Reading Log 1 (February 4, 2023) ★★★★★

Understanding Teaching Through Learning Chapters 3 and 4.

It has come to a time in my working experience that I do and follow the programs
automatically without hesitating if the objectives are attainable or not. Little effort is even
put on the outcomes from what it is stablished. The printing and handing of documents is
key on the duties of any teacher in Costa Rica. Nonetheless, activities are the ones to be
changed for the learners to understand what is studied.

Something I want to remember from this article is the steps and the features on how
to build any objective. As aforementioned, this duty of having objectives done by someone
and put them in a program to follow has relinquished the will to learn on how to do so.

Having said that it is really surprising that I have no idea on how to really write
measureable objectives for a class. What I do think I know is the follow up of activities to be
performed and it is assumed that learners internalized their input in the language
classrooms.

Reading Log 2 (February 11, 2023)

How can I set up activities and my classroom to support student learning? Chapters 5.
★★★★★
Teaching a class has always been a challenge for any teacher. It does not matter the
amount of years one has in his record as a professional in the educational field, it is always a
process to sit, think, and belief activities are going the path to go. Nonetheless, most times
that is not the case. Either the time set is not accurate in order to carry on with the tasks, or
these activities are too demanding or too easy for the learners to execute.

Back in the days when I was a student, a professor from the educational branch had
this phrase “El diablo está en los detalles”. As I read this article this phrase “The devil is in
the details” confirms what my professor taught me. With that, that belief of mine that was
confirmed and as Dewey (1993) stated “We do not learn from experience… we learn from
reflecting on experience.” In other words, no matter how many times one executes an
activity, if it does not go the way it is intended to be and reflection does not take place,
errors are always coming back to hunt you.

Sitting down and reflecting on the activity that was just executed is a must. Checking
on why one part of the whole did not go the way it was supposed to go, assessing on every
detail in every instruction, in the materials, in the time given for students to carry out the
task might turn this into just a huge red flag on the practices and duties as teachers. A little
if reflection in what helped and hindered on the activities, what interpretations can arise
and the action plans for further activities is key in teachers ‘duties.
 Reading Log 3 (February 11, 2023)
Seeing Student Learning ★★★★★

Through the years of experience one can have, most teachers, me included, pay little
attention to how students are learning. Teachers are more focused on presenting information
and evaluating students that the way they are learning is no longer important. Later, instructors
get mad when they ask a question and no one knows the answer because pupils did not
interiorize any former data. In order to get out of this cycle involves a lot of observation and
digestion of the presented data. Observing on what students are doing and going beyond that
is fundamental for learners to get real and meaningful input.
Grabbing into perspective the ELC and how it can help teachers into a meaningful
learning process can transform the regular interactions in the classroom to something one can
ever imagined. We are all tired of principals checking on the plans, the exams, the rubrics and
any document they can think of, because papers are not the product of our job. What would
really count is this real learning process occurring in the classes.
Something I want to remember from this article is the four cycles of the reflective cycle
that are not only significant but also they suit in every class any teacher needs to implement
them in. Teachers normally see the classroom and check what students do, but are we really
paying attention to the details? Are we really present in this process? Once, we are up into this
stage, can teachers really describe what happens so we can interpret the brand new
information? Then, can teachers think critically and create a theory of the class he just come
up with? Finally, can teachers take intelligent actions to face this process?
These are a few questions to follow in order for anyone understand how the
observation works and teachers are able to get the best from their experiences and how our
students learn best.
 Reading Log 4 (February 18, 2023)
The Three Dimensions ★★★★★

My initial reaction to this article was lots of engagement between the reading and me. Not
only is it a passion for the reader, but also, it made me go back to one of the weakest links I have,
grammar. Little attention was put when I was a student that it immediately attracted me on.
However, as the reading went on it became more of a challenge.
So, questions still have about the reading was how to teach form, meaning and use in the
language classroom? The answer was given at the very end. It is impossible, what we can do is just
to help learners to recognize them and utilize them little by little.
A comparison to be made is that not even native speakers of English know about these
aspects (form, meaning, use) as we (Native Speakers of Spanish) do not know a lot as well.
Everyone acquires their native language because it is a must for communicate since we are kids,
however, no one teaches you about the –ing, or the possessive or irregular verbs, in the English
case, as we are not taught about the stress for words or the silent H that some words use them.
In conclusion, efforts for any EFL speaker must be made to understand what is happening
with the meaning of some words; nevertheless, context (pragmatic) will help and determine the
sense of the statement.

