AN EXTRA PRESENTATION: GÏZEM

It is quite difficult reflect about a topic a lot of times, as we are doing during this two weeks. We have been talking about “Cooperative learning” doing referring to the presentations of my classmates. So, maybe in that reflection I am not so creative.

Gïzem did a presentation by her own. I suppose it was because her group did theirs when she was not in class yet.

She presented the same cooperative learning technique as the whole class did the jigsaw technique. After the presentation, we ask her why she had chosen that one and she said it was because it is very easy work with that one. The children learn from each other, it is not necessary the “theoretical class”, which is done for a teacher and children have to hear him or her. With that technique they move on, they talk with people, not only with their partners, also with a guide of the museum (I write that example because the Gïzem’s exercise has a visit of a museum).

I realize thanks of this presentation that if a teacher has an effort can design a class using this technique in any subject. What is it mean? Gïzem shown us a History class, which was focused in Hittites (an Indio-European population that settled in Anatolia from the VIII century to the XII century), so she did a big effort to transform a “bored class” in a very entertaining class, and I am very sure that children will learn more thing using that technique instead of see the same topic in a theoretical class.

Another point that I want to highlight is that after children do the final project, they have some different prizes for their work. For me, that it is very important. We are reward them for make a work. And every work has to be reward. It does not matter the quality, just only the fact that they do it. 

the lash and Gizem presentation.

the thursday group was "lash" and i waited more for this group.
their power point was clear but it was not very work.
it is very interesting that somebody know very well the work but i think the colocation of the class is not very well yet. they didn't understand it.
it is very important teach the children to be critical on the internet and how they must search information.
the card's play is very interesting and funny for the children but the prizes aren't very well because all the children must be winners with this effort. i learn that it is very important search estrategias to winning the work of all students.
i think this work was doing to pass but not to learn.
they had a lot of time and didn't use to improve.


the Gizem's work was amazing, i think she assimilate al our fails and she did a very original work.
in this work it is not very clear the grade and technique that she use.


with all this work i assimilate better groupal techniques and learn about the fails.

DAYS OF PRESENTATION. COOPERATIVE LEARNING

On Tuesday we hope that we will finish with the presentations, it was the turn of the two last groups. These groups were: “Encendiendo bombillas” and “LASH”.

What I have learnt with these two groups?

Well, first was the turn of “Encendiendo bombillas”. They did it very well. They did one thing different, they included a group commitment. Each of them have their own commitment but they also put this one I have just said it. Also they have introduced a table about the objectives of this project or work.

One thing that I want to highlight is that they made a short but very well summary of what cooperative learning means. This was awesome because they put only some words that represent perfectly what is cooperative learning and what it consists.

I must make them a recommendation, and I already done it, but I want to write it here because all of us we can learn about it or simply remember it. When we are making an interview or explaining something or, in this case, making a presentation, we must look at the receptor, to the spectators, to your public. It´s true that you have a powerpoint or whatever behind you, but it´s for them. They can read it to have a better idea about what are you talking about, and also, it´s helpful if you need to read one word or take a quickly look when you don’t know where you are or what you have to say. Most of the members of this group and almost in all groups, read it. That wrong, you should correct this. It is so important.

They did a good powerpoint, it was so specific but concrete and explanatory. They introduced on it some photos that were perfect and complementary with the theory that they were explaining.

CONGRATULATIONS, for me, they were the best group.

Now is the time of “LASH”.

I have just said it; they had the same problem of looking and reading the screen.

I have to congratulate this group because the first day (Tuesday) they had no idea about what the project is about, then they will repeat all for Thursday. They only have two days to make all, and they did it. They had changed all that they already had and improve it in the better way. That was so good.  

Another thing that I also want to mention for all groups for others group works or projects is the importance of NO VERBAL LANGUAGE. Most of the students didn’t pay attention to this part, but for me, is one of the most important things to make a good presentation. Your no verbal language said a lot about your work on the project, of your comprehension, your knowledge of the work and so on. We must improve it. It has to be one of our aims to fulfil it when the year finish. COME ON, LET´S DO IT.

Continuing with the reflection of this group said that NOW yes, they know all of the cooperative learning and all of them know how to explain it and know all the work, not only his/her part. 

