UPLA FINAL PRACTICUM PORTFOLIO

- Alumna: Priscila Sepúlveda González

- Profesora Supervisora Jimena Campos

- Año: 2015

Index

1. Portfolio Introduction 2. Reflective writings13. School information4. Reports 5. Unit plans and lesson plans6. Learning material (written and/or audio)7. Evaluation8. Evaluation instruments9. Evaluation instruments10. Self-evaluation 11. Reports 12. Learning material 13. Conclusions

I. Portfolio Introduction

Nowadays as at the beginning of the societies education has being an essential part of people lives and the relationship between them. Therefore, the education is related to the economy and politics of the country and its issues affect the whole community. The educational system is not able to norm a society but can help to achieve common goals through knowledge, reinforced values and attitudes, and skills that make possible a social project. Then, thanks to this basic tools the community can communicate and understanding among the participants of the community.

Taking into consideration what has been said this process of conscious practice of teaching is fundamental because it provides the perfect setting for reinforcing and learning through playing the role of a teacher inside the actual school and under the educational system demands. Accomplishing duties, developing knowledge and classroom strategies, creating materials, planning and organizing activities challenge the professional and imprints the characteristics needed to be successful as an active part of the learning process of the students.

This paper attempts to show the achieved goals during this teaching practice which lasted one term and was developed under the guidance of two school teachers and a supervisor. The information and the evidence provided here give proves of what has been learned and achieved, and show professional along with personal growth. I provide context, comments, some pictures and relevant data collected to make the reader participant of my journey.

II. Reflective writings1

What I have learned:

During this process I have learned that it is easier to say and write than do. Besides practicing almost everything I read, I have had to improvise and adapt to the requirements of my student, schools and guide teachers. It has not been an easy task for me and I feel that I have evolved throughout the whole process.

I have become more disciplined and accurate, because planning and creating class materials have turned me into an observer who is always taking notes of what works and what does not work for my students.

I have developed a more attentive ear which is ready to catch complains and remarks made by students and teachers alike.

I have to recognize that it was hard to listen to critics but every time I took the course of action advised I got good results.

I truly believe that the educational system is full of flaws but the teacher still can make a difference when is committed. Students notice who cares and who is there to help them learn.

An unanswered questions has to do with the schools administrations, why to teacher and administrations do not cooperate in having clear rules and why is it that teachers are treated whit concerns and are not supported in their decisions. I think that there might be a lack of professional trust, maybe teachers are no seen as the professionals they are. And schools administrations are to blind and detached from classrooms.

Now I get how important is to work with other teachers and to understand the comments they make about students, now I think that every opinion is important even when it seems subjective. Students tent to take advantage of every excuse to brake that coordination between colleagues. I used to believe that students did not notice the dynamic among teachers and administrations but now I get how some of them even take disorganization as an excuse to avoid working in class.

I think that as a goal for my future I will try to work with every teacher in the school, I will try to coordinate my classes with what students are doing in other classes and reinforce the same aspects other teachers do. I think that I will continue to create my own materials and class dynamics. I will work with the school administration and demand a fair treatment.

III. School information

Name: Liceo Técnico Alfredo Nazar Feres

Address: Errazuriz Sn Playa Ancha

City: Valparaíso

Phone: 2281231

E-mail contacto: diranazar@cormuval.cl

Webpage: www.alfredonazarferes.blogspot.com

Director: Orlando Aminadab Rodríguez Brunet

Sponsor: Corp.Munic.De Valparaiso Para El Des.Soc

Institutional information

Rbd: 1516

Reconocimiento Oficial: Según Resolución Exenta 7052 De Fecha 23/09/1981

Administrated by: Municipal

Education level:

Educación Parvularia Enseñanza Básica Enseñanza Media Técnico-Profesional Industrial Niños

Total number of students: 672

Students average per grade: 24

Proyecto educativo del establecimiento:

http://wwwfs.mineduc.cl/Archivos/infoescuelas/documentos/1516/ProyectoEducativo1516.pdf

Reglamento de convivencia escolar:

http://wwwfs.mineduc.cl/Archivos/infoescuelas/documentos/1516/ReglamentodeConvivencia1516.pdf

