The observation took 120 mins, and each lesson also took 120 mins.

1. Trainee’s name: Naiman Lorena
Practicum Level: Primary
Group: 4th Green
Date: Friday, 4th September
Lesson Number: 1, 120 mins.
To begin with, I have to make clear that the lesson lasted 120', which is the reason why I
observed only one lesson. Besides that, the group's teacher, Mariela Waczynski, includes
music therapy techniques[1] in her lessons, which is a completely new tool I have never
seen in English lessons, at least in some public schools and private institutions were I
worked.
The main pedagogical principle that supported the lesson was the PPP with a
communicative view, and the lesson was student – centred. Students were beginning to
work with a new topic from the book they study with, “World Quest 1” (Oxford), which is
related to the uses of the past tense of the verb “to be”, and the regular form of verbs in the
past. The topic the unit dealt with is “Myths”, most specifically, with “King Arthur of England”
and also with dreams; although the book presents its own characters who appear in different
comics throughout the book that helps students contextualize the main focus of the units and
introduce them to the new topics.[2]
The lesson was clearly divided into the presentation of the comic students had to read, an
analysis of the comic, and post- reading activities regarding comprehension and the use of
the new vocabulary.
All the strategies the teacher used were clearly effective, apart of [3] the fact that students
were used to her manners and ways of guiding the lesson.
Before I begin explaining what I observed during the lesson specifically, I must explain that
before students get into their classrooms, all the groups are invited to a welcoming assembly
in which one teacher is in charge of preparing a song, a poem, some riddles or even some
students are in charge of a presentation in which they work with a specific topic they
prepared during their lessons. This assembly lasts around five to ten minutes every Monday
and Friday. As all groups are present, teachers make sure that all students enjoy the
assembly, first cycle with children songs and second cicle with pre – adolescent songs or
videos. However, all the school enjoys the assembly no matter what the teacher and or
students present, it's an entertaining way to welcome the beginning and end of the week.
In this section I must explain how children were involved in the practise of music therapy.
What I observed is that once children came into the classroom the teacher played some
calm and sweet music which helped children get relaxed, she also turned off the lights and
covered the windows with some blue courtains. Then students left their school bags and
jackets and were invited to sit down on their chairs. Once they were on their seats, students
were asked to put their feet on the floor so that to feel the earth and to feel connected to it.
After that, students were asked to close their eyes and touch their stomachs so that to[4]
connect themselves to their own bodies. They were supposed to breath in and out slowly
letting themselves fall on the tables. Once they were relaxed, the teacher asked them to

2. strech up and leave their arms fall on the table with their heads on their arms. It was in that
moment when the teacher started to monitor that all students were completely relaxed and in
connection to their bodies and to the earth. After some minutes of that warm atmosphere full
of relaxation, the teacher slowly turned down the music until it was off, and one student was
in charge of turning on the lights and clearing the windows. That was the moment in which
the lesson begun[5] .
I admit I was relaxed too, it was surprising and at the same time so inspiring how student
got involved, without prejudices, without rejection. I felt it was something good and safe for
their minds and souls to begin the lessons everyday that way.[6]
I've made my own research regarding the uses of music therapy during the lessons and
how it can help students in different aspects of their developing cognitive, social and physical
processes. More than a strategy, that was a technique that the teacher employed for
students to get relaxed and at the same time to create an atmosphere that helped them
concentrate and care for themselves, their environment and the others. That moment was
called “The Happy Place” by students.
Besides Apart from that technique, other strategies that the teacher used involved asking
students to get organized slowly, patiently and in silence. She was very sweet with students
and bared close contact with them. Apart from that, I noticed the group was a calm and
sweet group too without specific aspects to focus on; all students seemed eager to
participate and were active during the whole lesson.[7]
Another strategy I noticed is that the homework is given back to students just befoe
beginning, so that students get their feedback from the activities done the lesson before.
Students are required to keep their binders organized too; all lessons are divided by a
colour line. Another aspect to mention is that the teacher uses colours for students to
recognize specific tenses. For example, BLUE for present simple, and RED for present
continuous. Therefore, all questions and answers written on the board include colors
depending on the case. This one was a great strategy to help children differentiate the
tenses and also their uses.[8] As they were finishing with the units that regarded present
tenses, they were asked to answer only two questions right in that moment; like for example
“Are you reading a book now?”, “Do you read comics?”.
Another important aspect of the lesson was timing. Students knew beforehand that writing
the date and weather only had to take two minutes. Also when taking their books and when
answering the activities, timing was highlighted. Therefore timing and organization were a
must in these lessons.
The teacher also uses L1 when necessary, but L2 is a must during the lesson. Even
asking for respect, silence or giving commands were all in L2.[9]
Students' autonomy was enhanced as students were expected to make silence when
necessary, the teacher did not show any movement or did not directly ask for silence,
students new what they had to do. Moreover, one of the students did not come the lesson
before so that she was asked to catch up herself as she was in charge of her own work. The
participation during the lesson was also positively achieved as students were used to raise
their hands to be heard[10] .
Appart from that, when the lesson began, the teacher helped children guess the meaning
of the new vocabulary through the uses of gestures, body movements, drawings and sounds
so that to guide them. Another strategy was to check if students were actually reading and
listening the comics and were paying attention. The students were in charge of discussing
the content of the comic, reading the following activities, answering them and writing them

