As a prospective educator of students learning English in non-English speaking countries, I have a unique background and experiences that have helped shape my character as well as theories and principles to guide specific pedagogical choices. Stemming from my experience as a learner myself, I have come to certain philosophies which I hold great importance to. Three of these are , planning authentic and communicative activities, providing differentiation, and engaging in self-reflective teaching. I believe these three elements are crucial to a classroom in order to go above and beyond the school’s standards and basic academic uniformities.
Growing up in America as a Chinese adoptee gave a unique twist on my language learning experience. I pursued Mandarin as a means of exploring my own heritage rather than simply for meeting a requirement, as some of my peers did at the time. This was an academic journey as well as an emotional one. While studying abroad in China, I felt the pressure of looking Chinese but feeling “white”. My identity confusion peaked during this time, but also helped shape my picture of an ideal classroom where a caring, open-minded, and all-inclusive environment lies at the base. Academically, having experienced language instruction online and in traditional classroom settings, as well as studying abroad has given me a broader outlook on learning styles. As I’ve witnessed my peers and experienced personally the struggle with certain formats but ease in others, I’ve personally seen important ways in which teacher and program decisions can impact a student’s motivation and ability to learn. My personal learning experiences, as well as years of Education studies through Michigan State University, have led me to value the importance of differentiation.
In planning lessons, I believe that not only comprehensible input is a necessity but also authentic and communicative tasks hold great importance as a sometimes forgotten piece of the language puzzle. As comprehensible input is a key feature in SIOP, which I also am a strong advocate for, I also wish to use authentic real-world material such as actual restaurant menus, grocery lists, signs, and more in order to promote authentic tasks and encompass the fact that things students are learning in school are directly related to “real life” (Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2008). Along with authentic material, I believe authentic communicative tasks that are meaningful, have clear outcomes, and are relevant are unquestionable requirements. With comprehensible input, authentic material, and communicative activities, lessons will be engaging and meaningful which I strive towards.
While teaching lessons, in addition to my base belief of maintaining an all-inclusive environment, I also aspire in differentiating content, learning processes and assessments which can make an enormous difference for learners. In order to tailor instruction to meet individual needs, we should place emphasis on observing and analyzing each student individually. Simultaneously we should be considering affective factors such as motivation, self-efficacy, tolerance of ambiguity, and anxiety, etc., (Ehrman, Leaver, & Oxford, 2003). I desire to periodically conduct anonymous student surveys in order to gain feedback and participate in the ever-growing educational concept of Learner-Centered Teaching (Benson, 2012). Differentiating has proven to have positive academic results as well as help students gain a sense of ownership of their own learning. Differentiation is no doubt an element I will include as an educator.
Although I have many strategies and ideas for the classroom which I hold dear, one of the most challenging learning epiphanies I have gained thus far is that there is no achieving the “perfect teaching” status. Because teaching is a job requiring flexibility, patience, creativity, and dedication, as new learners enter the classroom each year, we as educators must grow with our students. In order to push myself to grow, I aspire to participate fully in reflective teaching through various types of feedback opportunities such as student dialogue journals, which I’ve observed through past teachers, and colleague-led student focus groups. A variety of reflective teaching methods with consideration of how obtrusive to the classroom they would be is key in improving teaching skills (Murphy, 2014). Nevertheless, striving for habits of reflective teaching is beneficial not only for students, but also for self-growth.
Not only do I want to include these principles and pedagogical concepts, but also I will be dedicated to my students in creating and maintaining a caring, open-minded, and all-inclusive environment at the base of the classroom fundamentals. With these important principles of differentiation, authentic and communicative activities, and reflective teaching; I look forward to continue improving my own pedagogical skills and to continue providing the best possible education for my students.
References
Benson, P. (2012). Ch 3: Learner-centered teaching. In Burns, A., & Richards, J. (Eds.), The Cambridge guide to pedagogy and practice in second language teaching (pp. 30-37). Cambridge, UK:
Cambridge University Press.
Echevaria, J., Vogt, M., & Short, D. (2008). Making content comprehensible for English language learners: The SIOP Model. New York: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Ehrman, M. E., Leaver, B. Lou, & Oxford, R. L. (2003). A brief overview of individual differences in second language learning. System, 31(3), 313–330.
