Hellu! Such a long time, almost-non-existant readers! Some days ago, a classmate and I had to deliver a class corresponding to a Reading Comprehension Course we are currently attending. The aim was to teach a strategy for our students to improve their reading skills. In order to do so, we made use of a metaphor related to planting a plan (to see more, visit my partner's post: http://gettingclosertoefl.blogspot.com.ar/2017/08/reading-is-like-planting-plant.html), which I consider to be very useful for teenagers -considering we gave them a cactus as a gift!
I really like the idea of employing metaphors to introduce abstract concepts such as reading comprehension strategies. Even though a metaphor is abstract on itself, there are ways of representing what you want your students to understand. In this case, we brought realia to show them as long as we were dealing with the content. I firmly believe that students need to see, touch, hear and even smell (if possible) what they are being taught because otherwise they cannot find a connection with the context; if they are not able to 'internalize' their learning, they will simply not keep it. Sometimes, especially in English, we are supposed to teach things that are difficult to explain without bringing it to reality -vocabulary, without going so far!- so this experience was an opened door to new possibilities. Being a teacher means taking risks, not only for the students' success but for ours, as well. We are constantly worried about the success of our lessons, but I do not think we have crystal clear what 'success' really means. What is to be successful when speaking of teaching? Is it a success when a student gets a 1O (or an A) in a test? Or is it when they can reflect on the topic and find a connection with their own reality? In the case of teaching a foreign language, is it when they understand a grammar rule? Is the ability of communicating and expressing their own ideas through English the REAL success? Well, I can tell you that the last question has my biggest YES!
I chose that title because when I stood up in front of 20 students who did not recall a single thing we had said the first class, I wanted to run away. Suddenly, as they tried to remember and saying some things, I felt relieved. Not because they were answering what we wanted but because they really kept some concepts and even more. At the beginning, it was bitter and kind of unconfortable, but as soon as the time went by, I started to feel certain happiness and satisfaction with myself.
I keep finding myself more and more involved with this profession. I can tell that because it is 2:21 a.m and I am writing this post -something unthinkable two years ago.
Let's keep in touch!
