Week Journal 7 (26 May 2014)

Significant Situation 
Before this session, I graded the writing tasks my students made at home (1IGH5 class). I wrote some tips on their paper and gave them these back. During the lesson on Monday, I listed how many points they needed to get in order to get a sufficient and I what their grade is based on. I focused on: context, vocabulary, spelling, linking words, and grammar.

Reflection

It took quite some time (3 hours) to check all the writing assignments for this class, but I think it's good to give students individual feedback because not everybody makes the same mistakes. For example, some students needed help with their layout while others needed to revise their spelling. I wanted to make sure the students knew after this session what their strengths and weaknesses were with regards to writing a formal letter.

The effect was that students knew exactly what they needed to focus on in order to get a sufficient for their A2 writing test. Students also get individual feedback and knew how to better their English writing skills, but if they didn't they'd have the opportunity to ask me as I went to each student during this session to ask if they has any questions.

Most students asked me some questions about their feedback or they asked for advice on how to fix something I had crossed off. I think they thought it was a practical and beneficial approach of checking and giving feedback.

I did not get any feedback from this lesson. Though, students did thank me for checking their homework and for their tips.

This was important for me because I want students to learn from their mistakes and I want to give every student who tries their best my attention and consideration. What this says about me is that I want to be the kind of teacher who shows how much I want every single student to pass their test and to succeed.

My conclusions are that giving writing feedback may sometimes take quite some time to check, but it will help the students with their writing English skills in the end. Also, I've noticed that I am/want to be the kind of teacher who shows that she cares and takes her time to help students out.

My learning aim for next week is:
-N.A.

Internship Progress

Next week I'm going to be busy with orals so this will be my last week journal.
Thank you for reading all my weekly reflection blog. 

 -Ms. Henriquez  :)

Week Journal 6 (23 May 2014)

Significant Situation
Learning aims:
-To make class assignments that students can make independently during my lesson.

This week was a very different type of style of teaching for me, it involved a lot of careful planning. I did not teach in front of the class, but the students were present in the classroom and they had classwork. I made assignments that students could do on their own while I was busy doing the orals at another location. An example of such an example is given above.
I asked one student to be my Teaching Assistant that day in order to help me out. He or she wrote down who was present, made sure students were busy with their classwork and kept students in the classroom. This worked out quite well.

Reflection

I decided to ask the student who always attends my lessons, who is serious and who is taken seriously by his/her fellow classmates. I did this in order for students to not misbehave while I was busy with the orals. This helped me a lot since I didn't have to worry too much about the other students. I only checked in on them several times and they were busy working or if they were done with the assignment they were silently watching a movie on their laptops, which I allowed them to do.

The effect is that students knew exactly what they had to do and what they could do if they were finished with the class assignment. It was a very relaxed setting every time I checked in on the class (2IGH1).

I think the students really liked this type of 'lesson', because it was a very relaxed class and they didn't have to do too much if they were already finished with their classwork and their previous homework.

I asked the students at the end of the class if this setting was working for them and about the TA per lesson and they said that they really liked it because it was quiet and very mellow.

This situation is important to me because I was a bit worried that students would misbehave or skip class and not attend the lessons after my class. I didn't want that to happen so I was really happy when I saw that most students showed up to my lesson and attended the other lessons after my English lesson.

I am a teacher who likes to plan carefully by looking at the type of students I have in my class, their behavior and their level in order to pick a good TA.

To sum it up, sometimes a teacher needs to try out new ways of 'teaching' and let students help out when it necessary. Students need to be able to show that they can be responsible and teachers need to be able to give students the opportunity to show how responsible they can be.

My learning aim for next week is:
-N.A

Internship Progress

Next week, I only have two lessons on Monday. The rest of the week I'm off.
Until next week!

Week Journal 5 (16 May 2014)

 

Tips and Tops!

Significant Situation 
Learning aims:
-Report and attend a parent-teacher night.
-Report and attend Deltion's information night for new employees.

