Teach to maximize potential In any given classroom, the spectrum of students ranges from: high-achieving to low-achieving students. The majority of students in a language class, I believe, fall into what I categorize as:
The curious, yet timid.
The capable, but unwilling.
The knowledgeable underachievers.
The ideal atmosphere for learning is when learners are free from discouraging remarks, ridicule, and shaming. Anxiety hinders the learner’s ability to learn, according to the Affective Filter hypothesis by Krashen (1982). Krashen states that certain anxieties are particular to the language learning setting. When a learner’s anxiety level is high, it can create a mental block that prevents comprehensible input from being processed; therefore it is my personal goal as a language teacher to mitigate the affective filter, as much possible, through classroom management. It is the duty of the teacher to continually give the reminder to not fear mistakes, and that learning is done through making mistakes. The ideal classroom is comfortable, yet engaging. I resonate with this definition of engage: “to induce to participate.” Learning, especially a language, involves “meaningful learner-learner, learner-teacher classroom interaction in which learners are entitled and encouraged to initiate topic and talk, not just react and respond” (Kumaravidelu 2003, p. 39). It is the duty of a teacher to maximize learning opportunities in the classroom. And ideally, the job is a success when learners are: curious, capable, willing, knowledgeable achievers.
Teach beyond one teaching method Being a lover of literature and reading, I have the desire to share the pastime of reading to improve language skills of my students. I am a proponent and advocate of Extensive Reading. Day and Bamford (1998) lay out the approach:
Students read as much as possible.
Reading materials are well within the reader’s grammatical and vocabulary competence.
Students choose their own reading and are not compelled to finish uninteresting material.
Ideally, depending if the resources are available, graded readers in a variety of subject matter will be provided to my students to read individually and silently in and out of the classroom. I construct my lessons using the Pre-During-Post Framework as a template. Prior to explicit grammar instruction, I think it is important to provide authentic and contextualized data so that learners can intuitively infer underlying grammatical rules and for the purpose of communication. An example of this is providing an interesting or fun warm-up activity. Of every lesson that introduces something new to the learner, the Post stage of the framework is vital for reinforcement of knowledge. There are numerous approaches and methods to teaching. I believe that each and every method is suitable in a specific context, and not so much in another. Total Physical Response, language lessons based in coordination with physical movement (Asher, 1969), are suitable in lessons for young language learners, and only suitable for other learners in a small part of a lesson. Language learning by focusing on the use of authentic language through meaningful and real-world tasks is a second language learning approach that can be used with all ages and proficiencies. In Task-Based Language Teaching, my goal is to develop tasks that are close to the real-world as possible. I also construct whole lessons plans by taking the idea of integrating multiple language skills, so that what can be learned is useful and relevant to students.
Teach for responsibility and goal-setting As much as a teacher is a resource for the student’s development, I believe learners are responsible for their own learning. It is important to set that kind of tone to students from the very first day of instruction. In order to promote learner autonomy, the first assignment given to students is to come up with goals for themselves regarding the language they are learning. It can be a single goal or a whole list, or a simple goal such as: passing the class, or a specific goal such as: being able to send a letter written in English. This assignment will not be collected, but be kept with the student to add, change, or cross-off goals during the length of a course. The idea of goal setting is to hopefully stir motivation and foster intrinsically valuable learning. Autonomy can be promoted by way of assessment. Providing comprehensive grading rubrics on: tests, presentations, writing assignments, and class participation, etc., can support students in identifying specific areas that they deem the need of improvement. Thus, my goal is to have students continue to construct goals that they have personalized and tailored for themselves. I am aware that the profession of teaching involves constant goal setting for myself as a teacher. Educators should always seek ways to improve their own teaching. One way that I believe is invaluable for personal improvement is the usage of journals, specifically teaching journals. I very much take the reflective approach to teaching, in which I reflect and write anything of importance to my development as a teacher, by keeping a teaching diary/journal. Teach to develop a community of learners Although student-centered teaching involves learners as individuals and finding ways of addressing individual needs and differences, I would like to have my class thought of as a community of learners with shared goals, needs and concerns. In my own language learning experience, my favorite and most effective Korean language teacher built a sense of community in the classroom in different ways. Here are some of them that stand out in my memory;
Using student’s names.
Helping students find learning partners and groups they are comfortable with.
Encouragement of interaction, cooperation, and collaboration.
Encouragement of a sense of friendship among students.
Encouragement to share experiences and stories.
Regularly using small-group tasks.
I believe that small group discussions, along with collaborative and cooperative activities is essential in the language learning classroom setting. My goal is to create an overall socially cohesive class and provide equal learning opportunities for all my students.
Teach with culture as a resource Taking Kumaravadivelu’s (2003) macrostrategy to teaching, my goal is to “raise cultural consciousness” by empowering all language backgrounds and cultural knowledge of students. In this age of globalization, the spread of English usage resulted to English as a Lingua Franca and a willingness for intercultural communication. A Lingua Franca is the use of a language as means of communication for speakers of different first-languages (Ferguson). Students also bring along their identity and heritage into the classroom. With this comes validation on my part as a teacher, to encourage students to participate in class activities, discussions, and assignments that are connected to them and to the world. I feel that culture should be a mainstay in language learning. Incorporating culture makes lessons more interesting. This involves adapting or supplementing topics from the prescribed textbook or curriculum to include the diverse cultural traits and legacies of students. The language learner will come across many discourse types. Providing insight on culture and various discourse types will help prepare the learner in interactions within not just the target language community, but as a global citizen as well.
References Asher, J. (1969). The total physical response approach to second language teaching. The Modern Language Journal, 51(1), 3-17.
Day, R.; Bamford, J. (1988), Extensive reading in the second language classroom, Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press
Ferguson, G. (2012). Barbara Seidlhofer: Understanding English as a Lingua Franca. Oxford University Press, 2011.Applied Linguistics,33(4), 463-465
Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and practices of second language acquisition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall International Kumaravadivelu, B. (2003) A postmethod perspective on language teaching. World Englishes, 22(4), 539-550