Alejandra Rodriguez

Angela Liceth Zuluaga

Julieth Carolina Lozano

Based on what you’ve shared, I would advise you to look for methodologies that are not too behaviorist for teaching children, as they do not process information in the same way as high school students. Behaviorismcould give you contradictory effects to those you want to reach. I would recommend implementing approaches like Total Physical Response since they are children, and biologically, their brain does not process in a mature way that the learning environment, (their classroom) is a space where they must be still and pay attention. I can see that your group gets distracted easily, so it’s important to use strategies that help you regain their attention during moments of distraction, rather than shouting, getting angry, or calling them out frequently.

2. What do you think your peer learned from this critical incident?

I think you learned to identify the children's behaviors and to make decisions that, even though they may not be the best ones, work for you and can quickly recover the children's attention and thus continue with your class. Being your first critical incident, I believe that it led you to reflect and prepare yourself in a better way to deal with these situations on future occasions.

3. After reflecting on their critical incident, would you react differently if it happened to you? Why or why not?

I think I would have reacted differently because, personally, I enjoy studying how to teach children, teenagers, and adults, as the approaches and strategies applied don’t work the same for these three categories. In Alejandra’s place, I would try to implement approaches and methodologies like Total Physical Response, to use the students’ energy in this grade to my advantage. I would also apply Realia, as it tends to grab children’s attention and keep them focused for longer periods, understanding that children in primary school are more visual and auditory learners and have difficulty staying concentrated and still for extended periods, as required by educational institutions.

I understand your situation. I was once a student in this type of stage and I experienced classmates who didn't even participate, they just connected and expected to make a contribution at the end. As colleagues and future teachers, it is a bit disrespectful to not pay attention. However, I suggest that at the beginning of the class you inform them of the dynamics of the class and how you are going to certify their participation. In my case, at the end of the class I would share with each of the students a brief summary of what the class was about in order to commit them to pay attention and participate. Before planning my class, I have to take into account the time I am going to set aside for the development of the activities, not letting them delay my time because in most cases they want to waste time doing nothing and for the time end quickly.

2. What do you think your partner learned from this critical incident?

I think that in this event they learned to make clear the objectives and the way of evaluating at the beginning of the class, making it clear that in order to be certified in the class they must actively participate.

3. After reflecting on your critical incident, would you react differently if it happened to you? Why or why not?

After reviewing the incident, I think there are multiple ways to react. Some are the result of experience as a teacher and the leadership I have in handling all types of groups, and the other is based on tension as part of the lack of experience that we are just beginning to master. Each reaction is respectable and is part of our process as future teachers.

Hi Angela, well, the situation you shared is complex because, personally, I believe that the older learners get, the more shy they become about participating in class. I would recommend starting your sessions by asking them how they are and how their day is going to help them speak and build a bit more confidence before moving on to the other activities. On the other hand, you could implement ice-breaker activities that encourage their active participation during the session.

2. What do you think your peer learned from this critical incident?

Besides learning about the need to create more engaging and innovative materials, they may have also realized the importance of adapting their pedagogical approach to meet the needs and motivations of the students. This experience could have shown them that simply providing activities does not guarantee active learning or engagement. Therefore, they may have learned that incorporating more dynamic strategies, such as using visual resources and collaborative activities, could spark greater interest.

Moreover, this critical incident may have taught them the importance of considering the diversity of learning styles in the classroom, which means varying the activities to address different ways of learning (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, etc.). They may have also understood the importance of fostering an environment where students feel comfortable participating, which not only increases their involvement but also enhances their ability to retain information. In the long term, this could lead them to explore more student-centered teaching methods and rely less on traditional, teacher-directed instruction.

3. After reflecting on their critical incident, would you react differently if it happened to you? Why or why not?

Probably I would have reacted the same way you did because when we face this kind of situation, we tend to freeze and respond in the most common way, which is to continue conducting the class in a traditional, behaviorist manner. Clearly, after having been in that position, I would evaluate the areas for improvement to ensure that my students participate much more in future sessions.