I attended both of these activities, but I'll only discuss the information night for new employees here.
During this information night I introduced myself to teachers from other sectors and we all met the director and the administration workers.

First, there was an introduction where all the teachers introduced themselves. Then we were split into two groups and we made a list of Deltion's tips and tops.

Secondly, we were given a guided tour of Deltion. We met some students from other departments during this tour, such as logistics students, and spoke to some of their teachers. This was very informative, because the army and companies sponsor different studies at Deltion, which can be seen from the logos, setting and materials. For example, the army is currently borrowing the aviation students a helicopter in order for them to practice working on up-to-date equipment and technology.

The helicopter!

Reflection

I decided to attend this gathering, because I still don't know a lot about the other sectors of Deltion. This was a great way to get to know more about Deltion.

I gave my input with regards to my first impressions of Deltion, which will help the director improve how new teachers are guided within the school.

This was important for me, because I wanted to find out more about Deltion. What is more, it was a great opportunity to get to know other teachers and to discuss the school with them.

What this says about me is that I am a curious teacher who wants to learn more about Deltion in order to understand what the school stands for. In order to help future students choose other studies, I need to know exactly what the possibilities are within Deltion.

My conclusion is that this was a very nice way to get to know other teachers, other studies and sectors that make up Deltion.

My learning aim for next week is:
-To make class assignments that students can make independently during my lesson.

Internship Progress

Next week, I'm going to be busy with 2IGH1 and 1IGH2's orals. That's why I need to design class assignments that students can make independently while I'm assessing the orals.
Until next week!

Week Journal 4 (9 May 2014)

Significant Situation 

During the A2 general writing test, one of my students asked for two dictionaries (EN-NE & NE-EN). I told him that he was supposed to bring them himself. He told me that he didn't know that he was allowed to and that I didn't tell him beforehand. I calmly told him that he was told in advance and that I could not lend him my dictionary. He got very upset and kept on saying that I could easily lend him my dictionary but that I simply didn't want to. Again, I calmly told him that I could not and that if he was not going to be quiet and finish his test, he needed to hand it in and get out because other students were busy with their tests. He got up, threw his test papers into the trash and left.

Reflection

I wasn't scared, because this student always had excuses for why he couldn't finish his homework or have his book with him. It was a surprise that he didn't want to finish his test, it was a surprise that he got so upset and threw the test into the trash can. I knew that I needed to stay calm in order to not disturb the other students and in order to not escalate the situation.

I really think if I wasn't so calm and clear about what I wanted him to do, it would have been a more serious situation. I also encouraged him to stay and finish the test, which was my way of saying I was giving him a second chance. It was just too bad he didn't take it, because from the looks of it he wasn't doing so badly.

Some students laughed when he stormed out of the room and when I grabbed the test from the trash, but others were too busy writing to worry about what was going on in the back of the room.

After this happened, I e-mailed his mentor and I spoke to my coach and the mentor. I got the feedback that I should have told the mentor straight away because he went home after my lesson. I don't know if that would have been a good idea since I still had 20 other students who were still busy with their tests.

This was important to reflect on, because I haven't had a serious situation like this happen during my lesson in a long time. I wrote this down because I want to remember what was said and how I reacted to this situation for future analysis.

What this says about me is that I want to be able to reflect and re-evaluate my progress through analysis in order to improve on my teaching skills and my pedagogic competence.

My conclusions are that I'm happy I stayed calm during a stressful situation that could have escalated into serious territory.

My learning aim for next week is:
-Report and attend a parent-teacher night.
OR
-Report and attend Deltion's information night for new employees.

Internship Progress

Next week, I'm going to be busy with my research. I'll be handing out my survey to teachers and students. In addition, I might be attending a parent-teacher night.
Until next week!

