https://padlet.com/joselamartinacademy/18rcun97gqafbtdd A pinch of sugar, and a whole bunch of mixing... en-us 2023-10-07 21:35:29 UTC 2026-01-02 23:10:50 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f939-2640.png joselamartinacademy https://padlet.com/joselamartinacademy/18rcun97gqafbtdd/wish/2736716783 First impressions
The journey began with a keen observation to understand the children and how they navigate their way through the classroom. Amidst this process of getting to know them, one young boy, Santi, stood out in a special way. After a heartfelt conversation with the teacher, it was confirmed that he falls within the ADHD spectrum. This insight was the first step towards understanding and improving our interactions.

The Unstructured Rhythm
What caught my attention next was the rhythm of the class. I had assumed that everything would be structured, with clear routines in place. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see extended periods of free play. I believe this is an excellent method for relaxation, but with only one class per week for learning English, I felt there might be room for more formal instruction or, at the very least, guided free play within the LP2 framework. Perhaps this unorthodox approach is what makes this place, and this teacher with her unique group, so special.

Snack Time Dissonance
Then came snack time, and I wasn't thrilled. All the children were engrossed in their snacks, gazing at screens. Personally, I don't entirely agree with this practice, but I understand that each teacher has their own style. I'm eager to find ways to share my perspective in the future without disrupting the established dynamics.

The Teacher's Sweetness
However, what truly touched my heart was the teacher herself. She has an endearing and effortless way of connecting with the children. Her warmth and style of interaction are truly admirable, and I can't help but be inspired by her.
Teaching under the watchful eye of a fellow educator brings a unique sense of responsibility, and I'm excited to absorb as much as I can from their routines and teaching style. My goal is to keep improving a positive learning environment for these young hearts. 

]]> 2023-10-07 21:40:39 UTC https://padlet.com/joselamartinacademy/18rcun97gqafbtdd/wish/2736716783 joselamartinacademy https://padlet.com/joselamartinacademy/18rcun97gqafbtdd/wish/2736717832 My second observation's goal was to pay special attention to the layout and use of spaces. The Classroom is the central hub. Decorated as 'under the sea' and surrounded by pirats. As for the workstations, they are flexible and set up or cleared away depending on the day's activities.

The Playground - I really appreciate the way the playground is used for physical education, with plenty of space for active games, balls, and exploration. The children have room to move in a natural setting, with fruit trees and large plants.

The Kitchen - Although it is an open space, it's not designed for children. During snack time, they take turns distributing the plates, encouraging collaboration and the use of turns.

The Bathroom also has its protocol. The children request permission to go, and the teacher repeats the structures: "Can I go to the bathroom?" - "Yes, you can!" It's a small gesture that reflects excellent pedagogy. Not to mention the handwashing routine, done in a line, with a song, very orderly and rhythmic. Love this musical scene the teacher keeps bringing in. ]]> 2023-10-07 21:44:54 UTC https://padlet.com/joselamartinacademy/18rcun97gqafbtdd/wish/2736717832 joselamartinacademy https://padlet.com/joselamartinacademy/18rcun97gqafbtdd/wish/2736719031 Today has been a particularly interesting day of observation for me, as I set out to focus on the use of materials and group management strategies. However, I encountered a different group dynamic due to the rain. Instead of their usual routine of heading out to the playground, the children seemed more excited and eager, perhaps due to the added intrigue and complications that rain brings in rural environments.

The teacher has been working on "5 Little Monkeys," and today she took the opportunity to bring out costumes. They sang, acted, and then watched the video. I'm familiar with the material, and I like it – it's a classic. However, it leaves me wanting more, but without the commitment of three hours of unpaid crafting. So, I often think about recycling existing materials. For example, I have headbands for the monkeys' ears, and perhaps I could add something related to siblings (older-younger) and maybe even incorporate the numbers as well. It's a good idea, as it helps associate the concept of the number with its sound. I'll see if I can implement this. Anyway, serving freshly popped popcorn during snack time is always a winner because children participate in the making. ]]> 2023-10-07 21:49:39 UTC https://padlet.com/joselamartinacademy/18rcun97gqafbtdd/wish/2736719031 joselamartinacademy https://padlet.com/joselamartinacademy/18rcun97gqafbtdd/wish/2736720991 Today, during my assistant role, it felt like I was stepping into playtime with the teacher. I had initially planned for it to be a short session, but once the children saw me, I got caught up in the moment and ended up staying for the entire class.

During snack time, something caught my attention: one of the children has a unique relationship with food. He likes it, but he doesn't always have an immediate appetite, so he puts it in his backpack. I know he doesn't go hungry; he has resources. Still, as the youngest child, perhaps he enjoys ensuring he has snacks on hand. I talked about this with the teacher, and she confirmed that it's a systematic thing, especially when it comes to popcorn.
I also noticed that, because we serve fruit pieces with a variety, some children are interested in taking something different from what they usually have and stashing it in their backpacks for later. It might be a sense of power or a special connection to the English class space.
The theme of family is always a subject I enjoy addressing because I love hearing the children's stories. Additionally, I always emphasize that families can take many forms, including animals and plants. To me, this fits perfectly with the concept of family as a tree for a metaphor. It can take many forms, all are valid. And this reminds me of a local saying; 'el árbol recto, termina en tabla'. It was a lovely day.






