OCTOBER, 28th.

Today has been the last day of class before starting our practicum. We have finished the presentations in groups. The first group has been talking about routines and we have been practicing some routines which teachers usually do in their lessons.

Then have been our turn. We have done our presentation about festivals. With this topic we can teach the culture of a country or a city while we have a good time practicing different activities. In our case, we have chosen three festivals: Saint Patrick's day, Easter and Bonfire Night and we have planned one activity for each festival.  

First of all, we have chosen a song about the Leprechaun and to do this activity we have tought first the lyrics and then we have introduced the music and the dance. 

For Easter's we have done the search of the Easter's eggs where the student had to help the Easter's Bunny to find his eggs which were hidden around the University. 

And to finish, we have told a story about Bonfire Night to introduce the last activity which consisted in drawing their own bonfire night with special crayons.

What I have learnt today? Today I have learnt some activities that we can use to or not to carry on the routines in our future lessons.

For me, this lesson has been very funny because I was really happy looking how my classmates were enjoying the different activities that we have prepared for them. It is really nice and satisfaying when your work  and dedication are valued by your classmates, teachers, friends, family...

Right there you can see some photos that I have taken while my classmates where doing the last activity and also about some materials we have prepared for the presentation:

This is the link of our presentation.

OCTOBER, 27th

 The presentation in groups today was about exploring the world with stories and storytelling and thinking-based activities. With the first group we have been practicing different activities. First of all they have told a story in which the main character was Botty Bottle. Then we have done other two activities which topic was the recycling. And finally, we have planted chickpeas in a glass which we have decorated with some stickers.

With the other group we have been working thinking-based activities. First of all we have been talking about animals an their habitats. Then, we have done a puzzle and also we have to finish and complete the drawing of an animal where there were some parts missing. To finish, our classmates have prepared a Kahoot which consisted in knowing the animal who was the next (i.e. fish, lion, octopus, fish, lion and ¿?)

What I have learnt today?  Today, I have learnt different activities designs about the two topics that my classmates have worked about. Sometimes we can use materials that we can find around us and occasionally, we can also take advantage of the new technologies to create new activities which are related with the contents that we have to teach during our lessons.

I have enjoyed a lot today's lesson. The different activities that our classmates have proposed were very interesting and also, there were activities which were very usefull to practice with very young learners because they have to use their creativity to complete them and also the different activities were entertaining.

OCTOBER, 25th

 Today we have received a special visit. Inma is a teacher of a school which is called "La Candelaria" and is located in Azucaica. She has been talking about how start the teaching of a second language with very young learners while she was showing videos related with the information she was giving to us. In these videos appeared students showing different skills like: saying and recognising the numbers, doing descriptions...It is incredible that students of 3-4 years old can pronounce and identify what the teacher is saying to them without any problem.

What I have learnt today? Today, I have learnt two phases in the teaching of a second language: the first one is related with the exposition of the language to the students and the other one, with the expression. First of all, the students will use their body to answer the question of the teacher and little by little they will use the verbal communication.

It has been a very interesting class because we have had the opportunity of check through the videos how can we apply the tips and methods of teaching that the teachers have tought to us. I like that teachers use alternatives to show us what they have to teach insted of teaching theoric contents only. I thought that it was impossible that very young learners could speak and understand the language almost better than an adult.

In this picture you can see a present that Inma has given to all the class.

OCTOBER, 21st.

 We have continued with the presentations. Today, we have practiced activities about the following topics:

1.      All about me.

2.  Number, colour and shape. 

Whith the first group we have done three interesting activities like: doing a brief presentation about us and throw a ball of wool to one of our partners and say something about the person yo pass the ball; write our names in a clothespin and then we have had to put it on the feeling we though we had at this moment and finally, we have participated in a gymkana around the university. 

Then, with the second group, we have done funny activities also. To start, we have done a review of the shapes, colours and numbers; then we have done different shapes with plasticine of different colours and to finish we have done a pizza with plasticine, using different shapes and colours to prepare the ingredients. (You can see a photo of it at the end of this writing)

What I have learnt today? First of all I have learnt more about my partners, because we are together since the first year of this degree but maybe we don't know something about some of us. Also, I have learnt some tips to teach number, colour and shapes to very young learners.

