In the following buttons, all the information about the teaching sequences I designed can be found.
However, before starting, some relevant information about the school and the classroom I have implemented the teaching sequence with should be outlined.
THE SCHOOL CONTEXT
The school is located in Mollet del Vallès, a city which belongs to Vallés Oriental, a region of the metropolitan area of Barcelona. According to the Institut d’Estadística de Catalunya (2016), it has a population of 51.491 inhabitants [1], from which 10% do not have Spanish nationality. This can also be observable in the group class I am in, in which only 3 out of 22 students are immigrants.
Having spent some time in the neighbourhood, I have been able to observe that mainly all the population are Spanish speakers. This is definitely confirmed by the data from the Institut d’ Estadística de Catalunya (2011), which states that although the 93% of the population are able to understand Catalan, half of the population might not be able to write in this language, as it is not their mother tongue[1] . This may be due to the fact that there has been an increase in the number of immigrants through the past years.
Due to the fact that Catalan is not the family language for most of the inhabitants of Mollet, the city has a Local Catalan Service in which resources for the self-learning of the language and programs are offered. According to my mentor, even in the parents' interviews and class meetings it is difficult for the parents to express in Catalan, which makes the Local Catalan Service a need for most of the population.
Regarding employment, the most significant sector (more than half of the population) is the tertiary, the one devoted to services. On the other hand, the sector which has less impact is agriculture, which has almost no presence in this territory. While investigating the territory, I have been able to observe that although the primary sector does not stand out, an importance to green spaces is also given. Actually, Mollet counts with more than twelve parks and gardens, and some extracurricular activities (and trips prepared by the school) are entirely related to the environment. Moreover, Sant Jordi school is considered to be a green school, a fact that might be taken into account, as it means that it is concerned about carrying out activities which promote sustainability.
Having reviewed the neighbourhood, it is highly relevant to see the relation it has with the school itself.
Sant Jordi is a two-form entry school, which involves Pre and Primary Education levels (children between 3 and 12 years old). It is a public school thus, its ownership is the “Departament d’Ensenyament de la Generalitat de Catalunya” and it has more than 400 students.
Generally speaking, it is a well-communicated school, close to the centre and next to the public transport, and it counts with 33 teachers, 20 of which are tutors. In general terms, it follows a vertical structure, being the headmaster at the top, followed by the head of studies and the coordinators of the different stages and specialities. However, the decisions are always first shared with all the school teachers and if any proposal needs to be made, it will be the coordinators of the stages or commissions who will communicate it to the directive staff, in representation of the other teachers.
When referring to the PEC (school’s educational project), it can be stated that the methodology used is dynamic and considers the needs and the rhythm of each student. Moreover, technology plays a huge role in this school and is a tool used while learning (inside and outside the classroom).
Basically, and according to the PEC, the school is based on three foundations: reading and writing, trilingualism and new technologies, and precisely these foundations are the ones I have been able to observe while being at the school.
Regarding languages, trilingualism is promoted. During my stay, I have seen how some subjects (such as Arts and Crafts and Science) were applying a CLIL methodology (the content was taught through English).
Apart from that, the school is taking part in an Erasmus project, in which there is an exchange of experiences among different countries (sometimes students are the ones who travel, other times the teachers). The aim is that students build the ideal city of the future, a fact which I consider very motivating for the students (there is a real output and they try to work on that).
As Dewey, J. (1987) said, “true education comes through the stimulation of the child’ power”. This means that as teachers, we need to stimulate our students, placing them in the centre of the educational process.
As a way to promote this stimulation, the head of studies mentioned that these last years all the staff had been working towards a more competence-based teaching, in which the learners show an active behaviour, think more critically and reflect. Currently, the school is taking part in a collaborative project with the UAB, in which the 21st century competences are developed (research projects, innovation…). In most of the projects, the students also develop evaluation skills such as peer-assessment, self-assessment, etc. as they are considered to be key for learning (Sanmartí, N. 2009)
Finally, and as a way to work the language deeper, the school has native language assistants in order to improve the oral expression and comprehension of the pupils in a foreign language.
Moreover, and related to this, the school offers a wide number of computers, interactive blackboards and tablets that not only facilitate the language acquisition, but also places students in the centre of the education.
Apart from that, the school participates in some other projects (library, science 3/6 and patronage).
While the library project consists of borrowing books from the library and creating activities in which the reading is promoted (such as workshops, plays...), the science 3/6 project consists of experimenting and manipulating materials as its basis. It is thought that learning by doing (Dewey, J. 1938), is a good method to learn, and therefore they carry out this project.