This, have to make them to reflect and solve correctly all the problems that they had this time, they must meet, at least, once. You have my support and if you need something you can tell it to me, I will help you if I can. Continue like this, now yes, you are in the good way.

“Encendiendo bombillas”/LASH

This Tuesday we finished the presentations about the cooperative learning. The last 2 groups were “Encendiendo bombillas” and “LASH”. In my opinion I am so proud of my class because I think that our work, all of works, we did were so good. All of us learnt about the importance of cooperative learning in the teaching.

Now, I am going to write my opinion my criterion about these groups.

Firstly, I would like start writing about the opportunity or facilities that they had. They had the opportunity to correct their mistakes because they could see the other presentations and also they had more time.

“Encendiendo bombillas” team composed by Elisa, Laura Sanz, Javier y Mónica. I could see at the beginning that all of the components were nervous, but I think that is quite normal because is not easy talk in front of 20 individuals that they are judging. In my opinion most of them memorized the information and didn’t add extra information about their topic: the environment. The ideas were very clear. One thing that I really liked was that they emphasized in the importance of mutual respect, respect other persons and their ideas.

The LASH team which components were: Laura Borné, Héctor, Andrea and Sara Sánchez; did a good work (although the first presentation was not well). Teachers have to transmit and reinforce one of the most important ideas that the kids have to learn at home and also in the class: the importance of have a good diet. The diet in our lives is vital, for that, teachers must to show the kids the necessity to eat different types of food to be healthy. For that reason I loved this presentation. They started with the index, like other groups, of their work explaining all the parts it had, then they showed us their team plan and their objectives. In this time of presentation I could come a conclusion, the principal purpose of the class is improve talking in public and expressing ourselves in English. From my experience, in my school, teachers focused on the grammar and the vocabulary, they didn’t bring the enough importance to the speaking and I think that this make me a shy person to talk in English in public.

This team explained their lesson plan from a clear way. They decided divide the project in 5 sessions using the Jigsaw or puzzle technique.  The first session the kids have to make principal teams to divide the information about the different types of diet that they must to search at home, then in the second class the kids have to look for information through several digital resources. The third class consisted in made a conceptual map, a way to be creative and develop the imagination of the kids at the same time that they work in groups digressing the possibilities that they have. In the fourth session they made again the principal teams and share what they learnt with the professional groups.

In the session 5 they decided use a TGT technique in a game.

My personal suggestions to improve the presentation:

-Don’t read the projector (some of their components read a lot).

-More visual contact with the spectators.

-Don’t make a game in which the kids can be losers, make a game in which all of members win.

PRESENTATION DAY - 3RD AND 4TH DAY

I write a couple of days in the same post because these presentations should have done in the same day, although there were some problems with the last one, so that it is why it has been presented other day.

Now, it is time to reflect by my own the things that I have learnt with those presentations. The groups which presented were “Encendiendo Bombillas” y “LASH”.

First of all, they have introduced very well the topic that they were going to explains us, making an index or a planning showing the division of their work, not only the class that they had designed, also their personal tables like personal commitments or their roll during this work. Why is it very important? Because it help us to centre and concentrate in the theme which they are going to explain.

Another positive thing that I could see working in this way is the real meaning of cooperative learning/working. When some members of the groups had to explain their part and they got stuck, their mates help them to keep on with the presentation, it means that all the member have to know everything of their work.  

The techniques which they had used had been explained quite well and the activities were also very good designed, for example “Encendiendo bombillas” group thought that it was interesting that children have to make a field notebook in which they have to explain the things that they are learning. At the end of the work, they have thought in give them a prize, not material, but for example exhibit their work on the class or making a class. In that way, children will feel as teachers, so they will effort on their task.

I want to highlight the big effort that “LASH” group has had to do, I mean, they have to re-organised their presentation in two days because they had not exhibit clearly the main ideas of the work. So, congratulations because you have done it very well.  

As suggestions, and not only for them, also for all of us:

• We have to create cooperative games and not competitive ones. Even we would say that it is not competitive, and it is, the children feel as winners and as losers, so at the end of the game they feel unmotivated. If we do a competitive game, we have to say them the true, if we do not, we have also to be honest, conversely, they will learn values such us hypocrisy.
• We cannot  look at the screen while we are presenting a topic, we have to see the rest os the faces of the class. The not-verbal-language is very important, even more for teachers.
• We should not put a lot of text on the slides. It has to be a guide for us, but we have to explain the topic, not just only read it. It has to be more visual, using, for example, photos or graphics. 