3. on the board so that they self checked their work in their books. The teacher was in charge
of guiding the activities and monitoring that all students participate.
Students reacted positively to the lesson and to the teacher's requirements and
expectations. The teacher kept a very good rapport with children and it was noticeable how
they enjoyed the lesson together, the teacher and the students. I myself also enjoyed the
lesson. Children also seemed to have good relationships among themselves and I could not
notice any student who presented an attention problem or any other difficulty to learn or to
socialize. Students also enjoyed the new topic and they showed a great interest when they
were reading the comic related to myths.
I think that the lesson was a successful one, children were used to the teacher's
organization and way of delivering the lesson and they felt comfortable with her. Regarding
the introduction of the lesson I believe that only a person specialized on the topic, like this
teacher who is also a music therapist, could include music therapy techniques in the
classroom. Nevertheless, it is something to highlight and to consider regarding L2 lessons.
An outstanding aspect of the lesson was the organization and rhythm children followed to let
the lesson flow and even to let themselves get involved in the activities they were
performing.[11]
There are no negative aspects to mention.
I think that the organization, timing and student – teacher rapport are great aspects to bear
in mind for the coming lessons. Also the fact of using music in the lesson for students to get
relaxed or concentrated are great strategies to put into practice.
Something to mention is that these children are also studying and most of all practising for
the “Trinity Exams”, so that the last 15 minutes of the lesson were used to practise oral
questions and answers regarding different topics that they had already studied. They were
asked to automatically change places with their partners so that they could see them face to
face and play a game in which one of them was the “examiner” and the other the “student”.
While students practised, only during 7' (timing was a must), the teacher monitored the
activity, served as a resource in a few cases and checked pronunciation. Once they finished,
the teacher highlighted students who did really well and it was time to change subjects and
teachers. That was another aspect to consider, which reinforced students' motivation to
continue practising that way, students were not reluctant to practise, they were really
enjoying and they were even more motivated to continue when the teacher highlighted who
did well.
Althoguh motivation is an inner capacity every learner presents, it can be enhanced by
teachers which feeds their effort. As explained by Steven McDonough, motivation is not an
easy task for teachers as it involves more than creating a warm atmosphere and presenting
challenges for students but also facilitating and motivating students to think critically, maybe
the most difficult aspect for a teacher is not to do anything that could frustrate or demotivate
students.
Taken from “Key Concepts in the ELT”, Motivation in ELT, Steven McDonough.[12]
That was the end of the lesson.

