Rodrigues - Practicum journal - Secondary level

Trainee’s name: Natalia Rodrigues
Practicum level: Third period
Group: 3° B
Date: Tuesday, 6th
October
Observation number: 1
Today I started with the observations in Secondary level. I arrived at the school half an hour
before the class, in order to meet the English teacher.
The teacher said “Good morning” to the students and she introduced myself. She told them that
I was going to stay and work with them for some classes. I said “Good morning” to them and
asked them how they were. I could see that the teacher tried to use English during most of the
class, but she explained some things in Spanish. Students always replied to her questions in
Spanish.
The lesson was based very short (40 minutes) and it was based on instructions for a test
students have on Thursday. First, the teacher wrote the topics for the “Integradora” that will
be on 22nd
October. Then she delivered some assignments that she had corrected at home and
after that, she started talking about this Thursday exam. Students were asked to read a story
called “Sally´s phone”. It is a simple story (Starter level) and they were asked to work in groups
of three in order to retell the story using the programme they prefer, such as Power Point,
Movie Maker, etc. Students know that they have to bring their own computers to school on
Thursday with all the information, pictures, music they want to use for their presentation.
Besides, the teacher reminded them to bring the information in a pen drive in case technology
does not work. The teacher showed a video of a different story retold by other students, so
that students have an example, an idea of how to work. Finally, she divided the groups for the
exam and she told them to sit in those groups as soon as they arrive to class on Thursday.
The lesson was over and the teacher and I said goodbye to the students and left the room.
I couldn´t see if students were motivated with the story because this was a class only
developed by the teacher. It was based on the explanation of the steps they had to follow
in order to retell the story and all the materials and resources that they needed. The
teacher wanted to make sure that everybody understands the purpose of this exam and
that each group needed to work as a team. As regards technology, the students were
concentrated while watching the video displayed by the teacher but then, they didn´t say
or show whether they liked it or not. I believe that in my next observation I will be able
to see more aspects related to the way they learn and work in class.
Comentario [1]: Good retelling,
Natalia! What do you think about what
you observed (strategies, activities,
motivation, engagement, technology,
etc)? How has this observation
contributed to your future practicum
experience?
Comentario [2]: =)

Group: 3° B
Date: Thursday, 8th
October
Observation number: 2
This was my second and last observation. The lesson was longer than the previous one (80
minutes). The students were asked to get in the groups already assigned to them for the exam.
The teacher delivered a copy with the instructions to each group, she read them aloud and they
started working in their computers. The instructions were the following:
While students were working, I was walking around the classroom to see how they were
organising their presentation. In many cases they called the teacher or me to ask questions and
only few of them used English to ask. The teacher insisted them to use English in order to
communicate to each other, but they didn´t. I always talked to them in English, so that they can
get used to my voice and I told them to make the effort to reply in English. Some of them did it
really well, and some other were shy to talk. I could see that some students were weaker than
others, as the teacher had already told me. The teacher also highlighted them to read the
instructions again carefully. She told them to use their creativity and not to copy the exact
text in the slides as the one in the story. They had to RETELL the story, so that they needed to
be creative and also change some parts of the story. Most groups included pictures and music,
some of them speech bubbles.
Once the lesson was over, the teacher told them to save their work in order to continue working
tomorrow.
Next week I am going to deliver my first lessons in this classroom. This observation helped me
to understand how students work, their level of English, strengths and difficulties. I could
interact with them and they had the possibility of talking to me and asking for help when
needed.
Comentario [3]: Great work, Natalia!!
Hope these observations have
contributed to your knowledge of the
group!
Best wishes!!
Cecilia