A project which is also being carried out is the patronage, in which a relationship between the students who are in 6th grade and the ones who are starting Primary, is built (they help the little ones reading, create activities for them…)
Furthermore, the school offers a welcome centre for those children who need to be at school for extra-time, a dining room, extra-curricular activities (some of them entirely related with the environment), and an association called AMPA, in charge of dealing with topics that affect school’s families and allows parents to reflect and give their opinion about the daily functioning of the centre. This association is the main interlocutor between the families and the teachers and school board.
[1] Source: Idescat (2011). Población de 2 años y más. Por conocimiento del Catalán.
From September to January, I was with fourth graders students. You can see more about this class below.
FROM SEPTEMBER TO JANUARY:
FOURTH B CLASSROOM
The class of 4th B consists of twenty-two students, from which ten are girls and twelve, boys. Most of the students, as the statistics referred (Idescat, 2015), were born in Barcelona and currently live in Mollet. However, there are three students who were born in different countries: Morocco, Colombia and Equator.
From those who were born in Barcelona, just five of them are Catalan speakers (as home language). That might seem surprising, but we must take into account that it is a school located in a region in which more than half of the population is not able to write in Catalan, as it is not their home or family language.
However, none of the students (including those who were not born in Spain) have difficulties at the time of understanding Catalan or Spanish, and they are fluent in both languages.
Regarding the special educational needs, there is a boy one year older than all his peers, who is following an IP (Individual Plan). This means that the curriculum has been adapted to his needs. This boy has been diagnosed with TDAH and the curriculum, tests and evaluation differ from the ones of his peers. However, and although sometimes he easily interrupts the classroom, he is integrated in class and his peers do not leave him behind. Currently, with the permission of my tutor, I have established a certain “agreement ” with him to try to improve his behaviour in class. Every time his behaviour is correct, he gets a green sticker. This is to try to make him aware of the advantages of behaving properly in class.
Despite not following an individual plan, four students attend SEP (Suport Escolar Personalitzat) twice a week (from 8:10 to 8:55). In this space, the area of Mathematics and Reading and Writing are reinforced with their tutors. This is definitely a good way for them to catch up with their peers, and it definitely matches with the philosophy of the school, which tries to work in an inclusive way, trying to avoid students’ segregation just because they have different capacities.
Something to highlight from this class is the fact that all the teachers know what is going on. In other words, they all know who is following a PI, who needs extra-support... This might be entirely related with the relationship that established among them. As far as I am concerned, the teachers from this class have a shared document to which all of them have access. There, all the news and the progress of the students are written, which means that everybody is aware of everything.
In contrast with Infant Education, there are different teachers that have direct relation with this class. That can be explained by the fact that when students are in Infant Education they need a referent, a model. However, when they grow up, it is important for them to see a wider variety of teachers, and thus, teaching styles. The main one is the tutor of the group. She is in charge of teaching Catalan, Mathematics, Values and Social and Natural Sciences. In this specific group, I have seen that the tutor is the most trusted teacher by the students, and every time they have a problem they address it to her, as she is considered to be the one that deals with them.
However, we can also find some specialists from other subjects. One of the subjects that caught my attention is Values. When I was a student in Primary Education, I remember having “tutoria”, a subject that nobody cared and where we just spent our time playing games or doing homework. However, in this school the focus is extremely different. Values is the space in which students talk about any problem that may have, suggestions, or even hot news. For instance, the second of October (no-violence day) they talked about topics such as “What happened yesterday?” “What should we do?” “What repercussions do you think that might have?”. This way, the critical thinking is developed, and students practise oral expression, areas that are part of the curriculum.
As a particular characteristic of the centre, it is relevant to highlight that Science and Arts and Crafts show a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) methodology. In these cases, the teachers make the content understandable through the L2 (English), and the language is practised, above all, through projects (in order to develop group cohesion and autonomy). For instance, in Arts and Crafts, I have been able to observe how the project of Sadako is presented, and how students are starting to acquire all the content-obligatory language (Escobar, C. 2012) that is required to carry out the project. Although the students just have two hours per week of CLIL, little by little, they are making progress in English. According to my tutor, most of the students are aware of the importance of English and are willing to learn the language.
However, it has to be noticed that Catalan is the vehicular language used in class, although among the students, Spanish is the prominent one. Most of the times, the teacher paraphrases the answers students give (in Spanish) into Catalan. This is a big effort done by the teaching staff in order to make students speak more Catalan and is a challenge that tends to be repeated every year. .
