REFLECTION

   


1. What do you usually do as a teacher? With what kind of rationale?

Teaching a foreign language is an ongoing process which is guided by the implementation of an approach or method. However it is not easy to choose the appropriate one, because it has to address the context of teaching and learning. For that reason, I use different strategies to endeavor the improvement of the real use of this target language. 

Eventually, working with pedagogical tasks has been one of the most striking teaching strategies I have used in my classes because they convey cooperative learning, active participation, and creativity. Besides, I like when my students analyze and propose new ways to see things. 

Therefore, I allow discussions of varied topics in class. Above all, topics that express controversy and inspire students to speak such as cheaters, obesity, drinking age, endangered animals and so on. I also like to work with small projects, and do different activities such as singing songs, playing role plays, playing games and so on, nonetheless I’m still seeking my own way of teaching.

    2.  What is your mind engagement like in the professional exercise of teaching?

I think teaching is a marvelous means of helping people which more than challenges it provides chances to learn and develop skills to grow personally and professionally. Therefore, during my teaching practice I have noticed that being a teacher requires not only the implementation of theoretical foundations but the necessity to acquire skills as an action researcher who reflects upon the problems that for years persist in class and claim to be unveiled to attain the progress and development of students’ target language learning.

In brief, I feel totally engaged in the professional exercise of teaching because the more experience I have the more perceptive I become in terms of my students’ background, learning styles, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, interests and the most important thing, how and what they need to learn for real life with specific purposes.

     3.  How would you characterize your professional, personal and experiential knowledge of teaching?

In terms of professional knowledge of teaching I have to say I feel gratified because God has given me the chance to learn new things from competent, admirable and exemplary people when I was studying in the undergraduate program at Universidad Surcolombiana, as well as the Master I’m doing now in the same University. 

Nevertheless, I have not fulfilled my knowledge because I consider learning is an ongoing process that needs to be updated every day of life. With regard to personal knowledge of teaching, this has become part of my life and has bolstered me to disclose certain skills and enhanced some qualities such as making decisions, guiding and becoming a model for people around me. 

Eventually, experience has built important essential principles and beliefs on my teaching practice, which have helped me not only to tackle problematic situations during the classes but gaining strengths and skills.

4. How do you see the relationship between theory, research and practice?

Research is more meaningful when it comes from your daily practice. Because the teacher is the only one who knows the real problems and necessities displayed in the classroom. 

However to support our assumptions and ideas it is decisive to rely upon theoretical foundations and also seek other studies related to our teaching and learning context and situations. Due to its valuable contribution in the pathway of solving issues and answering questions. Henceforth, I believe theory, research and practice are absolutely connected because one depends on the other to succeed.

    5. To what extent is there a cause-effect relationship between teaching and learning?

In my opinion, not every moment requires conventional training and not everyone learns from a permanent instruction from a teacher. Coupled with, sometimes we learn from experiences that affect or influence our ways of thinking and behaving. Moreover, we are responsible of our own learning. 

Nevertheless, teaching offers a better understanding and complement of the knowledge we acquire from practice and experience, and certainly it provides feedback, guidance and of course part of motivation. Given these points, I think both terms are important but there is not necessarily must have a strong cause-effect relationship, but they can complement each other.