https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g Kindergarten Experience en-us 2019-05-20 18:14:53 UTC 2024-06-03 08:08:41 UTC hello@padlet.com leonelagomezmariana https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/361855620 How did the students react to your teaching, to the activities and the materials? How did they react to the lesson?
As this was the first class kids were going to have me as their teacher, I was afraid of their possible reaction. I thought, perhaps, they would miss their teacher´s intervention. Although she was their as an observeer and helped me with the rocordings and some preparation, students were very engaged with the lesson and the activities I proposed. I observed they felt comfortable with me and they didn´t treat me as a "stranger". They were very affectionate not only during the class but also when I left the classroom. They really enjoyed the warm up activity and had fun with it. I guess it was a good ice-breaker too. ]]> 2019-05-20 18:16:21 UTC https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/361855620 leonelagomezmariana https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/361859528 What aspects of the lesson require change / improvement?

I knew, from the very beginning, that group management was going to be challenging. In fact, the group is quite big, they are 20 kids, and the group itself is usually very noisy and they get excited easily. Well, that happened the first lesson. When I tried a memo test on the floor to let them move, I lost a bit of control over them. They got quite messy. So, I think that next time using the board will be more effective and also having them do something on paper will lower their excitement and anxiety. ]]> 2019-05-20 18:21:55 UTC https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/361859528 leonelagomezmariana https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/361861701 Video Segment:
I have chosen this segment of lesson two because it shows the enriching personal interaction I could have with some kids. This moment was important as I could give kids the instructions in English and they were able to follow them. It felt especial for me because I could feel the connection with the kids, espcially with the first one you can see in the video who I am helping. He tends to be quite restless and unfocussed during the class but, at least for a few minutes, I could get his attention, he talked to me and paid attention to what I told him and finally he followed the instruction. I guess that those seconds made me feel fulfilled. That moment really made my day!

]]> 2019-05-20 18:26:33 UTC https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/361861701 leonelagomezmariana https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/363144990 What aspects of the lesson do you consider successful?
The main purpose of this lesson was to reinforce what we had learnt in the previous ones. I wanted to test students´ memory by asking them to name the school objects without my help. The truth is that I wasn´t sure if they would be able to do it. However, after revising the items saying a chant and playing a game, they could finally name all the objects by themselves. So, I believe that the variety of activities designed for reinforcement were very useful.
In addition, I felt that the interaction I had with students was successful indeed. When we used a poster to name the objects, say the colours and count them, they didn´t wait ME to ask them about the poster. They started pointing at the objects and counting them without my intervention. 

]]> 2019-05-24 02:17:46 UTC https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/363144990 leonelagomezmariana https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/363147918 Quotation
I think that this quotation shows an important aspect of the teacher-student interaction I could observe in this lesson: connection. As I mentioned before, students were very affectionate with me from the very beginning. However, I felt an even deeper connection during this lesson, the one you feel when you are comfortable with the people you are with and when you feel free to be and express yourself. I noticed that kind of atmosphere when we were working with the poster. Students came closer, they really wanted to show me that they were able to name the school items and they were eager to interact with me.Actually, I must confess that teaching kids is not my thing but this time I felt that the classroom we were sharing was my place and I am pretty sure that this inner joy was what made connection possible.


]]> 2019-05-24 02:35:14 UTC https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/363147918 leonelagomezmariana https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/363153503 2019-05-24 03:04:34 UTC https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/363153503 leonelagomezmariana https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/363153505 What do you find useful of this lesson that will help you plan the next one?
I think that this lesson has shown me that this group works better when items or images are presented on the board. During the second lesson I tried an activity on the floor and it got quite messy. However, this time working on the board was more organized and convenient. So, I will definitely continue using the board as my main resourse.]]> 2019-05-24 03:04:35 UTC https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/363153505 leonelagomezmariana https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/367466875 Teaching Strategies
I think that this lesson was a good example of being flexible and adapt lesson plans to students´needs. 
It turned to be that kids were having a fancy dress party that day so they were dressed up as super heroes and famous cartoon characters. Obviously, they were even more excited than they usually are. The thing is that, although I tried to follow the procedure I had planned for that class, I realized it wasn´t going to be possible nor convinient. So, I let students express themselves and show me their costumes and I took advantage of one of those costumes (luckily, it was of one of the toys I was going to use for the lesson plan) and I encouraged cooperative learning by adapting the activities to their interest at that moment. 
It was effective because, in spite of being a bit messy at teh beginning, with the changes in the activities I could have a better group management and, at the same time, have a fruitful and enjoyable class.]]> 2019-06-13 18:26:08 UTC https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/367466875 leonelagomezmariana https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/367466876 Photo Description
I really liked the photo below as it shows that collaborative moment I could encourage in this fourth lesson. Actually, the kid dressed up as Buzz Lightyear, who you can see standing at the back, had been angry the whole morning. When the English class started, he was still angry. So, I thought, perhaps, that asking him to help me with the lesson was going to be a good idea. And it was indeed. He felt important as he was "the model" for the activity and started moving around to help his classmates paint their pictures of Buzz Lightyear.  

]]> 2019-06-13 18:26:09 UTC https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/367466876 leonelagomezmariana https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/367466880 2019-06-13 18:26:10 UTC https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/367466880 leonelagomezmariana https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/367471620 Important moments!!
I strongly believe that there was a moment in this last lesson which was important for both, students and me and it was the time to go and say goodbye.....
As I mention in the metaphor, I have never liked teaching young children. In fact, I wasn´t sure if I had the personality, skills and warmth to work with children. So, in a few words, I started an act. Students were not going to notice those feelings so I did my best to be warm and to adapt myself to them. However, as the classes passed by, I started feeling more and more comfortable in the classroom and the last class they asked their teacher if I could stay to have breakfast with them. They prepared my chair and my cup and sat down next to me to talk. When it was time to go, they didn´t want me to....
I guess it was an important moment for both because we could really "feel" the link we could develop during the observation stage and the classes we shared .... and... I am still invited to visit and have breakfast with them any time :) ]]> 2019-06-13 18:58:08 UTC https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/367471620 leonelagomezmariana https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/367478294 Metaphor
I think that the whole practicum stage in Kindergarten was like an act or a play for me. 
At the beginning, all the actors feel nervous and don´t really know the impact their performance will have in the audience. In fact, some of the actors take roles which are very very different to the real person they are (like me working with kids). However, when the play is over and actor observe that the audience has enjoyed the performance, they feel fulfilled no matter the effort they had to make to perform their roles. ]]> 2019-06-13 19:50:31 UTC https://padlet.com/leonelagomezmariana/qidkeqqe3i7g/wish/367478294