Name: David Rodrigo Mora Leal

Study: Master in Bilingual education

Teaching practice teacher: Gema Jiménez Puente

Teaching practice tutors: Mauricio Martínez – Marcela Díaz

Place: Universidad Santo Tomás abierta y a distancia USTA – Bogotá D.C,

Colombia

Teaching Practice period: March 23rd 2020 - July 2nd 2020

UNIR 2019/2020
Table of contents
1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................1

2. CONTEXT …………………………………………………………………………………2
2.1. Contextualization of the center …….……………………..…………........2
2.1.1. Description of the institution ………………………….…….…………………………2
2.1.2. Location of the institution …………………………….………………….…………….3
2.1.3. Type of center ……………..……………………………….…………….………………….3
2.1.4. Educational levels …………………..……………………………………………….…….3
2.1.5. Student profiles ……………………………………………………………………………..4
2.2. Observation and application in the classroom ……………………….5
 1. INTRODUCTION

This process of teaching practice took place in Universidad Santo Tomás Abierta
y a distancia, which is part of another superior education institution called
Universidad Santo Tomás. The largest difference between the two entities is that
the USTA (Universidad Santo Tomás Abierta y a distancia) works with students in
a virtual modality, similar to the one used by the UNIR in this master studies,
meanwhile the original Santo Tomás university, works in a in person education
modality. Because USTA works in a virtual modality, the population that it
manages is distributed along the Republic of Colombia. The fact of working in a
university means that the students of the university are adults, which age, can vary,
and the social condition of each student is variable according to the living
conditions that each student has in the place each one of them lives. This part of
the center will be expanded on the part of contextualization.

This report brings to me a new experience, which is working with a new type of
population. I have been used to work with children starting from 7-year-old kids to
16-year-old teenagers, teaching English as a second language in a bi-national U.S
center, and right now, my day job is still related to working with kids, because I
work in a school, teaching English as a foreign language. Nevertheless, the part I
want to highlight on is the fact of working with adults, which required a new way of
planning and creating lessons. On the other hand, there are two things that I like to
highlight about of what will be registered in this report. First, the topic chosen as
content. This practice will be based on the creation of a reading club with the
students of USTA, and the topic selected was “the space race”. Because the last year
there was the fiftieth anniversary of the launch of Apollo XI and this year (2020) is
the fiftieth anniversary of Apollo XIII, which are the two most important events
after the moon landing was done. However, there is another reason about why I
selected this topic. I did it because this year (2020) my grandfather would turn 100
years old, and 12 years since his death. Hence, he was the person that awoke in me
that enjoyment for the flight in space world, because he was an aviation mechanic,
but he also had the privilege of contemplating the launches of both Apollos XI and
XIII, because he was working as chief mechanic for Avianca in Miami, FL on that
time. Moreover, the topic practice process is a tribute to him, because he harvested
on me the love for flying, and he had the dream of seeing me speaking a second
language, preferably English. However, the thing he would not expected is the fact
that I will become a teacher of English, and due to the conditions, I think this was
the perfect time to do that tribute to him.

The main points that will be developed in this report are three elements that are
following this order. First, the contextualization of the center where the practice
process was performed, Second, a unit planned taking into account the model of
hard CLIL, because this lesson will be focused more on the content than on the
language, and third, finally the reflection and conclusions of my experience while
performing the process in the center.

2. CONTEXT
2.1. Contextualization of the center
2.1.1. Description of the institution

Universidad Santo Tomás is considered the first superior education institution

in Colombia, founded on June 13 1580 by the predicators order in the city of
Santafé, capital by those days of the viceroyalty of New Granada. In 1680, Colegio
Santo Tomás was founded and merged with Universidad de Estudios Generales,
giving as result the creation of Colegio-Universidad Santo Tomás, which will
assume the name of Universidad Tomística for the next three centuries, giving
education to the prominent people of the colonial time in Colombia. By the time of
the independence of Colombia from Spain in 1810, some of the founding fathers of
Colombia, like Camilo Torres Tenorio, Francisco José de Caldas and Francisco de
Paula Santander were alumni of Universidad Tomística.

Universidad Santo Tomás officially became an institution of superior education

with its current name (Universidad Santo Tomás) on august 6 th 1965, starting face-
to-face education all along Colombia. In 1973, in the city of Bucaramanga,
Santander Department, Universidad Santo Tomás was one of the pioneers in
offering distance education that has allowed people from apart regions of
Colombia, access to the superior education.
 Nowadays, Universidad Santo Tomás defines itself as a private superior
education institution, a non-profit organization, and a national-order educative
institution. With presence in five capital cities of Colombia (Bogotá D.C,
Bucaramanga, Medellín, Tunja and Villavicencio) in the face-to-face education
modality and with 23 CAU (Centros de atención universitaría) in the open and
distance education modality along Colombia.

