Is Teaching and Learning a 50-50 Process?

Some of the latest theories about education refer mostly to the learning process and not to the
teaching-learning process. The focus of teaching is the learner, so the process should be
student-centered. This position seems to diminish somehow the importance of teaching, but on
the contrary, it makes teachers aware of what it really means to be a teacher. According to
Websters dictionary teaching is the act, practice, or profession of a teacher and a teacher is
one whose occupation is to instruct. On the other hand learning is to gain knowledge or
understanding of or skill in by study, instruction or experience. By definition both terms seem to
be closely related and balanced. There is no learning without teaching and no teaching without
learning. It looks like a 50-50 process. However, when it comes to practice, is it really 50-50?
Education implies many variables, but in a classroom situation, I have always considered
education as a shared responsibility between the teacher and the student. If a teacher does not
instruct in other words does not use the necessary tools (methods, techniques, strategies,
assessment and feedback), does not pay attention to individual needs, does not motivate
students, students wont learn. In contrast, if a learner is not motivated to learn and cannot
discover and develop his/her own way for learning, there wont be the appropriate conditions to
learn effectively. Someone once told me: a teacher cannot teach a student who doesnt want to
learn and a student cannot learn from a teacher who doesnt teach. Looking at learning from this
perspective it really seems to be an equally shared responsibility as long as the learner remains
as the focus of the process. Then, what must happen in the classroom that helps or hinders the
learning process.
In order to analyze what was present or absent this week during my teaching experience, I need
to consider the learners language proficiency and some group characteristics that I observe the
previous week. The group is small; it ranges from three to seven students. For a language class,
this size is appropriate for it benefits students opportunities for participation and interaction. Their
proficiency level is low-intermediate in most cases, though there are two students who may be at
a high-intermediate level. They are rarely on time; some of them may come an hour or even an
hour of a half late. The environment in the classroom is usually relaxed and they seem to get
along pretty well. With this information in mind I planned this week lessons. First of all, the
Comentario [AR1]: Im interested in
reading about what you think. I think
of teaching and learning as a tension
bridge. The need to balance each
other out, but it may not be 50-50.
There is a give and take in education.
Sometimes one side is heavier and
needs more attention, shifting the
weight and compensating for it, but
always maintaining its balance.
Comentario [AR2]: I would even go
as far to say learning-centered.
Comentario [AR3]: Hmmm. Do you
mean without teaching or without a
teacher? I think that this makes a
difference in your argument.
Comentario [AR4]: I find it curious
that you say its an equally shared
responsibility, but then comment that
the learner needs to stay focused.
Theres an interesting assumption
here that you might want to explore.
teaching team decided on a function and a grammar point which was description using
comparatives and superlatives for the first ECRIF lesson, and discussing about the environment
using conditional sentences for the second. Then, I decided on the topic for my first ECRIF
lesson: describing endangered animals. The main objective was: SWBAT use adjectives to
compare 3 characteristics of at least 3 different endangered animals from Costa Rica in a role
play. Moreover, I chose the use of I wish to talk about how people would like things to be different
concerning the environment. This second lessons objective was: SWBAT: use I wish in order to
discuss about the most common environmental problems in San Carlos in pairs. I tried to
contextualize both topics with issues from the students surroundings. Following the ECRIF
template to plan the activities was not difficult thanks to the examples and demonstrations
provided.
Thus, the first experience arrived. I had several puzzles at that moment: one if students would