Group: 3° B
Date: Tuesday, 13th
October
Lesson number: 1 (40 minutes)
1. What pedagogical principles supported the planning and delivery of this lesson?
I used the Communicative Approach, developing activities in meaningful contexts and
encouraging students to participate during the whole class. The planning and the lesson were
based on the Communicative Approach. This was a lesson based on oral activities in order to
know a little bit about the students and allow them to know the teacher too. Students
interacted with the teacher the whole lesson and they were given the opportunity to talk about
their likes and preferences and give information about themselves.
2. What teaching strategies did you use? Which ones were effective? Why / why not?
I applied strategies related to asking questions about their personal information, likes and
preferences and I also encouraged them to ask questions to me in order to know a little bit
more about one another. I checked understanding by using questions such as “Do you
understand? Is it clear?. Besides, I modeled, showed and pointed while I was showing the words
and pictures on the board; I explained instructions of the activities.
During this lesson I could build an atmosphere that allowed students to feel secure to
participate.
I took different learning styles into account when I decided on the appropriate teaching
strategies and the activities to develop for the group, as not all students learn the same way. In
this class I considered visual learning style (when students needed to look at different pictures
and words displayed on the board with information about myself), and auditory learning style (as
oral interaction prevailed).
3. How did the students react to your teaching, to the activities and the materials? How
did they react to the lesson?
Students reacted really well, getting involved in the activities. They paid attention to my
instructions during the class and they reacted to my questions positively. At first, they were a
little bit talkative, but once they started working they got easy engaged. As I said before,
there was a nice atmosphere in the classroom. Some of them really enjoyed telling the rest
Comentario [4]: Well done, Natalia!

about their favourite actor, singer, colour, etc. Some others were a little bit shy to speak to ask
and answer questions in front of their classmates, but they did it really well.
4. What aspects of the lesson do you consider successful?
Students could understand my questions, instructions and explanations without major problems,
as I used very simple instructions as well as miming, modelling and visual aids.
My voice was loud and clear, and the intonation that I used was proper for the students. These
factors helped me a lot in order to attract students´ attention. Besides, the relationship that I
established with the students was really good, I congratulated them for their job, giving them
encouraging messages. I think that they felt comfortable with my presence in the classroom.
The guessing game that I chose was also successful; I could see that they enjoyed working in
groups in order to ask the questions to me.
5. What aspects of the lesson require change / improvement?
I believe that this lesson went on as expected. The activities were attractive for students and I
felt they really enjoyed the lesson. Besides, the comments the local tutor made in the
observation form were positive and encouraging. However, as it was my first lesson, I didn´t
feel relaxed at all, I was nervous. I should try to relax next class and speak at a slower pace.
6. What do you find useful of this lesson that will help you plan the next one?
I think that the seating arrangement (in groups of four) was really useful, as students could see
and talk to each other in order to come to an agreement on the questions to ask me.
Giving students enough time when they have to work in groups is also an aspect that I will
consider in my next planning. I should be aware of the students´ work rate.
Group: 3° B
Date: Thursday, 15th
October
Comentario [5]: For shy SS you may
plan pair and group speaking tasks so
that they gain confidence by discussing
with their peers first.
Comentario [6]: =D
Comentario [7]: Yes!!
Comentario [8]: Way to go, Natalia!!!

encouraging students to participate during the whole class. The planning and the lesson were
based on the Communicative Approach. This was a lesson based on oral activities in order to
introduce the new topic (food and health). Students interacted with the teacher the whole
lesson and they were given the opportunity to talk about their favourite food and to think about
if the food they eat was healthy or not. They also had to work in pairs and groups coming to
agreements to complete the tasks on the book. Finally, they read a passage about a girl´s diet
and to give their opinion regarding the type of food and drinks she usually had. Even though it
seems that the text is not closer to the students’ context, it will be used again and exploited
the following lesson.
I applied strategies related to asking questions about their favourite food and drink and I also
encouraged them to think if the food they eat or the drinks they drink were healthy or
unhealthy. I checked understanding by using questions such as “Do you understand? Is it clear?.
Besides, I modeled, showed and pointed while I was showing the words and pictures on the
board; I explained instructions of the activities.
Again, during this lesson I could build an atmosphere that allowed students to feel secure to
participate. They did their best to participate when I asked them to. I consider that they felt
more secure and eager to participate, as we could establish a good contact.
I took different learning styles into account. In this class I considered visual learning style
(when students needed to look at different pictures and words displayed on the board with the
new vocabulary), and auditory learning style (as oral interaction prevailed).
Students reacted well, getting involved in the activities. They paid attention to my instructions
during the class and they reacted to my questions positively. Some of them were a little bit shy
to answer questions in front of their classmates, but as I planned a lot of pair and group work,
they could gain confidence by discussing with their partners first.
Comentario [9]: Why? Did SS get
engaged?
Comentario [10]: Great!
Comentario [11]: Excellent!
Was it easy for the learners to interact
in L2 with their partners?