Week Journal 3 (25 April 2014)

Significant Situation 

I made two writing tasks as preparation for my first year's, 1IGH2 and 1IGH5, writing test. 1IGH2 made these assignments on the 25th of April. I specifically told the whole class at the start of the lesson that I wanted to see and check everybody's writing tasks before the end of the lesson. After approximately 45 min I started getting their work then I checked it with a red pen and gave them feedback on what they should remove, edit or remember to use when writing a letter or a memo.

Reflection

I made these two writing tasks because I knew that the students needed to practice how to write a formal letter and memo in order to pass the test since they mostly skipped the writing section or didn't try their best when it was part of their homework.

The effect of concentrating on only writing for a whole lesson makes the test seem (more) important to the students if it wasn't before, they realize what they can and cannot do (yet) when it comes to writing, and they get the time to focus on how to improve their writing. They also get the chance to ask me specific questions about writing.

Some students were not working, but I fixed this by saying that they needed to hand it in before the end of the lesson or they had to stay until they finished it. However, other students took this opportunity to practice and to get feedback from me very seriously. They even asked me more questions about layout, vocabulary and grammar.

Some students gave negative feedback: 'This is so boring.' or 'Why can't we do something more fun?'. Although, most of the class said that they felt confident about the writing test after having done these writing tasks.

This was important to me because the previous 1st year class that I had in the third period, 1IGH3, found this test very hard and some of them had to re-take the test. I didn't want that to happen again. Therefore, I am making sure that I'm spending enough time preparing the students for the test, which I didn't do in the third period.

I think what this says about me is that I'm a person who's able to reflect and change my program in order to prepare the students for their tests.

My conclusions are that I'm able to reflect and develop as a teacher by focusing on how I can improve my teaching approach when it comes to teaching writing.

My learning aim for next week is:
-Taking and assessing tests.

Internship Progress

Next week, I'm going to be focusing on my LIO research by asking students and teachers to fill in my survey.
 Until next week!

Week journal 2 (18 April 2014)

  These are three questions of the Socrative test (left) and the students' results (right).

 

Significant Situation 

I made a Socrative test of 40 questions on the grammar items present perfect and past perfect for my second year students, 2IGH1. The students made the test on Thursday, the 17th of April. Afterwards, I gave them their score. Then I connected my laptop to the overhead projector and we went through the most difficult questions together. Students asked questions and took notes.

Reflection

I decided to make online quizzes instead of paper quizzes in order to make the tests more accessible for the students and fun. I also wanted to make checking the quizzes very easy for myself since the students will not get an official grade and Socrative checks the results for me. This saves me a lot of time and the students can see their results right away.

The effect of using Socrative for English tests is that students will be interested in doing the test because they're allowed to use their phones or laptops.

Students said that the test itself was difficult, but that they loved the program.

The students told me to make more quizzes, because it made them realize what they were doing wrong, which answers were incorrect, and what they needed to improve on. They were able to see exactly what the correct answers were because I sent them the Excel document with their results, questions, and their answers in it, which Socrative compiled as I closed the test.

Planning, designing and taking the test is important to me because I want to be able to know how to incorporate ICT into my classroom and how to improve the students' grammar, one item at a time.

What this says about me is that I want to be/am the kind of teacher that spends time considering what the students don't know yet and rectifying that by making a plan.

My conclusion are that I am a considerate teacher and that I have the means of helping students by using ICT during my lessons in order to motivate the students.

My learning aim for next week is:
-Designing and checking writing tasks.

Internship Progress

Next week, I'm going to be busy writing and organizing my LIO portfolio. I will also design two writing tasks for 1IGH2 and 1IGH5.
Until next week!

Week journal 1 (11 April 2014)

 

Significant Situation 

I made a very detailed schedule for 1IGH5 and 2IGH1 for the fourth period. In this schedule I wrote down what their homework is and what will be done during these sessions, the grammar item(s), and the speaking item per week.
Then I e-mailed this to my students and I've also told them during my lesson that they will need to check the schedule for their homework and other assignments.

