This is my teaching metaphor created in class as a strategy to show a clear reflection on my thoughts regarding my current views on English Teaching and Learning.
To begin with, I admit that I am in love with my job as an English teacher. But, the perspectives I used to hold 3 years ago have undoubtedly changed. The following picture shows the form in which I used to think before I completed my undergraduate studies.
Isn't it evident how my thoughts have been reshaped throughout the years of experience gained?
However, as I feel proud of my job, it is a must for me to highlight the positive and negative aspects that frame English language teaching and learning, at least in the context I have faced them. The following ideas are merely based on my experience. Hence, I will be extremely subjective as I write. Three main issues will be pointed out as the thesis that support my metaphor is presented: parents' role in their children education, school policies, and students' thoughts on the world.
Parents involvement is a crucial that defines students performance in class. If a simple piece of homework is assigned and parents do not even warn children to work on it, it is improbable young students by themselves make the decision to work on it. Nevertheless, when parents involvement is excessive children tend to rely on their parents all the time and the responsibility foundations got lost.
Regarding school policies, I may say that school administrators' role as organizers of the school is of paramount importance. However, some rigorous policies are likely to decrease students' and teachers motivation towards learning or at least the mood students present in class sometimes is not the best one.
Finally, students' thoughts on the world are encapsulated in the mass media. Social networking without any guidance in class has increased unfocused students. Moreover, if guidance towards smartphones and tablets would be established from the beginning of the school year, many problems would be dramatically reduced.
Hi Sergio,
ReplyDeleteI found really interesting the contrast you proposed in both picts. I think you are right in the fact that school policies are sometimes one of the main barriers we have when developing our teaching practices.
You're right Hans, school policies lead the administrative process at schools. However, at times these seem to turn into a barrier that delete the possibility of incorporating new teaching ideas into the language class.
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ReplyDeleteSergio, it is clear the difference that you state in both pictures. What you drew three years ago resembles your first step in this the teaching life. In which our expectations are bigger in which as you said we want to change the world. However after that you start realizing that being a teacher and develop your activities is linked to the parents'involvement the technological evolution, the environment and many more aspects that push us to reshape our practices. Thanks for sharing your drawings.
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with you Natalia. As soon as you leave the undergraduate programme you want to change the world without measuring the inconvenients you may find. Then, you start facing hard times and the original conception of the perfect teaching start changing. This does not mean that throughout our practices we cannot transform society. In fact, we transform minds and lives everyday.
Deletehello Sergio
ReplyDeleteIn your teaching metaphor I could find interesting insights that make me feel indentified. First of all the way we perceived teaching before we got our bachelor degree and teaching once we face the reality of our educative system, school policies and parents' involvemente. Probably these factors lead us to decrease the enthusiam and motivation for our teaching practice. nevertheless is our professionalism that provides the tools to offer our best in our classroom.
Thanks for this interesting metaphor.
Liliana, thanks for devoting a couple of minutes to comment on my entry. I really appreciate your insights. I truly consider that teaching is a hard job that can only be fulfilled with dedication, patience and a strong sense of humanism.
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