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ABOUT

ABOUT ME

My name is Brandon Crowder. I'm from the United States, specifically from the state of Alabama. I graduated from the University of North Alabama with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts. I have a passion for teaching, and I particularly enjoy helping teenagers learn and succeed. I've had the opportunity to fill a teaching role in multiple volunteer positions; these have helped prepare me for the position of being a Language Assistant in Madrid.

My philosophy on teaching is that students learn through a variety of activities that accommodate for all learning styles. However, relating with the students and showing that you care about their wellbeing are essential. These help create a connection between student and teacher as well as foster a positive atmosphere for learning and success. In an international context, cultural awareness is also important so that the teacher may adapt to the cultural context.

My expectation as a Language Assistant is that I will have the opportunity to invest my time and energy into students's lives in the classroom to help them learn English and ultimately be successful. Thus, I believe this will be a fulfilling position. In addition, I believe I will learn a lot on how to be an effective teacher. Finally, I am very interested in the education field for a long-term career. Therefore, I expect this position to help me learn about the education field and decide how well of a fit it is for me to work in for the long term.

MY PLACEMENT

I have been placed as a Language Assistant for the 2020–2021 school year in a bilingual high school in Collado Villalba, a small city close to the mountains in the Community of Madrid. This high school has roughly one thousand students. These students are between 12 and 18 years old in the grade levels of first year of ESO to second year of Bachillerato. I teach all grade levels with the exception of second year of Bachillerato. I have one advanced English class for each of the grade levels of first year of ESO to fourth year of ESO. The rest of my classes are standard English classes with a variety of proficiency levels. I have classes with six different teachers.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students have been divided into groups, so class sizes are smaller, ranging from about 15 to 25 students. Furthermore, the groups of fourth year of ESO have in-person classes only one week out of every two, so I never see the same students in those groups for two consecutive weeks. I have one class with first year of Bachillerato. They are completely online, so my class with them is conducted through Zoom. All of my classes are strictly English classes.

My role is to prepare presentations and activities and do them as I lead classes for learning and practicing English; meanwhile, the teacher serves as a support role. There is a strong emphasis on speaking/conversation in the presentations and activities, as required for my position. In addition, I sometimes assist the lead teachers during activities they have planned ahead of time. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, special consideration is taken when deciding which activities and teaching materials are appropriate during a time when contact must be minimized and social distance must be maintained.

My goal for learners is that they are motivated to learn English, are given ample opportunities to demonstrate their English abilities, and are able to improve their English through a variety of activities that accommodate for all learning styles. My goal for self is that I will learn as much as possible about the world of education and improve as an effective teacher and working professional through this experience.

CONTRIBUTIONS

Two of my hobbies is to write a blog and to create vlogs (blogs in the form of video). The content consists mainly of traveling and my experience living in Spain and working as a Language Assistant. I was given the opportunity to share about these interests to my students within the first couple of weeks of class. This inspired the nature of my final project, which involves students creating their own blogs and vlogs with topics that pertain to their personal passions. Students in fourth year of ESO were great candidates for this, and the teacher was very excited for the project. It was done over several class periods as students needed guidance on

formatting blogs and vlogs, choosing topics, outlining, and creating final pieces. Overall, this project was a great success. Click here for a full representation of the final project in digital form.

The main activities I have conducted as a Language Assistant include slideshow presentations on a variety of topics with discussion questions. I also utilized music and videos. Some activities required teamwork, and others allowed students to give their own presentations as well as harness their own creativity. In the portfolio below, you will see highlights of the activities that I have created and conducted.