Melissa Ortiz's Online Porfolio
IES Rosa Chacel
Informatica and Educacion Fisica
Computer Systems and Physical Education
IES ROSAL CHACEL
"El I.E.S. "Rosa Chacel" comenzó a funcionar como I.B. Hortaleza en 1984, impartiendo bachillerato y COU. En 1996 incorporó el edificio del antiguo C.P. Pedro Salinas, pasando a denominarse Rosa Chacel por O.M. de 24-4-1992.
Se empezaron a impartir enseñanzas E.S.O. y L.O.G.S.E. en 1995. En 1997 comenzó a impartir el Ciclo Formativo de Grado Superior de Aplicaciones de Sistemas Informáticos y en el 2000 El Ciclo Formativo de Grado Superior de Actividades FÃsico-deportivas."
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"The I.E.S. "Rosa Chacel" began to function as I.B. Hortaleza in 1984, teaching high school and COU. In 1996 he incorporated the building of the former C.P. Pedro Salinas, renamed Rosa Chacel by O.M. from 24-4-1992. E.S.O. and L.O.G.S.E. in 1995. In 1997 he began teaching the Higher Degree Formative Cycle of Computer Systems Applications and in 2000 the Higher Degree Formative Cycle of Physical-Sports Activities."
My Position at IES Rosa Chacel: A Synopsis
IES Rosa Chacel is an hour commute for me, however, out of the two institutions I work at, it is my favorite to attend. The subjects taught are straight forward because there are only 3 fields offered: Nursing, Physical Education, and Computer Systems. I only teach Physical Education and Computer Systems in English under the supervision of the professor Laura Rodriguez.
In the three Computer System classes, she and I split the hour long class. She teaches the material for the first half of the class, and I have the students apply what was covered for the second half. I have them act out various versions of Customer-Customer Support scenarios and provide them grammar/pronunciation feedback at the end. In the beginning, they were shy to stand in front of the class and read their script, however, after a month they have become comfortable and even volunteer to go first.
Additionally, in order to prepare them for any exam I have them play Kahoot!. I create 20-25 question quizzes filled with information from the chapters that they will be tested on (see Lesson Plans tab). I mainly focus on terms and spelling since some of the exam questions are open-ended. Kahoot! days are fun because the students are very competitive and enjoy the curve balls I throw at them.
As for the two Physical Education classes because they are taught back to back on Friday's, we each take one hour. I thoroughly enjoy this class because I am able to teach them about rock climbing and American football for example. I tend to stray from the book and teach them through my athletic experience. I also take this as an opportunity to have them teach me what they learned from the class before. I bring up scenarios that deal with sport injuries and they have to tell me what happened.
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My Experience at IES Rosa Chacel: A Synopsis
Overall, I love how active IES Rosa Chacel is with their students, with their bimonthly excursions and their holiday spirit. I love seeing the videos they put together displayed in the main entrance such as their skiing excursion or the Halloween haunted maze (it was very scary). The layout of the school is very easy to navigate through and I love the coffee vending machine in the student's lounge. The director of the institution is the kindest lady I have ever met, and seems to genuinely care about the students. I get along well with the professors and I look forward to our conversations during the breaks.
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However, as a first time and only auxiliar at this institution, my experience so far has been a whirlwind. I am very familiar with the subjects I am assigned to because I studied them throughout university so I thought teaching the material would be a piece of cake. Man was I in for a treat.
The students are around my age so they don't see me as their instructor but more as their equal at times. Their age range is from 18-26 years old, and I am only 24. . . so go figure. Also, I am their first auxiliar, so there are a lot of trial and errors I had to discover on my own.
Here are the many pros and cons to this-
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Pros:
I am able to relate more to the students which means I am able to communicate the information in a way they can understand better and retain.
I am able to use my own experience from university and high school to figure out what teaching methods work and what doesn't.
They find it easier to ask me questions.
They find it easier to correct me if I am wrong (teaching strategy).
They are not afraid to be themselves in class, although sometimes this is a bad thing.
They see me as an younger or older sister, so they are able to trust me easier than perhaps the professors at the institution.
Cons:
I am not taken seriously sometimes.
I get catcalled, asked out, and invited to parties which as an auxiliar am not allowed to attend.
It is sometimes hard to stay on track, especially if the conversation gets the class heated.
Sometimes the students are tired from taking exam after exam and make it very clear that they do not want to learn, so I have to scrap the lesson plan for that day and do something else.
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To sum up my experience at IES Rosa Chacel: I am more than thankful to have been assigned to this institution. I have noticed a vast improvement in their level of English as well as their level of confidence from my start date to now. They look forward to my classes because they see it as a break from their regular, hectic schedule. I won't lie, it was challenging at first because they didn't want to speak in English more than they had to. They also wouldn't take my pronunciation corrections nor my speaking activities seriously. However, as the classes went on I slowly started to gain their respect. They noticed the amount of work I put in and decided to give speaking in English a chance. With this, they were all able to get rid of their timidness and improve their conversations in English when doing the speaking activities. Now when I see them from across the hall they can't wait to tell me about their day or what they did the weekend before in English.
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"¡Por qué no seré de esas mujeres que hacen de su diario un confidente Ãntimo! Tal vez porque soy demasiado escritor."
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"Why won't I be one of those women who makes her diary an intimate confidant! Maybe because I'm too much a writer."