show up, if they would engage in my activities and if they would reach the objective. I didnt feel
nervous though I was very anxious about the activities sequencing. Once I started the class I felt
comfortable working with the group, they like to participate a lot and I guess they liked the topic
since they were very engaged on the activities and eager to learn more things about it. I truly
believe the objective was achieved for students were able to describe the animals by giving
descriptions and comparing their characteristics when they had to go on a tour to the rain forest;
nevertheless, there were several things that could have been better. One of the main points is
that I need to improve is actually to avoid teacher talk. The activities were not teacher-centered in
the plan, but when I developed them they were. I need to be more patient and give students
some time to think and organize what they want to say, I got the feeling that I became very pushy
and asked too many questions in trying to guide them towards the expected answer, so I ended
up speaking more than they did. Another point is the sequence of the plan. I was so anxious in
following the right sequence of activities that my own notes got me distracted from some
activities. I felt that hindered the flow of the activities. In spite of these two main flaws, I felt
satisfied with the result of my first encounter putting with the ECRIF in action.
During my second lesson the feelings at the beginning were kind of similar. Are they going to
attend classes today? How many students will I have? If I have only one, how will I handle the
activities? Being used to plan and work with large classes makes this situation a big issue not
Comentario [AR5]: I love to see the
measurability in this SWBAT and that
it is meaningful for our students.
Comentario [AR6]: Ileana, I am
reading about this experience and
wondering what the students said or
did to show that they were interested,
engaged and eager?
Comentario [AR7]: Emotions are
such an important informant of
learning. In your case, feeling anxious
lead to distraction and potentially
hindering the flow. Its a chain
reaction, which can shift our whole
perspective.
only for me but for my teaching team. The fact of having students arriving so late made very
anxious because I had to tell them what we are studying very quickly so they could involve in the
activities. I got the feeling that I was going two steps forward and then one backwards in relation
to my planning. In general, I felt more comfortable in terms of the sequence of activities, I didnt
have my notes with me so I would rely more on what I remembered about the way I organized
the activities. This time the topic was hard for the participants. I took for granted they knew the
simple past taking into account they are intermediate students, but I was wrong. I felt very bad
when I started explaining the use of I wish + simple past and they didnt remember the verbs I
was using in the past or the negative form. At that moment I thought Oh my God what am I going
to do! I needed to make reference to the simple past rules in the simplest way to take them back
to the target structure. That situation made me fall behind my pacing and I had to modify the last
two activities. Then, in trying to cover the whole planning I started reading some sentences and
guiding the students, so once again I did a lot of the talking. At the end, I could complete the
ECRIF stages but I felt that I didnt reach the objective fully.
These two experiences were brief in time but extensive in reflection. I learned new things
remembered some others and had the opportunity to reflect in what teaching and learning is all
about. Having the opportunity to look at myself through the eyes of my teaching team and the
trainer made me realized of the aspects I need to pay attention to in order to improve my
teaching and enhance my students learning. Now I need to develop strategies to maximize
students speaking time in class, to step back and let them process the information to allow
learning take place instead of forcing them to come up with an answer by overwhelming them
with questions and examples, to use CCQs that will provide more precise information of their
understanding. Finally, I need more presence in my class.





