Practicum period

1. Final reflection
No doubt this year has placed a number of challenges for everyone
involved in education. Primary and secondary teachers, principals of
private and public institutions, university professors, teacher trainers;
let alone trainees. The coronavirus pandemic has forced educators to
make the leap into a world of technology: digital boards, virtual
classroom, interactive games, tutorial videos, etc., which to those who
were not used to it came to prove that fast changes are feasible, and
that adaptation is fundamental these days. Thus, the practicum period
during which students of Lenguas Vivas Bariloche usually carry out
in situ in different schools, had to be changed to suit the new context.
In my case, when the practicum period started, I had already been
giving classes through zoom and using a variety of digital tools, so the
planning and design of games and activities did not pose a problem
to me. Hadn’t I had that invaluable previous experience, my path
would not have been so smooth and gentle. Besides, I had an amazing
group to work with; they had been welcoming every activity I
proposed since the beginning of the year. I knew them well at the
time, and I was sure that I would not let them down. As a matter of
fact, the practicum period was an extension of what I had been doing
throughout the year and my tutor’s approval showed me that I was
on the right track.
Obviously, not everything was perfect and ideal. The way I had to
approach certain typical activities had to be revised and adjusted. I
was used to working in a certain manner in the classroom but when I
tried to do the same in our virtual classroom, it just did not work.
Such is the case of songs and chants, which we usually sang in chorus.
The whole experience of trying to sing along with the children was a
frustrating activity- a big disaster I should say- and I still cannot

2. understand how I could not foresee it. My students were unanimous
on this point: not again please. Thus, I decided to continue working
with songs but just in a different way, especially skipping the singing
part which had been so frustrating and include activities I would not
normally do with songs such as coloring and drawing, vocabulary gap
tasks, ordering sentences, etc. Anyway, songs were catchy, and
children sang them at home, at least I was told that by some parents;
so, mission accomplished!
One thing I regret is not having had the time to design a project unit.
Once I passed my first didactic unit, I was eager to embark in
something that would expand my comfort zone and I thought that
planning a sequence of activities using a different approach would be
challenging and rewarding. However, work, other subjects and family
issues took most of my time and I had to dismiss the idea
straightaway. Be that as it may, I needed to do something to move
forward and my tutor soon found something that would help me
push my own boundaries: a video in which I had to appear. Being
self-conscious, introverted and shy, the mere idea of recording myself
embarrassed me to the bone. But strangely enough, I had the courage;
and also, the conviction that my tutor would appreciate my effort.
And she did. Although it is mortifying seeing my lousy performance,
the more I’m into teaching the more I feel that “the best is the enemy
of the good” I mean, everything is worth trying and you do not have
to be the best performer to amaze and surprise your students.
By and large, the whole experience was pleasant and enjoyable. I had
a great time, considering the context, of course; and what I basically
learn this year was that if we are bold enough and willing to adapt
ourselves to distressing situations, every challenge we face has the
potential to make any teacher a better teacher.