Training Courses

Which training courses would you like to have access to as a teacher? Why? Which is, in your opinion, the best way to share good practice amongst.

In my opinion training courses are something necessary in all the professions, and especially if you are a teacher.

That´s a good point, but which course could be good? Obviously it depends on the interest of each teacher. Personally I´m interested in vocational training and new methodology, so I would like to have access to courses where I could learn about New technologies in education, methodology, dual vocational training, English, etc…

Firstly I would like something about new technologies because we have new informatics tools with a lot of possibilities and we don´t know all the chances. I´m thinking for instance about digital blackboard, moodle o special educative centre platforms.

Secondly I´m very interested in courses about new methodology in vocational training degrees, It is a well- known fact that we can´t teach vocational training students as a high school students, and one specific way could be dual vocational training. In fact my master thesis was about this topic and conclusions were relevant.

Other interesting idea is English, in last years the number of students who are going to realise one practical period in other countries is increasing, and a lot of people is discovering the figure of Erasmus + studentship.

My last pillar is learning something about dispute resolution. The main reason is because everyone knows the vocational training students profile, especially in  medium vocational training degrees, and in my opinion is extremely important having tools to act if you have problems because if you haven´t you lose the control and the rest of the actions haven´t sense.

It seem to me that the best way to learn about this topics is listening experiences about teacher who are doing something different and have good results. In the school where I realised my practical period it something that a lot of teacher are doing continuously, and all of them agree that is a good way, and you can learn about profits and disadvantages.

Not limited by the demands of the national curriculum

If you were not limited by the demands of the national curriculum, what would you say is the most important thing you would teach your students about your subject? How would you assess their learning?

If I haven´t national o local restrictions, surely I will do the things in a different way.

In order to teach economy my main idea is develop curiosity, motivation in my students, autonomy and the skill to work in group.

In this point you can imagine, that is an ambitious goal, and at the same time, difficult to achieve. I haven´t got the perfect solution, but I propose few ideas.

In first place I introduce group activities, probably in all the themes, the students will have little task to improve their knowledge about a topic. The groups are changing once every three months. During these three month each group develops the same tasks, but not at the same time. At the end of these three month the present one round task to the class.

The methodology during the rest of the course is the same. Doing that, I would like to achieve my students get ready to work in different circumstances, because is so comfortable work with an ideal group, but it isn´t a real situation in life.

If each group is preparing different task, we achieve reduce the copies. Although they can copy, it´s easier to discover that trick.

Some ideas for little tasks, could be, movies related with one theme, company visits to learn in a real situation how to do something, prepare a company plan, professional talks, with one expert on the subject, statistical studies using data bases… And they are going to dedicate two week per task. We are supposing two hours class per week.

To assess that, we are going to consider two points, first one are logically the tasks. Supposing they are going to do 4 tasks per period, we are going to assess each one with the 20% of the mark using a rubric. We are going to do that to value daily work. The last presentation has the same value, 20%, and again, we are going to use a rubric. One rubric to the partner and one rubric to the teacher. The mark of that last task will be the average between both.

Advantages and disadvantages of using the ELP

Taking into account my personal teaching context, what would be the advantages and disadvantages of using the ELP with my groups?

English Language Portfolio.

As we can read in the report of the Ministry of EducationThis document is a record of language skills, qualifications and experiences. It is part of a European Language Portfolio, which consists of a Passport, a Language Biography and a Dossier containing materials which document and illustrate experiences and achievements. Language skills are defined in terms of levels of proficiency presented in the document "A Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment".

The Language Passport lists the languages that the holder has some competence in. The contents of this Language Passport are as follows:

-          a profile of language skills in relation to the Common European Framework.

-          a résumé of language learning and intercultural experiences.

-          a record of language certificates and diplomas.

The advantages of English Language Portfolio are:

-          You know you language level according with the international scales

-          You can delimitate your objectives and write your improvements.

