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Teaching Philosophy
Monchi Liu
appropriately, and accurately. In other words, knowing when, how, and why to say what to
whom. It is my belief that language should be taught with equal emphasis on all four skills
(Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing). To neglect any one of the four skills would be
detrimental to learners’ future application of the language, no matter for what purposes they
would like to use language. In light of my goals and beliefs about language teaching, my
theoretical foundations are based on Content-Based Instruction (CBI) and Task-Based Language
Teaching (TBLT) (Larsen-Freeman, & Anderson, 2011). They are the most meaningful
The purpose of learning English should be learning how to use it precisely, appropriately,
and fluently rather than rote memorization. Chinese learners, including high school and college
learners, mainly need to learn English for exams so they barely open their mouths to speak
English. However, they learn reading, writing, and listening pretty well. This situation causes
learners to only remember what the sentence means in Chinese and ignore the most essential fact
– application.
Language is a tool that is used for communication not for exams. To support my
conventional ways. Using authentic materials and organizing speaking activities can give
supports learners by using language that is embedded in relevant discourse rather than isolated
fragments, and TBLT focuses on using authentic language content and on requiring learners to do
meaningful tasks in the target language. Motivation and interest are two important features in
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY 3
supporting students’ success with challenging activities and helping them learn complex skills
(Grabe & Stoller, 1997). These two crucial elements also underlie CBI and TBLT. One way for
teachers to keep learners motivated and interested is to build respectful relationships with them
(Wlodkowski, 2008). I respect all different cultures and ethnicities in my class. Additionally, I try
to maintain a common classroom culture that all learners can accept. This atmosphere is more
likely to elicit learners’ intrinsic motivation because all voices are valued (Wlodkowski, 2008).
So, CBI and TBLT, methods which focus on real-world content and tasks, would perfectly match
my teaching goal.
learners to participate by involving them in making decisions, group work, facing challenges,
generating questions, and the like. These are all effective ways to create an inclusive
environment. In addition, some ways in which I try to engage learners in the classroom are to use
exciting games and activities which connect with the teaching principles and to use multimedia
resources for my teaching purposes and to maximize the connection of instruction with learners,
and to let them conduct peer assessment after activities. Also, a teacher's timely and encouraging
formative assessments in the teaching process will have a positive effect on attracting the
I consider my role as a facilitator to not only convey knowledge but also to respect my
learners, enable learning, and provide support to learners. I believe that it is important to
conducive to learning. A good relationship between teachers and learners can help them to learn
more, and even help teachers to manage the class effectively because learners will rely on the
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY 4
competence and meet the fundamental needs of learners and is willing to change the classroom
environment to fit the learners' cultures, ethnicities, and abilities. Moreover, I believe that
teaching and learning are both important in the long run of my future career as a teacher.
Therefore, through continuous learning and practice professional development, I can improve my
References
Larsen-Freeman, D., & Anderson, M. (2011). Techniques and principles in language teaching.
Oxford: OUP.
teaching all adults (pp. 126-127). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.