Chayree Thomas ePortafolio

PRE-ASSESSMENT

CAT: KW (know

Students were asked to read p.8
“The Hispanic World” (http://hl

They will brainstorm to complet
review the reading assignment:

What They Know

w & Want)
8-9: Encuentro Cultural
lc.quia.com/books) .
te these two column grid to

What They Want To Know.

9

PARTICIPATORY LEA

Instructor: Introduce vocabulary of
titles, questions, and replies. Verify

Student: Share previous knowledge
presents each new vocabulary in or

(http://hlc.quia.com/books).

Instructor: Present the formal and i
with e-book audios. Verify if there a

Student: Listen to two dialogues fro
both situations? Discuss the key dif
True or False short activity and com
share the answers to discuss them w

ARNING

greetings, introductions, farewells,
previous knowledge.

e and repeat after the instructor
rder to practice pronunciation.

informal situations and re-inforce
are questions.

om audios. How would you compare
fferences. Work with a partner in a
mplete a mini-dialogue. *Volunteers
with the class.

10

PARTICIPATORY LEA

Instructor: Introduce Subject Pronouns &

Student: Read definitions and grammar
would you use to talk directly to the pe
them? Activity EL SUJETO. Watch video
words, and expressions used.

Instructor: Start greeting students to pra
structures. Ask students to introduce the
(books should be closed).

Student: Complete EN CONTEXTO and d
speaking activity and volunteer groups p
elaborate a short dialogue to greet and
classmate?

ARNING

& Present Tense of verb SER.
structures. What subject pronouns
eople from the picture and to talk about
(Tech) and discuss the type of situation,

actice vocabulary and grammar
emselves to the classmate next to them

discuss answers. In groups complete a
play the roles in class. Could you
d introduce yourself to another

11

POST-ASSESSMENT

NEW TECHNOLOGY
A SOCRATIVE quiz is included
the lesson objectives.

1. Student go to http://www

2. Enter the quiz room # Q
3. The quiz will include a tr

choice, and two short an
Quiz_greetingandmeetingp

T

d to verify the achievement of

w.socrative.com/

QqeydXGRQ to star the quiz
rue / false, two multiple
nswer questions.
peopleinspanish.pdf

12

SUMMARY

CAT: Minute Paper

At the end of this lesson stude
paper:

1. What was the most useful m

2. What was the most difficult
doubts.

ents will write on a piece of
material they learned.
t topic in which they have still

13

Personal Reflection o

First of all, I confirmed that student m
process, and it should be a priority in
It was challenging but also interesting
method for the first time. It was like c
was related. We need to connect the
Taxonomy and include a balanced col
same time should address the lesson
To learn innovative and relevant teac
from my colleagues experiences and
As result I have already implemented
some of what I have learned in this p

on My ACP Experience

motivation is the key in their learning
n our teaching philosophy.
g to plan a lesson using the BOPPPS
creating an art work which everything
e lesson objectives to the Bloom
llage of teaching tools, which at the
n objectives.
ching techniques as well as to learn
advice was the definitely enriching.
d successfully in my Spanish classes
program.

14

Chayree S. Thomas
ACP – KW
November 25, 2015

Personal Reflection on my ACP Experience
The Adjunct Certification Program has provided me many innovative and relevant
teaching methods and tools to use in my Beginning Spanish courses. First, it confirmed that
student motivation is the key in their learning process and academic success. Our challenge as
instructors is not only to motivate students from day one of class, but also to keep their
motivation high through the semester. It should be a priority in our lesson planning process. As
McKeachie states: “A classroom of motivated learners affects our motivation as well and can
make teaching a more satisfying experience…” (139). Second, I learned how to create a
professional and student-centered lesson plan following the guidelines of the BOPPPS method.
Definitely it was a novel tool for me. As I mentioned in my presentation, it was like creating an
art work by putting pieces of teaching techniques together, which should be interconnected.
Third, another new experience was to address each lesson objective to the Bloom Taxonomy.
Fourth most rewarding from this program was to share experiences with the colleagues and
receive practical advice from them. Consequently, I have already implemented successfully in
my Spanish classes some of what I have learned in this program.
Although my teaching philosophy is focused on student’s motivation, as result of this
Adjunct Certification Program I started being more aware of this each time I am preparing a
lesson plan. I try to keep my enthusiasm for teaching Spanish, my native language, and the
culture it involves during the whole class to encourage student’s participation. Additionally, I
review carefully if the in-class activities are relevant enough, in order to keep the students

interest in the subject, even outside the classroom. A couple of times, I had to modify some
activities that I used before, because they did not include topics, characters, places, or situations
with which students could felt identified or could use in real life. In addition, I share personal
experiences to create a more participative learning environment. It was a contribution of the
millennial generation video and articles included on the ACP.

Another motivation technique I have been using, consciously since I started this program
is to build grittiness. First of all, I try to a model for the students by showing persistence. I
reinforce their strengths by allowing students to lead some of the group work. On the other hand,
I present mistakes as an opportunity to learn better the material and I encourage students who
need to improve their performance to repeat some work as an extra credit activity. The last tool I
have incorporated to my current SPAN 1411 classes is the use of a socrative quiz as a post-
assessment activity. It is a quick way to make sure students understood the main concepts, to see
if the lesson objectives have been met, and to keep students motivation. The only teaching
technique, I have included in my class but that has not showed the same positive outcomes as the
others already mentioned, is the student preparation strategy. It is a technique which should be
implemented from the beginning of the semester to create a sense of routine.

Indeed, using already what I have learned from this program is leading me to be more
effective as Spanish instructor who creates an encouraging and active learning environment. I
have observed improvement on student’s motivation, class performance, and achievement of the
lesson objectives during the last month of class, thanks to the Adjunct Certification Program.

Due to the amount of material and busy life of most of us, the only suggestion I have is to
extend the duration of the program, thus adjunct teachers could assimilate and implement the
useful material in a more efficient way. I am grateful for being part of this excellent program.