Reading Log 5 (February 25, 2023)

Some Ideas about Planning and Teaching Using ECRIF ★★★★★

My initial reaction to this article was a feeling of despair. ECRIF is here to stay. With my
little knowledge and experience in coming up with plans about this topic anxiety always kicks
off. However, once the article was read, it became more interesting. Something I want to
remember from this article is that the professor can go back and forth from one ECRIF stage
to another and it is not linear as I thought it was. From controlled practices to free tasks
seems to be an easy way to integrate ECRIF in the language classroom.
As MEP has planned and given everything related to planning, little can be done;
however, introducing and/or modifying activities to carry on with this approach seems doable
and fears must be put away. A few activities exemplified in the reading have already been put
into practice but still, creating a sense of awareness in me to be in constant observation and
give feedback to the students is a task to be into and commit to it so the learners go get the
best in my language classroom.
Finally, something that made me want to read more about is activities to be implemented
in any stage of ECRIF or to adapt the ones already given so my pupils do learn the most and
the best from me.
 Reading Log 6 (February 25, 2023)
Giving And Receiving Feedback; It Will Never
Be Easy But It Can Be Better' ★★★★★

As the title says itself, it will never be was but it can be better! As humans and
professionals our ego grows everyday as duties are accomplished. Nevertheless, the big
question is, are we really doing a good job in all aspects? As the language coordinator in my
high school, giving feedback is a difficult task to undertake. Feelings can be hurt and the worst
is that the attitude must be handled throughout the entire school year. It is with practice that I
have learned, at least that is what I think, to give feedback the politest way possible. Trying to
focus on the task that needs some polished rather than any language issue or class
management, unless that is asked.
To exemplify the aforementioned aspect, checking exams are one of the duties I must
do. If one exam does not follow MEP´s policies I would normally tell the person, “hey look
this exercise is now this way, if you correct it you will avoid any problem with any student or
parent” Or, I would say, “hey listen, have you checked the new regulations for writing a short
answer question? I believe this question does not follow that aspect, so you may what to
change this to avoid any future problem.
However, one issue is giving feedback and another one is receiving it. As a professional
and new professor, I take any feedback with a smile in my face. However, I double-check what
was said to me in order for me to confirm that information. Therefore, I need to work on my
ineffective feedback behaviors so I get rid of them.

Reading Log 7 (March 4, 2023)

Implications ★★★★★

Years have gone by and no one has ever told me that when teaching English fluency
takes an entire different role as fluency. This reading has clearly expressed in implication 4,
that yes, they are important but if teachers want their students to produce language, they have
to let them make mistakes and leave corrections for later. Accuracy can wait, unless as the
reading expresses, meaning is not being conveyed.
Teachers are so into throwing content to cover the syllabus without paying attention if
they are really learning. Another aspect we do is to plan as many activities involving
interactions as possible in the class, even if their students don´t know how to talk among
them. Also, we think that form is a marvelous way to teach English and that with it learners
will become fully bilingual. However, we must sit and watch what really is going on in the
language classroom in order to have a real learning from both the learners and our classes.
We cannot expect results if the implications in study prevail more that students´ needs.
Something I want to remember from this article is that it does not matter what the goal
of the class is, fluency will aim the student to use the language and accuracy will help the
student to improve in terms of structure and phonetics. At the end, balance is what must
prevail and professors must be in compete harmony with their ideas for students to succeed in
the language classes.

