Reading Log

I. Designing a Learning Experience

Something I want to remember from this article is that effective teachers design lessons that are
staged in ways that scaffold the content, balance accuracy and fluency work, and provide stepping
stones to learning objectives, in my personal opinion we as teachers we have to direct our students to be
accurately and appropriacy and finally fluency, I associate this with the fact of learn how to drive a car,
at the very beginning you are afraid about it and only focus on apply what was though, later through
the practice, you are able not only to drive well but also you can do one more activity at the same time, as
having a conversation or calling on the phone that confidence is the result of the accuracy and fluency of
the task.

II. How can I set up activities and my classroom to support students learning?
What surprised me in this article was that set up an activity is like change from place to place. In
this chapter, the focus is on activities in which students use language freely to communicate with each
other (fluency activities) I really enjoy the reading because it is a tool that teachers should take in
consideration in the lesson plan for the effectiveness of the class, classroom management also involves
arrange students in a variety of ways as small groups, fluency circles, line ups and mingling, which I like
the most, in fact this activity was develop during one on the Emmas session and it really was successful
because it was not only motivating for students, but also involves every ones participation at the same
time, and will be useful in my class to get attention of all my students which tend to be misbehaved.

III. The group: A cycle from birth to dead
Something I learned from this article and that every teacher should know was to manage how to
work in teams, which sometimes is a hinder or a strength so, the title of this reading was what I like the
most A cycle from birth to dead. In my appreciation if the team work together helping each other
allow the group to grow up and all of them will be able to get accuracy and fluency hopeful, in other
words to achieve their goals; by the other side when each member of the group works individually,
nobody help each other and everybodys ideas are not shared and the possibilities to improve as a teacher
are not going to be present. As a team we shout take into consideration this possibilities and try to work
together in order to improve not as particulars, either as a group; instead to be selfish help each other to
have successful obtain better achievements make us to grow as human beings .
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IV. Seeing students learning: Teacher change and the role of reflection
Something that made me want to read more about through chapter was that reflection is the key for
almost everything, a good teacher should explore the roles of presence, description, and analysis and
experimentation in helping groups of teachers slow down and attend to students learning. I have noticed
that teachers rarely take the time to engage their students in conversation about their learning, the more
the teacher is present the more that she or he can perceive the needs, because, we as teachers sometimes
think that we teach something all of our students understand, however the teacher must be alive to all
forms of bodily expression of mental condition, mindfulness is the ability to pay attention right here,
right now, and to invest in the present moment with full awareness and concentration. Once teachers see
the distinction they become more sensitive to the fact that good teacher is a response to students
learning rather than the cause of students learning, becoming more curious about aware of learning as
they do so.

V. Giving and receiving feedback, it will never be easy, but it can be
better?
Something I learned from this article was that feedback is information that flows between people
that has to do with their interaction in the here and now. Through this reading I clearly distinguish
between effective and ineffective feedback, and I realize not only what I have been doing right, but
also identifying my challenges, I cannot call them mistakes or hinders, because I always have the desire
of separation in all of I have been doing well or not as well.
Perhaps, when I have given feedback I have being doing unintentionally rude with my comments,
and probably I have hurt my classmates with some observations, I will try to avoid that and improve in
my weakness in order to help my peers successful.
VI. Tell me more on the fine art of listening
My initial reaction of this article was that listening is a very interesting skills which not only involves
hearing, it goes further than that, you can listen someones conversation and find out his or mood, and
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realized that not always is like that, perhaps is in troubles or has an anxiety. In fact you will perceive
that this person wants to express something more thought his conversation. You do not need to be part in
a conversation to been able to listen it, in order lo learn to listen try to learn tranquility to live the
present apart of the time every day and find out what is happening. It could open us the possibility to
understand better to our partners.
VII. The three dimensions
Something I learned from this article that immediately wanted to share with a colleague was
that being able to use grammar structures does not only mean using the forms accurately; it means using
them meaningfully and appropriately, that is why this reading is called the three dimensions, form,
meaning and use, however learning use requires that learners develop a sensitivity to context. Thought
this chapter we were provided with different example of language of the different meanings that the
same word will have according to the context. As teachers we do not need to teach our students the form,
meaning and use of every single word of the vocabulary that is being seen for first time , this process has
to be developed thought the time and the context.

