Mariela Pea

PPD II

Profesorado de ingls

Practical experiences
FINAL REPORT
Introduction
The purpose of the following report is to describe how I feel about my practical
experiences and how I prepare and organize myself to teach English classes.
I do my practical experiences at Instituto Rodeo del Medio,where the students have
English classes since pre-kindergarten.
The course where I practise is 2nd A in primary level.
It is a challenge start practising with little kids,especially when you have not practised
before,but at the same time,it is an enjoyable experience and an opportunity to learn
more.
Body
a) The group
In the group there are twenty-seven students, eighteen boys and nine girls.They sit in
pairs and in rows. In general, they work in good conditions,they are a bit disorganized but
when they work together and they are engaged with the activity they are doing,they are a
working group.
They usually work in pairs.There are no big problems except for a group which sits at
the back of the classroom,they do not pay attention to the teacher.It is necessary to ask for
silence many times and being a little bit though with them.
As regards the attitude towards the language, in general they have a positive attitude.
Some of them do not like the language at all partly,because they do not feel motivated
towards learning the language, but the majority of the students feel curiosity about
learning a foreign language.
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Mariela Pea

PPD II

Profesorado de ingls

b) The topics
I deal with two topics: Halloween and My things.
In the case of Halloween it is a very interesting topic to deal with since it is related to
the culture of the British Isles and compared to other topics it is more dynamic. Children
love everything related to Halloween and it can be taught in different ways: through
chants,songs,short stories,games as bingo,crosswords, oral and written activities,
depending on the amount of students and the level of the group.
Halloween usually takes no more than one class.In my case,since it is an special topic
and it is not fully developed in the book,I only deal with the topic in one class. I include a
brief story about it, I give a chant, I present vocabulary using flashcards and I play a
game with the students to test how much they remember from the vocabulary given.
In the case of My things, it is a vocabulary topic. It requires practising grammatical
structures,memorizing

vocabulary,writing

paragraphs,listening

and

completing

sentences,so these kind of topics recquire the development of certain skills like
communication,comprehension,speaking and others.Children are usually less motivated
when the teacher covers these kind of topics.
This topic,compared to the previous one, is more difficult and has a significant degree
of complexity for them.
On one hand,the vocabulary section deals with personal belongings of the students like
toys or things they have in their rooms. On the other hand ,the grammatical structure that
is taught is the verb Have Got.It can also be linked with prepositions, colors,
adjectives, depending on the group.
"My things" usually takes between three and four classes because students need to learn
vocabulary,grammar structures and develop through different activities the four skills,
which are listening, speaking, reading and writing.In my case, I give this topic in three
classes, two for presenting new vocabulary and reviewing the grammar structures and
one class for testing the students' progress with the topic.As regards the activities,
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Mariela Pea

PPD II

Profesorado de ingls

I use realia,play chants,work with the book and I also prepare written activities to test
them.
c)The Activities
Although at the beginning it is a little bit difficult for them to understand the activities,
they respond quite well.The activities are not too easy nor difficult, but at the beginning it
is necessary to explain the activities several times.
In my opinion, the most difficult activity is the one in which the students have to
listen,match and write, especially in the writing part.
Probably this happens because they are still learning how to speak in their mother tongue.
In the assignment,there are several problems as regards the writing activity. They
usually forget the article before the noun and the conjunction and when they describe
the last item. I also notice some difficulties in some students when they have to answer
questions. Instead of answering the question with yes or no, they tend to write the
affirmative form of the verb have got.
Although,there are some doubts and some activities are a little bit difficult for them, in
general there are no serious problems as regards the activities.The students usually
complete them fast and in the correct form when they are well organized.
d) Activities and materials
My first class is about Halloween.I start disguised as a witch. They are very surprised
and one of the students has a mask.I stick a picture of the Simpson's family on the board
and they realize about the topic we are going to work with.
As soon as I start with the topic, a student tells me his Mom does not allow him to talk
about Halloween. I explain to him and to the rest of the class that I am dealing with a
cultural topic they should know about because it is part of the British culture and I clear
up they are not going to listen bad things about the topic. It is only a tradition the British
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Mariela Pea

