Alison Dykman

Teaching Philosophy
January 31, 2016
My overarching goal in my classroom is to develop in my students an
understanding and hopefully, a love of a language and culture that is not their own.
While some of my students will go on to lives that involve continuing their learning and
use of French, the majority of them will not. So while I have them, I use the opportunity
to expose them to a world that is not their own. Students that may not use French in
their lives beyond high school will have a learned intercultural competence that will
serve them well in our increasingly interconnected world.
I want students to know what French can teach them about seemingly unrelated
topics. French is so connected to English and can bring students knowledge about their
own lives in so many ways. I want students to make connections and be able to see how
related we all are to one another, as a piece of their ever-growing intercultural
competence.
I always want to make my material communicative for my students. However, I
dont want to speak French just for the sake of speaking French, losing what is
comprehensible to my students. I dont want to adopt an arbitrary amount of French
that must be spoke in the classroom, as this ignores my students knowledge they bring
by in already knowing English, Spanish, and others that can prove very helpful and
expedient in the language classroom.
I always strive to make material relevant to my students lives. I continually
assess the material I am presenting in all levels of French, making adjustments as
necessary. As content becomes unnecessary or obsolete, I replace it with more relevant
material. I integrate more up-to-date technology vocabulary, current music and news
stories. Each summer, I spend time reading, researching and adding to my archives the
newest material that will keep my curriculum up to date. I take part in online
professional learning communities that keep me up on the day-to-day goings-on of the
Francophone world that allow me to do the same for my students.
Teaching is a performance art. By keeping my students entertained and engaged,
I keep them focused and involved in the material. My personality is very conducive to
this and my willingness to be goofy and look silly is appreciated by teenagers who love
adults who look and act ridiculous at times. I believe very strongly that humor should be
used in the classroom and that students should enjoy being in your classroom not only
because of the material you are presenting but also because of how it is presented.
I always work to preserve strong relationships with each of my students. Learning
a language can be a stressful experience for students and I always want them to feel
comfortable experiencing and experimenting with French. Most of my students will be
with me for at least two years, some for all four years of their time in high school.
Without a strong personal connection, I lose buy-in from these students. Whether I
connect through French conversations aimed at personal interests in class or English

conversations about something a student is concerned about between classes, I always

make a point to be engaged with students in and out of my classroom.
I always want to maintain high expectations for my classroom and myself.
Believing that my students and I are always capable of more keeps me striving for better
than the day before. Daily assessments of what worked and what did not, of what could
be added or changed, help me improve my teaching and ask more of my classes daily.
My students are always capable of more than I am asking and I am constantly pushing
myself for improvement.
I strive each day to start fresh. One day may be difficult. One attempt at a new
method may not go well. But every day I have to start again. Teaching is not a job that
will let me dwell on what did not go well for long. I have to look at what went wrong, fix
what I can and move forward. I reflect daily on my teaching practices. At the end of each
unit, my students reflect on what worked and did not work for them on a personal level
using the ACTFL Can Do statements applicable to that unit. I use these reflections to
inform my teaching moving forward during the year.
My students live in a world of ever-changing technology. I work to incorporate
the latest technology, not for the sake of doing it, but for the purpose of reaching my
students and preparing them for our quickly forward moving society. Part of my job,
even as a language teacher, is to help them become technologically literate citizens.
Society assumes they will be and school districts assume that because students have
grown up with technology that they can use it effectively. I know after nearly twelve
years in the classroom that most students still need basic instruction in simple
technological skills and part of what they learn in all courses is to be technologically
literate.
Overall, I want students to leave my classroom with a working knowledge and
appreciation of the French language and culture. I want them to learn how to selfassess, how to approach new skills, and how to appropriately maneuver in a culturally
diverse world. As a teacher, I always want to approach my classroom as a developing
organism, ever changing and growing as need be. Ultimately, it is the positive personal
relationship between my students and myself that is the heart of my successful
classroom.