Reglamento interno de evaluación:

http://wwwfs.mineduc.cl/Archivos/infoescuelas/documentos/1516/ReglamentoDeEvaluacion1516.pdf

Fee information:

Inscription: Free

Monthly fee: Fee

Scholarships available: 200

Características de formación del establecimiento

Énfasis del proyecto educativo:

Desarrollo integral Excelencia académica Valórico

Orientación religiosa:

Laica

Programa de formación en:

Programa de orientación Convivencia escolar Prevención de drogas y alcohol Educación de la sexualidad Cuidado del Medio Ambiente Actividades de acción social

Apoyo al aprendizaje:

Reforzamiento en materias específicas Psicopedagogo(a) Orientador(a) Asistente Social Fonoaudiólogo

Educación Especial:

Auditiva Intelectual Trastornos motores Trastornos de comunicación y relación con el medio Trastorno Específico del Lenguaje

Oportunidades educativas:

Idiomas:

Educación Preescolar y Básica

Inglés

Infraestructura educativa:

Biblioteca Sala de usos múltiples Sala de computación con internet Sala de computación sin internet Sala audiovisual Cancha de deportes Gimnasio

Conexión a Internet:

Tipo de Conexión: Fibra Óptica

Velocidad de Conexión: Entre 20481 y 30720

Deportes:

Fútbol Baby Fútbol Básquetbol Natación Tenis Tenis de mesa

Actividades extraprogramáticas para alumnos:

Taller de manualidades Taller de música Taller de ballet-danza Taller de patinaje

IV. Reports

This is a public school and many of its students have serious social issues. For high school students there is a system with thematic classrooms, every teacher is in charge of his classroom and determines how to use it. Primary students have a single classroom assigned and teachers rotate.

In the first grade in high school there are four groups, A, B, C, D. I observed 1C, but taught in 1D. The classroom was arranged in groups of six students but they were free to sit everywhere.

The classroom was decorated about English. With posters and flags, there was also decoration related to national celebration in September, Halloween in October, and Christmas in December.

The students used a text created in the school, and listening activities from a CD. They opened the book on the corresponding page and worked, when they did not know how to work the called the teacher who answered questions, gave examples, and told to use the dictionary to learn vocabulary.

The students were supposed to work on the book which had everything contained in the school plan.

I noticed that the students were allowed to use cellphones in the classroom, to listen to music and walk around. They could go out of the classroom under their own responsibility. Discipline was ambiguous in my opinion because students had impossed a system.

Students tended to violences, verbal and physical. There were three fights thoughout the term but teachers are not suppose to enterfire, at least I was not allowed. I discovered that girls were more violent thant boys, even when they are fewer the girls fighting is more common thatn boys.

I could notice how alone the teacher felt, he tried to encourage learning and discipline but it was almost impossible. The school management did not support his work very much, they suppervised him once, by surprise and critisisezed him very much. It was heart breaking to see how hard the teacher tried everyday without being valued by his superiors. I think he had too much to give but the system did not supported him, on the contrary he was interrupted and sabotaged Many orders were stupid to be followed and they changed every day, for example the way the attendance had to be noted in the class book.

V. Unit plans and lesson plans

I planned the 3rd Unit for high school students but it was already done in a better way so I followed the school’s plan.

When I worked with 6th grade, I observed that the teacher planned every week and I was asked to prepare plans that way. (They are attached in the file)

Despite all trouble, I feel the Units were carried out, I would say that at least the 80% of each planned lesson was fulfill. And students learned even when they refused with their most effort to work. I know now that I made many errors and that I should have hooked my students better, but it was really hard to change the way they had with the guide teachers, and their attitude towards doing something new was not willing, they liked to be in their comfort zone.

In 6th grade the students were less violent and the classroom was arranged in a traditional way. Four rows of chairs.

VI. Learning material (written and/or audio)

In 1D Students used the school book and CD, and in 6 th grade the ministry book and audios. But I prepared my materials and worksheet using the books only as a guidance. Evidence of my work is the file attached.

It was one of the most challenging tasks I had to perform because it took a lot of time to choose and adapt the materials, my students were not always attracted to what I did and, at times, it was a bit frustrating and discouraging to notice their faces bored and carless.

