Journal Activities (Teaching Journals)

      Sometimes, people write things with the purpose to remember those they don't want to forget or something important to accomplish. Teachers write those task or comments in a journal of their daily job at classes. To write a journal is a useful activity in many ways, mainly because teachers can see things which didn't work at class or write those which were successful, besides, in this written, teachers can also take notes about their ideas or relevant events and reflect about them. This tool can also contain a register of the advances of the students or if some of them are not learning and be reflective about the reasons of that. 

      Every teacher can write a journal, they are free to write those things which happened and they need to have a register of them to refresh their ideas with notes of the activities which were successful or non successful at class and  thinking critically reflecting about all the writing. 

     To write a journal, a question or a set of questions can help as a guide to start writing. An example of questions, we can start with: 

• In what ways am I responsive to learners' needs? For instance, we have to know our students, so, a questionnaire or a survey can be helpful tools to recognize our students needs and interests, also the way they learn and the diversity of a group. Having this data in mind, we are able to make decisions before, during and after the clase to evaluate pupils being flexible to adapt all the necessary teaching activity for the benefit of our students. 
•   Do I try to encourage learner participation? How? I try to encourage my students to participate and I like them all to be included in all the activities and participate. The development of the class depends of the group and the students; some of them like chants and games, while others like to see images and repeating words, there are also kids who learn by touching and doing things with their hands. I like to include a little bit of everithing, somethimes starting the class with an activation activity, with a song where students have to follow instructions or making mimics or movements that the song ask them to do, after that, refreshing their background knowledge about the topic if it's a new topic, making a brainstorm activity or if the topic has a last class sequence, remembering the key words for them to participate. 
• How do I give learners feedback on their efforts? When they finish their activities, I like to encourage them to keep with the good job, I like to tell them when they are doing a good job, some of them do the tasks without help and without mistakes, but some of them need a helping hand and some of the activities have few errors, any way, I like to tell them that they are moving forward and that they are doing it better because they are trying and next time will be better. I have many different  rubber stamps and sometimes, they select the one they want in their reviewed activity, sometimes, I make a more personal review by drawing a cool happy face with glasses or with a cap. I have many students and they all are different, and they like to feel special for the class and for the teacher. 
• What aspects of classroom behavior or interaction do I encourage or discourage? I encourage kids to be better, to participate and to do their tasks at the class. I like it when they do things by themselves and I also like that they feel confidence and respect their classmates. what I discourage in class is when they don't want to share something, but if I ask them to share materials with a partner, they understand and they share their things.  
• How do I achieve successful classroom management?  Sometimes it's not easy because some of the groups are about 30 students and some of them like to talk in class, those who talk are the ones who finished the activities at the end, but they understand some of the signs. When I want them to pay attention and listen carefully and they are talking, I use a strategy which never fails to me. I start claping my hands, they start claping their hands along with me, then, I raise my hand closed (fist) and they do it too, then, I cross my arms and they do that too, then I start talking and everyone is quiet and paying attention. 

      Occasionally, I think that maybe I am not in the right path or that it can be very difficult to teach certain topics because of my pupils ages, but I try my best for them and also for me, I like to be in the classroom and listen to their voices when they call me Teacher... I want to develop my self as a better teacher improving my knowledge to be able to teach them and fullfil all the requirements that a good teacher must have. That is my goal... 

Today was fun at preschool class, we made a snowy day 😀