Collaboration

I had one my biggest epiphany on the day of the Puzzle activity. Mary gave us
the instructions. Even though they were clear, one part was still very confusing to
me no one is finished until everyone is finished. What did that mean? I took the
first pieces of my puzzle and started working. 6 or so bad connections later I
was still not getting anywhere and was getting very frustrated while everyone
else was way ahead, almost completing their own puzzle. I was so committed to
resolving my puzzle that I hadnt realized that my partners were putting pieces in
front of me to help me resolve mine. Out of frustrations I threw the pieces I was
working with back in the green zone and something special happened. All the
other people on my table were all missing the exact pieces I was frustrated with
and that I was selfishly trying to connect. They then sent an almost completed
puzzle to me and just like that I put the last piece in place and had one puzzle
completed myself. It was a great feeling and I couldnt stop smiling. Marys
instruction finally clicked. It was about team work and not just about me. My
obsession for resolving the problem by myself was hindering me. I went to the
other tables helping other people put their puzzles together. When we all finally
finished it was euphoria in the room. I felt great pleasure and a special sense of
accomplishment that I had never experienced before. The magic of team work. I
need to learn more about working in group and be more comfortable asking for
help.

Interpretation:
I was so obsessed about resolving my own puzzle that it hindered me from seeing
the true meaning of the exercise.

Generalization:
Its important to give student clear instructions and also give them the
opportunity to work in groups and to collaborate, because it can help them learn
about themselves and know what can sometimes hinder them in their learning.

Plan Action:
I will give clear instructions to my students and give them more opportunities to
work in group and to collaborate.

Yes to Pronunciation lessons

The pronunciation activity struck me very hard. Rogers asked us to discuss with
our partners what we thought pronunciation was and how important teaching it
was in the language classroom. I always knew that pronunciation was important
but to me teaching it as a separate skill was not that important, its something
that they would just pick up along the way. I always skipped the pronunciation
lessons in the textbooks and I was certainly not going to teach them the dreadful
IPA symbols. When Roger drew the pronunciation house on the board and the
different elements that it contained and the way he explained rhythm, word
stress and sentence stress I realized that I was taking something extremely
important away from my students. I should start putting more emphasis in
teaching pronunciation in my class.

Interpretation:
I didnt understand the importance of teaching pronunciation and thought it was
something that you could eventually pick up along the way if youre exposed long
enough.

Generalization:
Even though pronunciation can be picked up along the way, if learners are given
the opportunity to effectively learn and practice pronunciation, it can speed up
their learning and avoid forming bad habits and frustrations.

Plan Action:
I will teach pronunciation in chunks and create fun lessons to make it easier for
them to learn.

Reflection
Im very happy to be taking this course. Its something I wanted to do for a long
time. I love what I do and it brings me a lot of satisfaction when my students
come to me to express their gratitude or how much they enjoyed a lesson. I
always try to get better for myself and for them. This course gives me an
opportunity to do something special. It helps me to not only grow as professional
but most importantly as a person.
The first week of the course was awesome on several levels. One of the things I
noticed was the enthusiasm of the trainers and their openness. I had never
experienced that with any teacher ever in my life. Im very impressed by their
group and Im very curious about how they came together and reached that
synergy. Its not always an easy task to put together such a great team. This
inspires me.
I also noticed that in all the activities that we did, nobody was placed on the spot
or exposed to ridicule. I felt a great deal of respect for my opinion and my feelings
and that made me feel very comfortable and opened me to learn more and
explore more.
In this course you are placed in the shoes of a learner and this situation gives you
the opportunity to think and reflect about how you learn and what can hinder
your learning. I learned that I was a kinesthetic learner instead of a visual learner
as I used to believe. I need hands on experience in order for whatever I am
learning to click. I believe this is extremely important for a teacher to know so
they can better plan their lessons and give an opportunity to every learning style
to benefit from it.
Something I already knew about myself was that I didnt fare very well working in
groups. One of the reading was about the lifecycle of groups The Group: A Cycle
from Birth to Death by Richard C. Weber. I learned from this reading that every

group that has ever existed goes through a cycle where the members go through
several stages, some smooth others not so much, before they can get to synergy
or death. This opened my eyes and made me realized that while its true that
working in group was not easy, it wasnt impossible. It was not something that I
just had to leave in the hands of fate but that I could be more conscious of the
stages and be ready for them. I have to show more compassion toward myself
and toward the other members of my group.
I also learned a new and more meaningful way to plan my lessons. ECRIF
(encounter, clarify, remember, internalize, fluency). This framework is extremely
helpful for teachers and learners. It gives you the opportunity to know where
you/your students are in the learning process. It allows you to go back to a
specific stage where you might be struggling and take specific actions to tackle
the problem and move on to the next stage. Its a lens to help you see learning
happening
Id love to learn more about how to manage logistics like forming groups, bringing
materials, and dealing with small space. Id love to have more fun activity ideas so
my students can consistently benefit from my lessons.
I make it a goal to put in more time for research about every aspect of language
teaching and learning.