MICROTEACHING’S REACTION PAPER ABOUT THE CONTRUCTIVIST LESSON PLANS OF DIDACTICS ENGLISH I

Well, I felt comfortable in my micro teaching, but I also felt nervous because I was the first group. I enjoyed performing the role of a teacher. Receiving feedback was good for me because my classmates Margarita and Edgar commented about my strengths. They said that I had walked around the classroom and made a good job. However, I had some mistakes; for example, the posters’ size letters were so small and my classmates were not able to read. My grammar and pronunciation were bad. Also, I was told that I have to be more serious because I looked too shy. I did not speak with authority. I also was told that I have to smile more if not the students will be afraid of me. I need to be more dynamic in order to have a good rapport with the students. Finally, I have stated that I am going to practice in front of my classmates about how to give an excellent class. I am going to work hard for being a good teacher. I will look for information in videos, books, and the internet for having some pieces of advice that can help me to improve my weaknesses because it is supposed that I am taking my teaching practice the following year, but I am not going to take it because I want to continue improving my teaching skills.

By: HEIDI ASTRID GALAN TORRES

1-IN WHAT WAYS HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED SUFFERING AS A STUDENT TEACHER ¿ HAS YOUR SUFFERING HAD ANY REDEMTIVE QUALITY TO IT; THAT IS, HAS IT MADE YOU HEART LARGER .WHATR WOULD HELP YOU DEEPEN THE REDEMTIVE QUALITY OF THE SUFFERING YOUR EXPERIENCE IN YOUR WOK?

Sometimes when I go to give my classes at school I felt confused because I feel comfortable being a teacher. I enjoy a lot doing this job, but when I come to the university I feel really sad because I find that university is so difficult and there are a lot of things that I dont know and that cause me suffering. Another point is when I find some students  in my classes that dont like English they look like really apathetic. I try to get their attention, but they are indifferent to my class and that is so dissgusting.

One point in page 66 called my attention that says:The world of education  as we know it is filled with broken paradoxes and with the lifeless results:We separate head from heart result minds that do not know how to feel and hearts that do not know how to think. In that way I have to develop my sufferings as a teacher and as a student , separating head from heart  only thinking in the manner that I could resolve some of my problems and facing these.

2-NAME SOME OF YOUR KEY GIFTS OR STRENGHTS AS A TEACHER. NOW NAME A STRUGGLE OR DIFFICULTY YOU COMMONLY HAVE IN TEACHING. HOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE RELATION BETWEEN YOUR PROFILE OF GIFTEDNESS AND THE KIND OG TROUBLE YOU TIPICALLY GET INTO IN THE CLASSROOM?

Well I think that some of my key gifts or strenghts as a teacher are these:

-One of my dreams is to come to be a teacher in that way I try to do my job the better I can. I enjoy a lot giving my classes since I was a child I have dreamed to be an English teacher.

-I trust in my self when things give me a bad result I try to be optimist and continue with my job.

-I am always friendly respectful and polite with all people and in my classes  I try to be in the same way with my students. Thas is good for me because I get their attention n class and they participe in each activity.

The trouble that I face in every class nowadays is to get the attention of my students why? Because they are Young people between  16 0r 17 years old they arer discovering their own world and sometimes when I try to get their attention they look really angry and indiferent to my class, but I ltry to be understanding with them and looking for a way to get their participation.

Referring to this these points in page 69 called my attention : here are some of the strenghts other teachers have have ascribed to me when I have offered this case in workshops:

An hability to see my students live more clearly tan they themselves see them a capacity to see beyond their initial self-presentation ,and a desire to help them to see themselves more deeply.

Thar referring to the relation between teacher and student how I will resolve the defferent points of view between me and them.

Well I understand the relation between giftedness and trouble in the classroom that we as teachers have to facing different kind of problems,but with our potentials we could find the solution to these problems.

3-DESCRIBE A MOMENT IN TEACHING WENT SO WELL YOU KNEW YOU WERE BORN TO TEACH AND COMPARE IT TO A MOMENT IN WICH TINGS WENT SO POORLY YOU WISHED YOU HAD NEVER BEEN BORN NAME THE GIFTS THAT MADE THIS GOOD MOMENT POSSIBLE NOT THE TECHNIQUES YOU USED OR THE NOVES YOU MADE, BUT YOUR QUALOTIES.

