ONCE A LEARNER, ALWAYS A LEARNER

When I go home next week, I am sure people will be curious about the contents, the
experiences and techniques I have learned during these weeks. How can you summarize what
we have learned during this time? I would have to tell them about the daily routine, about
sharing the bathroom with strangers, about the long hours trying to keep up with work, and
about the interesting workshops weve had. How can we summarize the fun we had, the
constant laughing at breakfast, lunch and dinner? Can we really describe the common inquiries
we have about what being a teacher really means? How do you tell, in a nutshell, the dreams
and hopes you share with a group of people who for a month, become your support group,
your circle of friends? I dont think you can. This is an experience you need to live in order to
understand. So, I will just tell my colleagues it was a very hard and very enriching experience
that I enjoyed a lot.
Speaking about learning, something new that I have experienced during these three weeks
is that real life English is very different from the kind of English we usually teach in the
classroom. We were taught that there are some natural characteristics of spoken languages
such as false starts, hesitation and rewording. I know these are normal and expected as people
speak more spontaneously. When I have traveled I have been exposed to different accents
and intonations but it has been different this month. This month, we have interacted in a
different way because we have lived with native speakers almost 24/7. When you are a tourist,
you usually interact for short periods of time with native speakers but this month has been like
an immersion experience for all of us. I am sure we will understand a lot more what
authentic materials are and what real life language is. This has been an interesting experience
as an English teacher and it will enrich my practice especially because I will try to expose my
students to true English.
One element of this experience that has been extremely useful and meaningful for me is the
different classroom arrangements the trainers have used. Working in pairs, small groups and
as a whole class has been an enriching experience from which we have all benefited. It has
been thought-provoking to see the trainers use different techniques to form groups during the
workshops. I have come to think about this course as an experience I would like to have
recorded so that I could use the models, frameworks and elements whenever they would be
appropriate in my practice. Hopefully, I will remember by studying my notes and I will be able
to recall what I have experienced and how that experience felt in order to use it in my context.
Another element I would like to incorporate in my practice is the use of community builders. I
usually use ice breakers the first day of class but then I dont usually make time for them
anymore. During these three weeks I have danced, laughed, jumped, talked to people and
participated in activities that have given us a sense of belonging and sharing that is certainly
invaluable when learning. There are many advantages to using community builders. First,
learners can feel more engaged in activities. Second, we become active and integrated in a
group whether the activity promotes competition or cooperation. Third, moving around
provides students with the opportunity to relax and express themselves differently. Also these
activities, if well-planned, provide students with the opportunity to practice the target language.
I see myself using these activities during classes and workshops with colleagues.
When does learning take place? This is a question people have been wondering about for a
long time. During the last two weeks we have probably been expecting to witness the miracle
of learning. We have been waiting for an epiphany, for enlightenment to show in the faces of
our students. Is that the way learning occurs? Perhaps, we have all been looking in the wrong
places. We have been waiting for learning to arise around us and in my particular case, I think
I should have been looking inside of me. I believe during these weeks, we have all seen
learning take place right before our eyes. We have been living and experiencing learning. The
issue with learning is that it is not determined by numbers or pages studied in a book or points
obtained in a test. Learning is marked by know-hows, by opportunities that have been taken
and that will prepare you for future encounters. Learning may happen as raindrops or as a
heavy downpour but it is everywhere.
For learning to occur, we need certain conditions. Just like a well-watered plant grows
better, we need to promote specific circumstances in our classes for our students to learn more
effectively. A positive, non-violent learning environment is a must if we want to support the
growth of a plant called learning. NVC begins with a teacher who is aware of his/her students
needs and who really cares about them. It is not stated in a teachers CV that he/she is
tolerant and respectful but maybe it should be at the top of the list because it makes a big
difference in students performance if they go to a class in which they feel appreciated and
accepted. What else do we need for learning to occur? I have learned both from experience
and from this course that well-planned activities and tasks promote the achievement of
objectives. The frameworks we have been presented with during these weeks will allow us to
plan better, well-scaffolded classes which will eventually promote learning to occur at its own
pace.
When I got the chance to take this course I set a goal on my mind. I decided to take every
opportunity I had in order to reflect on my practice, to evaluate what I have done so far and
most of all to become a better teacher and incorporate what I learned here into my practice. I
didnt think this experience was going to be about me as a learners but about me, the teacher.
I think the achievement of my personal goals for this course will only be seen when I
incorporate the new knowledge into my everyday life, back at home. But I can say that in
regards to the learning part of the course, I have learned to look at teaching from a new
perspective. The frameworks we have used during our practice teaching are new, refreshing
ways to plan my classes. I cannot say that I have managed them perfectly, its a learning
process. I feel, however, ready to experiment with them to incorporate them into my classes.
In the case of ECRIF I think it allows for more time for the learner to assimilate the content and
to process the information presented to them. I would say I am only clarifying or
remembering. I will need lots of conscious practice in order to incorporate ECRIF into my
practice but I will try to do it.
Working with my peers, I have learned a lot, not only about them but also about myself. It
has sometimes been difficult because we have different learning styles and working paces.
Some people need music to learn, others need to comment everything they read and there
have been a couple of times when people have not done what they were supposed to do and
thats when you need to focus on you own goals and be tolerant of other peoples priorities. I
have learned about positive ways of seeing life, about looking at my learners with new eyes,
about working long hours and putting all your effort in order to reach your goals. It has been a
great experience, one that will treasure for the rest of my life.
I have learned a lot during this month. I have learned from the readings, from the trainers,
from my peers, from the students and I would like to believe that I have learned from and
about myself. It has been very enriching to teach in this context and be observed and to
receive the gift of feedback. After more than 20 years of teaching I still have so much to learn.
I need to improve the way I give feedback to my students about their work. I also need to
work on my instructions and on the order of the tasks I use in my classes. I would especially
like to improve my PDPs so that I am really using the material to its highest potential. There is
so much to do! Hopefully I will still have the next 20 years to improve as a teacher, and the
rest of my life to improve as a learner.

