MY E-PORTFOLIO (WHAT I’VE LEARNED DURING THESE MEETINGS, WHAT IS NOT SO CLEAR, WHAT I DON’T GET AT ALL)

WHAT IS CLIL??? It’s clear for me that this approach is really flexible, it gives opportunity to teach anything connected with the stds’ specifisms. You have to be open-minded to be able to use it properly. I don’t know if I’m ready for this yet

I chose the pyramid to show that theoretically it looks great! But I have great doubts whether these 4 Cs are given exactly the same importance while using this method. From my point of view, I think it usually makes us teacher over-simplify the “content”.

I learned that well-designed lesson plans are absolutely important in orden to motivate our stds and not to frustrate them! I’m personally used to preparing my lesson plans in the technical school I work in a way similar to this one, I take into account the specifism each group belongs to.

MINDMAP OF OUR PROJECT

These are the units of our project. I decided to add them in the e- portfolio because I think we made a selection of some good topics to work with our stds. It was very difficult to choose which ones to work with and even more difficult to leave many other resources out. ECONOMIC SYSTEMS UNIT 1: “ECONOMISTS” “BIOGRAPHIES” “DEFINITIONS OF CAPITALISM AND COMMUNISM” “FAST FACTS” UNIT 2: “INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION” “WORKING CONDITIONS” “THE RISE OF THE WORKING CLASS” UNIT3: “WHAT ARE RENEWABLE AND NO RENEWABLE RESOURCES?” “ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES” “HOW CA INDUSTRY POLLUTE ENVIRONMENT?”

I suppose I have to go more deeply into “tests” because I feel some ideas as “constructs” and “test purpose” are quite clear for me, but what is not so clear is the way this methodology expects us to design a “test”. In plain language, I would say that we are expected to make our stds perform simple tasks, similar to the ones done while working with the different texts in the classroom. The problem is that the theoretical material is so hard to understand (surely because I don’t have time enough to read it properly) that I mix ideas and definitions. I hope to be able to have more time later on in order to fully grasp these concepts. The test design cycle

Washback: term referring to the influence of testing on teaching and learning, it is the possitive or negative effect related to tests. Curriculum-alignment: “it is when the curriculum is modified according to test results”. So, according to these concepts it is supposed that teachers should modify or not the curriculum based on the test results. I decided to add these concepts to my portfolio because I understood from them how important it is to design tests correctly, in order to improve our way of teaching or to make the necessary changes to the curriculum to make it better.

Lesson plans should be based on the 4 Cs -Content (subject matter/project/theme): progression in knowledge, skills and understanding related to specific elements of a defined curriculum -communication (language): using language to learn while learning to use language -cognition (thinking): developing thinking skills which link concept formation (abstract and concrete), understanding and language -culture (citizenship): exposure to alternative perspectives and shared understandings, which deepen awareness of others and oneself 4Cs – consequences of using them in planning: - Language of Learning: linked to an analysis of content, thematic, syllabus demands - grammar,vocabulary, structures, functions - Language for Learning: builds up learner repertoire linked to meta- cognitive skills and talk for learning in contexts real for the learners - Language through Learning: emergent knowledge building & skill development, cognitive development These are the most important elements towards a successful CLIL lesson. I have to read more about them to be able to plan better lessons for my classes

I happened to find this image of a mindmap in the web. I decided to add it here because I can see clearly the way the 4 Cs elements are combined and it results in a nicely designed plan. The thing is, will it be so nice in practice? Let’s hope so!!! The mindmap of my plan and the texts we chose, together with the different activities, seem good too. I hope to put it into practice soon!

*I hope to be able to apply this approach with my stds if it is true it works so well and it helps them to develop skills they couldn’t develope otherwise. *I hope to cope with the lack of time for working so much, in order to read and understand better many theoretical concepts that still lay in the darkness for me. *I hope to see in a near future the success of my projects reflected in my own stds. I can see it in the stds I have in my institute; but what is a real challenge is to see it in most of my stds in public schools (conditions, quantity of pupils, materials, attitude, etc… all obstacles) *And most of all… I hope to become a better teacher than I am nowadays. I know my subject, I’ll improve my method and I’ll adapt (don’t know how, don’t know when) to the new system and its impositions if this change is a better option for my stds’ welfare.

Thanks a lot for your attention!!! Vanesa Rosana González (teacher of English)