Play hard learn harder: The Serious Business of Play
Journals
1. KLEIN, NATALIA SOLEDAD.
DNI: 29251267.
TALLER DE LA PRÁCTICA DOCENTE
Class: 1
Date: 5TH May 2014.
The group is very friendly and well-organized. They understood the tasks perfectly and they paid
attention in all the activities they did. They were always asking for doubts and correcting their
pronunciation. They like speaking in English every class. It is a dynamic group and they were
constantly moving from one desk to another. The girls and the boys are combined perfectly and
they could work together without problems.
I felt comfortable and the students make me feel sure giving the class. The students are only 10 so
they give you kisses when you arrive and leave the school. Moreover, they asked you if they could
do it. The class developed correctly and the students didn´t suffer from any problems. They
accepted me in the classroom and they invited me to do everything they did up to the moment
the bell rang. Perhaps, the problem was that the students were constantly moving during the class
and the teacher made them keep quiet but it was impossible. The girls were talking all the time
but at the same time, they worked and made the activities.
I have learnt many things during the class. I learnt how to speak with younger children, which are
their necessities and worries, which are their times in working and what they want to learn from
the English subject. I learnt how to keep them a bit calm. The tutor gave me some advices in order
to maintain the course quieter.
There wasn´t any incident during the class. The bell rang and immediately, the students came into
the classroom and they sat on their chairs. I greet them and they answered all together. I gave
them the activity and they started working but also they started talking and walking in the class.
2. The tutor gave me some tips to keep them in their chairs. For next class, I will bring a song to start
and another to finish the class. The students like it, they love listening songs in English.
Perhaps, the changes will improve their progress and make them feel sure and comfortable during
the classes.
3. Class: 2
Date: 6th May 2014.
I arrive to the school and the students run towards me to give me kisses. It is a beautiful
class, the students work perfectly and they make me feel comfortable all the class. the class was
about the weather and they like it. They speak about the weather and when I asked to look
outside the window, they speak from many other things, some in English and other in Spanish.
They told me the different words they have learnt in English during the year. For example, a
student said: GRASS while he is looking at the grass through the window. I got surprised since they
have an excellent memory and they like English.
The class developed in a good manner without problems. I started the class with a song
called “Hello” and they like it and they tried to song from the very beginning of it. Also, they learnt
three different types of weather and they speak about it. They are always repeating what you said
in English. There are sometimes when they don´t know what they are saying but they repeat and
shout words in English.
At the final of the class, I brought them a song called “Goodbye” and they love it and they
sing it. They told me that it was the first time they listen songs in English. There isn´t any incident,
they work wonderful and they don´t provoke problems. They have an excellent relationship
between them.
4. Class: 3
Date: 7th May 2014.
I arrived at the school and the students greet me immediately. When they did it in every
class, I feel comfortable since it is what I hope when I was studying the career. When I was
studying the previous subjects in the career I thought what will happen when I do the practicum.
Fortunately, it is as I imagined it. It is wonderful and marvelous! The children´s kisses motivated
me to give the class.
The class started as usual and the students sang the song “hello” and they asked about the
“Goodbye” song but they should wait. The students work with animals. They have already known
some animals and I taught them four animals, the dog, the cat, the fish and the rabbit. They liked
the animals and they worked them with colors and they spoke about them.
During the class, the director appeared to tell the students that they will have breakfast
during the break. They got happy since there are children who couldn´t have breakfast at their
homes because they are alone. The school has different social realities but the school helps them
so they are motivated during the classroom and you don´t take care about it.
Finally, the students finished the animals and they stuck the animals they have learnt in
the walls of the school´s gallery. They were happy and they got free to speak in English.
5. Class 4:
12 May 2014
The class started perfectly. I arrived during the break and the students asked me about
what they were going to learn that day. The class is well organized and dynamics. The students
liked speaking and repeat the sentences and said any word they know in English. First, I played the
song to start the class and they sang it. They moved their heads and hands while the song was
playing.
There were good group interaction, good organization and excellent group work. They like
working together and talking each other. Perhaps, they didn´t stop talking when the teacher is
explaining and it become a problem, but it is not a serious problem since when the teacher asked
they kept quiet, they did it.
The activities were done well and they enjoyed them. They counted the object´s in the
class such tables, chairs, pencils, blackboards, etc. they counted all together. There were some
numbers which were a bit difficult for them. Finally, they could name and recognize them.
Moreover, the video was very useful and interesting for them. They said the numbers and I could
revise the colors with them since the numbers had colors in the video, so I could ask them about
it. It was very interesting because I will teach the colors in the following class but I could revise
with them the colors they remembered.
The class finished well and the students could learn the numbers and they told their mates during
the break. It was marvelous.
6. Class 5:
13 May 2014.
I arrived at school at the students received me with kisses. It was wonderful. When the
students came into the classroom, I told them which topic they were going to learn that day. They
got surprised since they have already known the colors, but I told them that there were new
fantastic colors.
The class was well organized and the children kept quiet because they got interested in
the flashcards with colors. They learn the colors perfectly and they repeated the colors between
them. They made appropriate good interaction between them. I think they felt free to speak and
ask what they need or have doubts.
The most interesting part of the class was during the game. I invited them to do a game
with the colors. When I said the color, one of each group ran to the front and touched the color.
Once I said the colors, they started running. It was fantastic for me and the students enjoyed the
game and they wanted to repeat it again.
Finally, the class finished with the “Goodbye” song. They sang the song and the students repeat
sentence by sentence. They asked me if I could play it again. I played the song three times. They
liked the song.