FINAL REFLECTION

1. FINAL REFLECTION ON PRACTICUM EXPERIENCE
(Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle)
Tutor: Aurelia Velázquez
Student: María Fernanda Saboy
My practicumexperience took place in two different schools: Kindergarten and Secondary in
“InstitutoModeloViedma”,andPrimaryin“InstitutoRosarioVeraPeñaloza”.Atthe beginning,
I thoughtI woulddothe three levelsatthe same school,butthe day I finished with Kinder the
Primary headmistress told me that I could not do Primary there because the English teacher
was on maternity leave. She was not very helpful or empathic and I felt really down and
frustrated. Ihad to findanotherschool andthat was really difficult. That is why I was not able
to finish my practicum last year. Fortunately, this year I returned to talk with the owner of
InstitutoModeloViedmaand,asthe secondarylevel is separated from primary, they allowed
me to do the secondary practicum there. I will ever be grateful to both schools and all the
people there.
WhenI was about to start my lessons in Kindergarten I was really panic-stricken. If it was not
for the English teacher, who encouraged me and gave me strength, I do not know if I would
have beenable todo it.She is reallyanadorable person.Ihave tosay that all the people there
(teachersandassistants aswell) helped me a lot. I even had to buy a new cell phone in order
to film the lessons and, as I am not very “techy”, they taught me how to use the camera, the
projector, the smart TV, and so on. It was difficult for me at the beginning, but now I am glad
aboutall the newthings thatI have learnedthroughthisexperience; not only about didactics,
but also about myself.
It was very important and interesting to teach very young learners and adolescents, since I
have always worked at different evening schools for adults and young adults (for more than
twentyyearsnow),whichisverydifferent from teaching children. I have to say that I am very
pleased with the experience in general. As regards what needs improvement, I have
discoveredwhatmyweakestpointsare,namely,management strategies. I think that perhaps
my age and personality have to do with that, but, well, the first step to start working on a
problem is recognizing it.
On the bright side, I must say that I made good choices in relation to the materials and
resources that I used or devised, judging by my tutor’s feedbacks and the results in the
classroom. The pupils loved the pictures, the music and the videos that I presented to them,
and they let me know that with their reactions. It was very surprising to discover that I am
capable of devisingorchoosingrelevantandsignificant activities for my classes. Before this, I
had alwaysuseddifferentcourse bookswithoutrealizinghow motivatingandenrichingfor our
lessons it can be to devise our own materials.
As regards what I learnt and I what I would do in the future, I would try to improve my
managementstrategies and be more strict in relation to discipline in the classroom. Another

2. aspect I have to work on is devising more meaningful and relevant activities in order to
motivate students and involve them more in the learning process.
In conclusion,Ihave tosay that I neverthoughtthatI wouldeverbe able to reach this stage in
the course of studies. I am so grateful for all I have learned through all this experience and,
mainly, to all the people that helped me in this arduous yet wonderful journey.