Teaching meeting

 The head teacher sent to all the teachers these two documents, in order to reflect all together in the next meeting about which methodology are they using during the projects. During the meeting,  this topic ended up in a really interesting and useful discussion about some teaching topics. I'm going to summarize them in this entry, because I considered that it was completely useful for me to listen how teachers with more experience than me talked about these topics:

- Teachers have to be careful with what we expect from our students or what we think about them (profecia d'autocompliment)

- Sometimes, we have to think better about the applicability of what we do. A great project has to have applicability, but this can be considered a synthesis of what they have learnt, or just the resource to develop the project, like a development activity.

- The projects need more time to reflect, teachers should comment the projects together to think about advantages and disadvantages of it. It's important to reflect before doing it, but also after.

- The projects should have all the learning stages that are represented on the first picture.

- The individual needs are not always attended as they must be attended. 

- It is difficult to assess a project, but teachers must remember that the results normally can be seen later, in a long term.

- It's really important to establish strategies to work in pairs, because the students' assistance in some cases can be more helpful than the teacher' assistance.

- We have to try to include different ways to elaborate our projects in order to deal with all the different learning styles. This means that in the same project there has to be visual activities, kinaesthetic, listening, and so on.

- The importance of the brainstorming: decide properly what to ask, because it is completely necessary to know in what level the students are, to start building a knowledge from what they know. 

- The importance of keep students motivated during all the projects. If we want them to learn, we can't loose their attention.

- When we ask to the students about what they know or what they did in other projects, not only it is important to ask about concepts (What did you learn?) but also to ask about the processes that were used (How did you do it? Did you use a sketch? How did you distribute the work? Did you create something?). If we ask for the processes, we will remind them ways to learn and they will have more opportunities to see where they are better and to decide the best way for them to study.

I would like to end this post saying that I felt completely lucky to be in this teaching meeting, because with a bit more than an hour I learnt a lot of interesting aspects about methodology and I also listened to interesting and useful experiences of teachers with a very interesting background. I also realised about the importance of sharing opinions and having some moments to discuss this kind of topics with the rest of the teachers.

"In today's environment, hoarding knowledge ultimately erodes your power. If you know something very important, the way to get power is by actually sharing it."

Joseph Badaracco

A child-centered activity: A Personal Timeline

The aim of a child-centered activity is not only that students acquire a body of knowledge (as in the teacher-centered model), but also to develop autonomous processes of thought. The spontaneous activity of the student is, at once, the goal and the starting point for educational activities. For this reason, I am going to show an example of a child-centered activity, which in my opinion sumarizes what it means. I have observed it the last week at 6th grade. Students have to create their personal timeline, by showing moments of the past, present and future. 

First of all, the activity is giving the opportunity to revise three verb tenses. What's more, it is a completely personal activity, where pupils have to think about what information they want to include and rewrite this information in sentences with the appropriate tense. They can also become more autonomous, because they have the responsability to get the information, to write it and to distribute it in their personal timelines. The teacher has not said that there is a compulsory way to present this work. I consider that this "freedom" regarding to the final work allows students to become more creative and to enjoy more the activity: they can use a power point presentation, a cardboard drawing, a ruler with some pasted papers...

3rd session of Carnival through English

Today we have created costumes of "owls" and "witches and wizards" with some students of 1st and 2nd grade. I have started presenting these new words, although there were some students that knew the words witch and wizard. As well as I did during other sessions, in this case I have presented the compliments step by step, depending on the rhythm that the pupils had. I have realised that some of them were faster than others, but they have helped each other and they have been patient. There have also been some aspects that were not ready, because there was not enough material to do the witches' hats. Anyway, we have improvised by making the pupils brush the stars and the moons in order to keep them working on the costume. I have realised about the importance of getting everything ready before the session. For that reason, me and the English specialist have created a list after finishing the lesson. We have written down what we need to finish of each costume. This list will help us in order to manage the sessions of the next week.

However, I have also been conscious of the importance of improvising with the pupils when something is not as the teacher had supposed. 

