Learning Teaching

Reflections on your first steps in teaching

Intro/Background

On this page, we'll share positive feedback on your presentations in class, and also start thinking together on different aspects of the teaching process. If you'd like to think about challenges to keep enhancing your teaching, please follow the link at the bottom of this page.

Would you like to contribute to the feedback below? Just click on "Edit this page", and add your idea. Make sure to start "I liked ..." (or in a similar way), and make comments specific enough to help us all keep developing professionally.

Presentation # 1: Argentinean Laws of Education

• Date: June 20th, 2008
• Presenter: Gabriela Fernández Rodríguez (guest presenter)

1. You faced the task with extraordinary concern and responsibility. Your learners are bound to learn such values from you!
2. I liked the fact that you started by asking simple questions of your audience. This encouraged the class to participate!
3. You sounded confident and enthusiastic, "projecting" such feelings onto your listeners.
4. I absolutely LOVED the way you used the board all throughout the lesson: by writing key words on it before getting started, you let your class infer a frame for your presentation; by referring to them at different moments in the lesson, you kept everyone "on your path".
5. I appreciated your efforts to make sure the class understood the terms you were using.
6. Your language fluency was really good, and contributed to setting the right pace.
7. I thought the way you stressed main words in your speech most pedagogic. :-)
8. I was particularly impressed by your courage to reorganise your plan when you realised you were running short of time. The earlier in our careers we learn to DWWI ("do with what is" ;-)!) the better, right?
9. I was mostly impressed by the coherence between your body language and your verbal language. Good for you!
10. It was clear all throughout your presentation that you aimed at "making a difference" in your audience's life. That's what true educators work for!
11. I liked your class. I found it very interesting and useful because your class helped me to learn more about the three laws and to learn the main differences among these. I also liked your attitude! (Micaela)
12. The lesson was really good... You explained the topics very clearly and tried to make sure that the learners( that's us) had understood... that's one of the most important things a teacher should do. (Mel)
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Presentation # 2: Maria Montessori

• Date: July 18th, 2008
• Team members: Martín Antista, Gabino Giorgetti and Francisca Lucas

1. Your presentation showed you had worked hard and cared about the quality of your teaching. BRAVO!
2. I was pleasantly surprised by your team spirit, which led us all to see 3 teachers collaborating, not just 3 individuals standing next to each other.
3. The questions you started by asking of your audience helped the class get focussed and created curiosity. Great technique!
4. You sounded confident and your English was quite good: all this contributed to building trust among your listeners.
5. I was particularly impressed by the variety of stimuli you presented the class with (colourful poster on BB, photos on the TV and printed, handout with printed notes and task, realia... and yourselves!)
6. Your body language was quite good (you all stood up straight all throughout), giving strength to your speech.
7. Your TIMING was simply perfect (you'd even planned a time-filler as an extension)... this will be an invaluable skill when it's time for you to work at primary or high school!!!
8. Martin: Your seriousness certainly contributed to persuading your audience this issue was worth looking into. TEACHERS WHO BELIEVE IN THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WHAT THEY TEACH have given the first step to get their class started on the path of learning!
9. Gabo: I was mostly impressed by your "courage" to try and decenter the class by allowing your audience to get active, and by showing you were carefully listening to them. GREAT TEACHERS know the value of making students the center of their lesson!
10. Francisca: I believe your great voice and use of gesture, as well as your permanent positive feedback kept all class members involved all throughout. SUCCESSFUL TEACHERS know one of their priorities is to keep their learners hooked!!!

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Presentation # 3: John Dewey

• Date: July 25th, 2008
• Team members: Vanesa Aja Rivero, Micaela Cadem and Ma. Luz Russo

1. I was particularly impressed by your courage to start acting, and especially appreciated your customs. YOU CERTAINLY KNOW HOW TO GRAB YOUR CLASS'S ATTENTION!
2. I enjoyed observing how you supported one another all throughout your presentation.
3. I appreciated the way you used students' first names to get everyone involved and distribute participation evenly.
4. It was apparent you had rehearsed your roles intensely and planned your speech. Good for you!
5. I pleasantly noticed you kept eye contact with the whole class most of the time... Great way to check your audience is following you!
6. I liked the fact you regularly paused to check the class's comprehension, by having them carry out tasks that focussed on your main points.
7. I definitely loved the way you went about checking tasks, asking the class to decide whether answers sugggested were right, and to account for their choices.
8. Micaela: You sounded confident and in charge, thus projecting confidence onto your listeners. A CONFIDENT TEACHER helps learners feel confident too, and thus leads them to believe in their own potential!
9. Vanesa: Your attitude suggests you've grown as a teacher since we first met.
   • TEACHERS WHO SEE THEMSELVES AS ONGOING LEARNERS always have the chance to keep growing, and are a true example of lifelong learning.Paolo Freire
10. Luz: Are you aware of how effectively you use your hands to support your speech? EFFECTIVE TEACHERS know the power of body language and exploit it accordingly!