Today's class has been very funny. We have spent a good time doing the different activities. The activity that I liked the most was the gymkana, we have worked well in little groups to find the different clues to find the partner these clues talked about. But in general, I think that all my partners have worked a lot to give the best of them in their presentation and proposals.

OCTOBER, 20th

Today, one of the groups has done its presentation about the other work in groups. They have talked about the creative classroom. First, they have explained some characteristics about the topic of their presentation and then, they have proposed some activities in which our participation was necessary. First they have told a story which included some characters (like ghosts, a whitch, monsters...); then we have donde a craft with pencils, thread and an elastic band. Also, we have had to invent a story with different characters they have given to us and then we have had to record those stories with Stop Motion. To finish, we have read again the story doing gestures and mime.

What I have learnt today? First of all, I have learnt some characteristics of a creative classroom. Also, thanks to the activities that the partners have done, I have learnt how to tell a story to very young learners, using gestures and mime.

It has been an interesting class where we have spent a good time doing the differents activities. We have laughted a lot while we were doing the stories with stop motion. In my opinion, this group has done an excellent work, searching information, planning the different activities and preparing the different materials and resources.

OCTOBER, 19th

Today we have continued with the presentations. Also, people have wroked a lot and their proyects were very originals. Our presentation was about the audiolingual method and in it we have included a little presentation of the method and some of its advantages (i.e. the vocabulary is richer thanks to the visual aids, correct pronunciations are learnt easily by the students, grammatical structures are gradually presentated…) and disadvantages (i.e it’s a mechanical method, the vocabulary which students learnt is quite limited, the students act as passive learners…) and we have planned three activities. But if you prefer see our work, you can do it following the next link.: AUDIO-LINGUAL METHOD

Some activities we have done today were: dancing songs, we have been looking for a treasure, we have seen some pictures to learnt their name, and also we have been practicing a dialogue which could occurs in a real situation. The methods which we have been talking about today were the Audio-Lingual and the TPR methods. It has been a coincidence.

What I have learnt today? Today, I have learnt new options of activities  we can practice in a class with very young learners following differents methods. It is not necessary use only one of these methods, we can combined them.

As I said yesterday, with this kind of works we put in practice these theoric contents that we have learnt before and it helps us to understand better the theory and check what kind of activities we can organize, if the activities are well planned, some advantages or disadvantages of work with each method…it is a good way to start practicing our future work.

OCTOBER, 18th

We have started with te presentations of one of the work in groups. It consisted in choosing one of the methods that we have learnt and organizing some activities based on this method. Some of the groups which have explained today its works have choosen the topic of Halloween. All of them have done a good job. The presentations were too clear and it was easy to understand them. Also, they have done a good job planning the different activities because none of them have repeated or have done activities which were very similar.

While I’m writting this I can remember some of the activities we have done with the different groups. For example:  we have painted our own Halloween masks; we have done a game throwing a dice to select the aspect of our Monster; also we have drawn a ghost and then we have had to find it followin some clues…it has been very enjoyable.

What I have learnt today? Today I have learnt different possibilities to apply the different methods or approaches of the teaching a foreing language.

With this type of classes we laught a lot while we are learning. It is too funny acting as we were very youn learners while we are doing the activities which our classmates propose to us. For me it is an interesting way to practice the theoric contents that we learnt in this subject.

OCTOBER, 14th

Today, we have continued with the unit five. We have started the class talking about the average of our answers in the questionnaire we did yesterday. More or less all of us control new technologies and at this points where we don’t know how to use some apps or webs, we have intention to learnt to can use them in the future.

Also, we have been knowing some apps and webs that we can use to create forms, to organize our favorite webs, to create stories…and we have been practicing the use of these apps. We have been practicing and seeing some examples about these apps and webs.

What I have learnt today?  First of all I have learnt to do forms, because before I have had to complete some of them but never I have had to organize it. Also I have learnt different webs where I can prepare material for the lessons.

For me, this type of classes are very important because  us, such as future teachers we have to know how to use the different resources that we will have to use with the students and I think that is now, during our degree studies, when we have to learnt it. I liked a lot today’s class.