Murphy, J. (2014). Teaching English as a second or foreign language (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Heinle. Ch 39: Reflective Teaching: Principles and Practices (pp. 613-629).
Growing up in America as a Chinese adoptee gave a unique twist on my language learning experience. I pursued Mandarin as a means of exploring my own heritage rather than simply for meeting a requirement, as some of my peers did at the time. This was an academic journey as well as an emotional one. While studying abroad in China, I felt the pressure of looking Chinese but feeling “white”. My identity confusion peaked during this time, but also helped shape my picture of an ideal classroom where a caring, open-minded, and all-inclusive environment lies at the base. Academically, having experienced language instruction online and in traditional classroom settings, as well as studying abroad has given me a broader outlook on learning styles. As I’ve witnessed my peers and experienced personally the struggle with certain formats but ease in others, I’ve personally seen important ways in which teacher and program decisions can impact a student’s motivation and ability to learn. My personal learning experiences, as well as years of Education studies through Michigan State University, have led me to value the importance of differentiation.
In planning lessons, I believe that not only comprehensible input is a necessity but also authentic and communicative tasks hold great importance as a sometimes forgotten piece of the language puzzle. As comprehensible input is a key feature in SIOP, which I also am a strong advocate for, I also wish to use authentic real-world material such as actual restaurant menus, grocery lists, signs, and more in order to promote authentic tasks and encompass the fact that things students are learning in school are directly related to “real life” (Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2008). Along with authentic material, I believe authentic communicative tasks that are meaningful, have clear outcomes, and are relevant are unquestionable requirements. With comprehensible input, authentic material, and communicative activities, lessons will be engaging and meaningful which I strive towards.
While teaching lessons, in addition to my base belief of maintaining an all-inclusive environment, I also aspire in differentiating content, learning processes and assessments which can make an enormous difference for learners. In order to tailor instruction to meet individual needs, we should place emphasis on observing and analyzing each student individually. Simultaneously we should be considering affective factors such as motivation, self-efficacy, tolerance of ambiguity, and anxiety, etc., (Ehrman, Leaver, & Oxford, 2003). I desire to periodically conduct anonymous student surveys in order to gain feedback and participate in the ever-growing educational concept of Learner-Centered Teaching (Benson, 2012). Differentiating has proven to have positive academic results as well as help students gain a sense of ownership of their own learning. Differentiation is no doubt an element I will include as an educator.
Although I have many strategies and ideas for the classroom which I hold dear, one of the most challenging learning epiphanies I have gained thus far is that there is no achieving the “perfect teaching” status. Because teaching is a job requiring flexibility, patience, creativity, and dedication, as new learners enter the classroom each year, we as educators must grow with our students. In order to push myself to grow, I aspire to participate fully in reflective teaching through various types of feedback opportunities such as student dialogue journals, which I’ve observed through past teachers, and colleague-led student focus groups. A variety of reflective teaching methods with consideration of how obtrusive to the classroom they would be is key in improving teaching skills (Murphy, 2014). Nevertheless, striving for habits of reflective teaching is beneficial not only for students, but also for self-growth.
Not only do I want to include these principles and pedagogical concepts, but also I will be dedicated to my students in creating and maintaining a caring, open-minded, and all-inclusive environment at the base of the classroom fundamentals. With these important principles of differentiation, authentic and communicative activities, and reflective teaching; I look forward to continue improving my own pedagogical skills and to continue providing the best possible education for my students.
References
Benson, P. (2012). Ch 3: Learner-centered teaching. In Burns, A., & Richards, J. (Eds.), The Cambridge guide to pedagogy and practice in second language teaching (pp. 30-37). Cambridge, UK:
Cambridge University Press.
Echevaria, J., Vogt, M., & Short, D. (2008). Making content comprehensible for English language learners: The SIOP Model. New York: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Ehrman, M. E., Leaver, B. Lou, & Oxford, R. L. (2003). A brief overview of individual differences in second language learning. System, 31(3), 313–330.
Murphy, J. (2014). Teaching English as a second or foreign language (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Heinle. Ch 39: Reflective Teaching: Principles and Practices (pp. 613-629).
Related Resources
Empathy & Inclusion for ELL Students
https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/empathy-inclusion-ell-students
Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol
http://www.cal.org/siop/
https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/empathy-inclusion-ell-students
Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol
http://www.cal.org/siop/
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