Paradox in teaching and learning

In what ways have you experienced “suffering” as a student teacher? Has your suffering had any redemptive quality to it; that is, has it made you heart larger? What would help you deepen the redemptive quality of the suffering your experience in your work?

Since I started my teaching English practice in C.E. INSA, I have had several unpleasant experiences with my students. However, I have learnt from each of them which they have been some good opportunities or challenges to improve my weaknesses as an English teaching practitioner.

For example: In my first practice, I had to face a little problem with some of my students during the class they were not paying attention because they were playing and listening to music with their cellphones because teacher Nora was not in the classroom, and that created a little confrontation between them and I, and I said to them: "Please, pay attention and stop the music.", but they did not obey me, and I could feel that the class was out of my control, but something came into my mind, and I said to the president of the class: "Please, write down on a separate sheet of paper the name of the students who are drawing attention and listening to music, and I am going to give the list to teacher Nora, so that was a good way to stop them, but I could suffer this unpleasant experience and to learn from it.

Finally, I suppose that I have a redemptive quality because I love helping others in this case my students, and I never keep any kind of rancor, even I have had to suffer some disappoints momentums in many classes, but in those cases, the redemptive quality makes his best work loving and forgiving to myself and others because I have to learn from my mistakes and create a host close friendship in the classroom, for my students express their own thoughts. 

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Name some of your key gifts or strengths as a teacher. Now name a struggle or difficulty you commonly have in teaching. How do you understand the relation between your profile of giftedness and the kind of trouble you typically get into in the classroom?

Well, One of my best strengths is the tone of my voice because I can speak aloud with any problem in large classes like in INSA, and I know that it is a great blessing from God because all of my students who take sits at the back of the class can hear clearly the explanations of every single topic; moreover, I think that I have enthusiasm, motivation intrinsic and extrinsic.

On the other hand, In every class, I try to do my best job because that is a good way to gain students’ attention, but the most difficult thing that I have to face is to keep a classroom environment because I have to struggle for keeping a silence during my explanations, so that is not easy in my class because they are teenagers, and some of them do not have any kind of interest for passing the subject.

Finally, I am happy because I have been learning how to apply several methods, techniques, and approaches for improving my way to teach.    

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Describe a moment in teaching when things went so well you knew you were “born to teach” and compare it to a moment in which things went so poorly you wished you had never been born! Name the gifts that made this good moment possible—not the techniques you used or the moves you made, but your qualities.

I have had several successful classes in which I have felt that I "was born to teach" for example: On last term, I was teaching in seventh grade "D", but this term I am doing my English teaching practice in seventh grade "G", and I feel so happy due some of my ex-students' close to me for asking me if I never going to teaching them again. Some said to me: "Teacher we miss you a lot", so this situation makes me feel happy because it shows I am doing a good job for preparing not only in the academic are but also for their real lives because they have to be competent for having better opportunities in life; contrary, I have faced some hard, and unpleasant situations.

On the other hand, I have had several activities which I have thought that I have never wished, and I have been involved in negative and poorly situations where I wished I had never been born.

Besides, one of my best quality is to have a positive attitude which plays a good role in this area because I can see some problems in a different way, or see them in a different perspective no matter if they seem to be impossible to solve, but I think what all problems leave an excellent victory flavor when I beat them using all knowledge what I have been learning during the classes from my tutor and teachers of the university.

Finally, other qualities which I have been using during this term are the sense of humor and creative for getting my students' attention.
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IV. Palmer discusses six paradoxes of pedagogical design (pp.73-83). Choose one to focus on.  Share examples of teaching environments you have experienced where this paradox is honored.  Have you ever been in a classroom where only half of the paradox was honored while the other half was ignored? Describe what that classroom was like.

Since, I started my English teaching practice in INSA I have been teaching in one of the six paradox, and it is the third one. That says:  "The space should invite the voice of the individual and the voice of the group".

A teacher must create an environment when his students feel confident, authentic and unique, then he has to encourage them to express or explain their points of views, ideas, feelings, beliefs, confusions, fears, emotions, etc. Because the learning does not happen if the students are unable to express their doubts; furthermore, the topics must be related with real life where they can explore, discuss, affirm, answer, debate, make conclusions, or apply their knowledge which has been learnt from their teacher and the voice of the group.

On the other hand, on this space learning and teaching must be focused more than a forum for individual expressions.

The teacher task is to listening what group's voice is saying.