Artefacts supporting evidence

My teaching journal

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1wRa7cMZSblPUncMWP_mRfArVuWNqyD_i

Sample lesson plan that I liked

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1erVo1-9Jma52zgHzfut4UZV2u632y_uZ

I particularly liked this lesson plan for getting to know how to properly introduce oneself in English is fundamental for every single conversation and thus interaction with others every single person can have in their life. Plus, the worksheet used as a teaching resource featured a lot of different pieces of information regarding self-introduction, which are of particular interest when it comes to telling others about ourselves.

 Sample lesson plan that was particulary difficult

I neither find nor faced any difficulties with none of my lesson plans.

Samples of didatic teaching material designed by me

https://drive.google.com/open?id=16DPmrNkySPR3qUkrwKw9w5u1N4V_X0ax 

Two videos of my classes that were particularly meaningful to me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOC2LTZU70I&feature=youtu.be 

All in all, I think all the aspects of the lesson were particularly successful for at the end of the session students were able to talk about relationships including the required grammar patters and lexicon to talk about this matter, which means that the objectives of the lesson were successfully accomplished. Plus, it is clear that students were motivated and engaged from the very first beginning of the session, which boosted their participation, cooperation, attitude, aptitude and the outcomes themselves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFiGGiAjOwU&feature=youtu.be 

This second video is particularly meaningful to me since it was the first online speaking session I conducted during my practicum (group B). In spite of some minor drawbacks that arose at the beginning of the encounter (technical issues, mainly), this session was successful.

Conclusion

Broadly speaking, teaching in online environments is a duty that demands a great deal of compromise, hard work, creativity, knowledge on how to effectively use ICTs, full command of English, and foresight on part of the teacher, and so does teaching in face-to-face environments. Notwithstanding the latter, since this course focused only on an online enviroment, I must say that this experience has helped me to grow a bit more professionally for this was something new for me in spite of my 7-year teaching experience. There is always going to be something new to be learned and that is the beauty of being into education, one never stops learning; it is an everlasting pursue.

To those online student teachers, I would like to give you some pieces of advice regarding the following principles, which, from my humble point of view, are core to the success of your forecoming praxis: 1) Foresee potential issues that can affect the development of the lesson. 2) Be ready for the worst to happen. 3) Do not make assumptions about your learners' proficiency. Take the time to get to know their strenghts, weaknesses, intelligences, learning pace, rythms, and styles, etc. (it is okay to devote the first two lessons to do this). 4) Do not rely on only one WiFi connection. Have two or three more as backup. 5) Do not rely on only one laptop or personal computer, on only one microphone, on only one camera, etc., have two or three more as backup. 6) Lead the session but do remember it is your students the ones who have to pracitce, not you (student-centered approach). 7) Be patient for sometimes students are not going to show up on time given to many possible reasons that are beyond their control. 8) Always be kind and give your best as a teacher and as a person.

To sum up, teaching in online environments is a task that requires loads of responsibility on part of the teacher. Yet, this is an enriching experience that will help you grow both professionally and personally. "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela. "Educate the children and it won't be necessary to punish the men." Pythagoras. "Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. 

My learners

Characterization

Maura Martínez

Maura is an 18-year-old student who lives in the Sucre Department in the Ovejas Municipality, Flor del Monte, Colombia. She is currently taking the English II course at UNAD and she has been almost always attending the online speaking sessions as part of the above-mentioned course. According to her, her interests are “my interest is to learn English and these lessons are helping me to strengthen my vocabulary, pronunciation, listening, and writing”. Her expectations are to learn as much as she can both from this course and from the online speaking sessions because she wants to become a successful English teacher. In spite of the fact that Maura lives in a somehow-remote area, where internet connection is not the best, she is always willing to try and to learn, which, personally speaking, is great. This shows the student hast intrinsic motivation. There have been a couple of times when Maura hasn’t been able to attend the online speaking sessions due to various reasons (see the Teaching Journal to know the reasons). I think she has got an amazing attitude towards the sessions, towards her classmates, towards me, and towards English. Au general, her English is good, yet she has to keep practicing and working hard on a regular basis to accomplish her goal(s). According to her, her current level of English is “Basic II), yet I think she is somewhere between A1 and A2 levels (CEFR).

Angie Acosta

Angie is a 17-year-old student who lives in the Cundinamarca Department, in the Municipality of Girardot, Colombia. She is currently taking the English II course at UNAD and she has been attending the online speaking sessions as part of the above-mentioned course. Yet, she shows up a bit late on a regular basis. I think her level of English is somewhere between A1 and A2 (CEFR). Sometimes she has had some difficulties with her connection (see the Teaching Journal to know the reasons). I think she has got an amazing attitude towards the sessions, towards her classmates, towards me, and towards English. Broadly speaking, her English is good, yet she has to keep practicing and working hard on a regular basis to accomplish her goal(s). She has to learn to be punctual. The student was asked about her expectations from the course, but she didn’t answer.

