I did my Secondary school teaching practice in "Escuela Normal Superior nº5 “Benito Angel Facetti” in the city of Punta Alta, province of Buenos Aires. It is a State school under the guidance of the headmasters Mr. Mauro Paganini and a very large group of teachers, the "EOE" group and the janitors, who work really hard for the students´well-being since the school has 1250 students only in the secondary level. This building is the place of studies for a kindergarten, a primary school, a secondary school and a college. It has three floors, where there are three labs, a computer room and a library. Round the corner of the buidling, there is a gym as well. The students enjoy their breaks in an indoor and an outdoor playground.The institutional projects are connected to science and the community.
I taught in 6th 3rd and my students were between 17 and 18 years old. There were 4 boys and 22 girls, whose English teacher was Virginia.
I cannot deny that working with teenagers was a challenge, but they were really cooperative and, even though they were reluctanct to the English classes, they finally enjoyed the classes.
A great experience!!
The Observation Period
Practicum level: Secondary School
Group: 26 students (22 girls and 4 boys), 17 years old
Date: Friday 9th October
Lesson number: Observation class nº1
On my first day observing, I was welcomed by the teacher Virginia and we walked together towards the classroom. Students were at a break and came into the classroom with us. When the class began, the teacher introduced me to the students and explained to them what I was doing there. We alloted some time for students´questions as they were interested in how a teaching career could be done by distance learning. Then, I sat at the end of the classroom and the class started. The teacher called the role and, after that, she wrote the date on the board. While she was doing so, the students commented her about some upcoming school events. They devoted some minutes to it. She drew a chart on the board about “So and Such” with different colour markers. Students copied on their folders. As they are doing so, the teacher explains in both English and Spanish. She gave examples eliciting students participation. Someone knocked at the door, it was a students from another course bringing some material to a girl from this course.Some students arrived late into class and the “preceptora” (I could not find this word in English) came into class to ask for students´notebooks.
The teacher re-started the class by copying exercises on the board for students to identify the structures on some sentences. As students do not understand what they have to do, they asked the teacher to approach to their desks and clarify their doubts. Some group of students interrupted the class to comment on a project for the subject “Proyecto de investigación”, they told the rest of the class what it was about.
The teacher tries to regain the class's attention by checking the exercises orally. She explains difference between adjectives, nouns and adverbs.She added two more sentences for them to copy and reflect upon them. The “preceptora” came again to hand in the notebooks, while the teacher walked around the class acting as a facilitator.
At 11.14, a very late student arrived while the class was checking the exercises orally.
They opened their booklets at page 20 and work in pairs with two exercises. People from the “Centro de estudiantes” interrupted the class to invite the students to a meeting the following week. They checked the exercises and the bell rang.
I observed that besides the many interruptions, students drink “mate” in class and they constantly ask to permission to go to the toilet. In general, the group works well.The Classes
I taught from October 23rd to November 13th to a group of 22 students, between 17 and 18. who have had English during their Primary and Secondary school years. Students sat in groups, as they enjoyed drinking "mate" while they attended the lessons.. The English teacher´s name was Virginia, who helped and assessed me during this time.
This lessons were designed under the Communicative approach and I used the PPP method to organize the activities. Even though I tried to stick as much as possible to the use of English as a primary communicative vehicle, I mimed, demonstrate and use another´ students progress, at first, students were reluctant to use L2.
As regards teaching strategies, I tried to use English for instructions as much as I could miming, showing and beginning the word so they could discover it and finished it or drawing on the board.Role-playing, doing gap-fill tasks and group activities were used to practice the new content and we played flashcard games to revise it. Classes were students-centered, only in instances where students did not understood what to do I resorted to teacher-centered interaction.
I worked with songs, videos, games , the board and posters as resources. They were engaging and fostered students responses in English.
I felt thrilled during this experience!!
Lesson Plan nº 1
Estebo tpd- journal writing secondary schoolpracticumperiod from Cynthiaestebo
Final Assessment Report Secondary School Practicum
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