4. This lesson made me think of how important student autonomy is, as the ‘Bergen
definition’ states, “learner autonomy is a capacity and willingness to act independently and in
cooperation with others, as a social, responsible person’ (Dam et al. 1990: 102).
Taken from “Key Concepts in ELT” Learner autonomy,Richard Smith.[13]
Trainee’s name: Naiman Lorena
Practicum level: Primary
Group: 4th green
Date: 14th September
Lesson number: 1
1.
The pedagogical principle that supported the lesson was the Communicative
Approach by which successful learning happens when students become able to
communicate in real situations.
Taking this approach as a bases , all the activities needed to be carefully guided so
that to produce real and meaningful communication. The lesson was student - centered and
there was a strong emphasis on the use of authentic material.
In this case, I included the use of flashcards, word - cards, and a video so that to let learners
understand meaningful input easily and to be able to relate the information to their own
reality.
Besides, constant communication in L2 was a must in the classroom as that is the
only environment in which the learner is exposed to the use of the language.
Apart from that, the topic of the lesson was important too as I tried to make it as
interesting as I could so that to call students’ attention on the topic. As a consequence,
students felt very attracted to the topic that served as a hook to the exposure to the main
topic of the lesson which was the use of the past when talking about myths.
2.
One of the strategies I used with students was to give place for discussion of a story
that they have read some lessons before so that to refresh their memories and to revise
vocabulary. Students were allowed to give their opinions always respecting their mates times
to speak. This was a successful strategy as students seemed to be used to discussing topics
and they worked through it satisfactorily.
Another strategy was to create a bridge between the knowledge students already
have to the new topic through descriptions and predictions. The use of flashcards helped

5. learners make connections and made the lesson visual, and the strategy helped children link
new information to prior knowledge.
Contextualization was another strategy I tried to employ in the lesson through the use
of body movement, gestures, miming and repetition. Moreover, the use of a video helped
children get familiar with the new content.
One strategy that was very helpful was to let students check the activities
themselves. This way I tried to promote autonomy by asking learners to pay attention and
revise the activities they completed checking the correct answers written on the board. While
students did the activities, I tried to monitor their work, to guide the activities and to serve as
a resource when they needed.
Finally, cooperation was also a must in the lesson. Students were invited to work in
groups and in pairs to solve the activities, which presented them with authentic reasons to
use L2. Moreover, students took advantage from working with their mates as they also
developed their communicative skills so that to make themselves clear enough to be
understood by their partners.
I believe these strategies were useful as children could solve them positively.
3. From first instance, I think students welcomed the lesson in a positive way. They got
involved in all the activities and they were eager to participate in the games, discussions and
group activities. I believe that the material was suitable for their ages and their language
level and that it called their attention satisfactorily. The group worked fast and gathered good
results from the activities.
From my personal point of view, I think that students liked the lesson and enjoyed it.
4.
The aspects of the lesson I consider successful are the use of comprehensive input
and the good rapport that I tried to create between the students and me. I saw that students
were really interested in the information I brought for them and I felt they were involved in the
fantasy aspect of the topic as they were surprised by the flashcards and motivated by the
video. Moreover, I felt really comfortable with the group as they were very kind and
respectful to me. I tried to show them the same so that to create a warm and positive
atmosphere in the classroom. It was enriching for me to feel that they reacted positively to all
the possibilities I offered them to use the language and to learn something new.
5.
One of the main aspects of the lesson that requires improvement is time
management. I think I get lost with the order of the activities or I get so much involved in the
discussions that I lose control of the time. This is a very sad aspect of my performance as
sometimes I do not get to finish the lessons as I plan them. The planning of the lessons also
needs further development as they are just good lessons. As Richards and Bohlke explain in
their book “Creating Effective Language Lessons”, one of the main reasons for planning is
that our plans allow us the selection, structure and organization of the content of the lesson;
amongst other functions. This reason is enough for me to work harder with my lessons.
6.
The fact that I lost time in this lesson making too much emphasis on certain aspects
as the vocabulary calls for adjustment. I will make an effort to comply with the planning and
the expected time for the lesson. This aspect also talks about my organization in the
classroom, that is why I think it really affects my lessons.

