Observation reflection
- 1. Observation Reflection The group we observed is from the secondary school “Benito Juarez”, the group was 1st grade. The methodology used by the teacher in the class is the grammar translation method because she was speaking English all the time, except for a few isolated words, she used such as “sit down, open your book, stand up, very good, etc.,” the teacher is a traditional teacher, she is from the old school. She had total control in the class but there was an interruption from the authorities in the school to check the students’ backpacks and that broke the control in the class. The techniques used by the teacher were comparing L1 and L2 because she was speaking Spanish and translating all the class, also used the reading technique because she put the students to read all the class. The material used in class was a book and a dictionary, the classroom doesn’t have computer. The students read classical text and they depended a lot of the teacher because they asked very often, they ask always for words they didn’t understand and the teacher using the translation method said the word in Spanish, this is why they are basic level because they didn’t have English class in elementary school. The teacher applied no communicative activities because she only put the students find out demonstrative pronouns In a paragraph and there wasn’t any kind of communicative competence everything was individual the class was between 40 and 50 minutes and there were 30 students of 12 and 13 years old. The students were in the puberty, we observed that they had logical thinking and multidirectional deductions because they thought and commented different and logic ideas between them, according to the cognitive psychologist Jean Piaget, this is a concrete operation of egocentrism they have a formal operation. During the class the students showed behavior that is related with the ego, because they weren’t quiet but they neitherwere making chaos they were conscious of their actions. They’re not adolescents yet but neither children, in that age they don’t know themselves but they’re a little conscious of their actions, there weren’t much libido. According to the psychology Lawrence Kohlberg the morality is divided in pre- conventional, conventional and post-conventional, we observed in the students the pre-conventional level because there were exchanges of helps, they helped each other because they often ask each other when the teacher was busy with other students or just because they didn’t want to stand up.
- 2. We also observed the a bit of the conventional stage because the teacher has a certain control and rules in the students such as don’t’ stand up without ask first, don’t shout, etc. for the students was important to follow the teacher orders and have her approbation, not all the students cared that but the majority did. According to the sociology August Comte the students were in a metaphysical stage because they have rational-logical reasoning, they’re not so primitive to be in the primitive stage and they’re not so scientific to be in the scientific orpositive stage, they start thinking in a rational and logical way. Personal reflection Heber The class was based on the grammar translation method wish is not very recommendable but in this case it is, the students had not have English classes before and it was necessary to simplify all the doubts, the activity was no communicative and it was simple, to look for some words in a paragraph sounds simple but not for the students because we watched certain complexity when they were solving the activity, it sounds easy but represented a challenge for the students of a very basic level, I think the teacher could use didactic material like flashcards or do something more dynamic. Another important point is the time, the teacher had only from 40 to 50 minutes, that’s enough to teach simple things but the number of students also is important, there were 30 students maybe the teacher couldn’t do a lot but I think she could be more creative. The teacher had control in the class but something I didn’t like is that she went to the students’ place to check, I think is better let them to go to the teacher to check the works because when the teacher was moving to check the works many students were asking for doubts and the teacher didn’t realize. The behavior of the students was calm, this is because they’re not adolescence yet and neither children, they’re in the puberty, I saw that in that age though they don’t have a concrete knowledge of the topic, they can think in different and logical ways, they concern a bit for the other ones because they helped each other when the teacher was busy in other place and to obey the authority is important for several but not everybody.
- 3. Adolfo During the observation of the class I could watch how the teacher explained the topic of demonstrative pronouns, but the class wasn’t in English. So, I consider that the best way to teach any language is speak in the language that I can teach. The students were children, so, I think that in this age they need a dynamic class, or interactive, and in this case the teacher or the activity was very bored, is a traditional teacher, and the base of the class of the teacher is the focus on form. Leslie This class was given at five and a half hours in the Benito Juarez School, the teacher arrives to the classroom fifteen minutes late and the time class was for fifty minutes. Since she gets to class room until she lives she only talk Spanish and just when the students ask something like how to translate a word she response just the word at English, the kids first ask to their classmates and if they didn´t know then they go with the teacher. The exercise was from the workbook of English 1 secondary of Santillana editorial page 62 and 63. She asked first to the students if they remember what did they do last class, then when they remember she told them what to do for this class. She only reviews walking to the classroom for two times a then she takes a sit. When the bell rang most of the students go with the teacher to review the work class. It was a very simple class. Rafael In the class we observed, the first thing we note was that the teacher use a lot the grammar translation method. When the teacher told something to the students, they apparently put attention and they do the instructions correctly, but during the class was an interruption from the authorities of the school and that broke the discipline of the group. In conclusion the class was very short and not very useful for the students.