GOALS

The Auxiliar de Conversación programme offers a mutually beneficial opportunity to gain a wealth of teaching experience, while at the same time contributing to the educational system in Spain. Below are some of the key goals I have for myself personally and for the students I work with.

PERSONAL GOALS

Apply what I’ve learnt – My first year as a teaching assistant (in Andalucia) gave me a host of experience and new skills. Over the summer, back in the UK, I wanted to maximise my abilities and so completed an intensive CELTA teacher training course. The course included teaching practice to a real class of immigrants and a huge wealth of techniques for preparing and delivering effective lessons. I want to use my time here to practise those skills – to hone them so that I can produce effective, professional classes.

Push myself further by adopting new skills – The learning never stops! One thing my CELTA course encouraged me to do was seek out knew techniques and read up on the latest teaching theory. By reading journals like English Teaching Professional (www.etprofessional.com), I hope to pick up ideas that I can apply to the classroom.

Gain feedback from permanent teaching staff – Another suggestion I picked up on my CELTA course was to seek out feedback on my teaching skills. As ‘assistants’ we are never in the classroom without an experienced teaching professional. This provides an amazing opportunity to pick the brains of someone that has observed my lessons. I aim to use this to its fullest by asking for feedback and making myself open to constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement.

Create a portfolio of work – Whereas last year I was teaching specific subjects (Art, Maths, Science, etc) in English, this year I have been tasked with delivering pure English lessons. I aim to build up a portfolio of lesson plans and activities that I can draw on for my future teaching. I hope to return for a second year teaching in Madrid, so this library of materials will allow me more time to develop further in the year to come.

Engage with the wider Auxiliar programme – With such a high annual turnover of Auxiliares, its natural that a vast amount of experiential knowledge is lost each year. I aim to engage with the programme as much as possible – extending out beyond my own schools by offering advice to Auxiliares across Spain, through forums and official events. Already I have participated in a Jornada de Formacion hosted by the Spanish department of education – passing on my experiences from my 2018-19 Auxiliar role. I also want to create a library of information for next year’s intake – helping them to hit the ground running (and so deliver the best teaching assistance possible).

Become an integral part of my teaching centres – To be an effective Auxiliar, its useful to gain the trust of both students and teaching staff. To do this, I want to ensure I engage as much as possible beyond the classroom. This may involved participating in trips/extracurricular activities where possible, but also engaging with teaching staff beyond the English department, to gain a better understanding of the school and the Spanish teaching system.

GOALS FOR MY STUDENTS

To feel more confident in English – I want to deliver lessons that really empower my students. By creating a space where they feel safe to try (and at times fail), they can build the confidence to continue their learning and to apply it to the real world.

To develop a passion for language learning – By making lessons fun and engaging, I hope that my student will actively enjoy learning English (rather than it be a requirement of their course). Some FP students may feel disenfranchised from English learning after negative experiences in school. I hope to reverse this by showing them their capacity to achieve skills in a foreign language – maybe even excel (even if only in small ways).

To find the relevance of English language – By connecting my lessons as much as possible to identifiably relevant aspects of their lives, I hope students will be motivated to learn more. I hope to do this by ensuring students understand the applications to their lives and to their vocational course. (And designing classes that make these connections.)

To receive a balance of practical/vocational and general English skills – My host colleges both recognise that more than just technical English is required to thrive in an anglophone workplace. I hope to fulfil their request to develop not just students’ subject specific English, but also the general English skills that are an essential part of informal workplace interactions.

Gain a greater understanding of British culture – The world can only be improved by gaining a greater understanding of different countries and their cultures. By sharing my cultural experiences, I hope students will be able to expand their knowledge of the UK and its customs. This is especially useful to students (on vocational courses) who may wish to undertake an Erasmus course, work placement or even seek employment in the UK in the future.

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