Final Reflection

1. Final Reflection
Schneider, Vanesa Milagros
Práctica Docente III
DESCRIPTION
This is the reflection over the period of my teaching practicum at Secondary Level. I did
my practicum in a public Secondary School in the town where I live, San Miguel Arcángel,
which is located in the southwest of Buenos Aires province. Although I have been working
in Secondary level schooling for two years, I have learnt more during this practicum period
than in the previous two years. I think this is so because once I started planning, I could
make sense of the theory I learnt not only in Didactics for Secondary Level but also during
my entire teacher training course. In this sense, I realized the importance of using English
in the classroom. This year, the fact that the lessons were online not only increased
students´ shyness to speak but it also affected my performance. I got more nervous than
usual. I found it very difficult to speak English fluently and spontaneously. At times, I got
so nervous that I couldn´t find the correct words, and I made grammar and pronunciation
mistakes. This situation got worse because of the fact I knew I was being evaluated.
FEELINGS
I felt disappointed after having delivered the first lesson since there were some moments
when I couldn´t find the adequate English words or when I made grammar or
pronunciation mistakes. Although my students didn´t notice them, I felt a sense of
frustration. I felt frustrated because I wondered why I am not able to speak English
perfectly yet although I have been studying hard for several years. I also felt sad because I
really do want to achieve this goal. I felt that if I can´t manage my nerves and I can´t
improve my speaking skill, I won´t be able to teach the language to my students
successfully. This made me feel deeply unhappy. However, I was able to reflect on this
situation, and I realized that I am still learning and that teachers, in actual fact, never stop
learning.
EVALUATION
At the time, I was able to solve the situation because every time I realized that I made a
mistake, I immediately apologized and repeated the correct sentence afterwards.
Furthermore, I felt more confident in the second lesson. I think that despite my mistakes,
the learning environment was effective and my students seemed to be enjoying the lesson.
They understood me, answered my questions and reacted positively to my teaching. In this
sense, Scrivener mentions that a teacher must have three main characteristics, namely
respect, empathy and authenticity. He states “when a teacher has these three qualities, the
Comentario [A1]: I totally agree
with you! Besides, becoming aware of
the fact that you are making mistakes
is a huge first step.

2. Final Reflection
Schneider, Vanesa Milagros
Práctica Docente III
relationships within the classroom are likely to be stronger and deeper, and communication
between people much more open and honest”1
ANALYSIS
I believe that at the time I managed to overcome the situation, continue with the lesson
and also reflect upon the mistakes. Although I felt I was a bad teacher because I made
pronunciation or grammar mistakes, I felt relieved when I remembered Scrivener´s words
about good teaching practices. In this sense, he points out that “Although there are some
practical techniques you can learn to improve your communication with others, real rapport
is something more substantial than a technique that you can mimic”2
Taking these words
into account, I can say that I had a real rapport with my students, which is really important
when teaching.
CONCLUSION
In retrospect, I would do many things differently. As practicums generally involve an extra
feeling of anxiety, I should have prepared myself to face this situation. I have to confess
that I didn´t use to speak English all the time in my lessons before, so it was a completely
new way of teaching not only for myself but also for my students. In this sense, I should
have implemented this from the very beginning of my teaching at secondary level. In
addition, I should also have talked to my tutor about this situation, so she could have
guided me and given me some tips. However, I learnt a lot from this experience. In this
respect, I believe that doing the teaching practicum is demanding but worthwhile. Despite
the difficulties, I was able to include important topics in my lessons, such as gender
violence, and the students´ response was favourable. Furthermore, I was pleased about the
feedback I received on the activities I planned. The comments my tutor made were really
valuable and I felt happy I did a good job.
ACTION PLAN
In the future, I will implement different strategies to improve my speaking skill. For
example, from now on, I will be more focused on speaking the language, and I will
always speak English in my lessons and invite my students to do so as well. By
doing so, I will not only improve my speaking skill, but I will also gain confidence. In
addition, in terms of training, I will take different workshops so that I can improve
1
SCRIVENER, Jim (2013) Language Teaching. Chapter 1 Starting out, page17
2
SCRIVENER, Jim (2013) Language Teaching. Chapter 1 Starting out, page17
Comentario [A2]: This makes s big
difference!
Comentario [A3]: Practice makes
perfect!

3. Final Reflection
Schneider, Vanesa Milagros
Práctica Docente III
my speaking skill. This experience has proved invaluable for me since it has made
me realise that I need to enhance my speaking skill in order to feel more confident
in my lessons. So, I believe that taking different courses on speaking English
fluently will help me achieve this important goal in my professional life.
Comentario [A4]: If you use English
to deliver your lessons, you´ll improve
steadily!
Congrats on your performance and
strong commitment!