Elida Enciso Guerra. “Tasks for Teacher Education”

If I might say, I never imagine how complex was to become a professional English teacher… I began teaching in an amateur way, I believe I speak a good English, and I´ve worked with kids before, but honestly that´s it. I´ve been learning inside my own classroom, now my eyes are wide open to knowledge, because I see myself having doubts and having gaps in the way I want my students to learn what I know.

First, I found really interesting to make a reflection of what do I expect about this course. The priorities I chose from a chapter of my Degree Course were: “Learners should understand what the course is about to be properly oriented and motivated” (1), for me is so important to have my goals clear, cause I get lost easily, also, to feel motivated, if I´m happy and I enjoy what I´m doing I become another person, a better person, no one can´t stop me.

Second, “A teacher cannot teach learners properly unless she knows who they are and what their needs are”(2), by now I´m searching for my own approach, to live everyday with that philosophy and to teach with that on my mind, so, if I know the needs of my students I will be able to give them exactly what they want in the way they need it, but with my personal touch and style. When you spend thousands of hours together in a classroom, unconscious or consciously, ties are built up. If you go deeper and you get to know them, you´ll find out that their personal life goes with them everywhere, even to school.

In my personal experience, the biggest problems I have in my class are the discipline issues. My school includes in their student body, kids, with special needs and capabilities, what makes teaching education a complex work. My challenge is to catch their attention and motivate them to learn, and by own conviction, to behave. To make their Affective Filters go down so knowledge can get in!

Another fact that I find really important is to create an apprenticeship atmosphere. I want my students to feel happy during my class. In the reading “Tasks for Teacher Education”, the positive feedback is a catalyst for learning in a healthy ambience, helping constructive evaluation from teacher, as well as observers´ acquaintance from their classmates.

In our course, the experience of mirror-mirror is continuous; you need to develop the ability of empathy, obviously having on mind the premise that selection of information is essential, you ought to be reflective, in what you agree and you don´t. Not everything positive from others works for you, that´s the deal of finding your own approach.  

Why is important to know the persons you share your course with? This will help you to select the opinions that you agree with in a rational way, and to learn about the positive attitudes of your classmates. To work as a whole class will help us to learn something about the classroom experience while its happening.

I find amazing how the dynamic of my classmates and my trainer helps me to understand the learners situation, it’s like an experiment, we recreate the teaching-learning experience of a classroom itself, ace!!!

(1)(2)ROSIE TANNER AND CATHERINE GREEN, “Tasks for teachereducation”,pp.3 Página 2