Clovers Magazine (Exclusive Teacher's edition)

Learn new tips when teaching online, we hope this is helpful for you!

Here you’ll find some detailed information from other teachers that are experiencing this situation and now we have to use all our resources in order to successfully provide our classes and have all the students learn in the best way.

Classroom Teaching – Christopher Nuñez Resilient Teaching – Diana Marroquin Warm Ups – Marlin Maldonado Stress and distress – Abdi Villatoro Personal Care – Jennifer Arredondo

STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE

CLASSROOM TEACHING

BY CHRISTOPHER LOPEZ GUATEMALA CITY

E

ducational innovation is a systematic and planned incorporation of transformative practices, aimed at improving teaching and learning processes. From the aspect of technology, pedagogy, and social processes to the self-realization of a successful class. In this framework, teaching is conceived in different ways, from those that relate it to the specific process of instruction, to those that identify it with education itself.

However, didactics, on the other hand, has been concerned with studying and organizing teaching methods that facilitate the transmission of knowledge and skills.

According to several authors, it is imminent to develop active methodologies whose purpose should contribute to educational diligence. Our role as teachers goes beyond providing information and controlling the discipline; that is to say, we must be mediators between the student and the environment. We must stop being the protagonist of learning and become the guide or companion of the student. For this, I list below a series of strategies that contribute to improving teaching in our classrooms and that can consolidate an important connection between teacher and student.

PROMOTE COMMUNICATION TO KEEP THE SOCIAL INTERACTION Fluid communication between teacher and student can be the best tool to reinforce the learning process. As a teacher, you must involve your students in all aspects to maintain an effective learning community. You must be aware that it is up to you to create a climate that favors communication, so you must take care of both verbal and non-verbal communication. You can achieve interaction

by involving them in different activities, avoiding inconsistencies so as not to give contradictory messages at the same time, not listening only to respond, always showing an attitude of humility, acknowledging our mistakes, giving in without always trying to impose our opinion or criteria and being open to the opportunity to learn from others. The most important thing is to show empathy with our students so that they feel comfortable and question any doubts or problems that may arise.

THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY As a teacher, you must take into account the exponential advance of technology, the emergence of the Internet, and new technologies that have transmitted a real technological revolution in the classroom. This new adaptation can bring with it several factors in favor, in terms of facilitating understanding, autonomy, and flexibility.

Every day, new devices have a positive impact if used correctly in schools.

The implementation of their use brings with it some challenges that have to be faced. It has been seen in education studies that icons, photos, and other visual symbols are important for early reading and learning development, as they facilitate the development of speech, writing, and reading. You must be innovative, the effective use of a computer must be imminent, for this, today you can choose to take courses in basic office automation, investigate your computer by yourself or train yourself through the multiple tutorials that the YouTube platform offers us. There are also a number of software programs that are useful for the development of our class. Such as: NEO by CYPHER LEARNING.

This software you can use to create games; it is the most interactive option. You can create games online, program them per week, where students can accumulate points. Once you teach your classes, you can program some games, obviously related to the topic taught, within this software and at the end of the partial the one who accumulates more points can get extra points, and so on.

ESTABLISH A SENSE OF COMFORT Nothing is more important in making a child feel comfortable than the presence of a caring adult. One of the most frequent challenges for a teacher is to find the formula to motivate students to learn. With motivation, everything is easier in the classroom. However, to make them feel motivated, they must first feel comfortable.

You have to make them feel accepted, and that acceptance will make your students more self-confident and more comfortable during the time they spend with you and their classmates. Another key element in making your students feel comfortable is valuing them for you. It's all about reinforcing your students positively and unconditionally. On the other hand, respect is fundamental for them, this helps them feel important when expressing themselves; since they want to receive acceptance of their point of view from you.

Finally, help. There are times when in order to help, you don't have to do anything, but simply be there, be by your students' side, that is to say, that they feel accompanied by your presence. These are needs that this strategy encompasses; these are not only external factors but internal factors that promote a successful classroom.

PATIENCE The teaching profession has many demands that are often not taken into account. As a teacher, you must be patient. One of the foundations of education today is that there is no equality between the abilities of our students. Their work rhythms, their behavior in class, and all the external factors that can affect their learning, logically cause gaps in the temporary learning needs of each one. Some will need more time to exercise, others will do it too soon. We have to be equally patient with those who finish too early and require something else, and with those who need more time and we have to repeat any explanation to them again. Keep in mind that everything is part of a social process that we must be constantly improving.

