/10/2016
The class started with the teacher and students making a small talk about other
things that nothing had to do with English, I think that this was in order to promote
a comfortable learning environment. The teacher has a good rapport with students,
and they seem to be very comfortable with her.
They started with a new unit (unit 3) from their core book, Champions 3. They read
the text from the introduction, making stops from paragraph to paragraph in order
to check understanding. After this, they did exercise 1, in which they had to write
the topic corresponding to each paragraph. Lastly, they had to answer some
questions related to the text.
The group is very participative, they talked a lot, since they were very interested on
the topic of the text. It was about a web doctor talking about stress from studies.
They worked very well during the class; when they were doing exercise two they
talked to each other sharing ideas in order to answer the questions.
Clase de observación N°2
Fecha: 13/10/2016
Firstly, they checked the answers to the questions in exercise 2 from the previous
class. Next to this, the teacher proceeded to explain a new structure, should and
shouldn’t for giving advice.
She explained how it is used for positive, negative and interrogative form. Next to
this, they did various grammar exercises.
In the first one, they had to complete sentences with should or shouldn’t. The second
one was similar, but this time they had to add a suitable verb. Next, they had to
form questions and answer them; they were related to the text previously read. And
finally they had to complete a dialogue with should, shouldn’t and a verb.

3. The class was very quiet all the time; excepting for some interruptions made by a
student who is all the time trying to attract the attention. I think that there’s always
one of them in every classroom.
Clase de práctica N°1
Fecha: 17/10/2016
★ Section 1: Describing the lesson as it unfolds
Well, the class started with the discussion questions for them to use should or
shouldn’t. They had nice ideas and were quite interested in the questions.
Next to this, they did the exercise with the new vocabulary. And in order to
use it, we did the next exercise in which they had two model dialogues and
various pieces of advice and they had to invent some short dialogues. They
participate​d​ a lot during this exercise.
Next to this we did the reading exercise of the Agony Aunt. They did it very
well.
Next to this, it was supposed to follow the activity in which they invented a
short problem and pass it to a classmate to respond as the Agony Aunt, but I
don’t whether they were the nerves of the moment or what, that I completely
forgot about this exercise, so I skip directly to the closure game.
They really liked the idea of the game and they enjoyed it. Finally, as we had
some minutes left, I gave them a copy of another problem written to the
Agony Aunt that I had taken just in case we had some spare minutes, and I
asked them to answer it pretending they were an Agony Aunt.
Some of them didn’t finish, so I asked them to finish it for next class.
★ Section 2: Making sense of the lesson through relevant lived experiences
I felt very comfortable during the lesson; they made me feel that way. They
were very friendly all the time.
I felt happy since they didn’t show any reluctance to do the activities. I was a
bit scared about the oral ones and the game, since they are adolescents and
they might like those activities very much, but they prove​d​ me wrong.
I left the class feeling good.

4. ★ Section 3: Interpreting the lesson in words and images
Clase de práctica N°2
Fecha: 20/10/2016
★ Section 1: Describing the lesson as it unfolds
Well, to start the lesson we corrected the Agony Aunt exercise from the
previous class. Following this, we did the warm-up exercise in which they
had to write a short problem and the rest had to provide some advice. This
exercise took them a lot of time and influenced in the closure games.
Next, we continued with the presentation of zero and first conditional. They
responded very well to this exercise.
Finally I asked them to do a worksheet corresponding to activities 1, 2 and 4
from the lesson plan. As we couldn’t correct it because we ran out of time, I
asked them to finish it for next class as homework.
★ Section 2: Making sense of the lesson through relevant lived experiences
I felt very well during the class, since I could see that they had understood the
structures. And this was confirmed when at the end of the class some
students approached to me and told me that they had liked the idea of
explaining with posters, since it had helped them to understand better, since
they felt involved in the explanation by classifying the examples and forming

5. the structure.
★ Section 3: Interpreting the lesson in words and images
Clase de práctica N°3
Fecha: 24/10/2016
★ Section 1: Describing the lesson as it unfolds
Well, at the beginning of the lesson I wanted to check the exercises they had
to do as homework, but they had not done them. The warm-up phase worked
quite good. They formed funny sentences and they had some fun.
The presentation activity worked very well, they understood the topic very
well and they could deduce the uses and structure to use second conditional.
Next to this, we did the grammar exercises. And that was all. We ran out of
time to do the rest of the planning, they didn’t feel like studying too much,
they were more interested in talking about some other things they had
organized to do. So, all the class was quite disturbed.
★ Section 2: Making sense of the lesson through relevant lived experiences
Despite they didn’t want to work they respond very well to the exercises I

