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Teaching philosophy

What are some aspects of my teaching methods that I will implement in my classroom?

How can my experience as an L2 learner contribute to my teaching strategies? These are the

questions that will structure my teaching philosophy in a way that I consider to be effective.

● Motivation through learning activities more than presentations.

Students need to enjoy learning the target language. Learning should happen whenever

they come into contact with the L2; whether it is through the activities or even through a

grammar lesson. Teaching should also be fun and creative. To be able to create a lesson where

students will work and learn together will be ideal. But there will always be difficulties and

challenges from both the teacher and the students. I believe that the more students get involved

in the target language, the more they will be able to master it.

● My role as a teacher.

The chapters that we have been studying so far have helped me refine my teaching

philosophy in the way that I could better apply my own experience to teaching strategies. Our

class discussion has also arisen some of the questions which never really came into my mind.

One of them dealt with how a teacher needs to accommodate to students who have special needs.

In this situation, I will need to be aware of what the school can provide to help. My role as a

teacher is to be constantly informed with not only all aspects of teachings but also with my

students’ learning conditions.

● Students’ assessments and classroom environment.

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I will use various form of assessments to ensure my students’ progress. One of the ways

that I will do so is to build a routine in my classroom. There are many ways to assess students’

learning development depending on the English skills I will be assigned. In a listening and

speaking class for instance, I really enjoy fluency lines and dialogue journals where I can

individually correct a specific student if needed. However, in a reading class, the ACTIVE

approach (Activate prior knowledge, Cultivate vocabulary, Think about meaning, Increase

reading fluency, Verify strategies and Evaluate progress) will be more effective to me as it

involves reciprocity among the language skills.

● From L2 learner to L2 teacher.

My experience as a second language learner will help me have a better understanding of

my students because I will be able to relate to the challenges that they face as they learn the

target language. This has shaped me as a teacher as it typically helps me evaluate the way I

present a given concept to the students. I use my own experience as a learner to shape my lesson

objectives.

To conclude, I believe that language teaching and learning are not static but flexible. This

fact has made me understand that an effective teacher will always be informed about the changes

that occur in teaching. As I relate to my students learning methods, I will be able to use my

teaching experience to understand the caveats of theirs needs.