Many memories of the time I was about to get my degree in English teaching came to my mind as I was reading the article by Gonzalez, Escartín and Medina Pérez (2003). These writers describe the importance of the reflexive analysis of classroom events as a strategy for improving the teaching practice.
As a college student, I had learnt the grammar structures and verb tenses and I knew how to use a wide vocabulary in English. However, I had no experience in teaching and I felt that knowing about the different teaching methods was not enough.
Now I realize I should have been guided to reflect upon my teaching practice since Gonzalez, Escartín and Medina Pérez (2003) state that “[es necesario que los docentes] además de ser buenos conocedores de su material, sean capaces de observer el aula, de reflexionar (. . .) y de aplicar decisiones idóneas (. . .)” (p.102).
After working with the notes and the bibliography in the Teaching English as a Foreign Language class at university, I recognized that reflecting on my teaching practice and relating what I actually do in the classroom is extremely useful. I wished I could have had the opportunity to discuss the teaching methods with a critical eye and contrasted that theoretical background with real-life classroom situations.
On the whole, I strongly believe that as teachers-to-be, we should have been acquainted with detailed classroom observation to be able to identify what students need and how to adapt the activities and the techniques to each classroom by means of reflecting on different theories and other teachers’ experience.
Fernández González, J., Elórtegui Escartín, N. & Medina Pérez, M. (2003). Los incidentes críticos en la formación y perfeccionamiento del profesorado de secundaria de ciencias de la naturaleza. Revista Universitaria de Formación de Profesorado, 17-001. Zaragoza, España: Universidad de Zaragoza. Retrieved September, 2009, from http://redalyc.uaemex.mx/redalyc/src/inicio/ArtPdfRed.jsp?iCve=27417107
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