Students could understand my questions, instructions and explanations without problems, as I
used very simple instructions as well as miming, modelling and visual aids. I didn´t have to use
Spanish in any step of the lesson.
factors helped me a lot in order to attract students´ attention. However, and as the local tutor
told me, sometimes I used a very loud pitch. This is something that I always try to control but it
is sometimes difficult, my voice is too loud!
What is more, the relationship that I established with the students was good; I congratulated
them for their job, giving them encouraging messages. I think that they felt comfortable with
my presence in the classroom and they are getting used to my way of talking and teaching.
The idea of let them decide whether foods and drinks are healthy or unhealthy was successful;
I could see that they enjoyed talking about the topic.
I believe that this lesson went on as expected. I felt much more relaxed, even though I had the
camera recording the lesson. The activities were attractive for students. Besides, the
comments the local tutor made in the observation form were again positive and encouraging. I
don´t see aspects of this lesson for improvement. Fortunately, I could meet the aims. I always
prepare all the things I need for the class in advance, and I always try to have everything at
hand so that the lesson develops without interruptions.
I think that the seating arrangement (in pairs) was really useful, as students could see and talk
to each other in order to come to an agreement on the tasks from the book. I think that I will
change this seating arrangement when I plan a lesson using a video or something to watch (in a
semi circle facing the projected image).
Giving students enough time when they have to work in pairs and groups is also an aspect that I
will consider in my next planning. I should be aware of the students´ work rate.
Comentario [12]: volume. Pitch is
related to the vibration rate of your
voice.
Comentario [13]: Well... nothing that
cannot be solved.
Comentario [14]: An excellent way to
foster autonomous learning and critical
thinking.
Comentario [15]: =D
Comentario [16]: Good!

Group: 3° B
Date: Friday, 16th
October
encouraging students to participate during the class. The planning and the lesson were based on
the Communicative Approach. This was a lesson based on oral activities in order to introduce the
new structure (SHOULD/SHOULDN´T). Students interacted with the teacher and mostly with
each other during the whole lesson. They had to work in pairs coming to agreements in order to
give advice to the girl in the text and then to their partner next to them. They also shared
their ideas with their partner when they had to complete the sentences. This lesson gave them
the opportunity to use the language a lot. The passage about the girl´s diet was used again and
students could give her advice using should and shouldn´t by writing sentences.
I applied strategies related to giving advice on how to follow a healthy diet. I checked
understanding by using questions such as “Do you understand? Is it clear?. Besides, I modeled,
showed and pointed while I was showing the words on the board; I explained instructions of the
activities.
Again, during this lesson I could build an atmosphere that allowed students to feel secure to
participate.
In this lesson I considered auditory learning style as oral interaction prevailed.
Students reacted well, getting really involved in the activities. They paid attention to my
instructions during the class and they reacted to my questions positively. They were excited to
play Bingo as a “warm-up” activity. I could realise that they enjoy games a lot, so I think I
should try to include more in the following plans. They also liked the idea of receiving a prize for
winning the game, and they were surprised and at the same time happy to receive a prize even
though they didn´t win. The local tutor told me that she felt that students were taking this
practicum experience with great compromise, and this makes me feel proud.
Comentario [17]: this is the teaching
point, not a strategy.
Comentario [18]: Indeed! =)