By the end of the term I felt more confident, although never completely confident, with what I was doing.

I brought different videos which helped me to get the students attention. But video music did not work with 1D as much as with 6th grade.

VII. Evaluation

A. Class evaluation:

a) At the beginning of the practicuma. Check worksheets in 1D and 6th grade. In 6th grade students participated in the

board and check whether students understood or not.b) In the middle of the practicum

a. Tests and checked worksheets.c) At the end of the practicum

a. Tests, a presentation and paper, the creation of a flyer.

VIII. Evaluation instruments

Tests, Worksheets, Classroom participation, a presentation, a paper, a flyer.

IX. Self-evaluation

a) My main strengths are: I have a good English level, I learn fast, I can adapt to different situations, I am patient and respectful, I can explain things clearly, I can relate to my students, I generate my materials and I am able to cover what my students need, I listen to my students and try to accomplish their expectations, I get along with people and I help them willingly, but the most important thing is that I love teaching.

b) My weaknesses are: classroom management is hard for me because my voice is low but I learned some techniques which helped me through the term.

c) My final mark is: Even I made some mistakes I think I deserve a 7,0 because I could overcome difficulties and learn how to improve my weaknesses. I also learned that teaching is a never ending challenge, as Socrates said “the unexamined life is not worth living” and I learned to examine myself after every class. My guide teachers gave me a lot of freedom and did not give me much advice but I noticed that they helped me learning by myself, my own try and error.

I also lived what I learned through this years, I put to practice methods and techniques such natural approach or physical response. I could understand that every teacher needs to improve, not because they are not good enough, but because they can be even better.

X. Reports

The following reports are requested only in one of the two classes you did the practicum.

a) Teachers‘ meeting (Consejo de profesores)I was not allowed in a teachers’ meeting but the professor told me that in a particular meeting the school administration discussed about failing students and the mass dismissal of many teachers. The teachers who were not hired for good were supposed to get new jobs.

b) Parents´meeting (Reunión de apoderados)About a parents’ meeting I can report that the teacher told me that the problematic students had absent parents, and many of them were failing the year. Good students’ parents attended and they talked about the end of the year and the possible activities they were having. They checked students’ grades and attendance and schools policies about trips.

This is a picture of the chart of the last meeting, they talked about all those things mentioned.

c) Class discussion time ( Consejo de Curso) Professor Thomas told me that during a class discussion time he tried to talk about serious topics such sex, but his students were too impolite and unkind. The discussion time were to talk mostly about misbehavior and bad situations lived in some classes. The 2° Medio was a difficult group.

XI. Learning material

A file attached with all the materials.

XII. Conclusions

Language learning is complex, if learning a first language is already difficult to the students is a major challenge to get immerse in another culture and language. The learning process consists of acquiring a language system, rather than learning a series of disconnected components. A language system consists of not only grammatical rules and vocabulary, but also the proper way to use language, such as requesting information, inviting a friend to a social event, thanking a person for a kind act, or greeting a stranger.

To be a teacher of English as a second language is even more challenging, since to be a teacher is hard enough to that we have to add the knowledge of another culture and set of language systems. In language learning and teaching an important concept is comprehensible input. Students can only learn what they understand and in language teaching this means that the teacher must make content comprehensible.

When we think about motivation, it causes the learning of language because it addresses the goals and expectations of the learner as well as the teacher. If a person is only interested in enough grade to pass a course that is all what that person will learn regardless what the teacher can offer. In this point I think I have learned the most, because I could focus on motivating my students but without feeling frustrated when they did not care.

I also could learned that how long it takes to learn a second language is an important pedagogical issue because the answer depends in part on the learner's age, aptitude, personality, and motivation, and all of those are limited in our school system. The only thing I could do was to make the most with what is available, and I feel like I succeeded.

Many strategies have evolved over the years to teach a second or foreign language to students but still there is not a fixed recipe and it was the hardest job to learn what my students needed and also wanted, to read their minds and pass through their learning barriers were the most challenging taks. There were good and bad days but all of them were learning days and I am grateful for the opportunity.