Finally, I want to say that I am very proud of the results of my class. We are working very well and our presentations are incredible. CONGRATULATIONS FOR EVERYONE!!

The four magic teacher presentation

Hello today I am going to write about the presentation of “The four magic teachers”. This group which components were: Ramiro, Sara Arenas, Eva Sánchez y Claudia, did a gorgeous work. I really loved their ideas and I think that their presentation was formidable.

The presentation was an elaborate work that played with the impression and surprise of the public with the materials that they used to do the video/lesson plan, something that made the people stopped to focusing on the content and focus on the resources they used.

The subject that they chose was Spanish Language. They talked about the multiples types of words using the technique that my group used: Jigsaw or puzzle. I think that strategy is quite common and it is very easy to work using it. The most of the groups have used this technique because it is, in my opinion, the easiest and the most efficient technique to do a cooperative work.

 One of the things that I really liked was the idea of have an individual portfolio, a resource or way to keep all the ideas about the activities that the kids have done in a specific period of time.
Also they used another technique: peer tutorial. The final activity consisted in make a gincana in which the children had to relating the concepts that they had learnt. But if I'm honest, I was not very clear about how they were going to do the gincana and in what consist the activity. In my opinion, this part of their work was very “flojo”.

Finally I would like to write that they did a very difficult work because they were able to create a class in which the children could learn something as boring like the verbs or determinants, from a funny way.
.

Encendiendo bombillas

The fourth group was “encendiendo bombillas”. This is work is very good. The power was very clear and with a lot of tables and images.

This work was about science and it had a botanic garden visit, I think it was a very good excursion and the children can enjoy with it.

I think the group must improve something, for example the prizes when the children do something well some aren’t very motivation. Other thing I didn’t like is some people in the group didn’t prepare the work a lot.

The most interesting in the presentation was that it is very creative and interesting, it was so clear, the ideas were clear.

I think the work was very elaborate and very original. They reform their work after the other and they obtain a very good work. But I think the group must improve their fail for the next work.

This work was one of the better works of my class. Congratulations!!!

the third presentation

The four magic teachers did their presentation on the last Thursday. Their work was about language, the kind of words.

It started very good with a very enjoyable video like impossible mission but then the work appears me so bored. They used a lot of time to introduce the work.

Their work looks like an organization class more like other thing. The explanations were very good and very clear, but I think a lot of these explanations were unnecessary.

The work was longer and this did the work boring. Somebody of the group must improve the no verbal language.

In conclusion the work can be better but for the first time is good. This group was very applied and I think they will do a very good works. I really like the video idea but the failed was it do very long and bored.

DAYS OF PRESENTATION. COOPERATIVE LEARNING

In this couple of days we have to make some presentations about the cooperative learning. Depending on the day, we have more time (2 hours) or less (1 hour) this make that in the first case we have 2 of them and in the second we only have time to one of it. 

The first day the “K.I.A” and “The Minions” group make their presentation. Now I have to make some reviews or reflections about them. I will start with the reflection of “K.I.A´s” group. 

First of all I have to say that they had made a great job because they explained very well their work. One thing that I should highlight is that they had introduced in their presentation one table of their objectives with this practice. This is a good idea because we could see if they had fulfilled their personal aims. 

 The most important thing that they have done was that all of them have an idea of the whole presentation. Each member knew the “part” of the others then they could help each other, which were awesome. 

One thing that all of us (all the classmates) had learnt with them was that we shouldn't introduce in a evaluation table the box or square of wrong or worst. They may have done a good or very good job because they had work on the group practice. 

They had based their presentation with the technique they were going to use in “their class”. They used the puzzle or jigsaw. 

I have to congratulate this team because the presentation was nice, entertaining and clear. 

The next group that had made the presentation was “The Minions” (my team). 

About my team I have to say some things that we should review and improve: 

• Improve or make better presentations such as prezi, pictures, videos, powtoon, etc. 
• Talk much better with spectators.
• Study more our work to have a better comprehension to be able to expose in the correct way to transmit clearly the content of the practice. 
• Improve our no verbal language. 