OCTOBER, 13th

 After a long weekend, we have returned to our classes. First of all we have finished the second part of the unit four which talks about some tips about how can we plan our lessons, what kind of tools we will have to have in our class, how manage a classroom, what kind of activities we can do, some observation techniques and also about how can involve families in the children’s learning process.

Then, we have started the unit five, which talks about ITC. We have done a questionnaire whose questions was about our abilities with some ITC tools. Also we have seen a video where there were some teachers talking about their experiences using technologies in their classes and where we have learnt three main principles of this kind of resources. All of them shared their good experiences and children looked very happy using technologies.

What I have learnt today? Today, what I have learnt has been the tips to carry on different activities in our lessons and the different posibilities of activities we can practice in class.

For me it has been an interesting class, these tips that we have learnt today will be too useful to us. If we keep in mind this tips when we plan lesson and activities, I’m sure that we will do it better than if we do the same without considering the tips. Also, talking about the use of technologies and technological resources in class it’s important for me, because such a future teacher I want to know how can I apply new resources to the teaching.

OCTOBER, 7th

We have started the class discusing about some benefits that songs could have in the learning of a language. Most of us have had similar opinions like: “it’s easier for children to learn vocabulary we are working about”; “children can learn grammatical structures or practice some they already knew” Then we have seen some videos about songs we can use in our English lessons and it has been very insteresting because we can use them to teach some habits through these songs.

Also we have read the rest of the unit, remembering some characteristics and discusing about some points like “when it’s the best moment to start teaching english with children?” My answer to this question would have been: “as early as the child is ready to face another language”

At least, to finish the theory part of today’s class, we have learnt some tips to teach very young learners related to how organize our lessons, what tools will be essential to have in our class and also we have been part of a story. It has been really funny.

What I have learnt today? The most important learning today for me were the tips that teacher has tought to us to know how to manage the lessons and also about how to involve the families in their childrens' learning process.

As I said before, today’s class has been very interesting and funny, because we have learnt essential tips for our future job, and I think that if we use this tips in our future we will be good teachers. About the activity we have done to finish the class I have tos ay that it has been very funny imitate the animals that appeared in the book. We have laughted a lot seeing each classmate acting like animals.

OCTOBER, 6th

 Today’s class has started with a review of the contents we learnt last Thursday, like some rhymes and popular songs and we have continued with the unit.  We have invented another rhyme in pairs, but in this case we have to do the rhyme about the moment before going to the playground (i.e. eat the snacks, wash their hands, pick up the materials or toys...) . It has been very funny, we are very creatives. Then we have learnt that limericks are five lines’ poem from Ireland and we have had to invent one per group. My group's limericks was about animals.

What I have learnt today? Today I have learnt how must be the structure of a limericks whose lines must to have 8,8,5,5,8 syllabes.

It has been an amazing class, we have shared with our classmates our creations and it has been very funny. In my opinion, the activities that the teacher has proposed to us will help us to improve and develop our imagination and our creativity and I think  that these task are not easie to do, for example, in the case of limeicks we have to create sentences with a exactly number of syllabes and also, its sentences have to rhyme. Although it seems a bit difficult, I like to practice this type of activities and I know its would help us to make future creations.

OCTOBER, 4th

 Today, we have learnt new methods and approaches to teach a language like the Communicative Language Teaching, the Suggestopedia, the Silent Way, the Content Based Teaching – CLIL, the Task Based Teaching. Also we have saw some videos to understand better the contents of each method.

Also, we have been working in groups. We had to choose one of the methods we have learnt and explain its characteristics, advantages, disadvantages and also we have to prepare three activities to practice with children which have the characteristics of the method we have choosen.In my group, we have choosen the audiolingual method and we want to organize our activities around the topic “food”. 

What I have learnt today? Today's learnings were the new methods and their characteristics that the teacher has presented to us.

I think that the task that we have to do in little groups, which consist in prepare activities using one of the methods, will help us to understand better the theory that we have seen before and also to practice our “future work”. I mean, this is the start of our future task like English teachers so we have to practice in activities’ plan.