Students could understand my questions, instructions and explanations, as I used very simple
instructions as well as miming, modelling and visual aids. I didn´t have to use Spanish in any step
of the lesson.
factors helped me a lot in order to attract students´ attention. This time, I could control the
volume of my voice as I felt much more relaxed than in the previous lesssons.
I established a very good relationship with the students; I congratulated them for their job,
giving them encouraging messages. I think that they felt comfortable with my presence in the
classroom and they are getting used to my way of talking and teaching.
As I said before, the game was a great success, so I have to include more game in the following
lessons.
This lesson went on as expected. I felt much more relaxed, even though I had the camera
recording the lesson again. The activities were attractive for students. The comments the local
tutor made were again positive and encouraging. I don´t see aspects of this lesson for
improvement. Fortunately, I could meet the aims. Students are working hard and I think they
are actively learning.
The seating arrangement (in pairs) was again useful, as students could see and talk to each
other.
Group: 3° B
Date: Tuesday, 20th
October

the Communicative Approach. This was a lesson based on oral activities in order to revise and
use the new structure (SHOULD/SHOULDN´T). Students interacted with the teacher and
mostly with each other during the lesson. First they have to give advice to the teacher about
her daily diet. Then, they had to work in pairs in order to compare their answer to a quiz about
healthy lifestyle. They also shared their ideas with their partner when they had to mark
sentences as true or false according to the information given in the listening activity. This
lesson gave them the opportunity to integrate language skills, especially listening and speaking.
I applied strategies related to giving advice on how to follow a healthy lifestyle. I checked
understanding by using questions such as “Do you understand? Is it clear?. Besides, I modeled,
showed and pointed while I was showing the words on the board; I explained instructions of the
activities.
Again, during this lesson I could build an atmosphere but this time students do not seem secure
to participate. Some students could not get engaged during the lesson because they had an exam
of another subject after the English lesson, and so they were thinking about that. It was
difficult to catch their attention, but finally they worked well.
In this lesson I considered auditory learning style as oral interaction prevailed, and listening
activities were the main focus of the lesson.
As I said before, students reacted well, but some of them didn´t really get involved in the
activities. Some of them could not pay attention to my instructions or questions as they were
concentrated on another subject. I could see that they had some notes from other subjects on
their desks. The local tutor apologized for this. She told me that students have four term tests
(integrative) this week, and some others next week. That was why it was difficult for me to
catch their attention at the beginning. Although the warm-up activity was motivating and
meaningful, it was difficult to manage the lesson, as they didn´t participate a lot.
Comentario [19]: This may happen!
Comentario [20]: What did you do
about this? Did you ask them to put
their notes away? Did you invite them
to focus on the English lesson? You
might negotiate this and provide the last
minutes of your class for them to revise
for the following test.

instructions as well as miming, modeling or paraphrasing.
My voice was loud and clear, and the intonation that I used was proper for the students. Again,
I felt much more relaxed than in the first lessons.
giving them encouraging messages.
This lesson didn´t go on exactly as expected. The activities were attractive for students but
they couldn´t get engaged in the lesson at all. However, this is something difficult to deal with
because it wasn´t that they didn´t feel my lesson motivating, but they were concentrated on
their exams and it is comprehensible.
I have already planned the following lesson, but I think it was useful to know that students are
having term tests these weeks, in order to understand their reaction to my lessons. Fortunately
my next lesson is on Friday, in the last periods, so they won´t be thinking about other subjects.
However, I think they may feel tired of having so many exams during the week.
Group: 3° B
Date: Friday, 23rd
October
Again, I used the Communicative Approach, developing activities in meaningful contexts and
the Communicative Approach. This was a lesson based on oral activities in order to revise and
use the new structure (SHOULD/SHOULDN´T). Students interacted with the teacher and
mostly with each other during the lesson. First they had to remember the pieces of advice
about how to have a healthy lifestyle given in the radio programme they listened to the previous
Comentario [21]: Good to consider
this external factor. :)
Great job, Natalia!!
Comentario [22]: Avoid repetition.