VIII. Implications for teaching
Something I learned from this article and that every teacher should know was the five implication
for students language acquisition, the first implication talks about is the more input the better, it
involves the message contained in the language, teacher might consider to apply techniques and practices
that use input to encourage acquisition, we have to remember that students are picking up the language
and though this implication they will be able to have more language practice.
In the implication two the interaction promotes acquisition because students help to manage the
input. During the interaction, then the input may be modified by the other speaker to maximize
communication, in this implication learner should not be forced if they are not ready not should it be
expected that their production be free and unconstrained.
In the third implication the activities such as structured output may be useful for promoting output
procedures and skill fluency, in this implication learners should not be forced to produce if they are not
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ready nor should it be expected that their production be free and unconstrained. The forth implication
focus on form during a communicative confirmation check, the structured input is part of a more
elaborate approach to focus on form called processing instruction. The fifth implication the learners it is
important to be sensitive to students production abilities.
As a conclusion, teacher I might said that teachers might explore options an material in order to
identify and promote the language practice in our students, we might be able to allow different practices
in order that they will adapt their needs and learn.

IX. Teaching Reading in a foreign language
What surprised me in this chapter was that I have the opportunity to take into consideration
different alternatives when reading, commonly teachers at the reading develop only focus in read the text
a couple of times and then answer some questions as reading comprehension, however though this reading
I realized that reading follows a process, one important part of interactive process theory emphasizes
squemata the readers preexisting concepts about the world and about the text to be read, if new textual
information does not fit into a readers squemata, the readers misunderstand the new material, ignores
the new material, or revises the squemata to match the facts within the passage.
To encourage students to use effective strategies when reading in a second language the teacher can
develop simple exercises to elicit the information via target strategies, pre-reading activities introduce
students to a particular text, provide background and activate schemata.

X. Theories of Reading
Something I want to remember from this article was about three views, the first involves the
traditional view of reading, cognitive based on views of reading comprehension which emphasize the
interactive reading and metacognitive which involves thinking about what one is doing while reading,
also identifying the purpose of the reading and the type of text.
It is also mentioned a second theory of reading which involves pre-reading, some key vocabulary and
ideas in the text are explained, during reading consist in summarizing, reacting, questioning, arguing,
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evaluating and placing a text within ones own experience, in this part it is allowed the inclusion of
some strategies as skipping, re-reading, reading in chunks, pausing, paraphrasing and after-reading
which involves activities as discussing the text, summarizing, making questions and answering
questions. This strategies allow the teacher have a new perspective about what reading skill is and create
new alternatives for our students.
XI. The changing face of learning
My initial reaction of this article was to manage the listening activity as Cambridge examination
format, students have to listen two times and answer questions about what the conversation was about
however, during my training in Costa Rica I have observed a real context, where students are exposed to
the real context, real conversations which only are able to listen once, this conception has agreement with
some theories that have argued that this is unnatural that in real life one only gets one hearing, beyond
classical format, however the ideal is not only to provide sufficient context to match that which would
be available in real life but also to create motivation as predictions about what they will hear.
XII. The Cultural Experience
Something I learned from this article and every teacher should know is that the Cultural framework
allow describing culture in terms of what students need to know in order to learn and encounter with
other of life. The Cultural experience consist of four interconnected learning interactions which are
knowing about, how, why and oneself, individual learners need to understand themselves and their own
culture as means to comprehending, adapting to or integrated into the culture, learning occurs through
experiences which varies, due to the differences in context, curricula, students, teachers and many other
factors.
Through this reading I realized that culture is a way of life where learners have to be involved to
acquire it, and the experience provide this element, living in Costa Rica has been an experience where I
could learn about, how why people in the INVU live and realized that learning is not only assist to
school, involves interactions with people outside your everyday environment, your customs and thoughts.


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