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Elizabeth Friedeman

C&T 491- Dr. Cho

26 June 2017

Teaching Philosophy

The TESOL Practicum at Kyunghwa provided me my first taste of teaching EFL in the

classroom, as well as the various philosophies circling around how to best approach English

language learning and teaching. While my teaching philosophy is of course still in development,

six weeks of practicum have exposed and prompted me to reflect on my teaching preferences and

priorities.

Through the practicums coursework, I learned about three main approaches to language

teaching: communicative language teaching (CLT), content-based instruction (CBI), and task-

based language teaching (TBLT). All three of these approaches resonated with my desire to

make EFL learning meaningful and engaging, especially after reading after and observing how

English education in Korea tends to be decontextualized and monotonous. However, when a

teacher has to think about different English levels, purposes for learning English, and other

limitations/factors as we have experienced on this practicum, committing to just one approach in

lesson plans proves difficult. My teaching philosophy is to try and tap aspects of all three of

these philosophies, when the situation is right and alongside meaningful explicit instruction. I

think the most important overarching goal is to make the English instruction purposeful and

incorporate real-life context. CLT, CBI, and TBLT all demonstrate how language can be taken

out of the textbook, out of the grammar structures, and out of the classroom.

I appreciate how the CLT approach allows for EFL input and output in a meaningful way,

focusing on communication skills. Some learning contexts like Korea, where students and
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teachers are so focused on high-stakes tests, may be unaccustomed to or lacking in approaches

that prioritize communication skills. While this offers a challenge to implementing CLT lessons

in the classroom, I think the Korean EFL context makes it more imperative for teachers to

supplement grammar-focused instruction with CLT so that students find greater confidence and

purpose in learning and using English. However, it takes a skilled teacher to implement CLT in

accordance with student ability and purpose (test, job, etc.) Even from the beginning, I believe

CLT-based activities should be a part of the lessons to foster confidence speaking and listening.

As a language learner myself, I understand how a communicative approach proves difficult

without fundamentals in the language. However, even in the beginning stages of learning I would

like to cultivate CLT in the classroom to help students overcome any intermediate slumps or

problems speaking and listening later on.

As a teacher in the EB, I observed and resonated with the TBLT approach because of the

students business purpose in learning English. TBLT was incorporated through info-gap

activities like a business-client exchange. I will incorporate TBLT when student situations

necessitate more focused English. However, some TBLT tasks may limit student freedom to

express themselves, particularly when there is a pre-prescribed dialogue and redundancy. So, I

think I can best utilize TBLT by making the tasks feature some aspect of student creativity or

decision, so that student input makes a difference and thus better engages the students in the

activity. TBLT proves useful for language learning because it can simulate real-life objectives. It

can be implemented to allow for students to comprehend and practice different opinions or

outcomes.

Third, CBI provides context and purpose for learning English because it concurrently

covers subject or thematic material while teaching English language. My final year of Spanish in
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high school incorporated CBI and I found myself more confident and engaged in expressing

opinions, negotiating meaning, and thinking critically and more completely in my L2. However,

the CBI worked well largely because as seniors in AP Spanish we had among all of us at least a

solid background in Spanish vocabulary and phrases. Without strength in the fundamentals of

EFL, I predict that using CBI may confuse and intimidate some learners. Therefore, I think that

CBI can contextualize learning later on the process while a combination of explicit teaching and

CLT/TBLT-based activities can better serve beginning learners.

The final aspect of my teaching philosophy, which parallels my priority to make English

language learning occur with context and a sense of purpose, is to incorporate outreach and get

students involved in a community of language learning. Though more possible in the ESL

context, service projects and field trips help students practice meaningful language input and

output in the real world and integrate themselves into the languages community. When service

projects are not possible, even just establishing a good relationship between students and

between students and teachers can facilitate greater language learning. Though native teachers

inevitably have a cultural divide between teacher and student, simple gestures and enthusiasm

with the students goes far toward making the students feel more like a part of, and less like a

subject of, the English language community. Thus, I find myself aligned with some of the

aspects of ____ where monitoring the classroom dynamics and relationships between all

involved parties is an important language teaching consideration.

Lastly, in teaching English I want to make sure that I do not project or influence a view

of English, and American English, as the dominating form of communication. Before teaching in

Korea, I thought that my role as an American English speaker would naturally help the

students acquire skills in the type of English needed for the globalized world. Perhaps a lot of
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people who enter the EFL field think this way. However, I have realized that American English

or any English interactions that occur across the world are not really all that natural and

standardized, and it takes an open-minded, culturally aware, and competent teacher to connect

well and make an impact in the EFL context. I now want to make sure I do not convince my

students of any American English dominance by demonstrating appreciation for other languages,

for the culture of my students, and for the multitude of interactions that can occur between

languages and cultures. English teachers should have an open mind toward other cultures and be

willing to incorporate views, beliefs, and even English beyond their standard English and

culture.