6. plan. They understand and they let me know that. They say they like the
posters and the ideas I have, and that it makes them easier to understand.
Although I know I have to work hard on motivating them.
★ Section 3: Interpreting the lesson in words and images
Clase de práctica N°4
Fecha: 27/10/2016
★ Section 1: Describing the lesson as it unfolds
At the beginning of the lesson we worked with the speaking cards as it was
planned. They answered very well to the exercise, although I considered that
I should have taken different questions, since they didn’t look very
enthusiastic.
Next to this, they did the exercise about giving advice using the second
conditional. They came up with very good ideas for the problems.
As for the development, we did the pre, while and post reading exercises and
we ran out off time for the rest of the exercises, since they took more time
than expected during the presentation exercise.
I think that I have to improve timing. I have planned the lessons with too
many activities that I have to do them the following class because we ran out
of time. They worked very well, but sometime they get a bit distracted so we
aren’t able to do all the exercises.
★ Section 2: Making sense of the lesson through relevant lived experiences
I have a good time during the classes. Students are very nice to me and they

7. seem to be comfortable with me. I really enjoy the time with them.
★ Section 3: Interpreting the lesson in words and images
I have a good rapport with students. Something I consider very important.
Clase de práctica N°5
Fecha: 31/10/2016
★ Section 1: Describing the lesson as it unfolds
At the beginning of the lesson we corrected the questions from exercise 2
from the previous class.
Then, as the class was a bit delayed, I skipped the warm-up stage and
presented the new expressions. They understood them very well.
Next to this they proceeded to read the texts in page 35, in which they had
two teenagers who had wrote about their problems to a magazine. They had
to propose some advices for these teens using the new expressions, and they
came up with very interesting ideas.
The writing part was a success. I didn’t expect them to do it so well. Of course,
they had doubts and they consulted me, but they really wrote excellent
advices with very good ideas. We checked this orally, and we ran out of time
for the closure stage.
★ Section 2: Making sense of the lesson through relevant lived experiences
I’m very happy with the results I’m having with this group. There are some of
them that have already failed the subject and do not feel like doing anything,
but I ask them kindly and they at least try to do something.

8. ★ Section 3: Interpreting the lesson in words and images
Clase de práctica N°6
Fecha: 03/11/2016
★ Section 1: Describing the lesson as it unfolds
When I entered the classroom there was nobody there, since they had gone to
the video classroom with the previous teacher. So the class was delayed by
about 15 minutes. When they came back, we proceeded to do the warm-up
game. They liked it and they had fun.
Then we did the practice exercises on should/shouldn’t and second
conditional. They worked very well. They were very talkative during the
whole lesson but as they talk they worked, and that worked for me.
We ran out of time for the closure game, but maybe I can do it next class after
the evaluation if there is too much time left.
★ Section 2: Making sense of the lesson through relevant lived experiences
I am very aware that they are a pre-intermediate group and that they are in
a good school, so they have learnt a lot previously. But I really feel good with
myself because they have understood everything very well, and they have
enough confidence in me to ask me any doubts they have.
I have built a good rapport with them, and I’m very happy for it.

9. ★ Section 3: Interpreting the lesson in words and images
Clase de práctica N°7
Fecha: 07/11/2016
★ Section 1: Describing the lesson as it unfolds
As planned, we did the test. But before beginning I asked them if they had any
doubts. They asked their questions and then they proceeded to do the test.
It took the majority of them 25 minutes to complete it, and some others about
40 minutes. So, as to keep them quiet I asked them to read a text they had in
the book. But, of course, they didn’t feel like keeping reading. When everyone
had finished were at the very end of the lesson, so we couldn’t do anything
else.
★ Section 2: Making sense of the lesson through relevant lived experiences
I haven’t corrected the exams yet, but I took a quick look at some of them and
they were very good. So this is a good sign that they have learnt.

10. ★ Section 3: Interpreting the lesson in words and images
I’m on for the last class!
Clase de práctica N°8
Fecha: 10/11/2016
★ Section 1: Describing the lesson as it unfolds
The lesson was a bit delayed because students weren’t in the classroom.
When they arrived, I greeted them and I handed out the exams. In general the
exams were excellent despite two or three that did not study at all because

11. they have already failed the subject. They were very happy, including the
ones that needed good marks to save the subject.
Then we played tic-tac-toe to review ‘should/shouldn’t’. They liked it a lot,
and they made very accurate sentences.
After this we continued with the song worksheet. First we read the lyrics of
the song as it was and I explained what they had to do. We played the song
twice and on the third time I stopped from exercise to exercise to check them
all together.
Finally, we had some time left to do another exercise, in which they had to
look for words corresponding to the definitions they had. And then, we ran
out of time.
★ Section 2: Making sense of the lesson through relevant lived experiences
Today's lesson was really enjoyable, for me and them. They were very
engaged with the song and the tic-tac-toe. And I had to say that I finish this
practicum period feeling very happy with myself. I know I have still a lot to
improve but what students told me today made me feel that I am not that bad
either.
When I reminded them it was my last class with them they told me that it was
a pity, that they had enjoyed the classes very much and that they had liked
all the activities I had given to them. They told me that it was easy to
understand me, and that the classes were very dynamics. They told me to
keep doing what I did with them and that they were very happy and satisfied
because they had learnt.
I have to say that I really enjoyed this period, the group is excellent to work
and they were very friendly.
★ Section 3: Interpreting the lesson in words and images
As I said before, I have a lot to improve, but I have learnt a lot during my

12. practicum period. I made mistakes and succeeded and I will try to get better
every day.