1) The document reflects on the author's experience completing their teaching practice and lessons learned. 2) They found that using narratives, facial expressions and body movements were important for communicating with young students. 3) The author realized they need to improve time management and being prepared for any situation to avoid complications during lessons. 4) Receiving criticism from observations was initially discouraging but the author chose to learn from it to improve future teaching.

1. TEACHING PRACTICE 1
FINAL
REFLECTION
Carolina Katherina Loyola
By

2. Thinking Back...
To begin with, I consider that teaching practice is
fundamental for the development of our professional aptitude. During it, I
took
my first steps and I interacted for the first time with students, an educative
institution, and colleagues.
I believe that the objectives and the activities proposed
in each lesson plan linked up well with the pedagogical approach desired,
since
students reviewed contents through dynamic activities and developed their
self-confidence, self-stem, creativity and social competences. Moreover, I feel
that it was significant for students, since they noticed that learning can be
funny and enjoyable, that learning is not necessarily limited and strict.

3. However, those results could not have been possible without
the adequate training and the development of different skills. In the course of
designing and performing my classes, I appealed and to different
principles, theories and concepts explored throughout Didactics for supporting my
ideas. For instance, I was taught about what needs to know and be acquainted
with an EAL teacher; to comprehend how children learn and what they are capable
of doing according to the age for the correct choice of materials and
activities, Cognitive constructivism (Piaget 1896-1980): to understand how humans
generate knowledge and meaning from an interaction between their experiences and
their ideas; Behaviourism (Skinner, 1904-1990): to promote and encourage good
behaviour; Zone of proximal development, scaffolding, play through which
children represent objects, people and events (Vygotsky ); Multiple Intelligences
(Howard Gardner) to integrate students´ abilities during their learning experience;
aspects that foster learning: Playing and exploring, active learning, creative
and thinking critically; managements strategies in class; seven pillars of
creativity; the relevance of play; multimodality and narratives.

4. From
this experience, I learnt how important the use of narratives, facial
expressions, and body movements to communicate with young students are. In
fact, I discovered that I am very good at that, although I am aware that I must
continue to improve day by day. Another thing I learnt, was how to administer time
in such manner that activities can be develop adequately, to be prepared before
any unforeseen, and to comprehend that student´s emotions are related with
their performance.

5. Thinking Foward...After
finishing my teaching practice, I have realised that I need to take into
account several points under consideration for future experiences.
Firstly,
I consider that I need to improve time management for a future project, since
this drawback brought me some complications during my classes. However, that unfortunate
experience taught me that what students need is actually quality not quantity. I
could observe not always children feel the same way every day. It can occur
that some days children are full of energy, which may cause finishing
activities before expected. On the other hand, students could feel tired and
sleepy which could bring on the delay of the realization of the task. This is
why, I reflected on those mistakes, and I comprehended that I need to be
prepared in any possible situations. One of the strategies I would implement
would be overplanning, I mean,
prepear the class in detail, and leave nothing to chance.. Moreover, it will give me security and
tranquillity that
exist a “B plan” just in case.

6. Regarding
with this experience, I feel really satisfied and proud of myself by the goals
achieved. From the beginning of my teaching practice, one of my biggest expectations
was to make children feel happy, self- confident, and play with enjoyment while
learning. Every time I prepared a class, I did it with passion, love and
thinking about children´s necessities.
I
realised this experience, make me go through different changes in the context
of my personal and professional development. After my first class, I received a
lot of critics from my observer, which made me feel discourage and disappointed
about my performance. However, the rest
of the teachers from the institute supported me with encouragement comments and
advises. That make me comprehend that not always I will received good comments,
or receive compliments. I understood, that I need to be strong, open to all criticisms
and to not giving up under any circumstance. In that moment of reflection, I chose
to take those critics with a positive perspective which would help me improve
my future classes.
THINKING INWARD...

7. Finishing
my practice, I told students that maybe I wouldn´t come back again. For my
surprise, they told me that they did not want me to left them. Then, they
hugged me and told me they will miss me a lot. Those expressions of love and
affection made me feel that I was going the right way.
Certainly, I went back
home with my heart full with joy and with an immense happiness.

8. Thinking outward...
Since
this was my first experience as a teacher, I did not know what to expect.
I
have to admit that was a little discouraging that some colleagues were
constantly telling me that was a very difficult task being a teacher. Some complaints
most repeated were “I have not enough time neither imagination for planning
meaningful classes”, “although you prepare excellent classes, students do not
value the effort you make” “It is stressful the pressure of making students
approve the final exam, since no matter what, it will be always teacher´s fault
if they obtain bad marks” “there is nothing to do with this student´s bad behaviour”
“or you have a life, or you decide planning your classes, there is no midpoint”.
Notwithstanding I realised that most of them had had their first experiences on
teaching without having any expertise in education before. Actually, some of
them, only count with knowledge related to English grammar issues.

9. Reflecting
on these circumstances, I noticed that, those colleagues were not pedagogically
trained and perhaps if they knew the huge amount of useful tools that exist, they
could change their realities. In my opinion, I believe that is the reason why
they do not know how to resolve everyday problems, and do not know how to
perform a correct and effective management of strategies during their classes,
and planning meaningful lessons. Another point to take into consideration is
the lack of vocation in teachers. The majority only is working due to economic
necessities.
Indeed, the teacher in charge of the class which I worked with, admitted not
having vocation. However, she was delighted with my activities and children´s
reactions, and expressed wishing to be as creative, dedicated and engaged with
classes as I was during my practices.

10. One of the best days of my life...

11. FOR
MANY YEARS, I BELIEVED THAT WAS TOO
LATE FOR MAKING MY DREAMS COME TRUE.
FORTUNATELY, NOWADAYS I CAN SAY THAT I
AM ON MY WAY TO BECOME IN THE TEACHER I
HAVE
ALWAYS DREAMED. I AM AWARENESS THAT
TEACHING IS NOT AN EASY TASK, HOWEVER, I
STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT WHEN YOU LOVE
WHAT YOU DO, THERE WILL BE ALWAYS A
SOLUTION TO EACH POSSIBLE ADVERSITY
THAT ARISES.
I AM COMMITTED WITH MYSELF TO
WORK HARD EACH DAY TO BECOME IN THAT
TEACHER WHO CHILDREN WANT AND NEED.
UNDOUBTEDLY,
THIS WAS ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLY
EXPERIENCES OF MY LIFE…