Santiago Gutiérrez

Santiago is a 23-year-old student who lives in the Antioquia Department in the Barbosa Municipality, Colombia. He is currently taking the English II course at UNAD and he has been attending the online speaking sessions as part of the above-mentioned course. According to him, his current level of English is A1 (CEFR) which I couldn’t agree more with. Also, according to him, his interests and expectations are “I want learn english, I want building knowledge, I like play soccer and video games, I like teaching, I like learn.”, and “I think that help me improve, I learn a better use of language, I want learn speaking English.”. In spite of the fact that Santiago lives in a somehow-remote area, where internet connection is not the best, he is always willing to try and to learn, which, personally speaking, is great. Also, he participates actively during the online speaking sessions. This shows the student hast intrinsic motivation. There have been a couple of moments when Santiago’s connection hasn’t been the best due to various reasons (see the Teaching Journal to know the reasons). Albeit Santiago has a great attitude towards the sessions, towards his classmates, towards me, and towards English, his English aptitude is to be improved. He has to work really hard as much as possible in order to become a successful English teacher. He is punctual.

Juan Blanco

Juan is an 18-year-old student who lives in the Norte de Santander Department, in the Municipality of Cúcuta, Colombia. He is currently taking the English II course at UNAD and he has been attending the online speaking sessions as part of the above-mentioned course. I think his level of English is at some point between A1 and A2 (CEFR). Juan goes to the UNAD’s facilities in Cúcuta on Tuesdays and Thursdays so as to attend the online speaking sessions, which, personally speaking, is outstanding. His attitude towards the sessions, towards his classmates, towards me, and towards English is great. Speaking of his English aptitude, he has got great skills (listening, reading, writing, and speaking) and I am quite sure he is going to be a successful English teacher. Yet, it is advisable that he keeps practicing and studying on a regular basis for learning is an endless process. He is punctual, he is responsible, he always participates actively and he has attended all the scheduled online speaking sessions. There were some minor issues during the first two sessions (see the Teaching Journal to know the reasons). The student was asked about his expectations from the course, but he didn’t reply.

Daniel Montañez

Daniel is a 27-year-old student who lives in the Norte de Santander Department in the Municipality of Pamplona, Colombia. He is currently taking the English II course at UNAD and he has been attending the online speaking sessions as part of the above-mentioned course. According to him, his English level is “II” (I truly don’t know what he means by that). Notwithstanding that, I think his level of English is like A1.1 or so (CEFR). Also, according to him, his interests and expectations about the lessons are “I am very interested in learning in this English speaking session, I have many expectations and I want to learn in order to get ahead and achieve my goals that is to teach people.” In spite of the fact that Daniel doesn’t own a computer, he goes to the UNAD’s facilities in Pamplona on Tuesdays and Thursdays so as to attend the online speaking sessions, which, personally speaking, is remarkable. Albeit Daniel has claimed a couple of times that his English is not very good (he actually claimed this ”y otra sugerencia que yo doy, yo me inscribí en english II pero yo pensé que era por lp que voy en 2 semestre era necesario inscribir el 2 y algunos de mis compañeros están en el english 0 y ellos van en 2 semestre yo no manejo ingles fluido hasta el momento ay algún problema??”), his attitude, most of the times, towards the sessions, towards his classmates, towards me, and towards English is good. Yet, speaking of his English aptitude, Daniel has to really hard as much as possible in order to become a successful English teacher. He sometimes shows up a bit late.

Angélica Escorcia

Angélica is a 17-year-old student who lives in Barranquilla, Colombia, the capital of the Atlántico Department. She is currently taking the English II course at UNAD and she has been often attending the online speaking sessions as part of the above-mentioned course. She joined the group on October 8^th, 2019 (she didn’t attend the first two online speaking sessions, neither the fourth one, nor the sixth and the seventh ones (see the Teaching journal to know the reasons). According to her, her level of English is A2 (CEFR) but I am not quite sure about it, mainly because she has only attended two of the scheduled online speaking sessions. Also, according to her, her interests and expectations about the lessons are "study English in order to study the others that are missing. I hope that in this classes I can improve my level of English so that I can better understand things.” Despite the fact that Angélica has only attended two sessions, she has participated actively and her attitude towards her classmates, towards the lessons, towards me, and towards English is good. Speaking of her English aptitude, it is also good. I am sure she is going to be a great English teacher. Yet, she has to attend the lessons, be punctual, and be responsible.

Achievements

Broadly speaking, all the proposed learnig objectives of the online speaking sessions were successfully achieved for at the end of each encounter students were able to talk about various and familiar topics bearing in mind the following criteria:

1. Topic development: the responde fulfills the demands of the task.

2. Grammar and vocabulary: proper sentence structure and tenses. Accurate use of vocabulary.

3. Pronunciation and intonation: pronunciation is very clear. Intonation is appropriate.

4. Fluency and coherence: fluid speech with few to no hesitations.

What is more, learners were also able to:

1.      Speak fluently and without fear of making mistakes when providing information about specific topics.

2.      Understand the information content on topics of personal interest, events that have happened, delivered in clear standard speech.

