Which training courses would you like to have access to as a teacher? Why? Which is, in your opinion, the best way to share good practice amongst?

                         My Favourite Training Courses 

Nobody doubts the importance of the permanent training in any professional area. To retrain and to be kept updated along the whole life is fundamental and especially in the educational world, which professionals, in addition to being up to date with knowledge, must face to challenging situations that increasingly demand new teaching methodologies and psychological and social skills. Furthermore, it is from my point of view, a job that implies a considerable responsibility as the future of our pupils depends somehow on our task, therefore, we should take seriously our training.

As far as I am concerned, there are lots of training courses I would love to be taught in. For instance, due to education tends to be multilingual, those ones that seek to improve our level of English in different ways: grammar or speaking classes, immersion or exchange courses, summer courses abroad, online classes and the list goes on. As well as those courses related to the Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) context.

Secondly, we are witnessing the role the new technologies are acquiring in our pupils’ lives and education shouldn’t keep away from it. Consequently, we all should be constantly taught in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) courses so as to familiarize to several electronic devices such as: interactive whiteboards, digital interactive books, laptops and tablets. Moreover, it provides a wide range of resources and contents for our classes.

And last but not least, new learning methodologies courses that teach us different stimulating and motivating tools, which help us in our daily classes to be more efficient and to create the appropriate environment.

 And, what about the best way of sharing good practice amongst teaching professionals? I believe that apart from traditional courses, lectures and seminars we should take advantage of the Internet. On it, we may create and share everything through personal blogs, thematic websites and emails.

If you were not limited by the demands of the national/regional curriculum, what would you say is the most important thing you would teach your students about your subject (in a CLIL context)? How would you assess their learning?

An individual teacher’s curriculum would be the specific learning standards, lessons, assignments, and materials used to organize and teach a particular course.

Nevertheless, despite the fact that it may result in a useful guide for teachers in order to be orientated, most of us often complain about two facts: firstly, there is not enough time to accomplish it, taking into account that our pupils should acquire correctly what they are taught. And secondly, teaching also implies to educate values and motivate people, what also requires time.

In my view, the most important thing I would teach to my students about my subjects is to work individually and collaboratively with materials and contents created by them and based in daily situations and, by all means, taking into account their own interests and needs so as to be more motivating classes.

On the one hand, I would introduce new technologies in my classes. On the other hand, all the activities of my lesson will be planned in the CLIL context using the steps of the 4C's framework: content, communication, cognition and culture; as well as trying to develop in my students Howard Gardner’s eight multiple intelligences.

And finally I would try to create an appropriate environment so as to get students:

 - Enjoy learning and discovering things

 - Be good at working in teams at the same time that assist one another

 - Be responsible students

 - Improve their self-esteem and self-confidence

As far as assessment is concerned, I believe that what students learn and how they learn depends on how assessment is designed. As to me, I would practice different ways of it. For example: rubrics to determine the performance quality of students’ task, oral interviews, portfolios where they register their own learning process, diaries self assessment, exam tests, daily investigating tasks, multiple choices tasks and the list goes on.

What's CLIL?

                                     

   A new language learning methodology: CLIL 

According to David Marsh, the Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is a new educational methodology in which the contents of a subject are taught through a foreign language with dual-focussed aims, namely the learning of content, and the simultaneous learning of a foreign language.

This methodology is being applied all over the world. But, to what would I attribute this great success? I believe it lies on several key factors.

First of all, the immediacy of it, as you learn languages while using them when being taught other subjects, instead of learning a language now to use it in another context later. And it is really important, as new generations are pending on the “culture of now”. Therefore, it may reduce the academic failure and disinterest of new language learners, motivating them to go on.

The second one is that it avoids having to increase the number of school hours dedicated to learning languages, as one may take advantage of the time in which other contents are taught.

Another one might be that skills, knowledge and language strategies are not decontextualized or artificial. A language is used in different real situations: tell a historical fact, reading operational instructions for a device in a laboratory, describe life on Earth and the list goes on.

I would add a fourth one that consists of what is created and used in other subject as a consequence of a real necessity, is not forgotten any more.

And the last one is that it is a well-known fact that the common underlying proficiency may be built from any language. That is that certain language contents may be learnt in one language and then may be used in another one, what is extremely useful to learn several languages.

Last of all, during the last decade, the Spanish educational system is witnessing the arrival of CLIL and English is changing from a goal-oriented school subject to a medium of instruction in content subjects. What is taking place in our system is influenced by what has previously happened elsewhere. And in my opinion, this new approach to learning language methodologies is going in the right direction. 

Taking into account my personal teaching context, what would be the advantages and disadvantages of using the ELP with my groups?

     

Advantages & Disadvantages of the ELP

Due to increasing mobility in Europe, Europeans often speak languages other than their mother tongue at home or in the street. Language learning not only occurs at school. Therefore, it is important to have a good insight into the way in which people learn languages, and   what levels of language skills are achieved when people learn languages in formal as well as in informal contexts. In order to facilitate this situation, two instruments were developed: 1) A Common European Framework of Reference setting six language proficiency levels; and 2) a European Language Portfolio (ELP), which is a personal document that not only covers a series of formal certificates, but can also document other language experiences and that consists of three parts : a language Passport, language Biography and a Dossier.

Taking into account my personal teaching context (at my school I teach Arts & Crafts in the third grade of primary), I am sure that the application of the ELP means an important opportunity to improve the learning of English for my students, as through it, my pupils can have their own control about their language learning process and profile themselves in a positive way because their language knowledge is considered to be an asset. Therefore, it can result in a motivating tool.  Furthermore, it offers strategies to plan and evaluate students’ learning, which may encourage them to go on. And lastly, it may facilitate their future mobility in Europe, either as a student or as a worker.

Nevertheless, there are some drawbacks as well, as not only may younger students not understand at the beginning the ELP’s usefulness, but they may also find it too complex to carry out.

But all in all, I have to point out the importance of the pedagogical function, as well as, the importance of embedding the use of the language portfolio in the school curriculum as a new useful methodology and  as a practical evaluating and learning tool.

To my Favourite Teacher

            To my Favourite Teacher

It is generally said that the better teacher you enjoy, the more knowledge and skills you may acquire and develop. Nevertheless, if I were asked to name my favourite one, it would not be easy to answer.


On the one hand, it would be an enjoyable question to think about, as it would bring back many fond memories of wonderful people who have touched both my personal and professional life. As, not only did they teach me valuable things, but they also inspired me to become a teacher.

On the other hand, as regards my choice, I would probably say Fermin. He was by far the most gripping primary teacher I have ever had. He got on well with all his pupils, was easy-going and had a great sense of humour. And what to say about his passion for teaching and the interesting collaborative tasks we were asked to realize? We really enjoyed it so much! What is more, hardly had he noticed one of us needed something, when he was concerned and not until he had solved it, did he relax. 


Overall, he taught us to let shine the beauty we all had inside, showed us the way we might improve the world by just being responsible, fair and generous  and finally led us to becoming in confident children, successful learners and valuable human beings.