Revising my programming of English language

twitter: @eugenio_fouz

Dead Poets Society.- Director: Peter Weir (1989)

Ayer pensaba que la Constitución es a un ciudadano lo que la Programación de una asignatura es para un profesor y su alumnado. Ambos documentos han de ser justos, realistas y modificables. Quiero un documento dinámico y útil.

A good programming makes a good teaching. Revising programmings is part of a teacher´s routine year after year, or rather, week after week, day after day. Everyday school life brings new thoughts and new ideas.

Thanks to a colleague teacher I came to reconsider the relative importance of the written test and minimized the value of that test from a 90% or 100% to a 60% . Doing so, students are to be be evaluated not only for knowledge, memorization or a good test but also for their skills or attitudes (two different things) on such aspects as effort, daily work, homework, oral skills, and so on. That colleague of mine (Toñi Roca) helped me understand the concept that a student is much more than a written test with good or bad results. A student is an individual with certain qualities and many more things.  We had discussions on knowledge and grammar, vocabulary and speaking and we used to talk about all those issues that keep teachers wondering. Our aim has always been the same, I think, get the key to knowledge and language. I remember her as a daring professional, innovative and cheerful. Yes, I remember her like this.

This year I came to the conclusion that marking oral skills in the classroom positively or negatively was going to be a meaningful point. And it was. Moreover I wanted to mark notebooks as a kind of passport from my pupils.   I proposed them to keep a register for each activity to do, or in other words, to number everything in their notebooks. Everything counts in the classroom. The idea of notebook marking was inspired in two colleagues at school.

This year, reading Graded Readers -two books for an academic year- plays an important part in the Final Evaluation; that is to say, everyone must read the books obligatorily to show they can understand English language and acquire new vocabulary.

According to my own teaching material, I decided to manage two lists full of boxes (squares) for marking my pupils´attendance as well as marking on every little tasks they do or don´t do, namely speaking good English language, having homework done in their notebooks, using dictionary in class or writing acceptable translations. Notes are to be written in pencil and not in ballpen as I used to do. I confess that I liked the cleanliness on the colleague teacher of Chemistry, Jesús Algarra.

This year I have organized extra copies on exercises in bigger packs for those who need or want enjoy themselves with the subject matter.

There is an exercise on English and American culture as part of my exams. This exercise counts just a little and this is a new point. Other stuff are the introduction of a creative part making students draw their room or a place in town, a favourite gadget or whatever. I also get them involved in the classroom by asking anecdotes, jokes or things we dealt with in class. (I must say I keep a diary in my dossier and keep taking notes during class time)

MOODLE or Aula Virtual is an indispensable tool which I fancy a lot. I share photos with short messages there, write notes or warnings on material suggested or pieces of news from English newspapers (The Huffington Post, The Guardian , etcetera). Here, the use of scanner helps me show students several mistakes they make in translations or mock examinations. Sometimes they are shown their drawings too.

The latest revision of programming has to do with a project in eTwinning via the British Council. That is something we would like to start. A programming must be an updated moleskine, realistic and dynamic.

Tags: @eugenio_fouz, attendance lists, changes, colleagues, Constitución española 1978, diary, English language, eTwinning, jesús algarra, josé antonio márquez, José María Palazón, moleskine, moodle, notebooks, oral skills, Pedagogy, programming, revision, tests, Toñi Roca