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Katie Curtis

Angela Gavin

TESL 322

13 April 2016

My Teaching Philosophy

My goal, as a teacher of English to non-native speakers, is to provide a learning

environment that will promote learning through the encouragement of individuality and the

acceptance of differing cultures.

Non-native English speakers have experiences that give them perspectives, which are tied

to how they learn and think about education. As a teacher it is essential to acknowledge these

differences in order to connect with each student. Students engage in their education when they

feel they are listened to and appreciated for their differences. A teacher cannot use one rigid

teaching style that only targets one learning style. My goal or philosophy is to avoid this way of

teaching. Instead it will be my goal to target each individual students learning style and use their

experiences to tailor my lessons in such a way that will promote learning in all my students.

A low affective filter is the best way to engage students in their own learning. As Krashen

describes in his affective filter hypothesis, acquiring a language is directly tied to a students

motivation, mood, or stress level (Freeman, 2014). If my students have a high affective filter then

they will not process the information I teach them and they will not be engaged with the material.

I intend to use a range of activities and daily check-ins with my students to keep their affective

filters low. I will use activities that encourage the students to share something about themselves
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every day through artwork or writings (poems, short stories, dramas). Ill pose a question or a

theme and give them the first ten minutes of class to depict something personal about themselves

or their experiences. The pieces my students produce during these activities will offer me the

opportunity to get to know my students and understand what funds of knowledge they can bring

into the environment of the classroom. I will also use daily check-ins to meet one-on-one with

each student and find out whats going on in their life outside of school or within the classroom.

Ill use the results from these check-ins to influence how I teach those students each day or each

week. I will make needed adjustments in my lesson plans to better connect with the struggles of

my students and help them in the areas where they are experiencing difficulties.

I believe that learning a second or additional language is most effective when it is

conducted in collaborative groups. Groups of students often are able to come together and trade

ideas or elaborate on concepts more successfully than when they work independently. This aligns

with Vygotskys zone of proximal development, which claims that children are able to achieve

more in interactive and support environment than they would working on their own (Lightbown,

2013). A student may be stuck on their own, confused about the content or they may have one

solid opinion about what theyre learning. In a group students can get help from their peers on

areas that confuse them. Groups also provide students with other opinions that may differ from

their own, allowing them to think critically about content and look at things they learn from more

than one lens.

Its simple to declare values and align oneself with other theorists or concepts of

education. It is entirely different to put those values and teaching concepts into practice. My

philosophy is to put every effort I have into the students I teach. I will set expectations for myself

and work to effectively teach all of my various students. It will be my goal to not overlook a
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single child, no matter if that means spending extra time and effort with each student

individually. Even if doing so means spending my personal time outside of the classroom on

finding new ways to help my students be successful in their education. I will fight to create a safe

environment for all my students no matter their history.

Works Cited
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Freeman, David E.; Freeman, Yvonne S. (2014). Essential Linguistics: What Teachers Need to

Know to Teach. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Lightbown, Patsy M.; Spada, Nina (2013). How Languages are Learned. United Kingdom:

Oxford University Press.