10 Tips for new teachers by Kati Casto

The last october 20th,2017. Kati Casto from English Language Fellow bring us some tips to give a good class and how teachers can improve her way to teach a class.

1) Get excited about the class or content of the class

The teacher need to be contagious with the topic and also be excited with the class because when teachers give a class is important that they feel related with the topic that they are sharing with the students. Also, teachers need to give the time to students in which students talk what they are learning in class.

2) Create a lesson structure that works for you and follow it consistently

She mentioned that as a teacher we need to have an objective with an agenda before to teach a class besides it important take into account what as a teachers DO, what students DO during the class and with their classmates, and what students Do by themself  in this way teachers develop a good class.

3) Command respect from your students

She said that teacher need to teach their students how to treat you and others also, it is important that teachers create a code of conduct because if teachers fall their respect it is hard to recover. She gave an example that in her classes she always expect that her students enter to the class and follow her instructions. Another important thing is that teacher shows to students and create  the classroom rules with them.

4) Give students leadership opportunities and other responsabilities

Teachers in their classes need to distribute  the students led activities also the role of the students when  they work in group. Moreover, as a teacher need to give the opportunity to students to express their opinions and teach some activities during the class. Teachers need to think what classroom responsabilities can you give to student? - Support other classmates  - trash responsability.

5) Incorporate VAK-visual,auditory,kinesthetic in every lesson

Visual: links, colours, map, pictures and structures.

Auditory: talk throught, words, read through, listen to voice.

Kinesthetic: compiling, highlight, building work throught and mark off.

Every student has her or him learning style and it is important that students practice all the skill because in this way they identify which is her/him learning style also some teachers have their own teaching style too, but it is important that teachers include VAK in every class.

6) Plan questions based on knowledge goals

The teachers need to think what should the student be able to do at the end of the class also which skills are students developing through each activity or make an outline like What, Who and How the teachers and students Do.

7) Evaluate using rubrics

The teacher need to create their own rating system and share the rubric before, during, and after an assigment to clarify what he/she expect from a homework.

8) Collect and use data

The teacher need to check if students are understanding during the class through exams, survey also this help to determine prior knowledge. Furthermore, you can use diferrent material to noticed if students are understanding like fingers numbers and paper colors.

9) Take time to reflect and adjust

After the teacher gave a class need to think and reflect what did good in the class, think if during the class when students were confused, which things need to re-teach in the following class and how the teacher will teach differently the next class.

10) Encourage a growth mindset

It was an interesting meeting fortunately, now i know which type of questions ask me before and after to teach a class also how to check for understanding it is a helpful information.

The last class that i taught at Don Bosco School

The last friday, October 13th Gaby's group started the class with the listening skill that i know that is hard to teach because some children do not care about what they heard from an audio. Gaby started with the warm up activity in which she asked them question with present perfect topic this activity help to us to know what students like. Also, she presented to them some draws that i think was the vocabulary the group was presented. 

My classmate Nathaly did the during activity in which she played three time the audio and gave to students a worksheet to completed after they heard the audio also she gave them pieces of paper and students matching correctly and she checked the activities from students.

My classmate Mary did the post activity in which students draw something reference to the pictures that they presented. Besides, She did the wrap up activity that was a bingo unfortunately Mary finished the class a little bit late, but the group made a good job at the begining Gaby look nervous trying to control the kids, but she could do it. Also, Mary looked a little bit angry because kids were not paying attention, but she control them fast with her strong tone of voice. 

This time was my turn to teach a new group of students and unfortunately my classmate yesenia was sick for that reason my classmate Liliana and me gave the class and  move some activities that yesenia was going to do. I recognize that during the first group was giving the class i am thoght how to work with this new group of students because sometimes they did not pay attention, but thank to God manage to control them. Moreover, we taught reading skill and i recognize too that is a difficult lesson to develop. 

My classmate Liliana started the class made a warm up activity in which students did a puzzle with the heroes from the story that we were presented. I like the way in which Lili develop that activity because this time i saw her more comfortable with her job.