lesson. They were asked to use should and shouldn´t. Then, they had to work in pairs in order to
predict the tips for a healthy life the video was going to mention. They also shared their ideas
with their partner when they had to mark sentences as true or false according to the
information given in the video. Once more, this lesson gave them the opportunity to integrate
language skills, especially listening and speaking.
I checked understanding by using questions such as “Do you understand? Is it clear?. Besides, I
modeled, showed and pointed while I watching the Power Pont and the video; I explained
instructions of the activities and asked a volunteer to explain what they had to do in L1 or L2, in
order to make sure they clearly understood.
Again, during this lesson I could build an atmosphere and I was really glad to see that how they
reacted to my lesson. They didn´t look tired as I thought they would be after having so many
exams during the week. On the contrary, they were waiting for me and they even told me that
they wanted to play another game, so I will include a game next week. So I can say that in this
lesson it was easy to catch their attention, and they seemed really engaged with the video that
I showed them.
In this lesson I considered auditory learning style as oral interaction prevailed, and listening
activities were the main focus of the lesson.
As I said before, students reacted much better than expected. They actively participated
during the lesson and they worked really hard. They liked the video about the Ten Tips for a
healthy life and they agreed with the tips mentioned.
instructions as well as miming, modeling or paraphrasing.
The Power Point that I prepared and the video that I showed were a success. They enjoyed
working with them. Besides, the role-play that I did together with the local tutor was also
catching. The teacher acted as a patient and I was the doctor. She came and asked me for
Comentario [24]: They were really
engaged and motivated...

advice in order to have a healthier life and to feel better, and I gave her advice using should
and shouldn´t.
Fortunately, this lesson went on exactly as expected. The activities were more than attractive
for students and they got engaged in the lesson.
Again, I think it was useful to know that students are having term tests the following week, in
order to understand their reaction to my lessons. I also consider that I should include a new
game in any of the lessons because they asked me to do so and even more if I consider that next
week I will have my last lessons with them.
Group: 3° B
Date: Tuesday, 27th
October
I used the Communicative Approach, developing activities in meaningful context and encouraging
students to participate during the class. The planning and the lesson were based on the
Communicative Approach. This was a lesson based on an oral and written activity in order to
revise and use the new structure (SHOULD/SHOULDN´T). Students had to interact with each
other so as to write a dialogue between a doctor and a patient.
Comentario [25]: Very good
strategies!!
Comentario [26]: :)

I checked understanding by using questions such as “Do you understand? Is it clear?. I
explained the instruction of the activity and asked a volunteer to explain what they had to do in
L1 or L2, in order to make sure they clearly understood.
During this lesson I could have a good contact with the students, walking around the class to
check how they were working in pairs and answering their doubts or questions.
In this lesson I considered auditory learning style as oral interaction prevailed mostly between
them.
Students reacted really well. They actively worked during the lesson in order to create their
dialogues.
Students could understand my instructions and explanations, as I used very simple instructions
as well as modeling or paraphrasing.
The idea of letting them write their own dialogues and to activate their imagination was a very
good factor to consider.
The lesson went on exactly as expected.
This lesson was mainly based on student-student interaction. My role was basically one of guide
or facilitator, so I do not have any aspect to highlight regarding this issue.
Natalia, you have done a very good job!
For the last journal entries, consider the following:
To what extent has this experience helped you in your teaching development?
What have you learnt about this age group?
What do you think you still need to learn about students this age?
Comentario [27]: Fantastic!
Comentario [28]: Good for you!!

Did you do some research on this age group before you started teaching these children?
How did your previous knowledge help you plan your lessons and teach your classes?
What new pedagogical knowledge did you acquire?
What relevance did you give to pedagogical decisions while planning and teaching your
lessons and when reflecting upon them?
To what extent and in what ways has keeping a teaching journal deepened your knowledge
and improved your teaching practice?
Group: 3° B
Date: Thursday, 29th
October
I used the Communicative Approach, developing activities in meaningful context and encouraging
students to participate during the class. This was a lesson based on the presentation of the
dialogue between a patient and a doctor that they wrote and rehearsed during the previous
lesson.
I explained the instruction of the activity and I provided feedback on specific words or
structures students used in their dialogues.
During this lesson I could have a good contact with the students, walking around the class and
listening to their presentations in front of their mates.
In this lesson I considered auditory learning style as oral interaction prevailed.
Students reacted really well. They all participated, role-playing their dialogues. I could see that
many of them practiced the dialogues at home and even though they had the possibility of
reading the dialogues, they did it really well. The local tutor and I checked the way the
expressed themselves and how they pronounced, apart from the content of the dialogues. Comentario [29]: Did you provide
learners with feedback?