Date:	Intelligent Business:	Grammar item:	Speaking item:
7 April (Monday)	Check red book: Unit 12	Present simple, past simple	Pronunciation: tongue twisters
10 April (Thursday)	Check: Unit 12 red classwork: green book unit 12 Homework: red book unit 13	Pop quiz present simple, past simple, questions

Reflection

I decided to make a very clear schedule in order for the students to know exactly which book they need to bring (red or green), which unit they need to do or bring, what grammar item we will be dealing with, when they have a pop quiz and which grammar item(s), and what subject will we be discussing for the speaking part of the lesson.

The effect of doing this with these two classes is that everyone has no more excuses, because some students usually say that they didn't know what they had to make or that they were ill the week before, etc.

Most students told me it was a very nice way to know in advance what they need to prepare before the next English lesson.

My coach told me, ''Hi Lily, looks good. Smart to put in the holidays, there are many of those in the next months''. 

This situation is important to me, because I really wanted students to stop having excuses each lesson as to why they didn't make their homework which results into me having to kick them out. This is one of the teaching aims I have for this LIO; to be stricter with students e.g. when they don't have their homework or book with them.

I value being clear as a teacher, but also honesty out of my students and participation. I expect my students to behave a certain way and have their things in order. Moreover, in order for me to expect my students to have their homework with them and their books then I should be clear and honest as a teacher as well.

In conclusion, I think that this schedule will benefit the students and me as a teacher because it is very clear, organized, and straight to the point (exactly which units, which book, etc.). 

My learning question for the next week journal is:
-How do I make a diagnostic test on the weekly grammar item with Socrative?

I will be using and/or reading this online article:
1. http://www.socrative.com/how-it-works

Internship Progress

Next week, I'm going to be making a pop quiz for 2IGH1 on the grammar item of that week: the past perfect and the present perfect.
 Until next week!

Week Journal 7 (20 March 2014)

 

Significant Situation 

This week, the two first year classes (1IGH3 and 1IGH5) had to do their orals for the first time. This was the first time I did this at Deltion and therefore I wanted to reflect about it here.
The students had to speak English for 5 minutes per conversation and there were two conversations they needed to do in order to pass this test.
During this test, I listened, wrote notes, wrote tips, and asked the students questions relating to do their chosen topic. I noted that interaction was a crucial part of this test; that's why I asked the students pointed questions and sometimes this helped the students when they were in a rut.

Reflection

It was a very calm setting but I noticed the students were all nervous. I recall seeing ticks, shaking palms, and sweaty shirts. That's why I chose to welcome the students with a joke or a question about their internship, weekend, etc.
This relaxed the students a bit, because then they can already start speaking English to me as a warm-up to the test in a relaxing manner.
This situation is important to me because the students need to be in the right type of setting in order to perform at their best or close to their best for this test. A lot of times students get shy, too nervous to remember, or start to stutter or have blackouts because of nerves.
I try to be a teacher who will give her students a chance to perform at your best, who will give students a chance to talk, to explain if you're dealing with nerves or more serious problems. I want to be an 'open ear' for the students, because I find it important to not only teach but to really get to know and be there for my students.
In conclusion, I think as a teacher we should always listen, talk, and calm our students when we realize that we should. The trick is to get to know the students in order to realize exactly when they need your assistance.

My learning question for this week journal is:
What can we as teachers do in order to get to know the students better?

I will be using or reading these articles:
1. http://busyteacher.org/classroom_activities-vocabulary/gettingtoknow_each_other-worksheets/
2. http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb12/vol69/num05/How-You-Get-to-Know-Your-Students.aspx

Internship Progress

Next week, I'm going to be taking orals with all of my classes: 2IGH1, 1IGH3, and 1IGH5. Maybe something interesting will come up then!
 Until next week!

Week Journal 6 (14 March 2014)

Significant Situation 

As I've mentioned the previous week, this week I was proctoring the English reading A2 test for class 1IGH5 and the English writing A2 test for 1IGH3.
The 1IGH3's test taking was a bit rowdy at first, but I waited until they were all calm to hand out the test. After this, they got to work and were quiet.

