Ryan Duff

Modern Language Philosophy

I believe that the biggest components in the foreign language classroom is keeping the
students engaged and motivated. My teaching style increases students learning motivation with a
mixture of enthusiasm, real-world activities, and the use of technology in the classroom. I am a
teacher who creates a safe learning environment, which is key to a foreign language classroom
and I do this by creating a classroom community and creating relationships with each of my
students.

My objective as a German teacher is to motivate my students and instil a desire to learn

about the German language and culture. In order to create this desire, I will create lessons and
units that the students can relate to real-world experiences such as creating class schedules,
reading and understanding train and ship schedules. I will also imbed my lessons and units with
the communication, culture, comparisons, communities, and connections standards. Using all 5
C’s the students will learn about the different cultures and all about their own cultures and norms
along with the German cultures and norms.

I strongly believe that as a modern language teacher I must stay 90% in the target
language. Although it may seem like a daunting task I will successfully reach that mark by using
the many different methods of making the content comprehensible. I will use methods, such as
total physical response (TPR) to get the students moving and engaged rather than using readings
and filling in the blank activities to teach vocabulary. I will use TPR with activities such as
learning commands, directions and body and body parts I will also use visuals, comprehension
checks, cognates to make the input comprehensible along with fluctuating the tone and speed of
my voice. All these methods ensure that I immerse the students in the language while making the
language comprehensible.

Another objective of mine as a teacher is to teach students the grammar structures and
rules needed to communicate in the language. I believe grammar is an important part of learning
the language but I think it is key to make it engaging and not just drills. That is why I plan to use
the PACE model whenever there is a new grammar structure or rule presented. I believe this
model works the best for students because they get an opportunity to interpret, explore, and
hypothesize what the new grammar structures are through reading or listening to texts in the
target language before I explicitly teach them the grammar concept. I believe this model engages
and motivates students as they learn and creates a student centered classroom.

I believe that effective teachers understand what proficiency level each student is at, and
find a way to accommodate for each student. One key way I will accommodate for the student’s
different proficiency levels is using different teaching styles to help each student. Technology is
a great tool to accommodate for students and it creates an engaging and productive learning
environment and increases student motivation. I will use technology to teach vocabulary from
the Marzano teaching strategy model, which uses pictures and gestures to introduce vocabulary
before explicitly telling the students. Another great way to create a student centered classroom. I
will also use programs such as pear deck to create interactive lessons, which record data for
formative assessment.

With all that being said I don’t simply want to teach my students, I want to inspire them. I
believe that every student has individual needs and if these needs are met than learning can
occur. I plan to do this by creating a safe learning environment by creating relationships with my
students and I will do this by integrating student’s interests and their individual needs into each
lesson. It is an amazing honor to be a teacher because it is one of only few professions that have
an influence on generations to come and I plan to take full advantage by being a positive role
model to all my students and teaching them the language that I love through personal
experiences and enthusiasm.