 In the pre-stages,she presented the heroes from the story and show them some verbs present perfect to describe their characteristics. Then, she gave them the verbs and students paste in the correct heroe according to the teacher show them before. Moreover, she read the story for them at the begining students were uncontrollable because they did not pay attetion to her, but when she asked them that they were going to read some parts of the story, students started to pay attention.

I  did the during stage in which i asked them that they need to got a tittle for the story and to they understand me asked them what is the story about and faster one of them told me the first tittle that i wrote on the board was the correct one. Besides, i gave them the story in  some pieces of paper and students made it correctly and some of them did it quickly. In the last during i gave them a worksheet with true or false staments from the story and i checked with them.

In the post activity i gave them another worksheet, but with some heroes of the story and students were going to write a little characterictis that they remember from the story. For the wrap up activity i made a circle with the deskes and gave to them a fishing rod and students fish the characteristics that the teacher asked them that were on the floor. Children enjoy this activity, but because of the time did mot ask them all the characteristics that i throw on the floor.

To conclude we never stop learning despite of there was our last class we can find the opportunity to teach again it was a great experience at the Don Bosco school. Moreover, according to brown, "sensory input os one of the most important factors"(112) because it is important that as a future teacher take into account this factor at the moment to create activities in class. Also, teachers need to be crative with the classroom activities, in this way, students feel more motivated.

Week - 3 My 2nd class observation

It is a big achieve from a teacher.

The last Friday, october6th Grissel's group started the class with the vocabulary skill and the topic was Present Perfect. In spite of all the things that teacher Giselle and our other classmates said  about the group of students from room 2 the control of the class, it was good because Grissel open with a good attitude the rules of the class and it was important because as a future teachers we need to be prepare with a new strategies to control students for that reason this group divided the class in two groups and offered a box with a candies and another things to the group that behave well during the class.

Warm up ( memory game)

My classmate Esmeralda writes on the board some words and asked to the students that they need to memorize. Then, she erased the words from the board and they wrote in a page the words that the remember. She checked the words

Presentation (Flashcards)

Esmeralda showed to students the new vocabulary that was some flashcards with pictures and sentences in present perfect. Students repeated with Esmeralda. Then, she did another memory game in which she remove a flashcard from the wall and Students guess which flashcard was missing.

It was a helpful activity to noticed if students were pay attention or not, however, they guessing fast.

Practice (pieces of paper )

Grissel did the practice part in which she gave to the students some pieces of paper per group and asked them that they need to organize the sentences also she asked them sat down on the floor to made the activity, and she checked them. To review the verbs she made a game in which she passed one by one in front of their groups and she pasted  them on their head a verb and the others classmates gave some clues to the student that was in front of  them.

Production (worksheet)

Ronny gave them a page in which students were going to checked the things that they did and then students described to other classmate which things they did.

Wrap up(Bingo game)

He gave them a piece of paper with some verbs in this game students did a X in the verbs that Ronny asked them.

What could be improved?

I observed that when students started talking a little bit my classmates from this group asked them that  they were not making noise and it is good, but not all the time because the kids could be think that the teacher are angry. In spite of Ronny improve their voice the interaction from him to students was not relevant and it is one thing that all the teachers need to take into account.

Isela's group did the 2nd class they taught the grammar skill.

I recognized that teach grammar to children is a big challenge. According to brown, "children does not care about grammar structures"(110) because they are kids and they dont focus on grammatically structures, for that reason it is not necesary asked them the structure of the present prefect or this is the present perfect, but we can give them some clues to they know for which things they can use for example the experiences that the live with their parents or the places where they have been.

Warm up (mimic game) 

Isabel started with a mimic game in which she made some actions and students guessed which verbs she was describing, it was good to see how students answered.

Presentation (poster with the grammar structure)

She started to wrote them some verbs in present and explain them how the verbs be in past participle it was difficult for her because the grammar of present perfect is hard to understand, then she showed them a poster with some sentences in present perfect and they repeated, but unfortunately students did not understand very well sometimes happen in grammar classes.