PROVIDE SIMPLE AND STRAIGHTFORWARD MATERIAL You must make sure that your students are more attracted to the classes than ever before, but how can we achieve this?

We must look for simple and easy to grasp teaching material at the first reading, I mean texts that can serve as a guide after the class is over, in case they have a doubt or did not grasp the idea and simply did not say they had a doubt, as many do. This could be useful; in addition, you can upload them to the platform websites where they can practice with exercises the subject taught.

Are you a Resilient teacher?

BY DIANA MARROQUIN GUATEMALA CITY

A

s most people think, a teacher is

presented

like

a

perfect

and

trauma, the tragedy, the threats or even

important

sources

of

stress

integrated person that plays not only

(paragraph 4)’. Also, it has been

that role, but also, as a psychologist, a

defined as the ability to adapt and get

doctor, a mother, a father, a cook,

positive results in daily life despite the

etc., but sometimes we forget that

challenging circumstances (Morrison

they have a family, personal problems,

& Peterson, 2013). The APA (2014)

feelings, likes, wishes, desires, goals,

specifies

and

other

characteristic that a person has or not,

characteristics that a human being

it is about behavior, thoughts, and

has.

actions that can be acquired and

an

endless

list

of

Firstly, with the abrupt shift we

that resilience

is

not a

developed by anyone.

had because of the Coronavirus

Secondly, the teachers in one

outbreak, it is getting harder to

way or another, have learned to

continue playing all these roles in the

overcome with this current situation

same place and at the same time with

with the key of positivism, without this

our jobs and family, furthermore, this

inner motivation, resilience could not

person has to handle a lot of issues

be possible at any possible manner,

and

special

what we would like to emphasize here

characteristic that a teachers should

as well, is that first, we need to be well

have already acquired and it’s called

and balanced with ourselves to be

Resilience,

able

here

it

comes

the

the

American

Psychological Association (APA, 2014) defines it as ‘the process to adapt accurately against the adversity, the

to transmit and teach our

students to act in the same way and

to always find a solution to any

d. Take

problem life would present us, we must teach for life.

Finally, question,

do

charge

and

solve

problems e. Mentor others

here

the

f.

Know when to get involved and when to let go

students? then, we must be resilient

g. Innovate your work

teachers first, to achieve this personal

h. Be open-minded

goal, we are going to share some

i.

Be flexible

steps

j.

Appreciate your hard work

were

want

million resilient

that

you

is

taken

from

professional psychologists: a. Stay

positive:

k. Always thank for everything intrinsic

motivation

you have l.

b. Strength your values

Learn from any mistake you might make

c. First, is your inner balance,

m. Reward small wins

second you and third you. n.

Let’s take a Resilience Test! https://testyourself.psychtests.com/testid/2121

‘Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.’-Steve Maraboli SOURCES 1.

Image 1: https://www.waldenu.edu/online-masters-programs/ms-in-education/resource/theresilient-educator-recognizing-the-signs-of-teacher-burnout

2.

Laurie, R. (2019).Introduciendo el Marco de Trabajo Positivo en Guatemala. Revista Psicólogos, Ética, Crecimiento y Desarrollo. Number 24, pages 9 and 10.

3.

Test: https://testyourself.psychtests.com/testid/2121

4.

Image no. 2: https://www.buzzfeed.com/tomchivers/how-resilient-are-you

5.

https://www.pinterest.at/pin/54465476724827773/

BY MARLIN MALDONADO GUATEMALA CITY

1. Create “chants” from words or phrases that we have learned following a rhythm.

Students will have the opportunity to write words from the previous class (or words they recognize in a certain drawing or poster), or I give them to myself. With these words, and in groups, they create an ‘express jazz chant‘. For example:

Omelette, Banana, Bread Omelette, Banana, Bread, Omelette, Banana, Omelette, Banana, Omelette, Banana, Bread.

2. It is about having real objects in a box. The kids enjoy looking at compasses, maps, old books, but also car parts or instruments used for archaeological expeditions. Finding objects related to the subject we are teaching is not difficult, and we can propose to the kids their collaboration. At the beginning of the class we can play ‘Touch and Guess’, making a student cover his eyes and guess what he is playing, giving clues to his classmates. Or we can take out the objects one by one, naming them and telling their story, and making the kids touch them.

5. This classic game is a favorite for all students but it can get boring quite quickly. This game is best used for 5 minutes at the start to warm the class up or 5 minutes at the end if you’ve got some time left over. It works no matter how many students are in the class.

