1) The author completed their practicum experience teaching secondary students at a private school. They felt comfortable with the target language level and enjoyed teaching this age group. 2) Their lessons aligned with students' needs, abilities, and the reality of preparing for an exam. The author was able to successfully incorporate theoretical aspects of teaching into practice. 3) Most students were at a similar language level, allowing the author to focus on the class as a whole. Time management and further understanding each student could be improved. Feedback from observers was sometimes discouraging but the author remains motivated to continue developing their skills.

1. PERSONAL EVALUATION of the PRACTICUM
EXPERIENCE in SECONDARY
Paula Schulze
October, 2015
Introduction:
In this third and last stage of my practicum period, once again I have
the feeling that I have put into practice more than a few of the topics we
have covered in the last 5 years, not with little effort! To achieve this, I have
also tried to use all my previous experience and in this way accomplish the
goals of this phase. Truly speaking and knowing that each period has its
challenges and characteristics, teaching in this secondary level at a private
school has been a real pleasure; I felt really comfortable with this group-level
as well as the target language required to deal with it.
Development:
At this point and thinking back, I can say that my pedagogical plan was
in accordance to the learners’ needs, reality, and abilities. Therefore, I truly
felt at ease with the theory and the practice most of the time. I could
experience a great satisfaction of merging what I had academically learned
the previous years with the students’ response but also, and at the same time,
being myself. My expectations were high, as they had been in the previous
stages, but as I was pleased with the whole process I underwent while
learning, planning and teaching mainly, now I feel they have been fulfilled or
met. At times, while teaching I sensed as if the theoretical aspects of my
professional development were already incorporated in the practice and that
feeling was fantastic!
The process of planning was tough, not because of the topics
themselves but because I had to closely follow the schedule of the teaching
and revising topics that I had prepared with the teacher of the group. This is

2. so because the students were being trained to sit for the First Certificate
Exam. Then, when the practicum classes started, I became little by little more
secure with the topics to be taught and the management of the group itself
and I knew I could fulfill the topics we had planned to cover. Besides, finding
different teaching strategies was also another challenge. To cope with it, I
tried to use interactive, emotional and engaging tactics as resources for the
learners to process the new and several grammar structures, for example,
they had to learn during my six classes.
Like what I had done in primary, in these secondary plans I included
the stage in which students had to explain again what they had to do so as to
check they had understood, so this strategy to check understanding of the
instructions was used like in the previous stages with great results. I also
included the metacognitive aspect of asking the students what they consider
they had learnt. In both cases they were of great importance to have the
expected outcome. I mention these aspects because before given the classes,
I thought probably they would not be necessary as the learners were in 4th
year of secondary but giving it a second thought I considered them really
relevant to their language learning process and so I kept them in my plans with
positive results.
Talking specifically about the group, I can say that one of its
characteristics is that most of the learners have the same level at the time of
considering their knowledge of the target language so, practically all the
learners, participated actively in most of the classes. Of course, some of
them, and due to their personality, did it spontaneously while others had to be
invited to do so. This infrequent situation of not having a mixed ability group
really helped me to concentrate my efforts and attention on the learners as a
whole at the time of assigning tasks or demanding answers, for example.
Thinking forward, I think I would like to improve the time management
so as to promote this perfect cycle there should be in each class, broadly
speaking: the revision, teaching, practice and self-evaluation steps. As regards
the rapport with the learners I think I have absolutely achieved it since
before starting the class, I always like to chat with most of them about their

3. weekends, family matters, extracurricular activities, etc or include those
topics when working in class. Nevertheless, I seriously believe that I have to
keep on working to know my students deeply on their handle of the target
language not only to help them on their weaknesses but also and mainly to
foster and promote their strengths. Consequently, this will create good
conditions in the classroom.
Reflecting about my emotions, I can say that I was worried I would
feel sort of lost or insecure as regards my teaching style, the students´ needs
and level and also with the classroom environment! This is so because the
classroom teacher has many years of experience in this level and at this school
so she has known most of the students’ development for a long time. So I was
cautious and tried to pave the way to designing classes tailor made, I mean, in
accordance to my style and the students’ one form my point of view. How did I
do it? Mainly observing the students while working and asking them how they
felt/liked the classes and finally through their response to the activities
proposed. Fortunately, everything went well or as I expected.
When taking into account the others’ viewpoints, I can say that both,
the tutor and the teacher who observed my classes were of great relevance.
The observer was watching my classes really closely and at times that made
me feel very tense because she was considering aspects that sometimes you
cannot control during the first classes when you are nervous, trying to cope
with the new situation and to grasp the students’ attention among many other
things plus all at the same time! I have to confess that reading her comments
after each class at times was a bit discouraging: the negative aspects were
always much more than the positive ones. However, I knew I had the tutor´s
support and besides there is always time and room for improvement!
Personal Conclusions:
It is clear that becoming a good teacher is a life-long process, a
process with a beginning but no end since now, more than ever, I feel we can
invite the students to “do” many things with the target language in but also
outside the classroom. In this teaching /learning route, efforts and obstacles

4. will undoubtedly help me to enhance my teaching practice in many areas making
it really meaningful as well. This last period has been intensive emotionally
speaking because it was the last one and the most difficult one as regards the
level of the structures I had to teach. But on the other hand, I was really
enthusiastic since I feel I have grown academically but also as regards
experience. This gives me a new perspective at the time of standing in front
of a class. I have tools to support my decisions at the time of choosing this
activity or not the other one, for example, since I know why they could be
better or not according to the students´ needs or interests. Lastly, I am much
more motivated and convinced that I am on the right track to getting the
most of my professional knowledge and development.