IV. CLASS MANAGEMENT AND ATMOSPHERE

 
By Marlene Ramos 

I believe that every one of us has different abilities, attitudes, etc. And all of those can help us to teach children in kindergarten and in other levels.Generally, every ability and attitude that we have makes us the teacher we are and help us to be the teacher we want to be.

In my own point of view; I consider that some of my abilities and attitudes to teach are: I’m kind with the students and if they ask me something I like to answer them. Another thing is that I’m patient; although, I have to accept that I don’t like children I tend to be patient with them.

As I said; I patient and that makes me obtain a good rapport inside the classroom. I’m expressive too. Children feel comfortable with me.

Also, I was using some of the tools the book gave us. For example, in some opportunities I used to let them work in pairs or in groups. I think children enjoy their classes when they are working with their classmates, because they interact between them and that increases their learning in a better way. In addition; when they are in pairs or in groups, they practice more than working alone.

I made a game in which they worked in two groups. They were interesting on the game because one group had to make a circle far of the others in one side of the classroom to ask the others then. The other group was waiting the question to answer and win the point. They were really happy and participating.

By Leslie Recinos 

Every teacher must have certain characteristics which help them to teach in a good way. There are some abilities that I considered I have when I am teaching. Those are the followings: I have good classroom management because I considered that I know how to maintain order and control in the classroom.

Some teaching skill that I have are: I know how to facilitate students learning with material and flashcards that is to say knowing how to transfer knowledge into students, I am patient with my students because children learn in different ways, I try to make interesting the class for them with thing that help me to catch their attention.

It is essential to know that the teacher's attitude is based on the values ​​of acceptance, respect and trust. The attitudes that I have are Welcoming to students because teacher must create a climate in which the child feels comfortable, and feel affection for the teacher; respect because it’s the base of a good atmosphere in class, trust because student needs to feel that the teacher relies on their abilities and patient because kids learn in different ways.

I have a good rapport and a good atmosphere with all my little students. It’s important to say that a good atmosphere and rapport are factors the benefit students learning and that’s why I took into account those factors because they contribute positively to learning. When I tough I used grouping in order to they talked to their classmates about the topic that they were learning.

How can adapt my own teaching style

I can adapt my own teaching style in order to ease students learning, because they learn in different ways. I looked for the best strategies and activities that helped them to learn easily. Regards my abilities I could improve my teaching skills looking for activities and different ways to introduce a new topic to the students.

Regarding my attitude I have to be more patient with slow learners, I think a have a good rapport and good atmosphere with students so I have to keep going in that way. Another thing that I have to improve is grouping because I have used it but it’s not enough for children learning.

My short term goals are:

To improve my English skills; also learn how to create good activities that help students learning. I pretend to reach them practicing as much as possible to become an excellent teacher.

 

My long term goals are:

To improve my teaching skill to become a good and efficient teacher also learn how to teach students in the different levels. I can reach them putting my best effort to learn and gaining my own teaching experiences.

Online resources

Some sites on the Internet that helped me and also will help me to continue improving my skills are:

· Improving Your Teaching Skills
highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072841281/
· 5 ways to improve your teaching skills
Isaacademy.com off topic,
· Teaching tips
www2.honolulu.hawaii.edu/facdev/guidebk/teachtip/teachtip.htm


By Rafael Merino

I can say that my abilities, attitudes, rapport with children, classroom atmosphere and use of grouping was really good. In my case, I could make an excellent rapport with my students. I always heard them wherever thing they wanted to say me. If someone had a question, I inmediately tried to help him/her to understand what I was explaining.

At the beginning I was afraid because I did not know anything about teaching children, but now I have some experience. I can say that I knew how to control a big group. I am sure that my group of students was the biggest that the others classmates groups. I had to face with that. One negative thing is that I could not use grouping, because there were too many, besides that the classroom was too small and if I tried to use grouping it was going to be a mess.

I always tried to make a good atmosphere and I think that I could do it, because my students always wanted to participate, they did not get bored, I always had a level of discipline, and they were really respectfull and kind with me

Well, I think that I can adapt my own style of teaching depend on the lesson or topic that I’m teaching or can depend on if the students have a previous knowledge of English. That can affect my style, every class is different. I think that as a teacher I have to adapt to my pupils, and my pupils have to adapt to me. Of course I have to create and interest in the students for learning English, that is my role as a teacher; to try to motivate them to learn English language. And if someone of my students or all my group of students have a specific need I will help them to understand and to overcome that need because that is my principal role as an English teacher.

I think that I have to improve to developing the classroom atmosphere in big groups. I mean I want to all students are focus in the class. I will try to do more TPR activities in wich all students will be involved.

My short term goals are the following:

Next year, I want to approved didactics II. If I want to do that, I will improve a lot. I will be a better teacher than now. I will keep on reading and learning new things related to ELT.

  

My long terms are the following:

I want to finish all the didactics. I want to be a complete English teacher. I would like to have the satisfaction of have taught something to my students if I want to do this, I will need to study and improve a lot. 

By Marvin Martínez

Some people say that teaching children is easier than teaching teenagers or adults because they say children accept everything you do and everything you say, they will not say anything about what you teach, but there are some people who say that teaching children is more difficult because adults will understand easily.
I thought teaching children was going to be more difficult, I believed children were not going to understand anything because they were too young, but I surprised they understood almost every class I gave to them. I know now they are very intelligent, and they can learn whatever, English for example.
Children want to learn a lot, but it is better for them if they enjoy learning fot that reason I had to be very creative, I did many things I had never done before. Things like draws, games or songs, they enjoyed a lot, but every game I did, I did it looking for a way to present them new words in English.
How can I adapt my own style of teaching to accommodate to the needs and motivations of young learners?
It is difficult for children to learn something if they do not enjoy the class.
I have worked in Bible school with children some years ago and I learned many games for children there, and I used those games to teach English in this practices.
I am singer so I used my ability to teach English because songs are very efficient to teach children because children like to sing and the class is more enjoyable for them
They need to enjoy the classes, so I tried to do those things to give the classes.

Short term goals:

To give my classes in the best way possible for children to learn English trying to make every class enjoyable, another goal is to learn how to teach children.

Long term goals:

To become a good practitioner in this semester and the other coming semesters.