Reflective cycle

1. Reflection on my kindergarten practicum period - Ana Eccheri
My Kindergarten Practicum Period was not only a joyful and sweet experience but also a
great opportunity to deepen my understanding of what to teach and how to teach very
young children. I believe that learning is a never ending process so reflecting upon one’s
own practice should not be overlooked and should be an essential part of my teacher’s
routine.
The learning cycle started to happen as soon as the actual experience of teaching
kindergarten kids became real. Immediately after I entered the classroom and I greeted
the students my learning journey began to unfold. During this challenging but truly
rewarding experience, I ’ve learned not only from my personal feelings and from my tutor
and the class observer’s comments and suggestions but also from the feedback I got from
the students themselves.
When reflecting upon my performance I think that the main goals I had set for each
lesson were mostly attained, and the activities designed just like the use of resources
were in tune with the teaching approach I had chosen.
Even though were times when some students got dispersed or distracted, overall, I think
the experience had a special meaning for the kids as in most activities I could feel their
interest, enthusiasm and eagerness to participate. Also, to my surprise, their teacher, as
well as their parents, were keen to express how excited kids were about their English
classes.
Since I had never taught to very young learners before, to be able to develop this first
kindergarten experience I had to go over the theories about teaching and learning we had
studied over the years and do a lot of research about materials and resources. I wanted
activities that could be as engaging and attractive as possible and able to cater to the
children different learning styles as well.
Furthermore, through my teaching experience, I’ve recognized that the best tasks for
this level were the ones that promoted learning by doing, as the activities in which kids
participated the most were those in which they have to use their gross and fine motor
skills.
Reflecting on the things that did not go as planned, I think that I underestimated two
major factors:

2. Firstly, in view of the fact that kid's moods are ever-changing and some behaviours were
unexpected, teaching strategies should have been in a more dynamic interplay and able to
accommodate quicker to the different situations that happened in the classroom.
Secondly, how time-consuming getting all the material ready for the lesson was going to be.
Working against the clock was tough and added unnecessary stress to an already anxiety-
ridden situation.
All things considered, I think that by constructively reflecting upon my kindergarten
experience I had been able to put my emotions aside, make a better sense of it and
understand it in a more meaningful manner.
Reflecting for its own sake would lack real relevance if is not followed by real action. In
that light, I believe that to complete the reflective cycle, I must be ready to face future
experiences and have the ability to translate what I have learnt to those new challenges as
a way not only to enhance my teaching practice but to make the students’ learning process
more challenging, effective and inspiring as well.
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