This are some of the thing we should correct for the future, I hope we will do it. 

The second day the group that had to explain their work was “The Four Magic Teacher”. They had used a lot of different materials to make the presentation more interesting and surprising. This is a good point for them. I had learnt that I should make presentations like this. 

In their presentation they had exposed so much theory, then they had made a little bit boring and heavy to understand all the content they wanted to transmit. They hadn't center the real theme of the work, they had limited to made a summary of all the cooperative learning instead of making a class work with this tools. They had to improve this. 

I just said it, but I want to highlight it, the importance to show different pictures or videos in relation with the topic you are telling. They had done this very well. 

When they had finished I had asked myself one question: what technique of cooperative learning they had used? This is the real problem they have had; they didn't center the theme, which was the most important thing of the practice. They should learn that they had to make a little summary (if they want) but made emphasis to the aim of the practice. 

This is my recommendation for this group; I hope they will improve this part. 

First day

The purpose of this post is write about what I learnt these days in class of “Organización de las instituciones educativas” with my own work in group and the presentation of the rest of the groups (because we can learn with the successes and mistakes of our classmates):



In these days we did a group work in which we had to read a document about the cooperative learning to create a lesson plan of one subject taking a specific technique of this topic. The final aim of this work was to know how we can teach using different techniques of cooperative learning. At first, all of the components of my group read the information about the document that was uploaded on the network in the blog “organizacioninstituciones2011”. This document talked about the distribution of the pupils to do a work in groups and the distribution of classroom furniture, the different techniques to organize a didactic sequence, the operating rules group for teamwork, the internal organization of the teams (Team Notebook), the celebrations in teams and group class and the various techniques of cooperative learning: Team Assisted Individualization, Peer Tutoring, Jigsawor or Puzzel, Group-Investigation and Teams - Games Tournaments. My group opted to choose the technique of the puzzle for doing the sequence taking as a pillar the instructions of the document.

The first day that we had to expose our work to the rest of the class was the 11 of February. This class was only of two hours, for that reason only could present two groups: KIA group and Los minions group (my awesome group).

The KIA group was the first. They did a wonderful project mixing the creativity and the modernity to explain a “boring topic” for the child: the planets. I could see at the beginning that all of the components were nervous, but I think that is quite normal because is not easy talk in front of 20 individuals that they are judging and also in my  explanation was nervous when we had to do it. The technique that they used was Jigsaw or puzzle. In my opinion, they did a fantastic explanation about the technique and their own organization when they had to do the power point. Also their personal commitments, commitments like “improve the speaking or lose the insecurity in public”. It is a very important thing, because is a way to be conscious that all the people have mistakes or things to overcome like the insecurity or the fear to do a bad or wrong pronunciation, and sharing that we can learn.

Ana Escribano was my favorite speaker, her ability and control of the language gave her the chance to explain with all the normality and the facility the theoretical content of Cooperative learning and for that cause we could understand perfectly. The activity to do in class, teach the planets in groups, that they proposed in the lesson plan, was very related with the technique that they used. I really liked the concept to use cards to assimilate the concepts or give additional information to the students when the kids had to explain the other kids their work about the Solar System.

Other thing that I could see was the control that all the components had about the power point, I mean, not all of them knew only their part but also the part of others. I really think that all of they could have explained other slides that were not their own.
Sometimes the teacher intervened to do a constructive critique (crítica constructiva) about the things that they had to change. I could learn of these interventions that the most important in a comparative learning is that the kids can work together sharing their experiences and knowledges and the games mustn’t be competitive rather collaborative.  The game “stop” is a formidable game to do it in class but not to do it from a competitive perspective, all the kids should win something (stickers, positives).

In my understanding they have to improve in the time (their exposition was around 1.05 h) and their expressions.

PRESENTATION DAY - 2ND DAY

On the second day of presentations just only one group could exhibit their presentation. That group has been The Four Magic Teachers.

First of all, they have shared with us their personal commitments. I think it is quite interesting because they trust in us, I mean, we have generated a confidence atmosphere, so now it is easier to work and share our project with the rest of the class.   

After that, they have explained us some cooperative learning techniques that they were going to use in their “class”. From my point of view, I think was better to integrate the theoretical part with the practise part, so they should have explained the class with the cooperative learning theory and not to separate both and explain them separately. For that reason, the presentation in some moments has been a little bit bored. It is just an opinion.

