Learning Log 1: la primera retrospectiva

En mi peregrinaje hacia la maestría de dos segundas lenguas extranjeras es importante  que ponga en practica las habilidades integradas de cada una.Además en el seminario de pedagogía vemos visiones mundiales expresadas en diferentes lenguas. Este post está escrito en inglés ¡Gracias por leer!

Our Pedagogy Seminar 2 began with creative approaches to freshen up our memories and to strengthen our previous knowledge acquired throughout the semester in our major as future teachers in foreign languages. To reflect upon pedagogy fundamentals during the last four weeks helped me focus on the main event of my learning experience. The learning events can be summarized in two major categories: (1) A review on pedagogy models, education, didactic and learning theories, and (2) A frame of reference in pedagogy models and pedagogues.

As we moved forward our learning events I became intrigued by the definition of pedagogy and how it has been defined as the science of teaching children. Moreover, how this concept covers different pedagogy models that throughout history have created the processes to successfully teach and accomplish ongoing learning experiences in the students’ lives. It gained my attention the way pedagogy seeks to find answers to how and why educate. Why did I become interested in these topics? Simply because I believe that to be an excellent teacher one must consider what has been questioned in history, what gives desirable results and what the learning individual finds satisfaction in.  

Taking into account the concepts covered in class I feel that I am more confident when having to identify and explain different pedagogy models, the importance of education and didactics that enriches the learning experience through the use of methods. To me it was extremely significant to learn about the progressive education. This education was modeled by pedagogues known in history as Heinrich Pestalozzi, Friedrich Fröbel, Friedrich Herbart, John Dewey, Maria Montessori, Célestin Freinet and Ovide Decroly considered as the father of this new model. This pedagogy model is so different from the traditional model since its purpose is to teach using a child’s social experience. One of the main characteristics of this education is that it makes emphasis on learning by doing hands-on projects, critical thinking, immersion in the environment to act upon it and transform it, group work and collaborative projects, and developing social and lifelong skills. To learn about this model inspired me to provide in the future an education that will impact and transform students’ lives. I would like to allow my students to make decisions based on what they consider important and make their learning experience meaningful not only delivering instructions that won’t mean anything to them. By learning about how many pedagogues made this possible I am encouraged to be humble and not assume that I know all the answers and that my students will enrich the learning environment.

Although I have not had teaching experiences inside a classroom I have in my current job with teenagers and young adults learned to apply different educational processes that become meaningful and important to their lives. As I have counseled them and instructed them how to deal with different aspects of their lives and helped develop leadership skills, it is important that they practice in the real world and that they see me as an instructor not as an absolute authority. It is the same with the teaching process; children must know that what we teach is for them and their development in life.

I think I should put away the preconceived concept that education only deals with lessons inside a classroom and exams. I was raised with this concept because most of the time I learned things I could not relate with to my real circumstances so I only worried about doing well on exams and not getting in trouble. I must transform that thought and enrich the new concepts with the things explored in our seminar

Thinking about everything covered during these first few weeks I come to an understanding that the main idea was to review the fundamentals concepts of pedagogy to be able to move onto the next important topics that are built upon this foundation. I did not have any conflict with our seminars because it was a time to question, compare and assert my learning. However, I did find it difficult to update my blog for this seminar because I am not used to this learning method and sometimes I just burden myself with the tasks assigned. I hope to be more positive about my blog and to also spend time studying the reading materials; I understand they are pivotal for every seminar and participation in class.

I desire to comprehend and put in practice the main objectives for this seminar. I believe that my previous knowledge will be put to the test and will be transformed as we learn the theory and continue to practice our teaching skills.