School Context

My observation process was carried out at the INEM Lorenzo Maria Lleras school, a public school from Monteria. this institution is located in Mocari neighborhood an urban area, on the way that goes from Monteria to Cerete- Cordoba.

This observation took place in a 7 grade classroom with a population of 30 students whose ages range from 13 to 15 years. The instructor observed was an experienced English teacher

Physical setting         

Most of the physical settings of the school offer to students the right conditions for the learning development. Regarding these conditions, the institution offer spaces that are big enough for students to have a good recreational environment. Moreover, students have the opportunity to practice different sports there, since the school has rooms for this activities as well as a field which is most of the used to play soccer. In addition, the school has different areas for students to work, for example they can study agriculture or maybe if they are interested in music.   

 Concerning the classrooms , it is important to point out that they are big enough for the students´ population, also the ventilation is adequate to develop different activities, as well as the chairs that are enough for all the students.

Nevertheless, although there are positive aspects of these settings, it is important to mention that there are negative factors that are relevant to have a better learning experience. The school buildings seem old and are in poor conditions because of the amount of garbage that is accumulated under stairs and different areas of the school, likewise some classrooms are affected by this issue. All in all, although there are relevant aspects that are negative for the school most of the students do not seem to be affected by these negative conditions in their learning environment.

             

Access to Technology   

During the observation it could be noticed that the instructor used different technological resources in the classroom. In order to develop some activities, the teacher used speakers which are provided by the school, however the teacher had to use his own computer. Moreover, the teacher mentioned that the school provides the students with tablets, which could be a different way to develop interesting activities, also they have internet access so it would be easy for the teacher to ask students to perform any online activity. In order to make them interact with the new educational resources that can be found on the web these kind of technological materials are effective. Nevertheless, this is not the case of these students, the teacher said that it is not possible at all to use these resources due to students´ behavior.  

The teacher considered that it was not a good idea to work with these tablets provided by the school. However, it is important to point out that the instructor was able to develop listening activities which is a positive aspect although all the negativism involved there. Apart from this point, the school has a lab which is only used for the technology class, so this means that the institution lacks from an English lab that could facilitate the teacher to create a better learning environment performing different activities to involve the different skills.

My Reflection

Taking into account the observations that were carried out in a public school teaching context from Monteria I would point out the significance of a good learning environment in the teaching-learning process in the school.

Nowadays, new technologic resources have been introduced to education. This is how the new generation is trying to improve the learning experience at schools. According to this, I would say that technology has become an important tool of education and a matter of materials at the moment of teaching and learning a second language. Thus, the teacher that I observed at INEM school tried to introduce technology in his activities so that these could be more interesting for students, that is why I consider it is important to create different activities through the use of technology. However, it is important to say that the teacher did not had enough resources for this, but he used his own materials in the classroom, so it is something important that I could observe. Although the school does not provide material the teacher need to find any other strategies to accommodate with his own resources. Therefore, it is really important to take into account the context of the school, in this way the teacher will know when and how to use these kind of materials in the classroom due to stydents are not  totally responsible to use it.

Another important aspect of the observation was the way the teacher gave instructions to students. I could notice that although it was a public school in which students do not have a high level of English, the teacher is able to use real language in the classroom, taking into account the moderate use of the l₁. As a future teacher, these observations were meaningful for me due to I could learn different aspect to be considered when teaching English to children even if they do not have high level of English it is possible to use the language and make them understand. This is a good strategy needed in the classroom so that students can feel engage to use the language as long as they are exposed to this.