SESSION 3: HOW CAN WE GET THERE?

Hey!

To last this Friday’s afternoon, I put into practice the third session of my educational intervention. As I tried to plan at the beginning, we remembered together how to indicate directions in English with a detailed Power Point. Therefore, I can greatly say that they knew most of them with double evidence and enthusiasm which was a symbol that they assimilated what they practiced on previous sessions.

In order to active their prior notions, I explained the game that was bound to be played in pairs. It consisted of a DIN-3 drawn map with ten numbered places about Campins and two sets (one for each member of the pair) of ten flashcards to play this orientation game. I believe that it worked well because they were paying a lot of attention with the indications I was saying to them.

In real scene, they had to put the flashcards on the back to not see the real place. When they took one that sould be different from each member of the partner, it was turn to indicate how to get there thanks to the structure of phrases and their orientation being constantly activated. In turn to know a bit more their level of understanding, I found enriching that they had the chance to practice individually with a worksheet based on crossing the possible answers for each question and matching expressions about directions with the correct name.

Finally, I would like to express that it has newly been such as an excellent possibility to perform this session in a real class context and what counts more for me, with a participative group of pupils being always aware of what it is going to come next. Furthermore, I would add their passion for most of them for learning English and giving me the opportunity to let me feel just as their real teacher for some time next to them. 

And remember that... you are going to see more entries very soon! Bye!

Finally, they were able to check this Power Point to get better oriented during this activity, apart from having hands-on materials to see and rapidly check what they were finding out! 

SESSION 2: LET'S DISCOVER CAMPINS THROUGH ENGLISH LANGUAGE!

Hi!!

Let's discover more details about a new session... To do it, just read the following lines and enjoy it!

I began this morning with high levels of energy and illusion to present another session of this educational intervention. I arrived some minutes before in order to prepare the materials needed for this activity. Once everybody was ready, I announced that they were bound to start a new adventure with me and collaboration was needed to reach our final aim: to elaborate a mural in turn to check what they have learnt about the different parts of Campins.

After watching a Power Point in which I showed relevant facts about this village (for instance, number of inhabitants, representative buildings, main festivities…), I indicated the steps they should have followed for completing a cardboard in groups about one building they liked to work on it. I then gave sets of materials (e.g. a list of words and images to verify and cut, decorated paper to create the title) to each group to start the elaboration of the mural.

In conclusion, I now feel totally glad because they enjoyed the activity since the first minutes. At the same level, I noticed that they added the ingredients of fulfilment and joy to complete the whole task and put the final posters on a corridor’s wall next to the room. What’s more, I would like to stress out a quote from Frank Smith, a contemporary psycholinguist, because it represents very well the essence of today’s session for the innate spirit they show for learning English: One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way. 

I would like to close this entry with some photographs and a video that summarize very well how they looked so curious to progress and get their final posters!

Here below you can get familiarized with the Power Point developed at class. Have a good reading time too!

SESSION 1: WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT CAMPINS?

Hello again!

This English class was pretended to be a bit different because it was my turn to do it and see how my planned intervention worked in a real class context. After preparing last details, I remembered to them that we were starting my project that will last after a set of nine sessions and more than one adventure to be shared too!

I showed an envelope with a piece of paper inside it. It was conceived as a way of mystery and for catching their attention to get to know the name of the topic. To make the translation easier, I put an image for each name of the title (Walking through Campins!) and I verified that they understood the meaning quite easily. Afterwards, I gave the initial test to them just as a way of measuring their previous knowledge about this village in English and rather than evaluating them just for having an objective mark. I was positively surprised because most of them were able to complete it alone thanks to the support of an image, and a bold word highlighted per each question from the test.

Afterwards, I presented a Power Point for justifying a bit the following aspects: the reasons of this title, the possible duration of this centre of interest, the ingredients needed to guide each session (e.g. motivation, curiosity, awareness, willingness...), the type of activities and how they were going to reach them (possible number of days, the creation of doubly indoor and outdoor didactic purposes…).

