Case Studies Reflection

All the strategies shown in the videos seem to work effectively. Each stage in learning, the students’ needs, the pace of each student, and the like are very important factors to bear in mind when preparing a lesson. The tasks and the strategies we use in the class will make a difference between a successful and an unsuccessful lesson.

On one hand, the most useful strategies I found were those which were meaningful for the students, those with which they could identify or make connections to. This way they automatically became more engaged and active in the class. They are willing to explain their experiences on this or that topic. I really enjoyed watching video 5 and 6, because they created this sense of community and ownership inside the class. By giving them the role of mini-teachers or assistants we give them some power, which is always a good strategy to make them to be willing to participate. Social and affective strategies are essential to get our students involved in the task. I also liked those social strategies incorporated into collaborative tasks, such as groups of mindmaps or communicative games. With young learners it is quite effective to use kinaesthetic strategies so that they can relate the new vocabulary to what they already know in their mother tongue. Techniques like gestures, songs, visual aid and some “touching” work just perfect for them.

On the other hand, although I found the rest of the strategies quite interesting, I might say that I did not share the type of lesson itself on video 2, I found it quite repetitive and boring. In my opinion, I do not think a group of young learners would be ready to “suffer” this class. However, I think all videos showed a great deal of varied strategies to start using in our classrooms.