Reflection

 

REFLECTION 

Children at play are not playing about. Their games should be seen as their most serious minded activity. - Michel de Montaigne

 

This year of observation and teaching has helped me to improve my communication skills.  At the beginning of the school year I was a bit scared because I had never been in contact with students who were not speakers of my L1.  However, I was motivated by the fact that in EFL teaching, one does not have to use the L1 when teaching, which seemed to me to give the students a better immersion in the language. I also wanted to see what different teaching strategies were used in Polish schools nowadays, and to learn more about how to teach better. When I started my observations, I realized that I did not have to be afraid to face the group as a teacher, and from the beginning the children treated me and my mentor teacher with great affection. Almost 6 months into this training, I can see that my prediction about learning different strategies was correct.  

I have also learnt the way the school works, through projects, and I think it is a very complete way of teaching, because at the beginning of each project (which lasts about two months) the students comment on what they know about the topic and express their doubts or what they would like to learn, this keeps the students motivated to learn.  The projects I have seen so far are: Imagination, Products and Space. In these three projects, the students have developed all their language skills, which has motivated me to teach CLIL classes, as they seem to me to be very complete classes. 

On the other hand, all the teachers (English, Maths, Art, etc.) are in constant communication, which allows the subjects to be linked, and so everything is focused on the same project, which I think is a good way of making use of the interdisciplinary nature of the subjects. I have also been able to put into practice the theoretical knowledge that I have learnt in the Master's classes, and I have even followed the advice that the teachers give us, and I have noticed an improvement in my teaching. For example, being more dynamic, doing small activities so that the students don't get bored and are continuously active. I also encourage them to have self-directed learning, which allows them to grow and relate their knowledge to their context.  In addition, my mentor teacher has shared her knowledge and the development of her classes with me, and through her feedback on the classes I have taught, I have noticed my mistakes and improved them. I feel that I have grown as a teacher this year, which makes me very happy. 

Finally, I believe that class observation and teaching are two practices that complement each other and are fundamental to a teacher's professional development. Observing allows me to learn from the experiences of others and to see what the dynamics of the classroom are like without being the one who teaches. This has allowed me to reflect on my teaching. I've also been able to analyze what works well and what doesn't, and I've developed my criteria for the teaching techniques that seem to me to be the best. On the other hand, teaching gives me the opportunity to apply what I have learnt. I have learnt how to deal with real classroom situations, how to keep pupils' attention, good classroom management and by receiving feedback from my mentor teacher I have noticed where I can improve.