Apart from the interaction between teacher-students, the interaction between students and the physical environment they are in is extremely important. According to Horne-Martin (2002), how the classroom is organized, and the teaching style are entirely related. The truth is that although more and more we are moving into a student-centred style and a less traditional one, the most common way to find the classrooms' organization is the teacher being in front of the classroom.
In my case, the teacher occupies the front position and the students are situated in pairs, forming three rows and three columns. That could make you think of a very traditional style, but the truth is that students play a very important role in the learning process and most of their work is done by pairs, emphasizing collaboration. Thanks to the interactive blackboard they have, classes become far more dynamic and active. Regarding the static elements that compound the classroom, there can be found a blackboard, a touch-screen, tables, four laptops cupboards and shelves with material such as sheets of paper, dictionaries... at the scope of everybody.
Above all, laptops play an important role in the classroom. When the students finish an activity, they can go to the laptops and play games related to the activity they have done. This way, the rhythm of the class is not altered, and students have always something to do. If they wish, they can also borrow a book from the library or the shelves and start reading it. This seems to be a process they have internalised, as they always follow these steps.
On the right of the blackboard there is a fixed timetable to which all the students have access. However, it may suffer variations depending on the circumstances and needs of the students (and teacher). For instance, once a week these students go to the “vegetable garden” and they become gardeners and reinforce their knowledge in Social Sciences.
Moreover, it can also be observable that subjects last about an hour, except for the ones in the afternoon which last an hour and a half. Although it might seem it is a lot, the truth is that time flies. Before starting an activity, the teacher usually stimulates prior knowledge by doing a brainstorming, a little game, or something to break the ice. I consider this a good way to make students pay attention and be more focused on what the teacher is explaining. Above all, when students come from the playground, they arrive very active and nervous, and a relaxed activity is usually done in order to let them know that it is time for class and that the playground is over.
Apart from that, it can also be seen that on Tuesdays, ICT and Catalan are divided. This means that half of the group is doing Catalan while the other is doing ICT, and then they switch. That is definitely useful for the teacher, as it is far easier to control a class in which there are only 12 students and deeper explanations and scaffolding can be carried out. Usually, this is the time when the teacher goes around the classroom asking for questions they might have, and an individualised attention takes place.
It can be interesting to highlight that there are also two people nominated to write down the homework in a group paper, so that all the class can have access to it. These two people rotate, and everybody can have the chance to do it. It is a good way to remember which homework they have and practise their writing.
At the beginning of the course, students stated collaboratively several norms that had to be ensured in a class environment. However, and when these norms are broken, the teacher lets them know and gives them a warning: if it happens again, there will be a consequence (staying behind during the playground...) However, positive reinforcement is much more common in this class. The teacher uses humour to sympathise with them and gives them corrective and evaluative feedback, to let them know how they are doing and progressing.
In general, students have a good behaviour and a good relationship among them. However, if the rules are broken, the teacher (tutor) usually acts as a mediator and tries to reach an agreement among the students.
If we refer to students' attitude, they are usually very participatory and active, willing to express their opinion and talk. This might be difficult for the teacher as sometimes it is almost impossible to make them work in silence. However, a strategy of clapping is being carried out by the teacher since the beginning of the year: When the teacher claps three times, students repeat it. Then, she changes the rhythm and students must follow her. This strategy definitely works.
Regarding the social relation among them, it might be noticed that they know each other quite well (they have been about four years together). For this reason, it is easy to see some dominant roles, some students who never give their opinion, some students who do not like to talk in public.... In order to avoid that, the teacher is always trying to do collaborative tasks as a class and improve the cohesion of the group.
However, in my Practicum V, I was with 3rd graders, and I implemented my teaching unit in both classes, A and B. Below, you can see more about the classroom context.
FROM FEBRUARY TO JUNE:
THIRD GRADE CLASSROOM
The class of 3rd A consists of twenty-six students, from which ten are girls and sixteen boys. This term a new student has come. In general, it is a talkative class and the fact that there are by far more boys than girl make conflicts more common. It is a class in which there is not always respect towards the others, and "tutoria" classes are key in order to try to calm the class and achieve a common objective: the comfort of everybody.
Especifically, there are two students who make the classes more challenging, as they have a behaviour disorder. Different methodologies are being tried in order to deal with situations. However, classes are often interrupted and difficult to manage. It is also observable that when there is a class change (a different teacher, above all), it is the time where they get more nervous.
Apart from these two students, there are also two students which are following an Individual Plan, that is, that the curriculum has been adapted to their needs, and three more students which attend to SEP, in which the areas in which they have difficulties are reinforced twice a week.
