FIRST CONTACT WITH 2nd ESO

Tuesday afternoon. After the first impression, which was better than I expected, I was back to meet students from 2nd course. Our tutor had already explained us that this group was really a difficult one. Students in this IES are somehow grouped not only according to their learning abilities but also concentration capability. This group is what they call a "diversity group", with students coping with family problems and other difficult situation. Maria Rosa has decided to fully adapt content to their needs and way of learning and book is not followed word by word. She prepares different activities to fit their needs and interests. That day they were working on a small book about animals and they had to fulfill an easy questionnaire. They were in a computer room, where they usually have their English lessons. That classroom configuration might be an advantage many times, however that day was really disturbing because although they didn't need computers at all, some of them used PC for personal use, affecting concentration and task achievement. That day I realised how important an appropiate classroom configuration is. The class was very different from the first one but anyway students didn't feel uncomfortable with our presence and we started to know each one of them.