6. Furthermore, I will try to focus more on comprehension and content in a global way
so that to let students the possibility to work with the language in a communicative and
meaningful manner.
7.
I will try to take advantage from the fact that children liked the topic to go a little bit
further and give them the chance to use the language in communicative activities orally and
in written form.
Trainee’s name: Naiman Lorena
Practicum level: Primary
Group: 4th green
Date: 15th September
Lesson number: 2
1.
The pedagogical principle that supported the planning of the lesson was the
Communicative Approach. The bases of this approach determine that learners learn through
using the language to communicate. For this reason, students should go through a process
that involves trial and error.
Another important aspect of this approach is that the goal of the activities is to get
meaningful communication. Consequently, the lessons should integrate and develop
students’ language skills and present opportunities for communication.
To be able to conquer this approach’s goals, teachers should prepare interesting and learner
- centered lessons.
One of the strategies that I tried to apply in the lesson was to use comprehensible
input. Interesting pictures and understandable word - cards, body movement and gestures
were some of the strategies I put into practise so that students could easily understand the
input provided.
Visual representations were also useful as a power - point presentation was included
in the lesson so that to work with the new vocabulary necessary to understand the following
activity. Besides introducing new vocabulary, the presentation also allowed students to have
visual examples that represented the vocabulary.
Another important strategy was to link new information to prior knowledge. By the
use of pictures and word - cards and through questions and discussions, students were able
to refresh their memories regarding previous knowledge and give place for new information.
They tried to use vocabulary and data they knew because of their background
knowledge and because of the previous lessons; so that to use it in a new situation.

7. Asking children for silence and mutual respect were important aspects from the
lesson. As I already predicted in the planning, I thought students could get excited by the
images and material I presented. Although I did not use the “ teacher says” technique as I
described in the planning, I tried to ask for silence in a calm and peaceful manner. I did not
want conflict to be part of the lesson. Moreover, I think this is part of the idea that the lesson
should take place in a warm atmosphere.
Finally, through asking for pair and group work students were able to cooperate
among them in the activities presented. This way, they found opportunities to share and
negotiate information. Moreover, when working in groups or in pairs, learners have more
time to use the language, to socialize with other students and share their ideas, it changes
the pace of the lesson and the focus is on what they do and not in the teacher.
3.
Again, students welcomed the lesson in a positive manner. The idea of having to
work with myths and fable characters really liked them. I knew they were already working
with fantasy characters because of the students’ book they work with, but I thought to bring
more extra information so that to offer them a wide variety of input.
They enjoyed the video and the power - point presentation I brought for the lesson.
Although the power - point was my own production, I tried to use real - life pictures, add
some comments and use big and clear words and phrases for students to be able to see and
understand.
I also included games and role plays in the lesson, which were great opportunities for
children to reinforce their confidence when using the language, to listen to other students
and also to let the rest listen to them which good idea as the group is a motivated and
dynamic one.
Besides that, I believe students are exposed to the fact that they should work in an
autonomous way. I mean, they are constantly being encouraged to work that way, and I tried
to use that in advantage for the lessons; that is why I enhanced students to get involved in
the correction of the activities and self - check. Therefore,I think children worked comfortably
regarding that aspect.
Again, I must admit that these students are brilliant.I must also thank them because
of the work they did and the respect they showed to me and to everything I brought for them.
4.
This time, I think that the order and types of activities were good. And, I believe that student
and teacher rapport was one of the most successful aspects of the lesson. I observed they
included me in their activities, and I also felt part of the group. It’s been a nice experience.
5.
I think that the activities should be more varied. Sometimes it happens to me that I begin
searching for activities and games, and I end up adding the same I always use. I need more
variety of activities for example for the warm up stage or for the closure stage of the lessons.
I should take a look at the bibliography we used in past subjects of the teacher training. For
instance Tricia Hedge’s book had a myriad of suggestions as well as Penny Ur’s book and
some other. Moreover, all the videos and bibliography uploaded in the forums was really

8. interesting and I did not consider them for my plans. I think I should change that. It’s a
setback I have to work with for the following lessons.