In general, the area in which they show better abilities is mechanic mathematical operations, where there is no need to reflect or pay a lot of attention. They have ease in additions and subtractions and they have a good level in reading comprehension.
On the other hand, they show difficulties at the time of solving mathematical problems in which they need to apply reasoning and also in writing, not only in the foreign language but also in English. For this reason, my implementation is quite focus on writing, to try to improve this skill and make them have a good time while learning.
Especifically, there are two students who make the classes more challenging, as they have a behaviour disorder. Different methodologies are being tried in order to deal with situations. However, classes are often interrupted and difficult to manage. It is also observable that when there is a class change (a different teacher, above all), it is the time where they get more nervous.
Apart from these two students, there are also two students which are following an Individual Plan, that is, that the curriculum has been adapted to their needs, and three more students which attend to SEP, in which the areas in which they have difficulties are reinforced twice a week.
In general, the area in which they show better abilities is mechanic mathematical operations, where there is no need to reflect or pay a lot of attention. They have ease in additions and subtractions and they have a good level in reading comprehension.
On the other hand, they show difficulties at the time of solving mathematical problems in which they need to apply reasoning and also in writing, not only in the foreign language but also in English. For this reason, my implementation is quite focus on writing, to try to improve this skill and make them have a good time while learning.
The class of 3rd B consists of twenty-five students, from which nine are girls and sixteen boys. This term a new student has also come. In general, it is a childish group which loves playing but which doesn't have clear work habits. They are quite insecure and it is difficult for them to assess themselves and others, as well as listening to the others. Moreover, there is not group cohesion and conflicts are more and more popular, as dialogue is not a tool they are used to. The relationship among them doesn't help at the time of doing class, reflecting a passive attitude, and insults are quite frequent.
On the other hand, they show good abilities in mechanic mathematical operations and reading.
From this class, five students attend SEP, two other students follow an Individual Plan and there are three students which are constantly interrupting the class and showing a low level of self-esteem and disruptive changing behaviour.
As far as English is concerned, both classes have a low level of English. For this reason, a previous and deep reflection on the language needs to be thought of before carrying out the project and thus, the creation of the materials. After having thought of the most suitable language frames, vocabulary and structures I may need along my teaching unit, I have arrived at the conclusion that I will use:
Furthermore, I also consider extremely important the interaction between students and the physical environment they are in is extremely important. According to Horne-Martin (2002), how the classroom is organized, and the teaching style are entirely related. The truth is that although more and more we are moving into a student-centred style and a less traditional one, the most common way to find the classrooms' organization is the teacher being in front of the classroom.
In my case, in both classes the teacher occupies the front position and the students are situated in pairs, forming rows and columns. That could make you think of a very traditional style, but the truth is that students play a very important role in the learning process and most of their work is done by pairs, emphasizing collaboration. Thanks to the interactive blackboard they have, classes become far more dynamic and active. Regarding the static elements that compound the classroom, there can be found a blackboard, a touch-screen, tables, one computer next to the teacher's desk and cupboards and shelves with material such as sheets of paper, games and dictionaries at the scope of everybody.
The only technology they have access inside the classroom is the teacher's computer. For this reason, when they need to look up for something they go to the ICT room.
On the other hand, they show good abilities in mechanic mathematical operations and reading.
From this class, five students attend SEP, two other students follow an Individual Plan and there are three students which are constantly interrupting the class and showing a low level of self-esteem and disruptive changing behaviour.
As far as English is concerned, both classes have a low level of English. For this reason, a previous and deep reflection on the language needs to be thought of before carrying out the project and thus, the creation of the materials. After having thought of the most suitable language frames, vocabulary and structures I may need along my teaching unit, I have arrived at the conclusion that I will use:
Furthermore, I also consider extremely important the interaction between students and the physical environment they are in is extremely important. According to Horne-Martin (2002), how the classroom is organized, and the teaching style are entirely related. The truth is that although more and more we are moving into a student-centred style and a less traditional one, the most common way to find the classrooms' organization is the teacher being in front of the classroom.
In my case, in both classes the teacher occupies the front position and the students are situated in pairs, forming rows and columns. That could make you think of a very traditional style, but the truth is that students play a very important role in the learning process and most of their work is done by pairs, emphasizing collaboration. Thanks to the interactive blackboard they have, classes become far more dynamic and active. Regarding the static elements that compound the classroom, there can be found a blackboard, a touch-screen, tables, one computer next to the teacher's desk and cupboards and shelves with material such as sheets of paper, games and dictionaries at the scope of everybody.
The only technology they have access inside the classroom is the teacher's computer. For this reason, when they need to look up for something they go to the ICT room.