I could establish a very good relationship with the students; I congratulated them for their job,
The idea of asking them to act out their dialogues made them feel more self-confident and gain
confidence in front of their mates, especially shy or introvert students.
I think I wouldn´t change anything. Students were eager to participate.
To what extent has this experience helped you in your teaching development?
I think this experience helped me a lot in my teaching development. Even though I have always
worked with teenagers in different English centres, this was one of my first experiences with
teenagers in a school. I believe I have learnt a lot from the students and the way they
responded to the activities suggested by the teacher. The relationship that one is able to
establish with students is incredible, and this is one of the factors that contribute to the way
students respond.
What have you learnt about this age group? What do you think you still need to learn
about students this age? Did you do some research on this age group before you started
teaching these children?
I have learnt a lot about this age group. I did research about the characteristics of this group
age and I have some experience with the students of the same age. I knew in advance that at
this age, (14 – 15 years old) students are no longer children but not teenagers either. Students
are in a transitional stage, from children to adolescents. I consider that the changes that they
experience during this special age make them react in different ways to the situations they
face every day. I could perceive this in the group and I could learn a lot about how students at
this age operate and interact with each other and their teachers.
How did your previous knowledge help you plan your lessons and teach your classes?
My previous knowledge really helped me plan the lessons. I consider that if we know the
characteristics of a group of students before teaching them everything can go as expected. The
two observations that I had before planning were enriching and I could get useful information
about the group level and way of learning.
Comentario [30]: Yes!!
Comentario [31]: Good!!

To what extent and in what ways has keeping a teaching journal deepened your knowledge
and improved your teaching practice?
Keeping a teaching journal helped me a lot to reflect on how things went on and to see what
things or aspects of the lessons needed changes or improvement. Writing the journal just after
each lesson gave me the opportunity to make the necessary adjustments to the following lesson
plan, and to write down possible ideas that came to my mind while delivering the lesson.
Group: 3° B
Date: Friday, 30th
October
The activity that I developed for this last lesson was a game and it was set in meaningful
context, encouraging students to participate. This was a lesson based on a game in which
students could revise the vocabulary and the structure learnt during my lessons.
I explained the instruction of the game and I checked understanding before playing by using
phrases such as “Do you understand?”, “Is it clear?”
During this lesson I could have a good contact with the students and I considered auditory
learning style as only oral interaction took place.
Students reacted very well. They were really happy to see that I brought a game to the
classroom again. They loved playing the game and they could apply all the vocabulary and
structure that they learnt.
Comentario [32]: Great!!! This is one
if the main purposes of journal writing.
Comentario [33]: What was the
context of the game?
Comentario [34]: Was this enough?
Did you demonstrate? Did you model?

The relationship that I established with students in this last lesson was an important factor.
They could check and revise or revisit all the things we had been learning during the lessons.
They really enjoyed it and the liked the idea of having two groups in the class.
I wouldn´t change anything. Students were eager to participate. As I said before, this was the
last lesson and, as it was short (40 minutes) I believe that the game was the best option.
6. To what extent has this experience helped you in your teaching development?
As I said in my previous journal, I think this experience helped me a lot in my teaching
development. I learnt about what to pay attention while working with teens, their needs and
demands. I consider that this experience fulfilled my expectations.
At the end of the lesson I thanked students for working so hard and being so nice to me. I also
told them that I had learnt a lot from them. They gave me a nice feedback, telling me that they
liked and enjoyed the idea of having a new teacher in the classroom and that my lessons were
entertaining.
In conclusion, I can say that this experience was great for me!
Comentario [36]: Good for you!!
Comentario [37]: Congratulations on
your work, Natalia!
Throughout your practicum in the three
levels, you have showed your
commitment to this profession, and to
your growth as a teacher.
You may now upload this journal to the
campus.
Best
Cecilia

Rodrigues - Practicum journal - Secondary level

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