The document summarizes a student's reflection on their primary level teaching practicum experience. Some key learnings included students surprising the student teacher with their abilities when given the right circumstances. Students also demonstrated willingness to speak English outside of class after the student teacher spoke only English during lessons. The student teacher realized they underestimated how time-consuming instructions would be for unfamiliar activities and giving too many activity options can be overwhelming. Overall, the practicum experience provided valuable lessons that the student teacher will use to continue improving their skills.

1. Taller de Práctica Docente 2018
Tutora: Aurelia Velázquez
Reflection on my primary level practicum period - Ana Eccheri
My Primary Level Practicum Period was a challenging and enlightening event which left on
me an everlasting impression on the way students, under the right circumstances, are able
to unleash their potentials and bring their abilities into effective action to achieve their
goals.
While transiting the whole process I’ve gained a lot of new and multidimensional
knowledge, as I learned from my tutor and my observer’s comments and recommendations,
from the feedback I got from each and every student, as well as from my own feelings,
strengths and weaknesses.
I have been the English teacher of the group of primary 6th
graders for quite a while, so I
thought I knew them well but they surprised me so deeply and in so many ways while
working on the lessons’ activities, that they turned my practicum period into a fascinating
eye-opener experience.
As soon as I began lesson one, I started to learn new things about my students. The first
thing I noticed was that the video camera I had put on a table at the rear end of the
classroom had a tremendous and strange power to change their personalities, as the
usually most outspoken and participative children, were silent and quiet while those who
had the tendency to be aloof or distracted became active participants, willing to answer
questions or to come to the front when volunteers were asked to resolve some activity.
For some time, I have been trying to use English as the only language in class, only to meet
most students` resistance. Many refused to try it and blocked their abilities saying that
they could not do it or that they could not understand how to do it.
Before my practicum, I commented to my students that in a near future and as a part of a
teaching practice, I would speak solely English in class. They became very nervous and
concerned about it, so I had to carefully explain that the only person who was going to be
evaluated was me.

2. Amazingly, as soon as the first class had finished, I felt it had opened the students' minds
in such a way, that they were able to experience the foreign language from a new
perspective. To my joy and surprise, the following days I started hearing not only students
speaking some words and phrases in English while at the lunch table or in the playground
but also I was told by the school’s librarian that they were taking English books to read at
home with their families.
Another thing I learned during the practicum, is that students loved to watch videos and
were very efficient in resolving ‘while watching’ activities.
I also experienced the advantage of making students work in pairs or small groups.
Working collaboratively proved to be beneficial for all the members as they helped one
another to achieve a goal that probably could not have been met by many if they had
worked individually.
Reflecting on the things that did not go as planned, I think that I underestimated some
important factors like:
 How time-consuming giving the instruction to activities that were unfamiliar to
students was going to be.
If I had anticipated the problem I could have thought of a better way to explain
what they had to do, saved time and avoided complications as well.
 How giving students too many options to resolve an activity can be overwhelming and
also lead to a lot of confusion.
Thinking back, I also realized that I need to work on making the transitions between
activities less sudden, as they should certainly be smoother and more engaging.
In the light of all I’ve mentioned, I think that the only way to make all the aspects of my
primary practicum meaningful is by reflecting upon them, and by using the knowledge and
the experience I have gained to improve my skills and my awareness as a means to be
better equipped to continue the journey through the winding and never-ending pathway
that leads to the goal of improving myself as a teacher.
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