Why use it? Warming up / winding down class Who it's best for: Young learners How to play: In case you've never played, here's a quick rundown.

Think of a word and write the number of letters on the board using dashes to show many letters there are.

Ask students to suggest a letter. If it appears in the word, write it in all of the correct spaces. If the letter does not appear in the word, write it off to the side and begin drawing the image of a hanging man.

Continue until the students guess the word correctly (they win) or you complete the diagram (you win).

4. Pictionary: This is another game that works well with any age group; children love it because they can get creative in the classroom, teenagers love it because it doesn’t feel like they’re learning, and adults love it because it’s a break from the monotony of learning a new language - even though they'll be learning as they play.

Pictionary can help students practice their vocabulary and it tests to see if they’re remembering the words you’ve been teaching.

Repeat this until all the words are gone - make sure you have enough words that each student gets to draw at least once!

• How to play: • Before the class starts, prepare a bunch of words and put them in a bag.

• Split the class into teams of 2 and draw a line down the middle of the board.

• Give one team member from each team a pen and ask them to choose a word from the bag.

• Tell the students to draw the word as a picture on the board and encourage their team to guess the word.

• The first team to shout the correct answer gets a point.

• The student who has completed drawing should then nominate someone else to draw for their

3. Board Race is a fun game that is used for revising vocabulary, whether it be words from the lesson you’ve just taught or words from a lesson you taught last week. It can also be used at the start of the class to get students active. It is a great way of testing what your students already know about the subject you’re about to teach.

Bibliogtraphic references Images 1https://previews.123rf.com/images/stylephotographs/stylephotographs1403/stylephotographs1 40300100/26793597-grupo-de-ni%C3%B1os-aplaudir-las-manos-en-el-jard%C3%ADn-de-infantesen-la-clase-de-educaci%C3%B3n-musical.jpg 2. https://cf.ltkcdn.net/ninos/images/std/244695-425x283-ircle-time.jpg 3. https://c8.alamy.com/compes/x977w2/el-profesor-y-los-alumnos-sentados-en-el-piso-de-suaula-cantando-y-aplaudiendo-x977w2.jpg 4. https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/pel%C3%ADcula-negativa-vieja-de-la-foto-8221870.jpg 5. https://www.gooverseas.com/blog/10-best-games-esl-teachers#paragraph-item-41703 6. https://www.gooverseas.com/blog/10-best-games-esl-teachers#paragraph-item-41703 Informacion 1.https://www.gooverseas.com/blog/10-best-games-esl-teachers#paragraph-item-41703 https://teachingtoteach.wordpress.com/2017/04/16/mis-warm-ups-favoritos-para-empezar-lasclases-deen-ingles/ Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=wam5PscoSjU&feature=emb_logo

BY JENNIFER ARREDONDO GUATEMALA CITY

Teaching at home has become a need, is no longer a privilege as in the past, that certain institutions were giving online classes, it is a reality; teaching is a demanding profession which requires plenty of skills and both physical and mental stamina, mostly now that we are from home. The pressures of teaching can take a toll on juggling individual responsibilities as a

Your voice is your most important asset.

As teachers, you are more prone to voice related problems.

- Drink plenty of water.

- Use nonverbal cues like a whistle, bell or hand clapping to gain the attention of your students.

- Rest your voice often during the day.

teacher, parent, spouse or a son/daughter. So, here in this section I’m going to give some tips for you teacher, to take care not only of your healthy like when you wash your hands and use a mask. This is going to be to improve your whole health and hope you take advantage from this little but helpful tips and practice them every single day to get better.

Being a dedicated teacher demands standing and sitting for long hours, a good posture, with weight control and regular exercise will keep your spine strong.

- Maintain correct posture while you sit or stand.

- Sit back in your chair with feet flat on the ground, ensure your lower back is supported while sitting.

- If you need to sit or stand for long, always take a break at least every hour and stretch.

As teachers, you will often end up doing intense near work involving reading, writing or working in front of a screen for long periods of time. Using digital screens reduces the no of times you blink your eyes. This puts a tremendous strain on your eyes. Follow the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes

look away at a distance of at least 20 feet for at least 20 seconds, this will avoid eye strain.

- Make healthy eating and exercise a priority - Take time out for a hobby - Get enough sleep and get up refreshed every morning - Make healthy eating and exercise a priority.

This simple action which is often overlooked can protect you from many illnesses.

Also avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. It will prevent germs from entering to your body. https://www.indiatoday.in /educationtoday/featurephilia/story/ health-tips-1037607-201709-04