Halfway Point

So it’s halfway through the placement and what an interesting, challenging and fun few weeks it’s been!

I’m in a primary school north of Valencia in a rather suburban area. The first week was all about settling in and getting to know my school, their way of working and the students. The commute from Moncada to school was a bit burdensome at first, but I’m actually quite pleased that I get to see more of my surroundings and work in an authentic Spanish environment.  

One of my biggest fears post-CELTA was working with young learners (quite an understatement really!) Two weeks in and I can already say that this experience has shifted my perspective and feelings about YLs (thank you Jen for all the brilliant ideas, games and tips). It turns out that I have more patience than I realised. My students are enthusiastic, keen to learn English and are generally adorable which really helps J

My school has adopted the bilingual approach so half the curriculum is taught in English and the other in Spanish. In addition to English, I also teach Science and assist with Art. To anyone in the next placement doing CLIL subjects - don’t be afraid! The course books and scheme of work offers plenty of guidance and isn’t hard to get to grips with.

On the other hand one of the most challenging things for us EFL teachers has been witnessing teaching methodologies that differ from our own. I think we’ve all had to come to terms with finding the balance between teaching in the way we’ve been trained to, and acknowledging how things are done on the ground. I’ve tried some of the games and activities that we discovered at Newland Park and my students absolutely loved it!  Hangman, chants, you name it….

On a personal note Valencia is fab. I visited the city two years ago and am thrilled to have a longer stint here. There’s plenty to see and do. The Bioparc comes highly recommended from Caroline and I (but will set you back €24). Ruzafa is great for drinks and dinner, and seems to be the locals’ place of choice. You’ll find everything from tapas to sushi and burger joints.

Until next time

Raynal xxx

 

End of week 2: The silence of the plans

The end of week 2  in Valencia. Been great so far: soaked up some culture, some sun and I teach English from time to time :P. The students have finally warmed to me now, thanks in part to how my teaching style differs from their usual teachers and I’m feeling more a part of the school than I did after my first week.

Still 2 weeks left, but already my minds on the next adventure.

I’ve had 2 interviews in the last week over the internet with schools in China. The first (in Shanghai) has already offered me a position and the second (in Beijing) has requested a videoed 20min demo lesson to base their judgement on. Both schools look great and I’d be happy with either but (as someone who knows practically nothing about Chinese cities or culture and is primarily talking out of his arse) I’d definitely prefer to be in Beijing. In all likelihood it will take 1 - 2 months to get all the paperwork sorted so I could be flying out as soon as late March. 

All of a sudden life seems to be picking up some momentum.

Week 2

So, I'm in the midst of week two now. And I tell you what, it's going really quick! Honestly.

Well firstly, let me inform you of my three day weekend. Yes you read that right. There was a bank holiday in Valencia on the Friday so a well needed extended weekend took place. On Friday night, me, Jody, Rhiannon and Diana went to Café de las Horas for some Agua de Valencia. This is a cocktail that contains champagne, orange juice, vodka and gin. You have to try it at this place, it does the best and it's so yummy! The inside of the café is also gothic and beautiful. Really great vibes there.

On Saturday, I met up with some of the Moncada and showed them around Valencia. It was lovely to see them. It felt like it had been ages and it was like a reunion. It was interesting to hear about what their experiences have been like. We had a three course lunch, during which Ed kept saying 'muchos grascias' every time the waitress came and brought out food or took away our plates. We and the waitress found this very amusing as in Spain it's not necessary to say thank you all the time. After lunch, we went for a walk in Turia Riverbed Park up to the Aquarium. Unfortunately it was shut when we got there. However, the views and modern architecture was stunning and well worth a see. In the evening, we had a drink in this retro looking bar. It was nice to catch-up with Marcelo and Raynal, who joined us later on. We rounded off the day in an Irish pub eating club sandwiches and burgers. I know, shameful! But we were tired! Sunday was my lazy, lesson planning day. But it felt so nice to just sit down and have a quite one.

So back to the here and now. I've done my first two lessons today! I'm absolutely shattered, but pretty happy too. My first lesson went fairly well! From the English lessons I've observed, the students don't do a lot of drilling. So I went drilling mad. I got students to drill in rows with a competitive element. They found this really amusing. I also did a flash drill, where I flashed pictures quickly and they had to identify the correct word which went down a treat. Thanks for this one Jenny! Classroom management wasn't too tricky although I think I need to establish more ground rules. The students on the whole were a really nice class! During class feedback, I nominated a student and then got them to nominate the next person. They really liked doing this. They really like it when you give them a context and get them involved, so don't be afraid of this! Some things I will say is you really don't have long (50 minutes) and it's really hard to get through all the course book material given to you. I did feel a bit like a was racing against the clock.

