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.
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