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Philosophy of Teaching Draft

Claudia Walukouw

UCR Extensions: Portfolio

August 20, 2018

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Self-Experience

Growing up as an English-language learner myself, a large part of my experience comes

from being a student in an ESL classroom. I came to the United States at age seven, and at the

time, I remember being unable to form a single, full sentence in English. The classroom quickly

changed that. Classes were fun, interactive, and they became the starting point for my passion to

help others learn the language. As my skills in English grew, I became the natural translator for

my family in social settings—helping them with paperwork, translating newspaper articles, and

navigating through various tasks. I think that this role helped me make connections between

English and real-life situations, as opposed to English used in purely educational settings.

Eventually, these experiences led me to pursue a degree in Third World Studies, and to

create plans to serve in the Peace Corps as an English instructor. I built a path towards this goal

by remaining active in school as a Peace Corps Campus Ambassador, as well as a tutor for UC

San Diego’s English-in-Action Conversation Program. Through these activities, I gained insight

on how culture and personality impact the language acquisition process for the individual. This,

in turn, inspires me to be a teacher who considers her students’ backgrounds and how that might

affect them in the classroom. I will be discussing two theories that support this type of learning

environment—the Sociocultural Theory and the Multiple Intelligences Theory—and how they

might be applied in classroom situations.

Sociocultural Theory

Part of my philosophy is that sociocultural awareness play an important role in

developing an effective curriculum for language learners. This idea is supported by Lev

Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, in which Vygotsky claims that “every function in the child’s

cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level”
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(1979). This suggests that, prior to pursuing individual knowledge, young learners are subject to

the social standards and expectations set by their community. The information that they have

learned are thus brought into the classroom and used as the foundation to process new

information. Vygotsky’s theory essentially claims that learning stems from social interactions at

an early age. As children grow, they pick up on tools for learning that are developed from their

respective surroundings. For example, whereas one culture may “emphasize memory strategies

such as note-taking, other cultures might utilize tools like reminders or rote memorization”

(Cherry, 2018). In the classroom, this may translate as the difference between what is and is not

relevant material for students. This is especially true when the class is made up of younger

learners. Therefore, in second-language instruction, Vygotsky’s theory suggests that it is

important for teachers to understand how the target vocabulary will be used in social settings.

Multiple Intelligences

Another theory that has helped me to shape my teaching philosophy is Howard Gardner’s

Multiple Intelligences (MI). When used effectively, I believe that this theory can be a powerful

tool in creating a learner-centered classroom. The basis of MI is that learners have different

strengths and weaknesses, and that there are eight different “intelligences” with which they may

identify: linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal,

intrapersonal, and naturalist intelligences (Rosenthal, 2015). The instructor may uncover these

intelligences by holding an assessment early on in the class curriculum, and using the results to

tailor lesson deliveries as necessary. It is important to note, however, that all learners possess all

eight types of intelligences at “varying levels of aptitude” and that learning is not restricted to

one’s strongest intelligence (Multiple Intelligences: What Does the Research Say, 2016). One

reason why I consider MI as a helpful source of instruction is because it provides research of the
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different ways that students are able to learn new materials. The theory also suggests that English

lessons do not necessarily have to be taught only with words— that there are different pathways

to approach subjects such as grammar, syntax, and writing, among others. This theory plays a

large role in my Philosophy of Teaching due to its inclusion of all learning styles and how it

benefits the classroom.

Sociocultural Theory Applied

One way to exemplify this theory in practice is to promote collaboration and interaction

between learners in the classroom. Depending on the students’ proficiency levels, I would

consider implementing this theory through frequent group work. For example, I would present an

open-ended question or puzzle, and ask them to work in groups to brainstorm a solution. I would

then ask each group to present their solution(s) to the others. If the students struggled to come up

with an answer, I would first encourage their peers to assist them—and would personally step in

only when necessary. In keeping the questions open-ended, and emphasizing peer-to-peer

collaboration, my goal is to observe two aspects of their interactions. The first is how the

students are communicating (i.e. level of English usage, code-switching, social dynamics); and

the second is whether or not there are particular sociocultural themes that support their reasoning

skills (i.e. cultural norms, socioeconomic statuses, family roles). One article argues that, “the

language as a means of making sense of experiences with others is a crucial step in learning to

use language meaningfully, appropriately, and effectively” (Bankovic, 2015). To create such an

opportunity for my students, I would use the information I gathered from these group discussions

to outline my lessons based on what is most prominent and relatable.