Practice (pieces of paper)

Isela tried to clarify some doubts from the students. She asked them that they need to do some sentences in present perfect, but they did not how to did for that reason she explain them the auxliaries from P.P. Then, she asked them sat down on the floor and gave them some pieces of paper  with which they were made a sentences. Fortunately, they did it, but they felt bored and started to lie down on the floor. It was a little frustrated for Isela because she asked them returned to your places,but they did want to do.

Production (little flashcards)

Nataly gave them some pieces of paper with pictures and asked them that they  need to make a sentence in present perfect according to the picture that they had, but students did not understood. Fortunately, she noticed and help them. Students passed in from and asked to the others their sentences.

Wrap up (ula ula)

Students stood up and Nataly gaven them a "ula ula" with which they passed around their body and the student that lost the game were going to said a sentence with P.P.

What could be improved?

I noticed that Isabel felt confused with the grammar, but she was not give up and continue also she felt a little bit nervous because the teacher entered to the classroom when she started to explain them the verbs remember that we need to be ready all the time, but the group did a good job in spite of the topic that was difficult to explain.

To conclude, the two groups did a good job, but they need to rotate the stages for example the  people from the  first group develop the same stages from the last class, and it is important that all of them develop the differents stages from the lesson because it is the only oportunity that they had to teach.

Besides, in the second group just Isela and Isabel did diferents stages and Nataly did the same from the last time. Moreover, i understand and i admire to my classmates because in spite of the time that they had to make the materials for the class they did it nice and i hope to do a good job with the students from this classroom.

Week 2 --- My first time observing a class

 

Hi guys i am going to describe you a little bit the classes that i observed the last friday, September 29th the first group was my classmates Esmeralda, Griselt and Rony with the listening skill. I like the way in which my classmate Griselt started the class because she presented the names of each member of her group to the students and asked them  ¨how are you guys?¨. Then, Esmeralda made the warm up activity that was a memory game. Besides, she made the pre-stage in which she put on the floor some pieces of paper with words  that students finished to write with a marker, and she checked the good words and wrong words. She did a good job, but unfortunately her tone of voice was not good because sometimes i could not hear what she was telling to the students.

Griselt made the during stage in which she gave to the students some worksheets to complete when they listened the audio, and the students felt excited to complete their worksheets because they are very intelligent, and they paid attention to the audio. Moreover, griselt explained them in an easy way what students was going to do, and she checked around the students if they were finished their work. She made a nice job the kids, and i noticed that the students enjoyed her class. I really like the way in which she read her book to them.

Rony made the post stage in which he asked to students draw their families, students finished fast and presented their families. He did a good job too, but his tone of voice was not strong because sometimes i could not hear what he was telling the students. However, the group finished their class before 4, but griselt was prepared with an extra activity she asked gave to students some pieces of paper, and asked them write the family members that they remembered, and pass in front of the tree, and paste. The group did a good job.

The second group was my classmates Isela, Isabel and Nathaly with the reading skill. Isela did a funny warm up in which students stood up and made two lines also, students found the names of the pictures that she had in a table. It was an interesting activity. Then, she started presenting the vocabulary that the group included in the story. She did a nice job with the kids and I noticed the students enjoyed her class a lot.

Isabel did the during stage that is one of the most difficult part in the reading lesson, but she did a good job because she started making a review about the family members that isela showed to the students. Also, she asked to students stood up and sat down on the floor, students paid attention to the story. I like when she reading the story for them because each time that she mentioned some family members she rise the pictures too. Besides, she gave to students some worksheets in which they were going to answer some questions about the story.

Finally, Nathaly did the last activities in which students anwered the true/false statements. At the beginning she was nervous, but i the end she achieved a good interaction with the students.The wrap up activity that she made was an excellent activity because students made mimics in from their classmates, and their classmates guess which family member they represented. This group did a nice job too. Unfortunately, the next two classes my classmates and my group are going to teach to other children, it is a great goal because we hear that our new students are rebels, but we hope make a good job with them too.