DAPA #1
Third Week / Saturday, September 13
th
, 2014
Description
For my second PDP lesson I chose to teach Reading. I wanted the activity to be really meaningful and
useful for my students so I decided to use a menu. I downloaded a menu from a local restaurant that
serves Costa Rican food and edited it a little bit. I had to change prices in order to make it simpler for
the learners then I made the most expensive dish to be only $11. After talking to Laura, she suggested
having a comparison with another menu and asking questions that would represent a little bit of a
challenge for my students such as what would a vegetarian person eat in the restaurant?. I planned
for my students to work on strategies like scanning for prices and types of dishes and also skimming
for the restaurants name and location.

When the class started, I was very pleased because the students seemed to have lots of vocabulary to
draw from during the activities. One of the vocabulary words was dessert. My students understood
the meaning well when I provided a picture with rice pudding, custard and tres leches. I have been
using this strategy in class (I saw it in Rogers class, actually). I draw a dot over the stressed syllable
on a word to help them with pronunciation. When I pronounced the word, I noticed that my students
looked at me and repeated the word. I pronounced the word again and still felt their confused looks
on me. I thought Whats wrong? so I looked at the board and there it was. By mistake, I had
marked the first syllable of the word instead of the second and I saw the three of them pointing at the
word and saying: No, teacher! I immediately corrected my mistake and marked the correct syllable.
I was so happy to see that my students were aware of the correct syllable even if that meant they
were also aware of my mistake. After the class I thought that it is sometimes worth making mistakes
in class.

Interpretation Generalization Plan Action
The learners performance was
helped by the fact that we had
used the strategy to signal the
stressed syllable before.
Absolutely.


Having routines and developing
strategies in your class provides
support to students and makes
them feel more confident when
performing in class. Agreed.


I will use the strategy in my classes
to help sts improve their
pronunciation and to provide them
with visual support about stressed
syllables, especially for long words
which might be difficult for them.
Good.


I was able to realize my mistake
because sts used body language to
communicate with me even before
they orally expressed that there
was something wrong. Good.



It is essential for the teacher to be
really present and attentive to
details during the lesson in order
to aid sts when clarification is
necessary. Exactly.


I will try to be present for my sts
and aware of their body language
and needs during the lesson. I will
try to be more careful with the
words I write or paste on the
board. Great idea.
The fact that I didnt signal the
stressed syllable before pasting it
on the board confused the
students. Good.




It is important to have all materials
prepared before class. By
preparing materials ahead, it is less
likely that we will make mistakes.
(less likely but not guaranteed,
after all, we are humans) Very
true.


I will prepare all material for my
class before class and I will go over
details such as stress and
pronunciation of the target
vocabulary. Perfect.



Letting me know what was wrong
was hindered because the
students dont have a set of
expressions that will aid them with
basic classroom interaction. In this
case, they would have benefited
from an expression like: Teacher, I
It is important for the teacher to
provide the students with a set of
simple, basic instructions that they
can use during daily interaction in
the class.
Agreed.

I will provide my students with a
list of simple questions and
expressions they can ask to
communicate with the teacher and
their classmates. Maybe even have
a poster with this kind of language.

have a question. Good.


Dear Sonia,
After reading your essay, Im left thinking about how learning, community and NVC are all connected to
teaching and our students success. I loved your rain metaphor for learning because there are so many
different kinds of rain and even extremes. Sometimes there are downpours and other times we have a
drought. As for going home and incorporating this knowledge, I would suggest going slow and trying
one thing out at a time, otherwise, it can be overwhelming and disastrous.
In your DAPA, I separated what I would consider introduction/background information from the
moment. Both are valid, but it helps me to see where my attention should be focused. The chart part
was excellent. Great job Sonia.
You have met the requirements for this assignment. Good luck on your portfolio.
Pura vida,
Amanda