 

However, the supervision of the 1IGH5 reading test went a bit amiss. The reason for this was because the students noticed after flipping through their test that they were missing a couple of pages.
I had separated the text and answer section beforehand, but I completely did not check if all the pages were accounted for. I trusted that the printing house had it all covered. Next time, I will double check everything before the students need to take their test.

How did I resolve this problem?
-I picked one of my most trusting students, gave him the correct pages, my teacher's card and asked him if he would be so kind as to print those pages.
-Also, I gave the whole class 15 extra minutes because they had to wait for the copies.
This was a hectic and unforeseen situation, but it turned out alright at the end because nobody even needed the extra time I had given them.

Reflection

I was at first quite panicky, because I had already given the students the test and I wondered if I should leave the classroom in order to make the copies myself. Deciding that was not very wise, because the students would surely cheat; I asked Daan, one of my best students, to make the copies.
The effect of my actions was that the class stayed calm and waited patiently, because I stayed calm and told them that they will have 15 more minutes because of my mistake of not checking the pages.
At first, my students were very confused as to why the question booklet skipped over 13 questions and why they were missing texts. They were also understandably annoyed at first, because they all wanted to finish the test on time.
I was told by my colleagues that I should always check the pages, because the printing house have made mistakes before and that it's my job to make sure I am prepared for the tests.
This situation is important to reflect on, because it shows how flexible I can be as a teacher when things go wrong during a test. I think I solved the problem pretty quickly, fairly (15 extra minutes) and with less commotion if I would have panicked during this situation.
I own up to my mistakes and told the students I was sorry for not having checked the pages beforehand. This shows that I believe in being fair with my students as a teacher.
In sum, I will always check the tests beforehand and I will keep my head on during upsetting situations like this one.

Internship Progress

Next week, I'm going to be taking oral tests at Deltion for the first time. I have never done this before, so it will be interesting to reflect on this at the end of the week.
 Until next week!

Week journal 5 (7 March 2014)

Significant Situation 

During a resit, I caught one of my students texting on his smartphone while he was busy making his listening and reading test. This is of course unacceptable and I told him so as I took his phone away from him. The student got up and asked numerous times for his phone back in a commanding voice. Each time, I told him that he wasn't allowed to use it while taking a test because using it meant that he was cheating.
We resolved this stand-off by compromising on him turning his phone off and putting it in his bag.

Reflection

I decided to compromise with the student because I didn't want the situation to escalate unnecessarily into aggression territory with the student.
The effect of doing is that the student became calm once more and continued with his two tests. The potential crisis was averted.
I think the student in question thought I was being unfair. However, I totally disagree because I told him no phones during tests and that he had to only have his laptop and ear-buds with him for the test.
I was crystal clear with my instructions and that was advice that I got the week before from one of the staff members at Deltion. He said that you need to be crystal clear in order for them to not be confused, lost, and also in order for them not to make excuses.
This situation is important for me because it was the first incident where I felt slightly unsafe with a student. It was interesting and eye-opening to see how I handled this situation, because inside I was scared but outside I acted calm. This definitely helped the situation, because I think if I was aggressively angry at him it would have been a catastrophic lesson.
I value calmness and peace and strive to achieve in any given situation, because I want what's best for the class but also the individual students. A safety environment where students can learn and be comfortable is very important to me.
In conclusion, I think the best ways in most cases like these is to stay positive and calm. It's better to come up with compromises than to be aggressive towards a student. You can avoid a situation getting worse by keeping your head on and radiating a sense of calmness. 
I will try these tricks again when (hopefully if) the moment arises.

Internship Progress

Next week, I'm going to be taking tests for the first time. I have never done this before, so it will be interesting to reflect on this at the end of the week.
 Until next week!