PPD II

Profesorado de ingls

have kept as part of their culture and they disguise just for fun.
I play the CD with a chant which is called "the Halloween chant". They listen to the
chant once and they sing it and they practise the pronunciation of the vocabulary of the
chant.Then, I present the vocabulary of the chant through flashcards,asking if they know
the meaning of the words and I make them repeat all the items two or three times.
I realize that I commmit a mistake there,I should have shown them the flashcards with
the vocabulary first instead of playing the chant first, because when they sing the chant
they do not know how to pronunce the words correctly.
Once they learn the vocabulary, I make them play a game which is called Halloween
bingo in which they have to remember and recognize vocabulary items in a set of cards.I
mention the name of items and the one who gets all the items,wins the game. To help
them I give a copy with all the vocabulary we cover in class.
At the beginning, even though I explain the game three or four times, there is too much
confusion. They do not know how to play the game and they do not understand what they
have to do, so I start playing the game so they learn how to do it. They start recognizing
the items and they start engaging with the game but the class finishes because time is up.
My second class is about My Things. I do not continue covering Halloween because
it is an extra topic and it should not take more than one class.In the case of My things
the students learn new vocabulary,grammatical structures and they have to do a link with
the previous topics (there is/ there are and prepositions, so these kind of topics are very
important and usually take between three classes up to a month depending on the topic
you are dealing with.
First, I start introducing the topic with realia, I use a teddy bear and a poster and I ask
them what they think the class is going to be about.After the introduction,I make them
listen to the vocabulary and at the same time I point to the flashcards with the vocabulary.
They know the meaning of every item so I make them repeat it a few times and they do
an activity in the book where they have to listen to all the items and write them.
Once they learn the vocabulary, I introduce the verb "have got". I stick flashcards with
the grammatical structures on the board and I explain how to use the verb Have Got in
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Mariela Pea

PPD II

Profesorado de ingls

the short form, only using the first person in singular. I also review how to use it in the
affirmative,negative and interrogative form.
They have several doubts as regards the topic. They find it difficult to understand,so I
make them repeat the structures several times. I do not realize about the time so I waste
too much time making them repeat. The next activity I have planned to work with is a
chant but it is not possible because there is not enough time to do it, so I give the kids
another activity to do in which they have to look at a picture,complete with the verb have
got in the short form,in affirmative and join the dialogue with the correct picture. I
explain the activity several times and when they finish it, they hand the copies to me to
correct them. This activity is a kind of assignment to test how the students are dealing
with the topic and how clear theteacher is about the activities and the explanations she
gives.
In the third class I continue with "My things". I give the kids the copies with the activy
they did last class. In general,the results are good,there are not big difficulties and in the
case of those students who have some doubts, I go to their seat and I ask if they
understand the topics and the activities we are covering.I also try to clarify doubts.
I stick the flashcards with the vocabulary and the verb Have got on the board to make
them remember the items and structures.Then I play a CD with the chant "I've got a
scooter" and make them sing.Later,I make them work with the book in an activity where
they have to listen,match the pictures and write the verb have got in the short form in
affirmative.There are several doubts in this exercise,it is hard for them to understand and
write at the same time, but they finally fulfill the activity succesfully.
When they finish with the activity and I clarify some doubts,the next activity I have
planned to work with is word order in questions using have got but once again, I did not
watch the time so they only listen to the dialogues with questions an I ask them personal
questions.I make them repeat the questions but I am not able to cover the exercise in
which they have to order the questions,so I only teach them how to answer them.Before
the class finishes I tell them they should study the vocabulary and the structures we have
practised and suddenly,time is up.
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Mariela Pea