Well, when I gave my classes in kínder garden in didactic 1 with teacher Roxanita I had great moments with my children they were so cute and participated in class,but then the things changed because there were some children homeless they lived in a shelter and some of them were so terrible because their parents were gangsters or irresponsible parents caused of this some kids were so rude they said bad words and had bad behavior in that momento I started to teach and I wished I had never been born.

Some of my qualities that helped me to change this bad moment to a good experience was my attitude I had to be patient,understanding, and optimist whit these kind of kids they needed more extra attention  and gave it them. I talked with them in every class always whit a smile in my face in a loving way I came to the conclucion that these kids needed only one thing love. Then they started to work very nice being polite and obedient in my classes.

4-PALMER DISCUSSES SIX PARADOXES OF PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN. CHOOSE ONE TO FOCUS ON. SHARE EXAMPLES OF TEACHING ENVIRONMENTS YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED WHERE THIS PARADOX  IS HONORED. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A CLASSROOM WHERE ONLY HALF OF THE PARADOX WAS HONORED WHILE THE OTHER HALF WAS IGNORED? DESCRIBE WHAT THAT CLASSROOM WAS LIKE.

Well, in page 75 I found this paradox #3 “The space should invite the voice of the individualand the voice of the group”.

This part called my attention “Learning does not happen whwn students are unable to express their ideas,emotions,confusions,ignorance,and prejudices. In fact, only when people can speak their minds does education have a chance to happen.

I can say that this paradox have been applied in different environments in teaching since I was in basic school until the university.  When I gave my classes in basic school I foun a grade where only one half of the paradox was honored while the other half was ignored. This happened in 8 grade I remenber that I wanted that all my students participated in class but the problema was that a big group of girls didnt like to talk they were about 40 girls and only 20 girls participated in class. Every class I try to prepared the environment for full participation of my students I wanted that each of them expressed their feelings and ideas as an individual and as a group the good of that was rhem because they change their attitude and started to participe in my classes.

5-WHAT QUESTIONS ARE YOU LIVING AT THIS STAGE OF YOUR LIFE-FROM HOW CAN I GET UP IN THE MORNING? TO HOW CAN I BECOME A GOOD TEACHER? ARE THE QUESTIONS YOU ARE LIVING NOW THE ONES YOU WANT TO LIVE? IF NOT, WHAT QUESTIONS WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE LIVING? HOW MIGHT YOU HOLD THESE QUESTIONS AT THE CENTER OF YOUR ATTENTION?

That is so confused for me,but in that momento some of these questions are in my mind: Is a good election for me to be a teacher? Am I going to finish my career? Will this mayor be my future career? Or Am I capable to stay hare at the university? These kind of questions I am living now and these are ones I want t olive because since I started to study at this university I have been living this kind of questions I want to find the answer but maybe I have to advance more in the career and then find it.

Referring to this there is a point in page 63 that I analized :as the writer said “good teaching comes from identity not techniques maybe the main question that call my attention every day is a good election for me to be an english teacher and techniques could help me to express my identity more fully teaching is so difficult for me but working with techniques and my identity together I could find good results.

I hold these question at the center of my attention every day because in the way that I advance in the career I develop my skills my potentials and understand my limits and all that help me to discover the answers that I want.

I-WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FEARS IN THE CLASSROOM? HOW HAVE YOU DEALT WITH THEM? WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT YOURSELF AND ABOUT FEAR AS A RESULT?

Well, one of my fears in the classroom is that students hate me because sometimes you aren’t pleasant to many people and they can be unkind with you. Other is don’t know enough about a topic and when students ask me I don’t know what to say them.

-Well, when I am going to go to school to give a class I try to read and study about the topic that I am going to teach to avoid whatever problem if my students ask me and also I try to be polite with all of them to have a good relationship.

-Well, I have learned that all people affront different fears every day, but we have to be valiant and fight against these; in my case I have learned to trust in myself and believe that I can do wonderful things in my life.

