https://padlet.com/davidrequenabot/improveteaching David Requena en-us 2017-10-20 04:18:33 UTC 2025-11-02 10:32:25 UTC hello@padlet.com davidrequenabot https://padlet.com/davidrequenabot/improveteaching/wish/198935310 I used to hate English when I was a kid, and I didn't like Catalan  or any other language either. 
It was when I grow up, and it took me time, when I discovered how important speaking other languages is. 
I started learning the Catalan language when I moved to live in Catalonia for good about over 10 years ago. Then I realized that I was able to talk another language with a bit of effort and, surprising for me at that time, with joy while I was practicing it.
Same it happened to me with the English a few years later. It was when I had finished my degree in teaching and I couldn't work here because of the crisis some part of the world was suffering. Then I moved to England, trying to survive and learn English, thinking that learning that would be open doors here for me. 
As I was improving my English all the time and enjoying a British life, working anywhere and mixing with people, almost all of them natives, I found myself living there forever, and I was so glad for so.
It wasn't possible because of family circumstances but I can say that it was a wonderful time, very rewarded and unforgettable.
Here we are again, but this time, knowing that learning any language improves anyone's life. Indeed, I'm quite sure that nothing will stop this belief henceforth.]]> 2017-10-20 04:25:16 UTC https://padlet.com/davidrequenabot/improveteaching/wish/198935310 davidrequenabot https://padlet.com/davidrequenabot/improveteaching/wish/198939714 I'm the tutor of a group in Year 3. I work at the same school I was working last year. The difference respect from the last year is that I don't teach any language this year. The last one, I was teaching Catalan, Spanish and English, but nowadays I teach Maths instead of languages, and some other subjects. 
The group I'm in charge consists of 25 students. They are 7 and 8 years-old. I've been working with them for a month and a half now. I've been trying to them to be organised and make sure that they understand what their responsibilities are. They are not yet into the normal routines I would like to, so at this time of the course we still waste a lot of time when starting doing anything new. Even the very basics as reading or writing in their diaries become a trouble most of the time. 
We have two laptops for them to work on their own, but they both don't work as they should, as they are old ones. I have on my table a laptop from where I can share many things projected on the big screen that is in front of them. 
I try every day be available to all of my students and I especially pay attention to the ones don't get the knowledge of something new from the beginning. It's not an easy job because it has so many responsibilities that a reliable teacher has to face day by day. It's a work where you need to be aware of so many things that are in anyone´s life, and they mark the lives of each of them, even if those things could seem very little, they are important for them.  
I consider myself a teacher-learner, and I believe that everything in life can teach us something good. ]]> 2017-10-20 05:20:45 UTC https://padlet.com/davidrequenabot/improveteaching/wish/198939714 davidrequenabot https://padlet.com/davidrequenabot/improveteaching/wish/199531981 http://blocs.xtec.cat/launchenglishtospace/]]> 2017-10-23 12:31:47 UTC https://padlet.com/davidrequenabot/improveteaching/wish/199531981 davidrequenabot https://padlet.com/davidrequenabot/improveteaching/wish/203695750 The session Esther was talking about integrated curriculum, and we tried to relate different subjects to any topic from where we could teach and learn something, was quite interesting.
The current curriculum of Education tells us that we need to work the subjects by projects. And for me, that I'm new in this kind of education, this is a good way to work anything from everything. I mean, people learn all day long. We don't need to go to class to learn something new. The knowledge is everywhere. I'm not saying that students shouldn't go to class, what I say is that learning involves life and this teach us from everywhere. So, we learn in life but without making distinctions as we normally do in school. We learn English while watching a series, Maths while shopping, or new vocabulary while reading some instructions or whatever, and at the same time, we learn that all together, without realizing. And after school time, while we are learning whatever, we don't think to ourselves that this is English, Maths, or Science time, or it's class time, on the contrary, that is our real life. 
With these premises, I think the integrated curriculum is closer to the natural way we learn in the real life. 
So, this is the way we are used to learning, and it is the easiest for us. 
I'm working the cork in Science with my class, as you can see in the concept map attached, and we won't work just Science. The excuse to develop any subject is starting from any topic, the cork in our case, or as we could see with time, animals or weather in the second session of this seminar. ]]> 2017-11-05 22:52:07 UTC https://padlet.com/davidrequenabot/improveteaching/wish/203695750 davidrequenabot https://padlet.com/davidrequenabot/improveteaching/wish/216352382 The flipped classroom is what I've been trying with my students, and not only with the English ones. I think there's another way to teach and to learn than can go deeper to students, involving them more in their own learning. If we give them the material in advance, then they can make their own progressions, so it will be up to them to improve their knowledge. We can go through another stage, occupying a role of a helper, rather than a traditional teacher, supporting them with their progressions. At the same time, we can work with the ones that didn't get it. 
Maybe in my case, they are not old enough to work with autonomy due to they are about 9 or so. But I think the ones that really want, can go further if using this new methodology.
For the students who couldn't come to class that day, or for those who didn't get the idea at that time, or the ones who didn't pay attention because they were asleep, chatting, thinking in any other thing o whatever, they will still have the opportunity to learn what it was explained in class. I think this would be my best approach to a flipped classroom in my circumstances nowadays. There are so many ways to flip a lesson from any subject, and this is an invaluable treasure that new technologies are bringing us from the last decades. If we are aware of that, we can improve amazingly our teaching and the learning. 
There are so many tools to create an atmosphere for a better learning in our hands. From creating and sharing, in session four, we learnt how we can make and share our materials with others, teachers and students.
The world has become smaller, as we saw in session five. Furthermore, with new technologies we can observe how we can make connections with others wanting the same than us, that is communication, having fun, discovering, and so many other ways to get any knowledge, international opportunities, to enjoy while learning. 
In the last session, we took a look at some resources to evaluate and assess our teaching and the learning we try to develop. It is something important to bear in mind and be updated constantly in order to know if our teaching is good enough, we are using adequately the techniques, and students get the right learning.

It's been very interesting becoming a member of this seminar, sharing with other mates our experiences and working along. The two leaders were excellent and encouraged us to improve our teachings, being helpful all the time, not only with their expositions and explanations, moreover with their own experience, from a positive way to look at education nowadays. 
If there would be something negative in all we have learnt, it would be the so little time we had to master the so many tools the teachers gave us. I realized that spending time in that will be worth. 

I truly thank you all so much for everything. Every little thing counts for me. It's been a pleasure. 

David Requena]]> 2017-12-14 22:37:10 UTC https://padlet.com/davidrequenabot/improveteaching/wish/216352382