Reading Log 8 (March 11, 2023)

The Changing Face of Listening ★★★★★

Quite catching is the first statement from this new reading. I used to teach listening just to
present the grammar or vocabulary for the class. Little by little, I discovered that this was not
working for my students and me. I was just copying what teachers did and I thought it was
quite useful. Time went by, that I started changing the methodology and as the reading says
the more errors students have the more information I have to work on and start checking
where the information broke. I am not an expert but I realized that checking parts of the
conversation, my students were able to see of decipher the answers. In other words, once they
heard the audio and worked on the exercises, I come with asking for parts of the audio to
check if they really understood what the audio was about. With those details checked, the
answers were almost checked at the same time.
This reading took me back where I was not working the proper way and that I have
improved as a teacher and results are seen. I am not the best of all, but I am trying to do my
best.

Reading Log 9 (March 18, 2023)

Theories of Reading ★★★★★

As in the previous reading, this is a wake-up call reading. In other words, this is a shift that
I have been working on to make sure my learners and getting the best of me as a language
instructor. As a language student, bottom-up and top-down were the trend for reading and
listening techniques. Techniques that I applied for so long not knowing to the little results I was
getting. I was confused and upset on my students´ little advancement. It was at a workshop with
Mary Scholl herself that I learnt about pre reading, while reading and post reading techniques. So,
my brain had to accommodate to a new learning for me and then I had to decipher how to make
these new parts of teaching into work.
From that moment on, looking for techniques to teach them how to come up with pre
reading activities to engage them into the reading and vocabulary was key for my class. Also,
reading was just not for answering questions, but for clarifying, summarizing, and having the
learners discussing what the reading was about. In addition, of course, I had to work on implement
vocabulary from the pre reading section in this part; otherwise, vocabulary would just be in
isolation. Finally, what they are getting from the reading was the last part of what I had to think
(post reading). Once I found of these, reading classes switched for the good a little more and I
believe that my learners are doing a lot better than the ones I had a decade ago.
 Reading Log 10 (April 1, 2023)
The Cultural Experience ★★★★★

My initial reaction to this article was that I would agree on what teachers say about
what culture is and how it is taught. As I kept on reading, I agreed even more, I know nothing
on how to teach culture. I have no idea of topics regarding culture. I just know how to
incorporate it into them into what the content that I am teaching in a class, but a cultural
topic itself is not something I can say I know.
Also, something I learned from this article and that every teacher should know was
about the 4 interconnected learning interactions to be implemented in the language
classroom; the knowing about (cultural information *facts, knowledge and perspectives of the
culture*), the knowing how (cultural practices *behaviors, actions, skills*); the knowing why
(cultural perspectives * beliefs, values and attitudes*) and finally the knowing oneself (*self
awareness *opinions, feelings, reactions and others*).
Out of the aforementioned, I guess I normally focused on the first one, I give knowledge
to my learners and what they do with it is not part of what I have questioned myself. On the
other hand, as a human being, I am always searching for answers, I go through this cycle
because I want to know more about something, but never have I ever worked with this in my
classes and that is something I really want to do from this moment on.

Reading Log 11 (April 15, 2023)

The Writing Process ★★★★★

Writing is the most difficult skill to be achieved. The minimum exposure to write is what
makes it even more difficult, in real life, we tend to listen, speak and read; nonetheless,
writing is barely used. The same happens when teaching English, teachers are so into having
learners, listen to audio, speak about their ideas, and read texts and writing counts only as if
they copy from the board, and that is not writing at all. The processes for conquering writing
are tough, and they are even more difficult if the professor is not into writing. Major efforts
have to be put into this skill and taking into consideration the parts of this writing process
eases this duty.
Something I want to remember from this article is how to program the writing for my
learners; that is to say, the purpose, the role, the audience and the type of writing. It has never
crossed my mind (not even when I worked for the University) to think on these tiny details
that have a huge impact on the learners and eventually, it facilitates the writing process.