II- Palmer writes, “Good teaching is an act of hospitality toward the young, and hospitality is always an act that benefits the host even more than the guest”. IN WHAT SPECIFIC WAYS DO YOU THINK A TEACHER HAS TO BE HOSPITABLE TO STUDENTS? IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU TREAT THEM AS UNWELCOME GUESTS? HOW DO TEACHERS BENEFIT FROM PRACTICING HOSPITALITY TOWARD STUDENTS?

-For me one specific way that I think a teacher has to be hospitable to students, could be the way that we teach to students because as Palmer says good teaching is an act of hospitality in that way we help students through our knowledge to learn every day.

-My answer to the second question is because when someone is hospitable this could bring to him or her more benefits that help him or her in different ways, but sometimes unwelcome guests don’t help them to connect with their students and this create a cold environment between teachers and student.

-Well, as teachers we can get multiples benefits practicing hospitality towards students; for example they can feel comfortable learning with us in that way we can get good potential from them and that can help us to discover good skills in our students.

III-WRITE ABOUT A FEAR, NOT NECESSARILY RELATED TO TEACHING THAT ONCE CONTROLLED YOU, BUT NO LONGER DOES. WHAT CAUSED YOU TO CONFRONT THAT FEAR? WHAT HELPED YU GET LOOSE FROM IT? WHAT THE RESULTS? WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

-Since I was in basic school I only studied with girls, but when I went to high school I had to study with boys and that made me feel uncomfortable because I felt afraid of them, but then I had to work in groups with some of them

 and that made me feel more comfortable because my classmates were so kind with me and that helped me to know new people and discovered that boys can be good friends. Now I have many friends that are boys and they are as brothers for me sometimes I feel afraid of them but I have to trust in myself.

IV-Evelyn Fox Keller of Nobel Prize-Winner Barbara McClintock that her knowing came from “the highest form of love, love that allows for intimacy without the annihilation of difference”. DOES THIS KIND OF LOVE HAVE A PLACE IN EDUCATION? IF NOT, WHY NOT? IF SO, HOW MIGHT IT BE THAUGTH? HOW MIGHT IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF WE COULD TEACH STUDENTS TO LOVE THE WORLD IN THIS WAY?

-For me the first question could be true because as teachers we need a since of love to teach and create an intimacy relation with our students that help us in the way to create a good environment for them.

-That could be though as a possible solution to avoid our fears and feel comfortable teaching. Loving difficulties and working together in education.

-That can help to our students to love what they are learning that could make the difference in the way to learn and love the education avoiding differences with other students. They could love the way that the teacher teach them and be more comprehensible with them.

*How can we raise student awareness about how students can best learn and help them find more ways of learning English more effectively and productively?
Well for me as future teachers we have to identify different ways to help students to improve their knowledge for example in chapter 4 an important point said: Identify in what level are our students; in that way we are going to have a better idea about what kind of students we have. It is important to know about their knowledge sometimes we can have problems with that, but is our obligation to identify their level and give them the necessary to find the elements to learn in a better way.
In chapter 12 focusing in language we can help our students to identify errors and at the same time correct them.
In dealing with errors, teachers often look for correction techniques that, rather than simply giving students the answer on a plate helps them to make their own corrections.
Students need a guide to correct their errors they are humans and when they learn a new language tend to make a lot of mistakes; as their teachers we have to help them in that way they will learn more effectively and productively a new language.

*How would you deal with error correction in your classroom?
Well as in chapter 12 said there are different kind of errors that teachers and students can correct in class for example; self-correction, student-student, teacher-student, small groups, all class, course book, and reference book. In my opinion each one have a good grade of advantage, but I would elected teacher-student and reference book because these could be a good possibility to correct some mistakes; these could be the better source to get information because commonly teachers know the better way to correct errors and books give the opportunity to students to find themselves possible solutions to correct their own errors.
I think that all students have the same capacity to identify and correct their errors as future teachers we have the obligation to help them to improve the way that our students learn; we can give them the elements necessaries to resolve different situations that will present in the classroom.

*What seems to be more difficult: teaching teens or teaching large classes?
In my opinion to teach to large classes could be more difficult to teach teens because you have the disadvantage that in a large group there are a lot of people that you cannot controlled, and teens can be better controlled, and they mind could be better managed. Sometimes teenagers obey rules and large groups not. Large groups could a lot of problems and we can not apply some techniques necessaries to teach.