-          You can discover your learning way and increase it.

-           You can understand better and respect the linguistic and cultural differences that are between you and your friends or between different groups of people.

As a conclusion we are trying to increase the student autonomy and respect with the rest of the group.

From my point of view, implementing ELP in Vocational Training or Bachiller, the course where the students could study economics, is quite difficult. I say that because our educative system doesn´t value your language knowledge, the system values if you pass or fail an exam. And currently this exams aren´t in L2.

The other reason I say that it´s because we are trying to implement that in the firsts primary courses, and we are introducing ELP gradually, maybe in eight years, this problem will be fixed.

When we think in the youngest students doing their own assessment, all of us easily could imagine all of them writing the truth; but is it possible when we are thinking in teenager? Is the teenager ready to write he has less level than the rest of the class? In few years I´m sure it will be possible, but now is quite difficult.

Finally, I think, ELP needs continuity, and maybe, economics in bachiller and one or two subjects in a vocational training degree aren´t the best examples of this continuity.

Dual Vocational Training

When we speak about innovation in education, it´s necessary thinking in all the steps. In vocational training the new methodology consist in alternate a period in class with time in a company.

  

If we think in medium vocational training students, we could imagine easily people who prefer manipulative tasks, so, why are they now in a class during a course and a half? How could the educative system change to help them?

As response to these questions, Spain is introducing Dual methodology. During two years the student makes practical in seven periods in different companies, where they can learn about how putting in practice the knowledge acquired in the class.

The students who study with this methodology are more motivated than other, and the implication increases.

To be sure that they are really learning in these periods they have as a “Practical Notebook” where they must complete exercises with the companies process and information.

Scavenger Hunt

Yesterday when I was googling to find any article about CLILs I found that:

http://edutec.rediris.es/Revelec2/Revelec16/PDF/Edutec_n16-Adell.pdf

The topic is Scavenger Hunt o Treasure Hunt, and apparently it’s a common methodology that allows acquiring knowledge and improving new technologies skills.

Luzon (2001) claimed three strengths of this method:

• -          Promotes the acquirement of knowledge.
• -          Improves the reading.
• -          Develops skills on search.

To use this method these are the steps. First of all, choose a topic and write didactic objectives, prepare the paper with the material, in the paper we should divide the information in four parts: introduction, questions, resources and “The Big Question”.

The third step is to make the groups, mixing all kind of students and at the end solve the case.

Some advices when you prepare this activity:

• -          We are preparing question to think, we are not interested in copy-paste answers.
• -          We give the links to the students and we give limited time.
• -          And it is essential explain how are we going to evaluate this activity.

The best teacher I´ve ever had

The best teacher I’ve ever had.

When I think about who would be the best teacher I´ve ever had, I should review all of them.

I don´t remember anything about my firsts teachers I only have loose ideas. I remember clearly one woman who was my teacher when I was 11; she was very strict woman, probably she continues being like that, but I know that she helped my class preparing us for secondary school.

In secondary school I hadn´t got any special teacher, probably I could stand out my math´s teacher, who always arrived smiling, but I can´t separate if I enjoy now this teacher for his subject or was his behavior special for all the class.

 When I arrived at the University all my teacher looked exactly the same, serious and very busy, however If I choose the bests teachers I´ve ever have I think immediately in two of them.

One of them, taught me labor law, and apparently it was a hard subject, and he made it easy, because he started every day with examples, and curious events related to the topic, and get anyone complained when we copied the theory.

The second one was an old man, he is just retired now, he arrived class smiling, and writing in the blackboard three tasks for the lesson. Probably it was a good class because we are around twenty or twenty five students, and we all of us spoke about the theme, and the teacher only asked questions for us guiding the argue. Probably it was the subject where we worked much but I learned a lot about managements and organization.

English blog

Hello:

I´m Gregorio, I studied my managenemt degree in UPV and now I´m studing my master degree to be a teacher