Here there are the materials that I have used during this session:

COSTUME OF OWLS                           COSTUME OF WITCHES AND WIZARDS 

To end this post, I will recommend and online article about teaching and the improvisation during the teaching process. Click here to read it:
Improvising is good teaching

In the article, the aim of the author is to help readers to understand the complex nature of teaching. I have chosen a pharagraph of it:

"And so, continuing in that manner, I end up making multiple decisions every minute about what to say or not say, what questions to ask what questions to answer, what tangents to follow and what digressions to refocus, which student to help right now and which student to follow-up with later.  I’d say that for some lessons, estimates of a hundred-something decisions per hour could be on the conservative side, as there are many observations we make in every moment."

David B. Cohen

2nd session of Carnival through English

Today I have been also working with 30 pupils of 1st and 2nd grade. Today, the two groups were working to create two costumes: flowers and fairies. Conceivably, they were all girls. My first task has been to introduce these two new words for them.

Then, I have used the same strategy than yesterday: Showing some posters to help them during the costumes creations. I have expained how to do the first accessory of the costume of each group. When they have finished, I have followed my guide and I have explained them the next step.

It has been a great session. At first, I was a bit worried about the fairies: they were 15 and we only had 2 molds to create the stars for the wings. Surprisingly, all the girls have been able to wait their turns and to be patient. I have felt calmer when I have realised it. I have kept helping them, providing both groups with the materials that they needed, and naming all of them in English. It is really satisfying when the students come to you to ask for something and they do it in English. It is also amazing when you see how they are working, in an independent way and helping each other constantly.

Here there are the materials that I have used during this session:

 COSTUME OF FLOWERS                                            COSTUME OF FAIRIES

We haven't had enough time to finish all the compliments of each costume, so the next Thursday we will keep working on it. I think that the results are going to be amazing!

  

I would like to finish this post with this quote, which perfectly summarizes what I have felt after finishing my explanation, when the girls have started working on their own:

The greatest sign of success for a teacher is to be able to say, "The children are now working as if I did not exist."

Maria Montessori

The use of TIC at La Sínia

Nowadays, most of the schools of our countries are influenced by the new technologies, and the classrooms and management of the activities have changed considerably.
This use of the new technologies at schools have a lot of advantages, such as motivation, interaction between students and teachers, cooperative learning, easy access to the information, development of the creativity and so on.
But let's face it. It has also some disadvantages. It may cause distraction, students can become more anxious and we can get some wrong information. That's why a good teacher has to take into account all the factors, and use these new technologies in an appropriate way to achieve a successful learning.

In "La Sínia", most of the classrooms have a digital board, but it is not always an essential resource for the methodology that it is used in the school. What's more, there is a computer room shared by all the levels. There are twelve computers, so when a class comes to that room it has to be only the half, or either they can work in pairs. 

The use of the new technologies depends on the way that each teacher works and manages the lessons. There are some teachers at school that are really current with the new technologies, because they are studying a master or just because they enjoy using them. However, there are others that prefer to use another methodology and to leave the TIC for other subjects.

Regarding to English lessons, the teacher usually uses internet to show videos to the pupils or to do online activities with them. She also uses webquests in order to refresh something at home that the students have recently studied in class. Sometimes, and mostly with the eldest students, the English teacher asks them to do some work by using the computer. It is the case of the activity "My personal timeline". The teacher has suggested them to make a power point explaining their own timelines to the rest of the pupils.

1st session of Carnival through English

Today I have been working with 30 pupils of 1st and 2nd grade. Some of them have chosen the costume of "Squirrels", and the others are wearing a costume of "Elves". My first task has been to introduce these two new words for them.

Then, I have created some posters to help them during the costumes creations. I have expained how to do the first accessory of the costume of each group. When they have finished, I have followed my guide and I have explained them the next step.

The class have been really successful. At first, I have thought that probably it would be quite difficult to understand the process that was explained in English, but I wanted to do my best and work hard to achieve the understanding of each step. Finally I have realised that they were following the steps as I had explained. During the process of the accessories, I have been talking in English with the students. I have shown the materials that we were going to use before starting, and I also have remembered them some colours using the materials that were needed in the costume. Finally, I have been congratulating them with phrases like: "Good job!" "Amazing!" "Keep working, you are doing it really well". They have felt really happy with my reactions.

