Hello again! It has been an intense but exciting path. I have to say that at first, it was sometimes hard to follow the pace but after some time I got used to it. And now that the subject has finished, I think that the subject has exceeded all my expectations, as I can say that I really have learned a lot during these few months. Furthermore, this subject has helped me to answer some of the questions I had before starting so I am really satisfied. Thus, all the work done has been worthwhile.

Now it is time to gather together the knowledge acquired throughout the whole process and to reflect on what things I still don’t know.

To start with, I would like to highlight the concept of telecollaboration. At the beginning of the year I really did not understand why telecollaboration was needed in English teaching. However, a few weeks later I understood that telecollaborating with people from different countries was a requirement in order to create a real need for children to learn the language. Through telecollaborative work, students do not only learn the language for school purposes but for communicating with others. Children should work with students from the other country so students have to use English so as to be able to do it. As we have experienced throughout the development of our projects, this is not as easy as it seems cause you do not have to work only on contents related to the project itself but on the contents related to these exchanges as well. Therefore, all this process takes a lot of time. Nevertheless, this is not a problem but a positive aspect, taking into account that our purpose as teachers (as I pointed out in my introduction) is to help students to communicate and to face real situations.

 

 

Another important aspect to consider is related to technology. If telecollaboration is important, so is the use of technology, as without technology telecollaboration would not be possible. As we have just pointed out in our reflection, nowadays there is a wide range of technological tools available and we should take advantage of them. It should be considered that we have to be careful when choosing technological tools, as every tool has its uses. There are ones which are perfect for using while telecollaborating, and others that are useful for using in class. So, our decisions should be made taking into account our needs at every moment and not the other way round. Therefore, it is important for teachers to be always updated in terms of technological resources. Now I know that we do not have to be afraid of technology because it is an ally! Oh, and furthermore, it is very important to think about alternative activities when using technology, as technology is unpredictable!

 

 

And last but not least, I would like to talk about planning. One of the main things that I really have learnt during the subject is related to the importance of language supports. Before starting the subject, we did know how to arrange activities in sequence within project-based approaches. Generally speaking, we knew that sessions should be aimed at both working on the final product and on language contents. However, we had only a little idea about planning English lessons specifically. Now we know that, taking into account that students are working using a language different from their L1, we need to create a wide range of supports so as to help students to overcome language difficulties. It has to be pointed out that by now I can say that for me is still difficult to face this big challenge as children’s needs are varied and so are the ways to help our pupils. So for me is difficult to reach every student. However this is an issue that do not worry me too much since I think that experience is the only way to learn.

Another aspect of planning that I want to focus on is assessment. Although in previous subjects we did learn the importance of using formative assessment, this subject has helped me to know different assessment instruments such as rubrics and quick activities and to create them as well. Nevertheless, although now I feel more confident when designing instruments, I have to say that for me (as happens with scaffolding) is still difficult to find a suitable way to assess learners that really help them to overcome problems. Probably, as I pointed out before, it is a matter of lack of experience as a teacher. 

 

 

All in all, it can be showed that the subject has helped me to work on the competences I highlighted at the introduction, so I can say that throughout this period I have gone forward on my way to become an English teacher.

 

 

However, it is important to highlight the idea that as in every aspect of live, experience is the only remedy to overcome the difficulties!

 

 

See you soon!