Comentario [AR8]: Wow. This is
hard, Ileana, because they should
have this information at this level, but
they tend to lose information quickly.
Thanks for staying with them and
guiding them. Sometimes it takes a
lot of talking and energy to get the
students caught up.
Comentario [AR9]: These are
concrete action plans for the future.
After seeing your class the other night,
I can say that Ive you implement
them. Congrats on following through!
DESCRIPTION

On Tuesday during my remembering stage I asked students to look at some pictures of endangered
animals from this area on the screen. I showed them two pictures at the same time so that students can
compare them. They had to compare a coati to a tapir, a howler monkey to an opossum and a green
turtle to a peccary which are some of the endangered species in this region. I planned the activity to be
done in pairs so students can exchange ideas about these animals characteristics. However that night I
had only three students. Then, I made a wrong decision; I asked them direct questions about the animals
and control the whole activity by asking one by one to give an example. I though at that moment that
students were not ready to produce the sentences by themselves. At the end the activity became a
Teacher-Student activity instead of a Student-Student one. The students did the task accurately and were
very creative in their answers, but I did most of the talking.

INTERPRETATION GENERALIZATION PLAN ACTION
Changing the activity on the last
minute from a pair work to a
whole class activity didnt allow
students to participate more. I
agree that this limits and can
potentially hinder the students
learning.
To create as many opportunities
as possible for students to use the
target language and to interact
with their peers Ileana, this
sounds like a plan action. Here
you need to zoom out and think
about what group vs. pair
dynamics do for learning. For
example: Pair activities encourage
and expose the students to more
talk time since there are fewer
people in the conversation, while
group activities limit talk time due
to turn taking and large
populations.
I will be more careful in
maximizing the students
speaking time providing more S-
S activities. Ok.
Students responses to this
specific task helped me realized
that they were ready for a less
control practice.
It is important as a teacher to
trust more in his/her students
language abilities and to be able
to identify when they are ready to
produce more freely.
I will ask students randomly to
give some examples of the task,
before they actually work with it
to assess how they can do it.
It helped students to use animals
they are familiar with because it
was easier for them to come up
with some of their characteristics
It is important to try to
contextualize the language
teaching whenever possible to
facilitate learning
I will try to establish connections
and relations to my students
everyday life when possible.
Having less students than the
expected hindered students
learning cause it changes the class
dynamics
Planning a lesson not only means
to design a series of activities to
teach, it means to be ready and
know what to do in situations like
low attendance that benefit
I will make a list of what ifs to
analyze different classroom
situations and think about
possible ways to figure them
out.
Comentario [AR10]: Thanks for all
the detail that you put into this
moment. It helps me to recreate the
situation in my mind. One question I
have is about what the students were
doing and saying that might have
triggered you to start to talk? Was it
just the fact that you had an odd
number that threw you off?
students

DESCRIPTION

On Thursday, I decided to use the picture of a genie for the fluency activity. Students had to ask for three
wishes, one related to their personal life and two related to their communitys environmental issues.
They needed to ask the genie in the picture for the three wishes using the correct structure I wish +
simple past. When they saw the Genie, they laughed because the immediately recognized the character. I
immediately made reference to Aladdin and the Genie from the magic lamp, and the wishes people
normally ask for. Due to time constrains, they could not do the activity in pairs as planned but
individually. Even though they did it one by one, I felt very excited to listen to them asking for their wishes
because that was the evidence I needed to make sure they understood the use of I wish correctly. Some
of them still made mistakes using the correct past tense form in affirmative and negative statements, but
the concept was clear. It means they understood the meaning of I wish in spite of the fact that they didnt
show full command of the past tense. The effort was worthy!

INTERPRETATION GENERALIZATION PLAN ACTION
Showing a picture of a well-
known character, Aladdins Genie,
helped students to reinforce the
meaning of I wish
Sometimes a picture says more
than a thousand words. It is
important to use pictures that
help students clarify a concept in
a very simple way.
Visual aids are usually helpful, I
will try to use more pictures in
my classes to convey meaning.
Asking students to add a personal
wish and not only making
reference to the environment
showed students internalization
of the concept
Contextualizing the teaching
process may lead to a more
meaningful learning
I will encourage students to use
personal examples and
experiences when the topic
allows so.
The fact that students could not
do the activity in pairs minimizes
their speaking time. And can
hinder their output levels and
practice.
Students need to have more peer
interaction so that they can have
more opportunities to produce
the target language
I will plan more group or pair
activities to provide students
with more opportunities to
interact among themselves.
The students didnt show full
command of the past tense that
hindered their accuracy while
using I wish.
It is important to know the
students previous language
knowledge no matter their
linguistic proficiency level
I will make sure the structure to
be taught will be appropriate for
the students level.

Dear Ileana,
I like the question that you pose in your title. It makes me think of the struggles that happen in the
classroom and the reactions and responses we take and what it does to and for learning. I think teaching
Comentario [AR11]: What did they
say? What does that tell you about
where they are in ECRIF with the
grammar point?
and learning are like a ying and yang, flowing into and out of each other in order to find the perfect
balance. I think that it is traditional education that has separated them into separate categories because
its easier to control and explain this phenomenon when they are two entities.
You also highlight the importance of emotions in the classroom. You mention how your anxiousness
manifested in the classroom and could have possibly led to a disruption in the sequencing of activities. It
reminds me of the power of emotions, those of the teacher and the learner, and how it can change the
course of learning for better or worse. I also admired your action plans because they showed your
commitment to reflection and putting learning first in your classroom.
In regards to your DAPAs, you are able to pin point specific learning moments that are important to you
and that you want to explore in more depth, however, I noticed that it lacked what the student
specifically said or did. These descriptions are what help to decipher where learning is taking place or
not. In your next assignment, please include more student description in the paragraph. The charts were
excellent!

Ileana, you have met the requirement for this assignment. Enjoy your weekend in Kioro!

Pura vida,
Amanda