WEEKS 10 & 11 - CLASSROOM & INSIGHTS

Before getting into Weeks 10 and 11, I want to clarify something that feels important to me. Sometimes I worry that my posts jump a bit from one place to another, or that I reflect too deeply, or too honestly. But the reason is simple: I write these entries week by week, in real time, not retroactively. I could easily wait until the end of the term, write everything in one go and make it all look perfect and linear—but that wouldn’t be real.
What I want is authenticity: the ups and downs, the chaos, the stress, the excitement, the learning. Just as in my practicum I used my “teacher notebook” to reflect honestly, this blog has become the digital version of that.

WEEK 10

Last week I had my phonetics exam and an important assignment to submit and present, so I couldn’t update the blog in time. That’s why Week 10 is coming a bit later—but here it is.

SESSION 1 

We began the week exploring textbooks, discussing whether schools actually buy them, how they’re structured, and what kind of materials they offer. The teacher brought several examples—pictures, sample pages, characters used to introduce reading, phonics-based early readers, and native English storybooks that focus strongly on pronunciation patterns.

We also learned different ways of introducing reading to young learners, including how sounds, visuals, and character consistency help children build meaning.

One of my favourite parts of this session was a storytelling activity where we had to build and tell a story using different sounds and cues. It was incredibly creative and fun, and also very flexible, because it could be adapted to any skill: listening, speaking, reading, or even writing.
(Aquí iría la foto de la actividad que quieras incluir.)

This session reminded me a lot of my practicum, especially how reading and storytelling were integrated with routine, puppets, chants, and pronunciation work.

SESSION 2 

In the second session we talked about programming, and about how a “didactic unit” is not the same as a learning situation. Our teacher emphasised that learning situations should be interdisciplinary and competence-based.
This immediately brought me back to my previous school, where programming was approached exactly that way—very transversal, connected, and meaningful.

She explained the structure, differences, and essential parts of a learning situation, and then formally introduced the final assignment, which we have been working on during Week 11.

WEEK 11

Our teacher has been unwell this week, so she guided us from home while we worked on the final project. Even so, the week has been productive, and we’ve done a lot related to methodology and interactive activities.

We had to create a website as part of our practice. There was a small conflict in my group because of the About Us section: they didn’t want me to include a more complete personal description unless everyone changed theirs too. After discussing the situation and emailing the teacher for advice, I decided that the best solution was simply to write my proper personal description here on the blog. It will appear right after the main content of this post. 

I’m not someone who simply conforms, especially when it comes to something as essential as presenting ourselves to families. A website’s ‘About’ section must genuinely reflect who we are as educators—clearly, honestly, and reliably—because we work with children, and transparency is a responsibility, not an option.

We also had to prepare interactive activities, and honestly, this is where I shine. I’m absolutely obsessed with methodology, gamification, Wordwall, and DucaPlay. I included:

• A Genially with all my previous practicum interventions.

• A Wordwall-style activity based on the theme of our final assignment.

• A DucaPlay game I created myself.

• A document with the full list of my practicum interventions to show how easy and effective gamified tasks can be in class.

Gamification is an incredibly powerful tool, especially for SEN / ACNEAE learners. It's multisensory, fast to create, motivating, and easy to adapt. Even AI can help generate questions and prompts quickly. And most importantly: students absolutely love it.

My materials:

My didactics' sequence.

Other proposals.

My personal description for the website substitute:

Hi! I’m María, a future Primary Education teacher with a specialization in English. I believe that there isn’t a single “right” way to teach English—every learner is unique, and each lesson is an opportunity to reflect, adapt, and combine different approaches. I love finding the balance between innovative, creative methods and traditional strategies that provide structure and clarity.

I’m passionate about creating dynamic and engaging classes where creativity, play, and meaningful learning come together. Gamification, project-based learning, and interactive activities are at the heart of my teaching, allowing students to explore, experiment, and develop both skills and confidence. At the same time, I appreciate the value of traditional approaches for building a strong foundation and ensuring that learning is effective and coherent.

As a teacher, I’m empathetic, sensitive, and perfectionistic—I care deeply about my students’ progress and about delivering lessons that are both inspiring and impactful. I strive to create a supportive environment where every learner feels understood, challenged, and motivated to grow.

My teaching philosophy centers on reflection, adaptability, and creativity. I love designing lessons that are meaningful, fun, and memorable, while also respecting the importance of structure and clear learning objectives. I want my students to enjoy learning, to feel confident taking risks, and to see English as a tool for expressing themselves and exploring the world.

Thank you for taking the time to read about me! I invite you to explore the materials, projects, and ideas shared here, both mine and those of my colleagues, and to discover the variety of approaches we bring to teaching English.

REFERENCES:

Cabero-Almenara, J., & Llorente-Cejudo, C. (2019). Gamification in higher education: Motivation and engagement in learning. RIED. Revista Iberoamericana de Educación a Distancia, 22(2), 1–21.

Decreto 81/2022, de 26 de julio, por el que se establece el currículo de Educación Primaria en Castilla-La Mancha. (2022). DOCM.

Facultad de Educación, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha. (s.f.). Facultad de Educación. Toledo. Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha. https://www.uclm.es/toledo/educacion

Fernández Bravo, J. A. (2010). El cuaderno del profesor: Un instrumento de investigación en el aula. Ediciones CCS.

Gee, J. P. (2007). What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy. Palgrave Macmillan.

Kapp, K. M. (2012). The gamification of learning and instruction. Pfeiffer.

Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional. (2020). Alumnado con necesidad específica de apoyo educativo (ACNEAE): Orientaciones para la intervención educativa. MEFP.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital game-based learning. McGraw-Hill.

Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha. (n.d.). Campus Virtual. https://www.uclm.es/campusvirtual