The other two teachers, who were working with me to help the pupils during the elaboration of the costumes, have congratulated me. What's more, they have proposed me to follow the same methodology for the next sessions of costumes. I have felt really proud of my work and I am looking forward to start the next session tomorrow. 

Here there are the materials that I have used during this session:

COSTUME OF ELVES                                               COSTUME OF SQUIRRELS

 (Next Wednesday we will keep on the creation of the costumes, some of the steps have not been explained yet because it has not been enough time to complete the whole costume).

With this work, I have also realised that we can do whatever using English, but if we want a successful result, we have to work hard to plan it properly, and also to believe that our students are able to understand it. If not, we can try to do our best to make them understand what we want, by using mimics, examples, synonymous and these kind of strategies.

I would like to end this post with a sentence that summarizes what I have felt after this session. Students have been able to understand the process of the construction of their costumes in English, and it has been amazing.

"Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them."

(Lady Bird Johnson)

Pictures:

Carnival through English

During the second week of my school placement, the school is getting ready for Carnival. I'll help the English teacher to organize the costums of 1st and 2nd grade.  My purpose will be to guide pupils during the costumes' creation through English. I have started to focus these six sessions and I am deciding some aspects: 

1. The most important vocabulary:
   - Costumes (flowers, owls, rangers, squirrels, witches and wizards, elves, bears and fairies)
   - Materials (cardboard, scissors, glue, coloured paper...)
   - Verbs (cut, colour, stick...)
2. The methodology that I am going to use:
   - Some posters with pictures
   - A guide with the steps that pupils need to follow
   - Compliment vocabulary: Amazing, fantastic, that sounds good, bravo, congratulations, nice work
    
3. More aspects to take into account:
   - Groups: Each carnival group is composed with 15 pupils more or less
   - Organization: They will be working two groups each day (so two different costumes per day)
   - Time: They are 6 groups, so there are three lessons of two hours.
   - Resources: Before starting, we have to create patterns of each compliment, in order to make sure that it is okay, to show it to the students and to offer them some help.

Teaching at "La Sínia" - Working on projects

To be a teacher in this school means to be compromised and to share common objectives with the rest of the teachers. In the meetings after the morning lessons, all the teachers get involved in doing a brainstorm about how to solve any problem, how to focus a crosscurricular project or how to improve some things that are not working at all.  

In this first week, I have realised the importance of working together as a group, of the communication between all the members of the school and the good relationship that exists. For example, they are preparing the carnival project, and all the teachers are getting involved on it, in different ways. Songs, costumes, dances... There is a common topic: The forest. Then, the pupils choose their costume by groups, such as squirrels, bears, rangers, flowers... The teachers' task is to invent the complements that students have to do for their costumes, decide an appropriate music for each group and prepare a choreography.

The English specialists are responsible of the costumes of first and second grade.

Methodology aspects to highline of the English lessons

1. Using corners with the whole group
   There are four corners to work on: listening, reading, vobulary and project. They work in groups of five, and the groups stay in the same corner two days. The teacher promotes the cooperation and she tries to make pupils understand that they are a team. She goes around helping pupils, but she normally stays with the group of the project.
2. Project: All about me
   This project consists in creating a poster with some personal information: Family, favourite food, pets, clothes and fruit. They have to present the poster orally and the teacher records them. There are some basic instructions: clear voice, eye contact, how to solve a mistake during the oral presentation... Then, the poster is hanged on the walls of the corridor, and the rest of the school can have a look at them.
3. Individual attention
   If the teacher realises that something is not working properly or some pupils don't achieve the objectives established in each corner, she asks them to come to her office and to solve the doubts, correct the mistakes or continue the work that has not been finished.
4. Management of the class
   Some days pupils are more nervous, normally when they come from the playground or there has been an argument. Then, the teacher makes them read for a while, ten minutes more or less. She told me that it is a very useful strategy, it does not matter if they are reading in catalan. The habit of reading is something that pupils must have. In addition, it is a good example to read while they are reading, because teachers are examples, and students tend to imitate teachers' attitudes.