PPD II

Profesorado de ingls

The fourth and last class is for testing.I prepare an assignment to test what they have
learnt. The assignment consists of putting the words in order (vocabulary),completing
with the verb have got (in the short and affirmative form),answering personal questions
and writting and drawing about the things they have.
While they are doing the activities, they have many doubts with the exercise in which
they have to answer personal questions. Since that topic was not totally covered, there are
some difficulties so I walk around the tables asking for doubts and helping with the
exercises. They also find difficult the writing part,specially when they have to write
commas and the conjunction "and",they forget to write them,mainly becaude they do not
know how to write them even in their mother tongue.
When they finish the assignment I end the lesson and my practical experiences telling
the students they have been good students,just a little bit disorganized but they have
participated actively in class .I also tell them how much I enjoyed giving classes to them
and I give each of them a lollipop with a card, so they remind me and their parents know
that they have been attending classes with another teacher.
I think the activities I use are interesting but sometimes I forget they are children.
Reviewing my practical experiences I notice that I tend to teach them as if they are
adolescents but they are not. I have read a lot about teaching children and there are some
principles to follow.For example, the teacher should make classes more dynamic and be
creative with the activities that are being prepared, the teacher should avoid talking them
using grammatical terms. In my case,I use the word 'structure' several times and I realize
that some students do not understand the meaning of that word. It is important to select
the words the teacher is going to say to the kids,because the students can get confused
about the activities and they may not understand.
As regards the four skills, I do not have enough time to develop them,especially with
this group.
The fact that they are in second year in primary and they barely know how to speak
their mother tongue i.e Spanish, the fours kills cannot be completely developed. They
must be taught little bit little. In my case, I try to develop each skill but I notice that it is
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Mariela Pea

PPD II

Profesorado de ingls

quite difficult to develop speaking skills; I think that is the most difficult one. Kids also
find a little bit difficult the listening activities but I devote most of the time to develop the
writing and listening skills.
I develop reading skills asking the students to read sentences from the exercises they
have done.In the case of speaking skills,there is not enough time to develop them in a
proper way,so I check and develop the skill when I make them repeat the vocabulary and
when we check the exercises orally.
As regards the amount of time of the activities,writing activities are the ones which take
more time, together with the the ones which involve repetition of verbs. The rest of the
activities does not take more than ten minutes.
e)Students
Most of the studentes are on task,except for the ones who sit at the back of the
classroom.They are usually very distracted,they talk to each other all the time. I call their
attention constantly, but when they do not want to obey, I write a list of names on the
board and I warn them that if they do not remain in silence I will talk to the principal
about them.They finally make silence.
There are some other students who do not obey and do not pay any attention.The key is
to control their behaviour and I think I need to focus more on that aspect. I notice that
shouting at them is useless, they do not respond at shouting. There are some other
techniques that I am going to put into practice in the following classes, like speaking very
slow, claping my hands or singing a chant.
Referring to the parts of the lessons they seem to enjoy more,I should say they love
listening to chants and singing them. Although they become shy when it comes the
singing part,they really enjoy the activity. They also enjoy answering personal
questions,playing games in the classroom and painting the images of the workbook.
The students do not use so much English.For them it is quite hard to understand it and
speak in English.The majority of the students speak a bit of English through a
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Mariela Pea

PPD II

Profesorado de ingls

meaningful repetition. The repetition of vocabulary and grammatical structures has

always been used. The combination of repetition,listening,writing and other kind of
activities are the ideal complement to learn English;but the biggest problem when it
comes the moment to teach English is the lack of time in the classroom and most of the
time,the resources are not available.

f)Classroom Managment
As regards the activities,some of them are planned and specified to last certain time
because children have a very short attention span and when the teacher wastes too much
time on the same activity,they get bored easily. For example a listening activity is
estimated to last between five and ten minutes ,otherwise they would get
bored.Sometimes a listening or any kind of activity lasts more because children do not
understand or they find it difficult to listen and write at the same time.Sometimes I lose
time repeating the vocabulary and the grammar structures,so that affects directly the pace
of the lesson and the time set for the other activities.
I consider that the pace of the lesson sometimes goes well and sometimes do not.
I realize that I frequently come out in a rush. I tend to do things quickly to finish as soon
as posible,and again,I forget that I am dealing with children and I try to calm down. It is
necessary to be patient with them.
When I develop any kind of activity I generally use whole class group or pair
work,depending on the activity. When I make them practise pronunciation or I check the
exercises ,I apply choral repetition or I make them repeat or read all together so they are
not embarrased whether they mispronounce a word. When I make them work with the
book, they usually work in pairs with their classmates but when it is necessary to check
the exercises, I walk around the tables checking they have completed all the exercises and
I ask for doubts. I think pair work is a good work strategy to apply in the classroom.
Most of the students do not have serious problems to understand the lesson, so I
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Mariela Pea

