What I have learnt from the microteachings and farewell

After having seen different microteachings in class and having performed mine, I would like to reflect on what I have learned  throughout these sessions. For this reason, to begin with, I will talk about different topics that my classmates and I have seen from the microteachings and then, I will explain which strategies and resources I have discovered and learned from the carrying out of these lessons.

First of all, regarding the topics of  the projects, I believe that, on the whole, all my classmates have been very creative and imaginative. For instance, a group has done its microteaching related to geography and they have included an  original trip around the world in which children can learn different flags and vocabulary about typical food from various countries. Furthermore, another group has worked on the topic of fruit and I really enjoyed the fact that we were able to learn and practice mathematical fractions, while we made fruit skewers  (3/4 parts of banana plus 2/8 of apple and three grapes).  We cut the fruit into pieces and prepared the skewers which was very funny, but at the same time it was meaningful for children, since they taught Maths with realia (real material in class). Finally, another group explained the signs and indications that we can find in a city using visual materials as flashcards and, after teaching the basic vocabulary about places around the city/town, they prepared a treasure hunt and it was extremely funny because, in groups of four, we had to follow clues to find the treasure chest!!

Below, I attach some visual resources that summarize the main ideas of some microteachings and I would like to share them with all of you.

Thanks to the microteaching sessions, I have realized that we can work on almost any topic in a meaningful way, as long as the activities have a specific objective and be related, so children can learn from less to more difficulty. Nevertheless, I have also discovered many things related to the methodology and skills that teachers of English should use in class and strategies about classroom management.

For example, related to  methodology, after these lessons, I am further aware that it is very important to do activities that connect with children’s interests and also the importance of giving feedback to pupils. In addition, I have also learned the significance of doing dynamic activities, such as songs, stories or games that allow children to discover, learn and have fun at the same time. I believe it can be powerful if children retain information by doing because if they just memorize the contents by repetition, it is not meaningful and, hence, they will forget them quickly. Finally, I have also become more aware of the importance of taking into account multiple intelligences because each child in the class is different and, therefore, they do not learn in the same way. So as future teachers, if we manage to include different kinds of exercises within our sessions (visual-spatial, verbal-linguistic or bodily-kinesthetic, among others), we will reach all the students.

On the other hand, with regard to classroom management, in the microteachings we have had the opportunity to practice different strategies to make groups. For instance, in one of the presentations my classmates distributed one flashcard to each one of us and those who had the same picture in the card we joined together. In my group, we decided to make the teams with pieces of puzzles about animals, since our topic was the jungle. As far as I’m concerned, I think our classmates enjoyed with our performance. In addition, during the presentation I was able to practice my tone of voice and intonation when explaining the activities and I tried to establish eye contact and use a sweet voice to grab students’ attention.

Finally, regarding the skills that an English teacher should have, I reckon that throughout these sessions, we have been able to practice how to model tasks and explanations for children, using mime and clarifying difficult words. For this reason, now I feel more prepared and I am pretty sure that many of the strategies I have learned during these days I will keep them in my folder for future teacher. What’s more, I am also aware that I must continue practicing the different techniques I have learned, because the better you assimilate one thing is by practicing it. On the other hand, with reference to my weak points,  I recognize I have to continue working on the intonation and the tone of my voice because sometimes it can sound slightly low.

To sump up, I would like to end by saying that I have really enjoyed this subject and I want to thank my teacher for all the resources and advices she has been given to us during these months. Fortunately, whenever I want I will be able to read them on this blog due to it will be open so I will be able to take it back and continue writing. What I would like to do now is say goodbye, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy new year 2017.

See you soon!

Andrea Lluch