Week 1: First Impressions

Before starting my practice period, I went to the school to present myself and to know the school and the teachers that worked there. The English teacher, Bea, was completely kind from the start. She offered to help me in whatever I needed, and she tried to summarise how she worked with the students. I felt really confortable with her. Therefore, my first impression was amazing, and I quickly realised that this experience was going to be really useful for me. 

So that, I arrived the first day completely enthusiastic. I was eager to start the lessons! The English teacher made me present myself to all the students. This brief introduction of myself, in most of the cases, caused the pupils' attention and many questions of my personal background emerged.

The first day I started to become familiar with the routines of the school, and with the methodology of the English teacher. I realised the diversity of the classrooms and how complicate can be to approach all the multiple intelligences. The teacher showed me how she worked with each group and what projects was she following.

In the case of 3rd and 4th grades, she was working with corners with the whole group. When she had the whole group, she was starting to present a new topic, related with a theatre play that the students were going to watch in a few weeks. The topic was: "The Lochness monster". There were some activities, songs and vocabulary established to work with them before watching the theatre play.

In the case of 5th and 6th grades, she was also working though corners when she had the whole group. She was also finishing with them the project "All about me", a poster with some personal aspects. She was explaining them how to present the poster, regarding some aspects such as pronunciation, position, attitude and so on. She is also starting a new work: "The timeline". This work has the purpose of integrate sentences of past, present and future to do a personal timeline.

The second day I went on a trip to "El Parlament de Barcelona". It was a nice day and I had the opportunity to know better the pupils of sixth grade.

The third day was very hard, the teacher had a lot of work and I tried my best to help her. I also gave her some resources that I had from the subject "Didàctica de la Llengua Anglesa" and she really liked them. There was also a meeting with the rest of the teachers to decide some methodology aspects for the carnival project. We also started a new topic with the 5th grade related with a project of the school: the five senses. The purpose of this topic is to make the pupils know the main parts of the body that are involved in the five senses and how to name them.

On Friday morning, the English teacher was backing a group of second grade. I went with her and I help some pupils with difficulties to do a composition in Catalan. Then, we did corners with the fifth grade and I recorded some pupils on their oral presentations of a project "All about me". I tried to remember them the main aspects to take into account in order to do the presentation properly:
- Look at the camera
- Speak clearly
- Show the poster while you speak
- If you make a mistake, you can solve it:
        - Saying sorry and correcting it
        - If it has been a long time ago, just follow
- Closing sentence: "Thank you for your attention"

In the afternoon, we continued with the five senses project. It was time to do a  "hearing activity", which consists in listening to some sounds and decide the name of the animal/person/instrument and write it down. Children enjoyed a lot during the activity and I considered it a really useful resource to introduce new vocabulary and to use the hearing sense.

Interesting features of the school

Brief history

La Sínia has a very recent history. It was opened in September 2004 in two prefabricated modules, with two groups of P3 and only four teachers. A year later a group of P5 joined. For the 2007-2008 school year ended the period of the provisional modules and the school was moved to the final building. During the 2009-2010 school year the Sports Centre was completed. 

It was in the 2011-2012 academic year when the first class of sixth grade came out of the school.

Methodology

Teachers of La Sínia usually teach contents of the curriculum but in a different way. These concepts are introduced by conducting small research work or projects, so teachers propose topics that children are nearby. This fact helps to keep students motivated and to have a point to start searching for information. The projects can come out from the interest of the children or they are proposed by adults. There are other projects which are common in the school, such as the Town Festival, Carnival Theme Week or the work of the mountain, in which each level of learning explores one aspect of each theme and works the same subject from a different perspective.

In addition, in this school it is believed that all children build their identity from himself and others as examples. Teachers guide the whole educational process avoiding uniformity and enhancing personal development, and always bearing in mind that every child has the potential to grow and progress. In this sense, moving towards an inclusive school and consider promoting the talent of our students. In order to work in this way there are time slots when pupils can work in small group or with the whole classroom but being helped by two teachers.

Finally, and regarding on English aspects, I would like to add that the school has developed an innovative educational project in foreign languages. This project ​​has enabled the introduction of English in early childhood education and development of proposals for integrated learning languages ​​in Primary education.