Step 2

OBSERVATIONAL PRACTICE IN SINEP

• Link to my E-portafolio: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MfcKCgyQLnNLCnzZAtmV6-muaBp5Cc9t?usp=sharing

Synthesis of the Diarios de campo

During the entire observation practice at SINEP, I made a total of nine Diarios de campo. These diaries were filled with some of the activities that I did in SINEP which were completely significant for my training process since I was able to see what it is to create educational material. One of these activities was the development of an audiobook, the accompanying teacher proposed this idea to us to encourage students to develop their reading comprehension skills and also raise both their reading and listening levels in English. Some observations to synchronous classes with SINEP students can also be seen evidenced in my field diaries, in which I was able to observe how the teacher explained the topics and the activities to be developed to the students, I was able to observe how a teacher made the Students will participate in the activities and I learned how to make a virtual class more dynamic since although virtual classes may seem easy by far, actually, they require a great effort on the part of teachers to make the process satisfactory.

Description of the course

The institution where I did my observation practice was SINEP, which is a virtual baccalaureate that gives people who have not managed to finish their studies for different reasons, the opportunity to finish it and open their way to more opportunities. The methodology used in SINEP is task-based learning, however, the teacher whom I was observing performs synchronous meetings with the students to clarify doubts about the topics and the guides.

The course to which I was assigned the observation is called: ENGLISH ELEMENTARY A2.2. In this course more or less 260 students are registered, however, I was assigned the observation of 3 groups made up of 5 students each.

The students I did the follow-up are mostly young people between 18 and 20 years old belonging to the military forces, however, I also had 50-year-old students. The economic stratum of these students is between stratum 1 and 3, some do not have a very high level of English due to various factors that make learning difficult for them, such as work, family, children, etc.

Plan de Trabajo

The work plan for my practice fulfilled the purpose of the methodology in foreign language teaching course, all registered activities coincide with the format of attendance to the practice site.

Photographic evidence

• 16/03/2021 Observation session. 

In this activity, I observed a class in which the teacher was explaining the main characteristics of the Prueba saber in the English area, so that students will be prepared to present this exam.

• 24/03/2021 Lección en vivo.

This was another session I observed during my practice, in this lection the teacher was explaining the continuous present, something interesting of this class was an activity the teacher applied to his students, which was "learning based on mistakes" where the students were able to learn about present continuous correcting mistakes in grammar.

• 23/03/2021 Propuesta a foros.

For this activity, I created a proposal for discussion forums of the course to impulse the students' participation and create a conversation environment around an interesting topic. My proposal includes a text, a video, and 3 questions in which students will be able to express their opinions.

Conclusions about my experiences in observational practice.

• As final conclusions of my practice, I consider that it was a very satisfactory process for my teacher training. I was very satisfied with the experience in doing my internship at SINEP since it is an institution that offers great educational opportunities to the population.
• Regarding the curriculum of the course that I observed, I consider that it goes according to the guidelines established in the CEFR, in addition to the fact that the activities are oriented to seek to teach through the interest of the student, this is quite important since motivation forms an essential part of the process of learning a foreign language.
• Finally, I would like to emphasize the patience and the order with which the teacher Cristian Gonzales guided the internship process at SINEP, this is the second semester in which I do the internships with this teacher and it has become an example for me to follow. future teaching work.

Two methods from units 1, 2, and 3 that I liked the most

The methods that most caught my attention from those exposed in the course were: The audiolingual method and the communicative method.

The reasons why I liked the audiolingual method are because according to Richards, J., & Rodgers, T. (2001). This method is based mainly on the acquisition of a language through repetition, emphasizing oral expression and pronunciation. The teacher focuses on speaking in English (or the language to be taught) while the students acquire speech patterns through repetition and analysis of oral language. I find this method quite interesting since the mother tongue is not used, it is always spoken in the language that is intended to be taught.

On the other hand, I also liked a lot the communicative method because according to Richards, J., & Rodgers, T. (2001). The basis of this methodology is that communication is a process that is carried out with a specific objective in a specific situation. To achieve successful communication, it is not enough for the person who is learning a language to memorize endless lists of vocabulary, grammar rules, or exceptions to the use of certain words or sentences, it is necessary that they learn to use that knowledge correctly.