Week journal 4 (21 February 2014)

Week 4, Period 3
 Learning aim: -Reflect during our first 'intervision' session with Aranka Holtland.
                           -Discuss Roos van Leary

 

Significant Situation

On Thursday, the 20th of February 2014 I asked all sixteen of the 2IGH1 students to take an online survey (Roos van Leary) about the way I teach. All of the students filled it in that day and therefore, I will be discussing the outcome of this 'Roos van Leary' survey in this blog post.

Reflection

The above diagram is my outcome.
The indicators are as follow: leading, friendly, understanding, gives you space, uncertain, dissatisfied, corrective, and lastly strict.

The three dominating aspects are: 1. understanding 2. friendly and 3. leading. 

I really appreciate that the students picked those three aspects, because they are the three that I truly try to show with every and each of my class.
I believe the effect of being understanding and friendly is the fact that they will listen to you, because you cut some time in your schedule to listen to them. This leads up to why they would think I'm leading and in most cases in order to do this positively, students need to give you the room to lead them, which comes easier when students feel that they are being led the right way.
I believe that this class notices that I take some time to talk to them about their lives when I can during my lesson and outside of class and that's fantastic. I will definitely keep on doing that.
This situation is important for me, because I want to let the same group of students take the same survey again before the end of my internship in order to compare and contrast my own progress as a teacher. This will give me valuable insights through the students' perspective.
I value the students' feedback, because it makes me reflect on their answers. It makes me re-think the way I teach or it makes me feel good about the choices I've made.
In conclusion, I am a very understanding, friendly and leading teacher and that's great but I also have two weak points I know all too well and would like to work on. These points for improvement are listed below.

 

Focus: being stricter & correcting the students more.

How:
1. Stating my rules clearly and reinstating them every lesson.
This means that I will tell the students what exactly my rules are. For instance, have your book with you, do your homework, e-mail me when I say so, respect others, do not curse in class. Kicking students out is definitely what I need to be consistent in with regards to being stricter as a teacher.
I tolerate too much during my lessons by letting disorderly behavior slide that the students are not getting the feeling that I can be strict. This year I will focus on being stricter by applying the rules above in every single class.
2. Correcting the students more.
I will do that by addressing students’ behavior by having individual talks regarding what I see or hear during the class. I will pay more attention to their specific behavior during my lessons.
I will do this, have individual talks, because then there will be no distraction from the other students. I think this strongly has to do with stating what you want to see in the class; what your 'desired' behavior looks like. 

I will come back to these learning points in the blog post for March 28 2014. 

Internship Progress

Next week, it's Spring vacation! Have a good one, Reader.
Until the week thereafter!

Week journal 3 (14 February 2014)

Week 3, Period 3
Learning aim: Be more strict and kick students out.

Significant Situation

In week 2, my colleagues told me that I was being way too nice with the students, because the policy was if the students didn't have their books then it was my job to kick them out and register them via Rapid as 'absent'. I wasn't doing this thinking that I was not giving the students a chance to learn in my classroom if I were to kick them out. However, my colleagues stopped this thought immediately by saying that the students weren't in high school anymore. That this was community college (MBO) and that they were old enough to decide to learn or not to learn. Moreover, by proving to me that they wanted to be in my lesson they had to show me by bringing the right materials for each class.
That is exactly what I did at the start of the lesson with the rowdiest class I have. I asked the students if they had their books with them and the ones who didn't, I told them to leave right away and for them to join me another day when they did have their books with them.