At the end, I showed the blog I had created to post the most relevant information and curiosities throughout multiple sessions in a way that families could also be aware of what was going on and share their opinions on it and if desired. At the same level and as a future teacher, I decided to write a parents’ note by email to keep them informed about the beginning of this project with their children too.

Personally, I am pleased for this first day plenty of novelty and illusion both for them and for me. They responded with good behaviour and a great attitude to see what they were going to do at each occasion and giving me the sense to act as if I was their real English teacher. I guessed the time even if this point tends to be a bit tricky for teachers. It is diffult to say how exact time you will need for doing this or that activity, but as it mostly happens, I also consider that it is a question of practicing and planning a lot for a real group of students that you are supposed to know their strong and weak points. 

That's all for this initial session!

P.S.: Here you can find the Power Point we worked on at class.

FAMILIES' NOTE!

In order to get parents informed about the beginning of this centre of interest, I've prepared a note for them just to point out the main aspects that surround this educational purpose. Here below you can find it.

Regards!

P.S.: In case of having any doubts, please don't hesitate and contact me.

_____________________________________________________________

Benvolgudes famílies,

Em dic Raquel Pagès Amenàbar i sóc estudiant de tercer curs d’Educació Primària en Anglès a la Facultat de Psicologia, Ciències de l’Educació i de l’Esport Blanquerna - Universitat Ramon Llull. Durant el primer trimestre, vaig estar realitzant la primera part de les Pràctiques a la classe dels vostres fills/es amb la Roser Masó Clopés com a tutora.

Així, doncs, durant les properes setmanes tornaré a estar a l’Escola, i portaré a terme la meva Intervenció Educativa en anglès amb el títol: Walking through Campins! Per aquest motiu, veureu que els vostres fills/es faran activitats relacionades amb aquesta temàtica i, més endavant, podreu assistir a una sessió on ells/es seran els autèntics protagonistes.

Per poder estar informats de tot allò que anem fent, he creat el blog següent (enllaç: https://walkingthroughcampins.blogspot.com.es/) on podreu veure detalls i curiositats de cada sessió. Us animo a participar i comentar tot allò que us sembli interessant per compartir entre tots/es!

Moltes gràcies per la vostra col·laboració.

See you soon!

Raquel Pagès Amenàbar.

_____________________________________________________________________

INITIAL PRESENTATION

Hello to everyone!!

For me, it’s such a grateful pleasure to present this blog. I’m Raquel Pagès Amenàbar and I’m studying the third grade of Primary Education in English at Blanquerna - Ramon Llull University.

This year, I’ve decided to choose a Rural School for doing my Practical Experience, and I had the chance to get in L’Alzinar School which takes part of a ZER (in Catalan, Zona d’Escoles Rurals) named Baix Montseny.

I’m staying in a Primary School class with pupils that are between 8 and 10 years old. Even though, my educational intervention will be done just for Middle Cycle because they always join third and fourth grades to have English lessons all together.

After rethinking a lot about what it would consist of, I finally reached that my intervention was going to be focus on the school placement, Campins, and having English language as the main communicative tool among the class group behind the title Walking through Campins!

In accordance with my educational vision, I strongly want to pursue a methodology based on the following principles: student as the main protagonist of his process of learning (child-centered pedagogy) and practical activities to achieve meaningful and memorable experiences through empowerment and aiming them to participate since the minute one!

As a result, I planned a centre of interest sustained by nine sessions and in which each three of them are corresponding to initial, developmental and final phases in turn to give time to understand what is going on in each new day.

All in all, I’m glad to say that you are going to find daily information and curiosities about each session in this blog while clicking on the different sections of this page.

Hoping you can enjoy the project as your children will surely do!!

PS: I invite you to comment everything that comes to mind with the rest in relation to coming events!! Keep in touch!!