Multiple Intelligences Applied

Having experienced the ESL classroom as a learner myself, I find that my most vivid

memories are of lessons in which I was able to showcase my personal strengths. Personally, I
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remember taking the assessment for Multiple Intelligences and finding that my strengths

included musical intelligence. I was then able to connect this with memories of learning proper

sentence structures and use of articles by listening to and mimicking song lyrics as a young

learner. In discovering and encouraging learners to use their strengths in the classroom, they

would be better equipped to take control of their own education and educational goals. I would

incorporate MI into my lessons through assessments and a variety of activities that cover the

different intelligences. One article lists the types of activities that instructors may use based on

MI, these include: self-reflections for intrapersonal intelligence, social experiences for

interpersonal intelligence, and pictures for spatial intelligence (Armstrong, n.d.). I would include

several of these exercises into my lessons and note which ones are most beneficial to my

students.

Of course, adjusting to the students’ needs—both in MI and in sociocultural

expectations—comes with a set of challenges. In particular, lesson deliveries in this manner may

not be as predictable or as structured as conventional pedagogy may have been in the past. I

anticipate that the reality of my classroom atmospheres may vary greatly from anything I have

prepared; therefore, I believe that it is important to cultivate the skills needed to become a

response-driven teacher for my students. A response-driven teacher, in my personal philosophy,

is the ability to adapt lessons extemporaneously based on the responses that I observe from

students. Although this may be a challenge in various situations, I believe that the priority is to

help students learn as effectively as possible. Vygotsky and Gardner provided the theories that

serve as the foundation of this mindset. I believe that, as an instructor, it is my responsibility to

take these theories and create a setting in which students feel both encouraged and challenged to

pursue English education.

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Conclusion

I once read in an article published in 2011 that: “education is [...] capable of making a

major contribution to the reduction of poverty and inequality within developing societies,” and

that education of the English language plays an important role in that vision (Lamb, p. 186).

With this description in mind, the concepts that I learned through my personal experiences

helped me to understand that educational pursuits are entirely contextual to the cultural and

socio-economic backgrounds of the learners within that particular community. My goal as an

English teacher would therefore be to contribute to the spread of education, whilst maintaining

sensitivity and awareness of the community which I am serving. I would embody this through

theories such as the Sociocultural Theory and Multiple Intelligences— both of which

encourage creating a learner-centered classroom. Furthermore, although I do believe that it is

important to be able to present lessons that are accurate and effective, I believe that it is equally

important to create the setting in which students are motivated to pursue learning for their own

individual purposes. I think that one of my priorities as a teacher would be to encourage

education in this manner, and to foster the skills necessary for my learners to produce the target

language outside of the classroom with confidence.

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References

Armstrong, T. (n.d.). Multiple Intelligences. Retrieved from American Institute for Learning and

Human Development: http://www.institute4learning.com/resources/articles/multiple-

intelligences/

Bankovic, I. (n.d.). Sociocultural Theory and Second Language Acquisition. Retrieved from

English Language Teacher's Association: http://elta.org.rs/kio/nl/02-2015/serbia-elta-

newsletter-Feature%20article%20Socio%20cultural%20Theory.pdf

Cherry, K. (2018, April 29). What Is Sociocultural Theory? Retrieved from VeryWellMind.

Multiple Intelligences: What Does the Research Say. (2016, July 20). Retrieved from Edutopia:

https://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-research

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes.

Cambridge: Harvard University Press.