I had the opportunity to work with Miss Violeta. (So far, all teachers are called "Miss" followed by their first names, except for our host, Pedro Pablo, who is called "Profe," short for Profesor.) Miss Violeta has 32 students in each of her 3rd-grade English classes. She has the morning with one class and the afternoon with the other. The children line up in the morning and the girls greet her with a kiss, and the boys greet her by touching palms with her, then touching fists.
She has the class divided in 4 stations or groups, that sit together. These groups change periodically, and the class is often divided into different teams that do not follow the station. By doing this rearranging, Miss Violeta ensures that students learn to work with a variety of their peers. The photo below is of the captains choosing their teams.
Much of the group work is conducted outside, with the team captains responsible for ensuring that the students in their group are actually focusing on their tasks. If someone is playing instead of working, the captain must let Miss Violeta know.