Reflection

Honestly, this was tough for me to do because I want the students to stay in the classroom, to try to learn regardless of the fact that they didn't bring their books. Although, I knew my colleagues were 100% right about the students being old enough to choose. I really think I still have the high school ideals (I've interned two years in a row at VMBO), which is apparently an obstacle for me when the book-less students start to misbehave for lack of knowing what to do, boredom, etc.
The effect for kicking students out is that they will take me seriously and if they want to pass English, they will be there for my next class book in tow.
The students that I had to kick out tried making excuses, but I stayed firm and didn't let them back in. I'm sure they were all bewildered that they actually had to bring their books to class, because I'm usually so lenient.
I got as feedback from the other students that it was about time I kicked those guys out (they mostly didn't do anything).
This was a very important situation for me, because it was difficult to do but necessary in order for the students to take my rules and policies seriously.
The values that come to mind for this situation is respect and obedience. What this says about me as a teacher is the fact that I want my students to respect my rules in order to work in a healthy working environment not only for themselves but for all the students.
To sum it all up, kicking students out was hard for me but it's necessary as a teacher to have rules and for the students to know exactly what they are. I should voice my rules in order to ensure no miscommunications between my students and I.
This will continue to be something I work on, because I want to be concise with reinforcing my class rules. I will keep you posted on my progress as the weeks go by. 

Internship Progress

Next week, I'll be having my first 'intervision' session with Ankara Holtland. She is an economics student/teacher who is also interning at Deltion, Zwolle.
 Until next week!

Week journal 2 (7 February 2014)

 

Week 2, Period 3

 Materials:
1.http://busyteacher.org/10193-your-dream-company-business-english-worksheet.html
2. http://busyteacher.org/17981-write-and-present-the-news.html

 

Significant Situation

During my second week at Deltion in Zwolle, I substituted for one of my coach's classes. This class, 1IGH4, is the rowdiest class of the whole IGH first year department. Thankfully, there were barely ten students and they were attentive, creative and even cooperative.
Firstly, we checked the homework together which only took roughly 20 minutes so afterwards I handed them the two speaking handouts. For the first speaking activity, Your Dream Company, I asked the students to write the answers to the questions and then get up from their chairs and tell the rest of the group about their dream company in English. I walked around checking to see whether they understood the activity, they were actually speaking English and I corrected their grammar or pronunciation when necessary.
After two 'switching' rounds I asked them to sit back down and I asked a couple of them about their dream company.
Afterwards during the second speaking activity, Write and Present the News, I made two groups (one of four, the other of five) and assigned them each with a role. One or two (depending on the group) students were the news anchor, one a witness, one a sports anchor, and the last one was the weather man. I told them that they should first write down what they want to say and the structure of their news program (who's going to go first, etc.). Each group had to present for five minutes in front of the class.
Some students did better than others but it was fun to see and hear how creative some students were. I was even shocked by how well one of the 'rowdy' students presented his part in English.

Reflection

I chose to focus on the language skill speaking because it was Friday and these speaking activities were specifically meant for the bodily kinaesthetic inclined students. These activities were meant to be fun but also challenging for their English language skills development.
I was very firm with the students and told them exactly what I expected from them behavior-wise and presentation-wise. I did this by giving them guidelines and rules e.g. you have five minutes, be quiet, write your feedback, you have one minute, speak English, do not laugh at others, etc. The effect of this was that even though it was my first time with these students they understood how I operated as a teacher and what my rules were.
The students themselves told me how much they loved the activities because it got them moving and doing something different. Initially, most students were surprised that the lesson was going to be entirely in English but afterwards they enjoyed speaking English and the ones that weren't comfortable yet spoke to me in Dutch which I told them was okay to do.
As mentioned above, the students were very positive when I asked for their feedback. Some students even asked if I was going to be their new teacher, which was very sweet. It really made my day to hear that.
This feedback was important to me because it's always nice to have positive feedback from students, because it shows I am doing something they enjoy. Also, it tells me they enjoy activities that get them out of their comfort zone (presenting in front of the class in English).
As a teacher, this lesson was valuable because it gives the students an opportunity to practice what they've learned from the grammar chapters. The students need to feel that they are improving in the language acquisition department and that they learn grammar, vocab, etc. for a reason. There's a clear goal and that's being able to communicate in English.
I would focus on the bodily kinaesthetic learning style more often because it fits with MBO students who are mostly stationary during their lessons. I will do this by finding more materials via http://busyteacher.org/ or some other online website. I might also use the Drama Techniques:A resource book of communication activities for language teachers by Alan Maley & Alan Duff.
In conclusion, I've learned to get the students motivated by using ready-made speaking activities that helps students with their English language skills.