My other class was more challenging. There were 33 teenage boys in the class so as you can imagine classroom management is hard work! I felt I had to put on a slightly stricter persona and was a little more didactic which I don't like doing. But hey ho, I elicited quite a bit from them and they were engaged a fair few times throughout. Just, be extra careful with these E-workbooks because I kept accidently revealing the answers prematurely in which they quickly jotted down! Katy, who is the teacher of the class, was so sweet afterwards and said I was a natural. That meant a lot. Guys, honestly you can't be perfect in classes this size, so just be prepared for repeating yourself a few times and being patient and ok with it.

Life at the apartment is going pretty well. The washing machine has been are biggest problem. It kept not turning on. We discovered it's very temperamental and won't work if you put too many clothes inside it. We all get on really well, which is just as well in such a small living quarter. I couldn't have asked for a bunch of nicer, interesting and supportive housemates. Thank you guys for making this experience that much easier and nicer.

I have primary these next three days so will let you know how these go. Until next time.. aka when I have time!

Hasta luego,
Caroline xxx

Training week

I got a place on the training week at very short notice so I wasn't able to form many preconceptions about it, mostly I was just concerned with getting the forms filled out and my packing done. We arrived for the training week near Chalfont St Giles early on Monday, there we met Carolyn and Jenn (for Talli and I the first time in person). We then had a getting to know you, session with the other trainees who are a diverse bunch, lots of different ages and backgrounds.

The training week itself was demanding but always interesting; Carolyn, Jenn and Raff were all excellent for providing training, information and support. It felt good to be learning new things with new people (as well as a few that we already knew from our CELTA course). In addition to the specifically TEFL focussed training we also were given useful instruction in Spanish, sports leadership and a three-hour session on first aid, something I very much appreciated and enjoyed, I will doubtless expand on what I learned in that session.

I would describe the week as a little like a single week of CELTA though not as intense or stressful, the number of trainees was also higher. Like CELTA I need my coffee to get through and I'd advise any future trainees to bring some snacks for the duration.

It's now just over two weeks till we fly out to Spain to teach for four weeks, something I'm excited to do (and not only to get away from the UK winter weather though that will be a definite plus). I'm sure we will have more new and interesting experiences and gain valuable skills and knowledge.

Who says teaching is stressful?

Training week: Chalfont, Challenges, Costa Coffee and Carbs.

Training week was a packed but highly beneficial week. I wasn’t really sure what to expect and I guess I had jumped to conclusions that I would be working with mainly post-uni students looking to move onto a new career. However, I was pleasantly surprised to meet such a variety of people of all ages and backgrounds. I didn’t expect to meet people with previous teaching experience but this turned out to be very valuable in discussions as did a lot of the input from my fellow trainees. Thanks team! It was great meeting you all!

Jen, Carolyn and Raff, thank you, thank you, thank you for your knowledge, training and support through the week. I enjoyed learning about how to add to my existing CELTA knowledge. I particularly enjoyed learning about the practical things I could use in lessons and how to adapt lessons to different age groups and levels. I liked the session on drills and chanting as this is not something I have approached before, I’m sure I’ll have more confidence to attempt this when I go! Much of the training connected well with similar themes we covered in CELTA, adapting to your learners and making sure students are able to input as much as possible. 

This was a great extension to CELTA and brought to light some new challenges we’ll all face! 

Since training week, it seems the initial lesson planning is the thing I worry about most. I just have no idea what to expect but I’m keen to get going! It’s great to know that I’ll be with fellow teachers that I really got on well with. This also bodes well for a sangria-infused afternoon on my birthday which falls on the second Sunday we are there. Yay!

I’m pleased to have some time at home before heading off to Spain. I think I need a bit of time to process everything. I also hope to revise a bit of Spanish before going so I can at least order a much needed cafe con leche on my Monday morning commute without too much fuss. Let’s hope, hey?

To all those already teaching, I hope it's going well! 

Day 3 and 4 in Valencia

So, I met my primary classes on Wednesday and Thursday and they are so cute! I have two year 6 classes of about 30 students. Carmen, the primary teacher, was absolutely lovely and seemed really excited to have a native speaker in the class and is happy for me to do lots of active, task-based activities and take free reign with the textbook. For next week's lesson I am doing vocabulary surrounding activities that we do with friends. Carmen has given me flashcards, yippie! Jenny - I might actually be able to try out lots of the ideas you gave us in your drilling workshop! The lesson also involves a rap and acting out flashcards. I will update you on how it goes!

I'm also doing CLIL Art with both year 6 classes. This so far involves me explaining the art book tasks in English and admiring the students work and asking about it in English. It's so sweet the way the students are super excited to show you their work and ask if you like it. Today they drew lines and colours to express how they were feeling. They (I hope) learnt a few new words around 'feelings' in the process of being creative.

Finally, I mentioned in my last blog post about the door opening fiasco. Well, behold, I have pictures (kindly sent to me by Jody on WhatsApp) of this event. Please enjoy. I also attach some photos I took in the Turia Riverbed Park which expands along the city. It's right by the school and it is absolute bliss to go walking there in the sun and warmth whenever I have free time.