Didactic Assignment 8

1. my journey

2. first Stop
In the first stop, I learnt advantages and disadvantages which teachers must bear in
mind when teaching young children. It refers to teacher expertise, sustaining
motivation over time and role of out-of-school learning.
(Enever,2015, page 5, unit 1) Moreover, another relevant point is that teachers have
to know about children`s development to help kids to incorporate the new language.
(Martinez Mendoza, 2004, page 10). On the other hand, teachers must become aware
of adapting learning activities which have to be according to the learners´age.
(Mourao, 2015, page 8, unit 1.) Also, one of the most relevant points to take into
account is to what period young learners belong to. With respect to this topic, the
teacher has to plan lessons considering the children´s cognition and psychological
developmental stages. It means that, before planning a lesson the teacher must
know what the children are able to do.

3. second Stop
In this second stop, I learnt that teachers must broaden their knowledge about children
to get benefits in their classes. (Corsaro, 2014, in Gray & MacBlain, 2015). Two
principles which help us to understand children`s development are: Piaget and
Skinner ´s theories; both should be considered when planning a lesson. These
principles allow us to know techniques which help us to promote children´s
understanding and knowledge. Considering Piaget´s theory (Gray, C. & MacBlain, 2015),
the technique of repetition is a necessary step when fostering language learning. On the
other hand, Skinner´s theory (Gray, C. & MacBlain, S 2015) refers to enhancing
motivation during class time. It is important to increase children´s motivations. During
my practicums, I used these two techniques and it really gave me beneficial results.

4. third Stop
In this third stop, I highlight scaffolding children`s development. It is important
that teachers use the technique of scaffolding to incorporate new learnings and
to help them to solve problems during lessons. Moreover, there are two theories
which are fundamental to know. On the one hand, Vygotsky´s theory (Gray, C. &
MacBlain, S 2015) focuses on the children`s development in a social context. The
theory points out that children don´t develop in isolation. Taking into account this
theory, before planning a lesson, it is pertinent to organize activities that take
place in a social context. It will benefit and help children´s development. Also, the
author explains the importance of playing that allows children represent objects,
people and events.
On the other hand, Brunner´s theory (Gray, C. & MacBlain, S 2015) taught me that
children learn through three modes that are: enactive mode, the iconic and
symbolic mode. They explain us how they help to construct kids`knowledge.

5. fourth Stop
.
In this fourth stop, the most significant concept to highlight is as that a teacher
must focus on controlled practice. It means that lesson plans have to be based on
the EEE framework; an approach that help you picture how to organize activities.
(Robinson, Morao and Kang, 2015, page 15). Moreover, before planning teachers
must take into account the main components of a lesson, such as the time that
each activity will take; select books and materials selection. Finally, it is also
prominent to assess how children are learning the topic. (Charner, Murphy and
Clark, 2012, p. 9)
Finally, another relevant points to bear in mind is that, when the teacher plans,
she/he has to have a general view on what children know. After that, what topics
the teacher wants them to learn and finally to assess what children have learnt. It
is an important tool to review, reflect and makes necessary changes in lessons
when it is necessary. (VEYLDF, 2009, page 25)

6. fifth Stop
In this fifth stop, I learnt the relevance of creativity, playing and multimodality.
As teachers, it is essential to include these elements in the lesson plan. On the
one hand, the teacher has the main role to encourage children to different
experiences. In this way, children foster their creativity and they learn to make
sense of the world.
Regarding playing, it allows kids to learn through different aspects,such as
locomotor play, social play and pretend play. Finally, the multimodality is
related to different ways of communication, such as speaking, writing, images,
gestures and sound which give children the possibility to represent the world.
(Taken from booklet, unit 5)

7. sixth Stop
In this sixth stop, on the one hand, I learnt how materials and resources are
essential to foster children´s knowledge. Materials include information and
they can take different formats such as CDs, books, web pages and so on.
Teachers are responsible for selecting the correct material which children will
use. (Tomlinson, 2011, page 4, Unit 6) Moreover, the most significant concept is
that material invite children to learn the language. These materials must be
based on principles of EAL. (Tomlinson, 2015, page 3, Unit 6)
Finally, another relevant point is the power of narratives. When lesson plans
involve narratives, they allow children to promote their imagination. Narratives
and play are interrelated because a story can give kids the possibility to play
and learn. Also, it encourages children to assume different roles and it fosters
their creativity to performance which they pretend to be someone else. (In
Cremin & Flewitt, 2017, page 11, Unit 6)

8. seventh Stop
In this last stop, during this year, I learnt several learning theories, concepts and
principles that help me to construct my knowledge as a teacher to be. In
addition, the interaction with teachers and children acted as builders who help
me during my process of learning. All these things have become aware of the
importance of reflective practice. Throughout my practicums, I made self-
reflection and I know that I made some mistakes. Nevertheless, I learnt from
them and above all, it is my intention to overcome them and try to avoid them in
the future. It is part of my learning and it helps me to construct my identity as a
teacher-to-be. Finally, I know that it is not an easy path to become an
outstanding teacher. However, I feel that it is the right path and I still have to
learn much.
I highlight the following citation to finish this last stop because I agree with it:
According to Dewey (1933): “We do not learn from experience .. we learn from
reflecting on experience.”

9. Many experiences await me.
What is my next destination ?