Final personal evaluation third period

1. Final personal evaluation
Third period
Asencio Nadia
I have finished my final practicum and it seems that it was the most difficult one
but I strongly continue believing that the aspect I like the most of this profession is that
we never stop learning. As I mentioned in my previous final reflections of the other
periods, I have learnt a lot and I am proud of it!
Regarding on the aims of this period I believe that they were achieved. The classes
were based on the communicative approach where, as we know, the most important
aspect in learning is the interaction. However, some of my plannings were too teacher
center and students did not have many opportunities to use the language to
communicate. But I think that I improved on this aspect after my tutor’s feedback and
advices. I did some researches on communicative activities and how to include them on
my plannings, and I also give students more opportunities to participate and for them to
be more autonomous. Additionally, I also wanted to work with a CLIL method, where
planning is basing not only on language teaching but also on content as well. I believe
that I achieved this; most of my classes were based on this method, so students were
able to learn a little bit more about geography and language as well. Another aim of this
practicum was to promote collaborative work so that is why I included several pair work
and group work activities such as completing exercises from the book, preparing
PowerPoint presentations, posters, among others.
Furthermore, I remembered several aspects that I had to improve during this
practicum. For example, working with teenagers and with a pre-intermediate level is very
different from working with young learners. Some students of this group asked some
questions about vocabulary that I did not know, and I remember feeling bad about it.
But then, my tutor told me that it is normal and that it is not wrong to tell this to
students, and to ask them to look for the word up on the dictionary and to share it with
the rest of the class. Moreover, there were opportunities that I had to “study” some
grammar structures because I did not remember them very well. I believe that this is a
great aspect about teaching higher levels, since it requires that trainees or teachers
continually “study” the language.

2. Regarding classroom management, the group was very calm, the students were
great. In some classes they were quite asleep because the classes were too early and that
is why I tried to include some activities for them to move.
For a future I would like to work with different levels and to be able to not try to
control the class so much in order to provide students the opportunity to be more
autonomous. Providing students’ autonomy is very important, since they have to learn to
be independent! So I think that I have to be always aware of this when I prepare my
plannings and when I am in the classroom.
Being honest, in some classes I felt overwhelmed about the whole situation of
doing the last practicum, of being observed by my tutor, of my job at other schools,
among others. But the most important aspect that I realized is that when I was able to
relax and enjoy the class, it showed and I felt great! So, emotional aspects are very
important too, and I have to never forget to feel what I know, and I know that I enjoy
being a trainee/teacher of English.