PPD II

Profesorado de ingls

consider my instructions are clear enough, I just need to add more examples so they can
understand clearly.Some of the students who do not understand the lesson are usually the
ones who are talking to a partner when I explain or the ones who are distracted painting
the draws that appear in some other activities.
The kids participate a lot in class. Most of them raise their hands to participate and all
of them have the opportunity to do it. When I notice there is a student who does not want
to participate, I make him/her participate reading a sentence or repeating words. I try to
follow the student's progress walking around desk by desk and trying to clarify doubts.
Reviewing the contents of each class is also a way of following the students progress.
There is a very important point that has not been mentioned before: the feedback. It is
very important to be careful with the feedback. If it is too negative ,the student feels
dissapointed of her/himself and if the teachers appraises the student too much,at a certain
point the student gets bored and gradually loses motivation. When they answer questions
in a correct way, I tell them Excellent, Good Job, Good work and when they are
make a mistake, I shake my head on a negative gesture and I tell them mm..Dont you
remember how we say tengo ? and they start to help each other and they find the
answer.
One of my biggest failures during my practical experiences is the use of English. I use
very little English and it is not very well pronounced. Kids are like sponges and they
absorb every word they listen to,so it is very important to pronounce well every word.
My anxiety affects the way I pronounce every word and I often sound as if I am in a rush
so that is an aspect in which I have to improve. English sounds better when it is spoken
slowly, when the rhythm is kept and the pauses are respected.
Conclusion
I really enjoyed this experience. I have really loved giving classes for kids, but I do
not feel self-confident enough to teach yet. I realize I still have a lot to learn. All the

Mariela Pea

PPD II

Profesorado de ingls

material I read about language teaching is very useful to me but I still have to analyze
more in detail all the theory again, because there are a lot of principles which I haven't
taken into account.
I have also learned that the teacher should think about many things before giving a
class,like the age of learners,how they learn,what abilities they have, what they can do or
not. The teacher should also look further and prepare everything in advanced because
problems may ocurr.For example,if the teacher needs a tape recorder to do an activity for
the students and there are no tape-recorders,the teacher should find
another way to prepare the activity.Another problem that may occurr is when the students
have to do a test or assignmnent; the teacher shoud always be prepared with extra
copies,just in case. Another situation that may occur is when the students finish the
activities very soon (Also called fast finishers), in that case,the teacher should prepare
extra activities in order to keep the students always busy. Those kind of situations are
unexpected and when they occur the class may be a mess,that is why it is very important
to look further and to plan the lesson,taking into account all the things that may occur.
As regards the teacher's personality towards teaching,I think teachers should be patient,
and tender but at the same time, they should know how to establish a limit.There are
many things to take into account and little by little ,through practising , he/she acquires
more experience and every class is a little bit easier than the previous one.
Although I made too many mistakes when I gave classes, it is the perfect moment to
keep on practising and keep on improving.
It is necessary to review my practical experiences in order to plan and prepare the
following classes properly and to develop different strategies to teach every topic and
every activity.
I think that it is a good thing being aware of my failures, so I can start changing since
now, developing my critical thinking.
The practical experiences have been a challenge,because it is an opportunity that you
have, to put into practice what you have been studying and learning. It is also a chance to
practise your English language,to deal with different groups and to be creative when you
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Mariela Pea

PPD II

Profesorado de ingls

have to develop topics and prepare activities.

It is an opportunity to share your knowledge and also learn from the students,even if
they are kids.It is a mutual exchange of ideas.

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