They have used the technique that my group used: Jigsaw or puzzle. I think that strategy is quite common and it is very easy to work using it. Why? Because kids feel like a real teacher and feel that their work is important for the rest of the group, it does not matter that they have different levels, they important thing is that they contribute to make the work.

Also, they use another technique: peer tutorial. I think they could explained that technique better than they did, because, at the end of the presentation I had some doubts about it. As I have understood, it is like the jigsaw but only with two people. One of them is the “teacher”, so he or she has to answer the questions of the other one, who is the “student”. That technique needs the guide of the real teacher, who assign who is the teacher and who is the student. It is also a cooperative technique, because they will help each other in order to learn.

So, to evaluate what they are doing during the sessions, my classmates have design a table in which children have to evaluate some different aspects about their daily work. They have to reflect about their group-work, their personal work and also they will co-evaluate their others classmates which is very important if we are working in a cooperative way.

KIA presentation

The first presentation was the KIA group. This presentation was about the planets a basic thing of primary.


They empoyed the "jigsaw" technique. In this method we first do base groups (heterogeneous), each pupil of each group prepare his section. Then they o expert groups, here they interchange the information. At the end they go back to the base groups and share the information.
I think the most interesting thing in this work was the play "stop". It is very interesting because here the children can learn of a funny form.

The other thing i like so much is to construct a planetarium, it is a funny activity too.
The auto-evaluation is interesting but it had a fault because you can't evaluate a children bad or very bad when they work a lot.
It was a very interesting and good work. I think also it is the first presentation and this group can improve with the experience.

PRESENTATION DAY - 1st DAY

The purpose of these presentations activities is share with the rest of the class what I have learnt with each presentation.

The theme was “Cooperative learning” and we have to design a power-point presentation reflecting the ideas of this theory in a particular class.

A couple of groups of my class could present their project. These teams were: KIA and The Minions. The second one is my team, so I do not know if I should do a reflection about “my” presentation or not.

The other group (KIA) did a fantastic presentation! Their presentations was very good organised and they explained perfectly the technique that they used (Jigsaw or puzzle, like my group did). But they not only explain very well how the teams should be organised, also they integrated it in a real classroom (Sciences and Arts), so we can saw how it could work.

They started their presentation talking about personal commitments. It is a very important thing, because they shared with us the things that they do not do properly and they are trying to change.

The thing that I like the most was that they explained the theoretical content of Cooperative learning and then explained it applied on the class. For example, how could we do the teams? The teams must be heterogeneous, so the put a slide with a picture of a table with the different members of the group, and then they explained how the team was going to work in the class. My classmates also took into account the self-evaluation, the individual and the group one, and the co-evaluation, so they shown us that the assessment of the children is also important. Another good point of their presentation was the activities. These ones were very good organised in relation with the technique that they used. With the basic teams and the expert teams they got that children could feel like a teachers (and with different public, because they have to switch teams) when they explained the card of the Solar System.

Other thing that I have learnt with the presentations and the suggestions of the teacher was that we cannot tell the children that the things are bad, we could say it, instead of that, that that activity, or whatever the child is doing, can improve. Another key aspect of work in teams is that it is very common work in a competitive way in lieu of a collaborative way, so as teachers, we can change that, and do the classes more collaborative and give to each group a prize for their work. 

I think that the unique thing that they should improve is the fact of amenity. Their voice is quite monotonous, so they would have to model it to express much more pep to the presentation.  

TEAM TABLE #2

TEAM TABLE #1

PLAN

We started making this practice on Thursday, but it is a large work and because of that, we are still working on it.During that class we have made a plan to divide the different parts of the practice to be able to work all of them.We have a couple of class until the presentation of it, then we are working in our own to have more information, materials, etc. If we all bring different thing to class we can put together all the ideas and make a brainstorming. This will help us to develop a better work.We feel like doing a great job and because of that we are working hardly on it.It is also true that is our first time all together and it is a touchdown, it is going to be a good way to know how we work together, to know the stronger points of each one for future practices.Currently, we are working very well, contributing many ideas and by agreeing without any problem. We hope that this will be better and better.

Nowadays we are so happy in the group.