2.1.2. Location of the institution

Universidad Santo Tomás, in face-to-face education modality and distance

education modality headquarters are located in Bogotá D.C in five different
buildings around the city. The main building is in Carrera 9 # 51-11. Administrative
buildings are located in Carrera 9 # 72-90 and Carrera 9A # 63-28. And the
Distance modality Academic Dean is located in Carrera 10 # 72-50, all the previous
buildings are located in the locality of Chapinero, Which is closely related of being
the financial district of Bogotá D.C. In addition, the main campus, called Campus of
the San Alberto Magno is located in Autopista Norte, Calle 205, via Arrayanes km
1.6, at the northern suburbs of Bogotá.

This report is focused on the open and distance education modality, therefore in
a normal circumstance situation, the lessons would be dictated in the office of the
Distance modality Academic Dean. However, due to the situation of quarantine
because of the COVID-19 disease, that is taking place both in Colombia and in
Spain, the sessions with the students will be given from the home of the
practitioner teacher.

2.1.3. Type of center

Universidad Santo Tomás abierta y a distancia is part of a larger institution

called Universidad Santo Tomás, which is an institution of superior education,
recognized by the Resolution 3645 of August 6 1965, issued by the Ministry of
Justice of the Republic of Colombia. In addition, it is a superior education
institution subjected to the inspection and vigilance of the National Education
Ministry of the Republic of Colombia.
 2.1.4. Educational levels.

Universidad Santo Tomás abierta y a distancia offers three methodologies of

academic programs: Undergraduate programs, Graduate programs, and
Continuous education programs. All these programs are offered in the virtual
modality. This modality consists of the teachers, moving the offices of the
Academic Dean to teach the classes to the different students that attend to the
variety of programs that the university offers, and the students receive the classes
in the commodity of their homes or workplaces.

In the part of Undergraduate programs, the university has two schools: first, the
school of education, and second, the school of sciences and technologies. The
school of education offers seven different bachelor programs (plastic arts, biology,
kindergarten education, religious education, foreign languages: English, theology
and technology and informatics). On the other hand, the school of science and
education offers five academic programs (Environmental and natural resources
administration, enterprise administration, Architecture and engineering
construction, Informatics engineering, logistic and operations engineering and
Zootechnics).

The part of graduate education is offered under the same school of the university
(education and sciences and technology). The school of education offers six
programs of graduate education (Specialization in pedagogy for superior education,
master in didactics, master in education, master in management and educative
evaluation, doctorate in education and post doctorate in education, social studies
and interculturality). Besides, the school of sciences and education offers five
educative programs (specialization in management of agricultural enterprises,
specialization of management to the enterprise development, specialization in
ordering and integral management of watersheds, specialization in pathology of
construction, and master in management of watersheds).

Lastly, the continuous education is divided in the same two schools (education
and sciences and technology) offers diplomats and courses. The school of education
offers three courses (diplomat in pedagogy to non-bachelor teachers, diplomat in
knowledge society; learning and innovation, and a course in neurological
education). In addition, the school of science offers nine courses. (Seminar in
digital marketing, seminar in sustainable tourism to the economic and social
development, TQM seminar (total quality management seminar), updating course
of project management, updating course of management abilities, diplomat of
buildings and living complexes administration, diplomat in new tendencies in
management and leadership in the knowledge society, diplomat in current
perspectives in economy of colors to circular economy, and diplomat in emotional
salary)

2.1.5. Student profiles

Students of Universidad Santo Tomás abierta y a distancia are centered in the

conception emphatically of teaching-learning-knowing the process of autonomous
learning, the dynamic management of time, space, learning capacities of his/her
future students, and of the new pedagogical methods and media. Therefore, from
the following perspective, the professor of Universidad Santo Tomás abierta y a
distancia is an adviser and mediator; and the student of the university is a manager
of his/her own learning process coming from new knowledge and from his/her own
practices and experiences.

According to the political lineaments and philosophical fundaments of the

principles of the distance education, Universidad Santo Tomás Abierta y a
Distancia considers the students as an adult person that develops in a socio-
cultural determinant and specific context that is adaptable to the expectations and
necessities of each student. In addition, the university gives the following
definition:

“To the student in a distance modality, learning is voluntary and comes from
personal necessities, the disposition to learn is moved by each student’s vital
interests, and the mere accumulation of knowledge does not have any sense to the
student. The expectative of the student against the educative fact has the
relationship of applying to his/her own reality the knowledge he/she learns in the
university.”
 2.2. Observation and classroom practice

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Perfil del estudiante tomasino. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2020, from

http://soda.ustadistancia.edu.co/enlinea/clarajaramillo_metodologia1/perfil_del_
estudiante_tomasino.html

Usuario, S. (n.d.). Universidad Santo Tomás. Retrieved May 1, 2020, from

https://www.ustadistancia.edu.co/index.php/nuestra-institucion/historia

Universidad Santo Tomás. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2020, from

https://www.ustadistancia.edu.co/