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Presentation # 4:

• Date: July 25th, 2008
• Team members: Romina Cornaggia, Melina Prieto and Paula Roma

1. I was amazed by the way you started, linking your presentation to our discussion last class. (BTW; thanks!)
2. I thought your identification of key concepts impressive.
3. I was certainly impressed by the way you kept checking your audience followed you all throughout.
4. I admired your use of jargon, which you introduced and systematized most appropriately!
5. I considered your use of diagram to highlight and relate ket concepts simply great.
6. I celebrated your courage to integrate new technologies into our lesson (YouTube video played on DVD).
7. I was touched by your selection of quotes on the "souvenir" you gave us all at the end.
8. Melina: I particularly appreciated your professionalism, the fact "you were there" despite your health problems. TEACHERS WHO TAKE THEIR JOBS SERIOUSLY are telling their learners they think their job (i.e. "learning") serious too.
9. Paula: I appreciated how relaxed you sounded and looked, which contributed to creating a relaxed atmosphere among your audience.It seems you know GOOD TEACHING always starts by helping learners feel relaxed and positive about their learning.
10. Romina: It was clear you were making a great effort to give your best, and that you'd worked hard for it... TEACHERS WHO ARE READY TO WORK HARD are bound to succeed!

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All teams

Questions To Learn Teaching

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I really liked Montessoris presentation because I felt the team made us participate a lot.. I really liked the way Francisca started the lesson asking us what we would do in a certain situaton and then she told us what Montessori would do... I found it VERY nice! :) I really enjoyed the presentation and I learned a lot about Montessori... actually (forgive my ignorance) I didn't know she was a woman :z

I really liked Paolo Freire's presentation, because all the team worked together in a harmony way, their ideas were very clear and I loved all the material they provided, espcially the diagram which was very, very good :)

I also like Deweys presentation :)I think we did a good job as... I would say actress, but we actually took actor's roles :) Vane... Luz... I loved your moustaches :)

Micaela

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Copying Gladys scheme, I will say what I liked about her class and then say a few things about the other groups' presentations, although I have already said a couple of things.

Presentation # 5: Faustino Sarmiento

• Date: August 22nd, 2008
• Presentaror: Gladys Baya 

1. I really liked how you prepared the lesson to show us a different way to introduce a topic. I hadn't heard that song since last year! which was a bit strange but definitely a good idea to set the students (us) in time.  
2. It  was very funny when you told us to sit down in a different order, it remind me of the day we went to the Museum. Amazing.   
3. What I like most is that although you always ask us to sit in a way so that we can see each others' faces while speaking, for today you decided to do something different with things that you may use any other day but adding a new thing and that from my point of view is great. A teacher should always try to add something different and interesting to her lessons to attract (?) students' attention.     

 Well... I know that you are a teacher already and that in fact you are our teacher but I thought this was a better way to explain what I thought. I'm not quite creative copying your ideas... I should start thinking of doing other things...

The other presentations: (From my point of view)

About Montessory's group: You were really good. The introduction was amazing; the speed of your speech (I mean how fast you spoke) was great, it made the lesson more dynamic and was really clear. How you tried to make us all participate was great. Besides the notes that you gave us and the comments were a great idea (an idea that I think we all shared).

About Dewey's group: Incredible intro, you're performance as actresses is very good indeed. Your plan for the lesson was very clear, too; as a matter of fact the main idea was so clear that even I (that was nervous among other things) could participate and give an opinion. 

About Freire's group: To my mates: I appreciate how hard you worked to prepare the lesson during the last days specially. We all had thought of things that didn't work the way we wanted but you did an excellent work, though. You looked confident and willingly to give your best and make a success of everything. It is important for teachers to know how to work as a group (with other teachers or students), too; beacuase in a way they are models that students will follow and if they see or feel lack of cooperation among the teachers, they may feel not only uncomfortable but also powerless, weak and even a bit scared (hope I'm not being a bit dramatic)     

 The last comment of course is applied (I believe) in all the groups, but this was the way I saw it at least in my group.

How I felt before, while and after giving the lesson:  Possitively speaking I can say that even though I knew we couldn't prepare the lesson we wanted to prepare, I wanted to give it. And that I was and am glad that you have understood... something... at least. 

         I know we didn't have to upload the negative aspect here, but I don't mind taking negatively about myself (and probably to defend against other negative comments).What I will say is this: 

      This is my first year studying at this level (in English, Spanish or whatsoever) and teaching. I may still feel not as confident as I should but I know, and I'm sure of that that as the time goes by I will learn to behave properly and speak accurately and fluently. Plans I have proved myself, do not mean certainty; they're just a way of making you organised but you may fail in your attemp to do them. 

      During the lesson on Freire I felt nervous and forgot many things... After that I was still a bit depressed beacuse I felt I couldn't (as I said before) pass the message I wanted to...

      Next time I will try to be more prepared (not ill) and at least more confident. 

"When I succeed in teaching something I feel more helpful."