Reflective writing Nº1: The school

Taking into account the information provided in the Observation Stage Report, Task
Nº1(Physical location, School organization, Student population, School rules)

1.- Write about the perception you have about the school you are attending during this
Vise II teaching practice, up to now. Does the school environment affect the students’
learning process?

Some time ago I had an incorrect opinion about how this school is really
working. This conclusion was feed by many facts: The students I know from that school
that show a bad social behavior, the simple fact that this a public located in a hill with
students having maybe a good influence from its own neighborhood, and the opinion
other people gave about this school. Now I can say that they are just stereotypes «…
prejudged perceptions that some of us –or every one- have/has about certain type or
group of people. »(1) And being in the classroom gave the opportunity to realize how
the school life is.

I really concentrated on one aspect of the school environment: The atmosphere inside
the classroom. The teacher gave his students some rules, which are not difficult to
follow. My first perception was that they agree with the principles of an «acceptation
environment, equity, confidence, solidarity and respect» (2) which are now part of
Marco para la Buena Enseñanza, domain of creación de un ambiente propicio para el
aprendizaje, in the first criterion. For example to taking tests, the teacher has some
rules, like: if you are cheating, your test will be removed. So students can in fact know
that evaluation is something serious and the most important thing about that is to know
in which level they are. It is incredible how it really works; students have a positive
atmosphere where communication can flow. Students do not show disruptive behavior;
on the contrary they respect each other and their teacher. As a result the classroom is
free of interruptions. I am not saying they do not have any problems but they can solve
them working together, which is also part of the learning process.

(1) Bustos, Ángel; Calderón, Patricio. Psicología de la Educación, Valparaíso,

Universidad de Playa Ancha. 165 p.
(2) Ministerio de Educación.2003 Centro de Perfeccionamiento, Experimentación e
investigaciones Pedagógicas. Marco para la Buena Enseñanza. República de Chile.11p.