3.      Find and understand relevant information in everyday material, such as brochures and short official documents.

4.      Talk about themselves (likes, dislikes, personal information, job, nationality, future plans, goals, family, etc.).

Testimonials 

https://voca.ro/2VR440O8D8F 

https://voca.ro/i6n1CVa36ni 

https://voca.ro/22pg1rLqBlD 

https://voca.ro/eBmpFy6QTcH 

https://vocaroo.com/7eXPdR8zPdX 

Who am I as a teacher?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOC2LTZU70I&feature=youtu.be 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvR0QV0-JSI&feature=youtu.be 

My full name is Omar David Parra Peña. I am 26 years old and I live in Bucaramanga. I have been an English teacher for 7 years now. I currently work for Instituto de Lenguas UIS as an EFL teacher and I have been working there since 2015. Moreover, I run my own TEFL business. I have also worked for both public and private schools. Last year I was the head teacher of the English Department of a private school in Bucaramanga, but I could not continue working there because of the practicum I and II courses I took and I am currently taking at UNAD. I have had the opportunity to work with different populations such as kids, pre-teenagers, teenagers, young adults, students with special education needs, and adults, and I have taught different English levels (A1, A2, B1, B2). Last semester, I conducted my practicum I course at Colegio Integrado Helena Santos Rosillo, a public school which is located in the municipality of Charalá, Santander, where I worked with both primary and secondary school students. It was an amazing experience. 

My current level of English is C1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. Notwithstanding that, I have been studying and preparing for the Certificate of Proficiency in English examination that I am planning to submit by the end of this year. This exam certifies you with a C2 level according to the CEFRL and, as far as I am concerned, this certificate is everlasting.

Speaking of pedagogical strategies, firstly, it is important to understand that students learn in both different manners and paces, that there are different intelligences (8, according to Howard Gardner) as well as different learning styles, and all those differences are rich and are to be valued, respected and taken into consideration when it comes to teaching. Moreover, it is important to get to know the students' background, the insights they have about English language, English learning, English culture, their needs and expectations, their previous learning experiences and the previous knowledge they have into English.

As for classroom management, it is great the way I see it. It all starts with the lesson planning, so I always make sure that my lessons are appealing to the students and engage them since the beginning. That is the most important thing to do about classroom management. Of course, there are other things to be done on this respect; those are:

·         Using different chairs arrangements.

·         Walking around the classroom.

·         Monitoring students constantly.

·         Keeping students busy all the time.

·         Assigning extra activities for fast-finishers/early finishers.

·         Changing activities every 20 minutes or so (although this depends on the type of activity and on students' pace).

·         If students are too noisy, it is important to let them know, in a respectful manner, that the teacher will not continue with the class until they are quiet.

·         Active pauses.

·         Have students work individually, in pairs, in small groups. This depends on the activity.

   I am currently taking the Pedagogical Experience II course at UNAD. I have already finished with the required teaching hours successfully. Contrary to the Pedagogical Experience I activities, which were held in face-to-face environments, the Pedagogical Experience II course was held in online environments and it focused on helping students develop their speaking skill, mainly. Teaching speaking skills online is an easy task thanks to the ICTs. Yet, it requires a lot of preparation and hard work on the part of the teacher, first and foremost, so as to achieve the proposed learning objectives. It requires a lot of hard work on the part of the learners, too, as well as atuonomy, determination, practive, and perseverance. Both in face-to-face environments and in online enviroments, it is pivotal to foresee potential issues that can have a negative impact on the development of the lesson and that is why it is crucial to be prepared for everything, even for the worst-case scenario. Teaching speaking online has helped me to draw the conclusion that there are some principles that are core to the success of this practice. Thus are:1) Foresee potential issues that can affect the development of the lesson. 2) Be ready for the worst to happen. 3) Do not make assumptions about your learners' proficiency. Take the time to get to know their strenghts, weaknesses, intelligences, learning pace, rythms, and styles, etc. (it is okay to devote the first two lessons to do this). 4) Do not rely on only one WiFi connection. Have two or three more as backup. 5) Do not rely on only one laptop or personal computer, on only one microphone, on only one camera, etc., have two or three more as backup. 6) Lead the session but do remember it is your students the ones who have to pracitce, not you (student-centered approach). 7) Be patient for sometimes students are not going to show up on time given to many possible reasons that are beyond their control. 8) Always be kind and give your best as a teacher and as a person. 

All in all, I consider my teaching experience has been a great journey that I have both loved and hated at the same time since life is not always peaches and cream and it also applies to my profession. There are always going to be pros and cons, ups and downs in every walk of life. However, it has been a rewarding, enriching, amusing, demanding, enjoyable, etc., process that has helped me to become the teacher and person I am nowadays. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Nelson Mandela. “Educate the children and it won’t be necessary to punish the men.” Pythagoras.