Internship Progress

In week 3 I will be teaching the usual three classes and focusing on being more stern when students don't have their books and kicking rackety students out.
Until next week!

Week journal 1 (31 January 2014)

Week 1, Period 3

LESSON PLAN FORM

student: Lily C. Henriquez M. coach: Alexandra Andreassen lesson number: 1 date: 27-01-2014   group : 21GH1   number of pupils: 20

BEFORE THE LESSON:

subject of the lesson: location, job-seeking	summary of  the previous lesson with this group: N.A
skills/knowledge pupils need for this lesson: The students need to be able to understand spoken English and need to be able to converse with one another on their own level. The students need to be able to actively participate.	lesson aims – what is it pupils are able to do or / what do they know at the end of the lesson: Unit 7: The students will be able to realize the importance of ‘placement’ when it comes to marketing. Also, the students will be able to learn about Arabia, English collocations, multi-part verbs, making an appointment and the future tense.
anticipated problems in teaching and learning: N.A	anticipated problems in this group: N.A
personal learning aims for this lesson: My personal aims for this lesson are to try to make the students participate during this lesson.

The lesson: 90 minutes

Time	Sub aims	teacher activities	learner activities	lesson organization: - indiv./pair/group work - learning tools and media - special circumstances
15min 10 min    45min 20min	My sub-aim is to try to greet everybody before class starts. My sub-aim is to keep a check on the time that I have left. My sub-aim is to be concise when explaining something.	I will introduce myself to the students.   I will write the topic on the board. I will explain what we are going to be doing during this lesson by going through today’s schedule, which will be on the board. I will write my first notes on the blackboard with the student’s help. I will answer any of the students’ questions. I will go through two exercises of chapter 7 with the students then I will walk around answering any of their questions. I will give turns to some students and correct the students when they make slight mistakes. I will then say good-bye to the students.	The students listen and ask question when necessary. The students raise their hands when they want to answer a question, sit, and listen with open ears. The students can ask questions about the exercises, if they do not understand something. The students will continue working on their unit alone or in pairs. The students will correct themselves and/or give their answers. The students will also listen to their teacher and classmates.	I will write the topic on the blackboard: to be (present simple). I will also write today’s schedule for the class to see before the class starts: 1. Introduction 2. Classwork: Unit 7 3. Correct answers

 Significant Situation

During my first week at Deltion in Zwolle, I taught 2IGH1 first. Before starting with what was on the planner for this week (Unit 7) I asked the students to tell me their names, their hobbies, where they're from and how many languages they speak. It took quite some time to go around the room because some students wanted to tell me more about themselves.

Reflection

I chose to let the students tell me about themselves because getting to know them and them getting to know me is a step in the right direction even if it takes time. Moreover, students will start to get used to me faster, trust me and feel more comfortable in my class if I give them the time to.
Hopefully, the effect of doing this is that the students will feel that I can relate to them, which makes me more approachable.
I think the students enjoyed talking about themselves in English especially the ones who are good at speaking in the target language. I realized for many students this was a new experience. Moreover, none of them refused to speak in English. They all participated quite nicely.
My coach, Mrs. Andreassen told me that I need to talk slower and give the students enough time. She is of course one hundred percent right. I do tend to speak faster because I speak English daily and it is a natural habit. One of my POPs for each internship year is to speak slower and to keep in mind the level of the students in order to adapt my speech accordingly.
I take my time getting to know the students in order to  focus on C2 (pedagogy) to build a safe and pleasant learning environment.
In conclusion, to start off with there should always be a 'meet-and-great' moment where the students get to know you and you get to know the students in order to work on the learning environment.

Internship Progress

In week 2 I will be teaching 3 classes (1IGH3, 1IGH5, 2IGH1) completely alone. Also, I will be substituting for my coach on the 7th of February (1IGH4).
Until next week!