JOBSHADOWING SPAIN

The following document provides information containing the survey data collected on 10th February as a result of the job shadow experience which took place in Spain from 6th to 10th of February, 2017.

The purpose of this report is to show the key results from the survey. Thus, it will not include every possible breakdown of the data, but it will highlight the most important findings concerning the assessment of the lesson and the assessment of the students´ work given by the respondents.

The first part of the survey was focused on the teacher and it dealt with the assessment of the lesson. It included different items: the improvement of competences, the level of achieving the aims, the atmosphere on the lesson/interpersonal relations (both teacher-student and student-student), and the individual approach to students.

The answers given by the participants related to the improvement of competences have been discarded as the results were likely to be misleading, given the fact that we have come to the conclusion that the question must have been misinterpreted by the reader. In order to solve this issue, the question itself will be reformulated in the job shadow surveys to come.

The results for the achievement of the teacher´s aims have been very positive.  According to the respondents, the explanations provided by the teachers were clear and the tasks were very appealing to most of the students, feeling involved in all aspects of the learning process.

The answers concerning the atmosphere on the lesson/interpersonal relations in the classroom between the teacher and the students have emphasized the empathy and kindness as a way of communication among them. Another aspect to consider is that the participants thought that the students got help in releasing emotions and were strengthen by the teachers. The interpersonal relations among the students have also been considered to be very good. The relationship among peers showed very good interpersonal skills. Therefore, the combination of both the teacher-student and student-student interpersonal relations provided a very good classroom atmosphere reflecting the quality of learning.

To finish with the assessment of the lesson, the main opinion concerning the individual approach to students by the teacher is that despite the student-teacher ratio each student was noticed. Each of them got attention from the teacher and they were encouraged to take part and express their opinions during the lesson.

The second part of the survey dealt with the assessment of the students´ work. The students´ activity (listening, executing/performing the commands, initiation actions) has been rated as very good as well as their ability to formulate the problems, draw conclusions, look for the solutions and creativity.

The respondents also expressed the good ability of the students to work in groups and cooperate among them, showing respect and developing stronger communication skills.

The last item to be evaluated was the pace of the work in the classroom. Most of the answers confirmed that it was appropriate. Most of the students were actively involved and they did not have to struggle to follow the lesson or finish the tasks.

To finish with the analysis of the survey results, we would like to mention some of the comments the participants wrote. They described some of the sessions as “useful and very interesting”, “great lesson. I enjoyed it very much”, “concerning the emotions, it was very nice” or “students can work in groups and cooperate very well. Students speak English very well”.

As a conclusion of the above mentioned results, the job shadow survey has been very positive both for the participants and our teachers. We have gain an insight into our work and it has allowed us to view our lessons and procedures from a different angle.