]]> 2023-10-07 21:57:26 UTC https://padlet.com/joselamartinacademy/18rcun97gqafbtdd/wish/2736720991 joselamartinacademy https://padlet.com/joselamartinacademy/18rcun97gqafbtdd/wish/2736723887 Winter Season
I greatly enjoyed the Winter Solstice celebration. I love that the children are exposed to the cultural context of seasonal changes. It's wonderful that, in addition to learning vocabulary, they also get to experience a cultural tradition that is so different from their daily lives, especially when it comes to something as unusual as snow in their environment. I find this aspect fascinating to work with. I believe that it can be an area for improvement to provide context on the cultures of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

The construction game the teacher used to build the different parts of the snowman was very interesting. Allowing the children to mix colors and engage in artistic activities on a larger scale is truly magnificent. I consider this moment crucial because it's the culmination of the activity involving imagination and description.

My contribution was the song 'Mr. Snowman.' They learned it, complete with choreography, and they got really excited about it.]]> 2023-10-07 22:05:27 UTC https://padlet.com/joselamartinacademy/18rcun97gqafbtdd/wish/2736723887 joselamartinacademy https://padlet.com/joselamartinacademy/18rcun97gqafbtdd/wish/2736726602 Body parts and face
I consider a successful planning when children are engaged and there's a sense of meaning in what they're doing. When it comes to teaching body parts, there are so many materials to choose from. This time, because they had already created articulated paper puppets, I decided to focus on the parts of the head.  For instance, we discussed that "the eye can see," and I followed this up with questions like "what can you see?" or "what can you smell?". This simple shift took us from our classroom to everyday activities, creating a bridge between learning and real-life application. It was a fun and interactive session, and I really enjoyed our head craft activity.]]> 2023-10-07 22:16:02 UTC https://padlet.com/joselamartinacademy/18rcun97gqafbtdd/wish/2736726602 joselamartinacademy https://padlet.com/joselamartinacademy/18rcun97gqafbtdd/wish/2736730107 Back from WINTER holidays, and I was eager to kick off the new term with a captivating lesson centered around the life cycle concept, inspired by Eric Carle's 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar.' In reflecting on the day, there were elements of the lesson that went exceptionally well, and others that are calling for improvement.

Successful Aspects:
One aspect of the lesson that was undeniably successful was the engagement level of the children during the storytelling process. I introduced a caterpillar puppet, and it was heartening to see how enthusiastically they joined me in narrating the story. Their participation brought the narrative to life and made it all the more enjoyable.

Areas for Change/Improvement:
However, there were areas in the lesson that called for changes and improvements. I had initially planned to use wooden fruits to aid in the storytelling, but a last-minute search yielded no results. It's not the first time that I've assumed materials would be readily available, only to find them misplaced. This oversight requires a more structured approach to material preparation on my part, as it took valuable time to find an alternative solution.  I drew the missing fruits on small blackboards with chalk. While this improvised solution worked, it's clear that this process needs improvement. The efficiency and readiness of materials should be a top priority to me. 
I recognize that adding a visual representation of the passage of time, such as a sun and a moon, could enhance the storytelling experience. Using elements like paper mache balls or other engaging props can help convey the concept of time passing in the narrative more effectively.]]> 2023-10-07 22:30:12 UTC https://padlet.com/joselamartinacademy/18rcun97gqafbtdd/wish/2736730107 joselamartinacademy https://padlet.com/joselamartinacademy/18rcun97gqafbtdd/wish/2736739393 Today's class presented its share of challenges, particularly when it came to teaching the children onomatopoeic sounds for farm animals in English. However, I was able to introduce these new concepts. To overcome it, I incorporated a supporting song and mimicking games. For this class, I chose Eric Carle's 'The Very Busy Spider' as our featured story to introduce the full names of animals and their characteristics. The engagement during this story was real.

To add an element of review, we examined the spider in the story and I ended-up questioning the children on how many legs it had, how many eyes, and so. This turned out to be a fantastic way to revisit the concept of body parts.

There were several successful elements in today's lesson. The masks, used to represent various animals, were a COMPLETE success. Given the wide variety of farm animals, I allowed each child to choose the mask that appealed to them the most. This not only sparked their creativity but also made the lesson more interactive..

Areas for Improvement:
Asking the children to tear paper with their fingers proved to be more challenging than anticipated, and the end results weren't as neat as I had hoped. In the future, I will need to refine this aspect of the lesson to make it more visually appealing and enjoyable. ]]> 2023-10-07 23:07:41 UTC https://padlet.com/joselamartinacademy/18rcun97gqafbtdd/wish/2736739393 joselamartinacademy https://padlet.com/joselamartinacademy/18rcun97gqafbtdd/wish/2736741335 Recollection and Engagement:
What struck me most today was the children's impressive ability to recall not just the story but also the activities and animal onomatopoeia. They seemed to remember the mimed activities and sounds better than the actual names of the animals. This observation speaks about the power of active, hands-on learning in cementing new vocabulary.

Representation:
We decided to represent the story, and the children requested that the teacher play the role of the spider. It was a remarkable sight to witness as she exclaimed "I am very busy" to each of them, how they remembered each part . This interactive representation of the story was nothing short of fantastic.

Vocabulary in Action:
What struck me most is how a story can bring vocabulary to life. It was truly great to see the children actively engage with the vocabulary, as integral components of a engaging narrative. The story provided context, meaning, and a sensory experience that allowed them to fully comprehend and utilize the language.

In conclusion, today's lesson reinforced the idea that teaching goes beyond mere memorization of words; it's about enabling children to use language in meaningful ways. The day was a celebration of the children's ability to engage with and remember new concepts. I'm looking forward to continuing to use storytelling as a valuable tool in our learning journey. This might have been our final lesson, and my only regret is that due to misplacement of materials, we could not watch the genius video of the story. ]]> 2023-10-07 23:17:35 UTC https://padlet.com/joselamartinacademy/18rcun97gqafbtdd/wish/2736741335