1) The student's experience teaching kindergarten English did not start well due to scheduling issues caused by the teacher's pregnancy leave, but the teachers helped her accomplish her goals. 2) Her first class was very anxious but went better than expected, though some students were difficult to manage. Lesson two did not go as well due to spending too much time on one activity. 3) Subsequent lessons improved with better planning and activities that engaged students, including videos, songs, and games. Overall it was a positive learning experience that highlighted areas for the student's continued growth in teaching strategies and classroom management.

1. FINAL REFLECTION ON KINDERGARTEN EXPERIENCE
Student: Saboy, María Fernanda
My experienceinKindergartendidnotstartvery well because the class teacher was pregnant
and, as there were some cases of chicken pox at school, her obstetrician recommended that
she shouldstayat home till the breaksubsided.Asaresult,Ihad to change my schedule many
times. Besides, I was very anxious and fearful because I had never taught at Kinder level.
Another problem was that I am (or was up to now) a digital illiterate. However, the class
teacher (and the other teachers working there) encouraged me and helped me a lot. I think
that withouttheirinvaluablehelpIcould not have accomplished my goals as regards this first
stage of my practicum.
At last the first class arrived! I was trembling from head to toes. The class teacher offered to
filmme andshe also intervened to restore order when it was necessary. The group consisted
of 30 noisy,demandingandenergeticfive-year-oldchildrenand there were two or three boys
that were reallydifficulttomanage. On the bright side, I have to say that the girls were really
sweet and adorable. As I do not have kids of my own, I did not know how I would feel, but it
was really easy to fall in love with them.
Lesson one went a lot better than I expected because I could conduct the whole class in
English. The materials and resources that I used were a good choice and they helped a lot. I
selected a video to present “Pets”, which was the topic that the English teacher indicated. I
was really surprised by the fact that the kids were mesmerized while watching it. Then, I
presentedsome home-made flashcards (with photographs of real animals) in order to revise
the pets shown in the video, trying to make the students repeat their names (that was really
tough work!). After that, I stuck the pictures in different places of the classroom and when I
asked “Where’s the…?” the kids had to go to the correct picture making the sounds of that
animal, e.g. “Woof, meow, glub, etc.” Some did not understand what they had to do and the
class got a bit noisy, but, overall, I was satisfied with the results.
Unfortunately, the second lesson did not go so well. This time, I did not present a video (we
onlywatchedthe “Hello”video,whichis part of the routine). First, I showed them pictures of
onlyone pet(the same of the previouslesson) andthen,Ipresentedimages of more than one
pet in order to revise numbers from one to ten. Things went completely out of hand and the
class teacher had to intervene to tell them off (in Spanish) to restore order in the classroom.
Reflectingafterthe class,Irealized that I had spent too much time sticking the images on the
blackboardwithmyback to the children (whichisone thingteachers must avoid) and that the
activitybecame toolongandboringfor the kids(whenteachingveryyounglearners, activities
should be short and varied because they have short attention spans).
For Lesson3, I decidedtodevise a“settler”activity.Afterreflectingaboutwhat had happened
the previous lesson, and taking into account the Didactics and Psychology theory, I realized
that children cannot be “up” all the time, because they can get very excited and difficult to
manage.

2. Before the class, I stuck on the blackboard flashcards with the numbers from one to ten. The
aimwas to revise the numbers.Thistime,the children really participated saying the numbers
in English. Then, I proceeded to stick four images showing more than one pet. They had to
count the animals and tell me the correct number, which I draw next to the image on the
blackboard.Afterthat,Idistributedhandoutstocountandcolourthe pets(adifferent pet and
a differentnumberineach line). The kids had to count the pets, write the number at the end
of the line, and then colour the animals. The activity was a good choice, the kids liked it a lot
and worked really well.
In Lesson4 I had to presentanewtopic:Body parts. My cousinlentme a beautiful doll,whichI
used to introduce the topic. Then, we watched a video presenting the classical song “Head,
Shoulders,Knees and Toes” and I must say that it was an excellent choice. The children were
delighted listening to it, and they managed to imitate the movements that they saw in the
images. After listening (and singing) I showed them flashcards with the parts of the body
mentionedinthe song, but this time in a different order. They had to name the parts as they
appearedinthe song, and I ordered them on the blackboard. This time I felt that things were
gettingbetterbecause I gradually got to know the group and could establish a better rapport
with them.
The fifth lesson was the last one, and I had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand I felt
happy that I was near the end of the first stage of my practicum (which I had thought I would
not be able to accomplish); on the other hand, I was sad thinking that I had to leave that
endearingandvivaciouschildren.Aftersingingthe “Hello”song(which bynow they had learnt
the lyrics), we proceeded to sing “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”. I was surprised by how
eagerand enthusiastictheywere singingandmakingthe appropriate movements,which I also
made (I wascompletelyexhausted after that!) Then we played a Bingo game, using the parts
of the bodythat theyhad just learnt.Idistributedthe plasticbottle tapsthattheywoulduse as
markersand I modelledthe activityforthemfirst.The classbecame quite noisybut they could
finish the activity very well. At the end of the class I gave them candy bags as a present and
theywere delighted.Then, their class teacher told them that it was my last lesson with them
and they sang “Te damos las muchas gracias”. That was a moving moment indeed.
Overall Ican conclude that,in spite of some drawbacks, this was a very positive experience. I
tried to put into practice the theoretical principles and guidelines that we learnt during this
course of studies (in Didactics and Psychology). As regards methods, I can mention:
. Natural Approach: Devised by Stephen Krashen (1983), it is a collection of methods and
techniquesintendedtoprovide the learnerwithcomprehensiblelanguage in ways similar to a
child learning their first language, and it emphasizes communication.
. PPP (Presentation-Practice-Production) method: According to Jeremy Harmer (2009), it is a
good way to teach simple language at lower levels.
. Total Physical Response (TPR): This method theorizes that physical movement can improve
second-languageacquisition by creating mind-body links, e.g. encouraging students to move
each body part as they say or hear a word or phrase.

3. One important aspect was the one related to teaching strategies. As the children did not
understandeverythingthatIsaid in English, I had to use body language, mime and gestures a
lot,but itwas worththe effort.Itwas alsoa wise decisiontouse toys and real images to try to
attract the kids’attention.They really liked the stuffed animals and the pictures of real pets,
which were very colourful and attractive. The videos that I chose were also a good election,
the childrenwere reallyattentive andeagertomime the movementsand to learn the lyrics of
the songs.
With regard to management strategies, I believe it is (or has been in this stage of my
practicum) one of my weakest points. I have already said that the group was a rather noisy
one, but I ended feeling that I could not find a way to manage them correctly. In the first
lessons, some of the boys told me that they did not like English because they were bored. I
discoveredthattheywere not accustomed to being addressed in L2, and sometimes the only
way to restore order was to tell them off in L1 (as the class teacher used to do). However, I
tried to appeal to the strategies that I use with my students in the evening school: lots of
patience andlove.Ihave to saythat at least withone of the kids it worked, in the last class he
told me that he wanted me to stay with them. I know that love is not enough and I am also
aware that I have to learnto be more strict or tough at the time of establishingclassroomrules
and behavior codes.
In conclusion, this experience has been an enriching and insightful one. The children have
taught me a lot of new things, about how a kindergarten functions and about myself. All the
people involved have helped me immensely, of which I will ever be grateful. Of course, I am
determinedtocontinue learningand improving (in spite of my age). I will try to keep in mind
and apply all that I have learnt so far in the forthcoming stages, primary and secondary.