THE SCHOOL
Here is the school I'm assigned to this school year, IES Antonio Fraguas "Forges". It's named after a famous Spanish cartoonist. There are five of us Native English speaking assistants here this year. From the outside, the school looks quite severe with its modular black design. But on the inside, this school is filled with hard-working teachers full of enthusiasm and inquisitive students with a fantastic sense of humor. Aside from their standard curriculum, the teachers and students participate in initiatives such as Global Scholars and Global Classrooms and various bilingual projects including podcasts and efforts to promote sustainability.
PLACEMENT AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE
This school year, I've been assigned to work with students in the first and second grade of secondary school during their English language classes, as well as during their computing classes, biology classes, and classes dedicated to the Global Scholars project. The group sizes are about 20 students per class and I see about half of them once per week and the other half 3 times per week.
The school has only been around for a few years and many parts of it are still under construction, which can make communication in the classroom difficult at times due to the noise. However, when it is completed, the school will have ample space for all of its students.
CONTRIBUTIONS AND HIGHLIGHTS
At the school, my main role has been to reinforce student engagement during their Global Scholars lessons. The Global Scholars program encourages student to find solutions to global problems and share their ideas with students around the world through an online platform. During these classes, I help focus the students on the global issues at hand by asking questions and finding holes in their arguments. I really enjoy these classes as they are based in content and language integrated learning.
I also plan and coteach lessons for English language classes, lead weekly discussions in Biology classes, assist with computing classes, and have had the pleasure to contribute to the high school students' podcast program as a guest speaker.