Statement of Language Teaching Philosophy & Methods
My overarching desire for language teaching is to help my students reach their own language goals. This is my greatest desire because as teachers, we serve the needs of our students, not the other way around. Because the demographics, language and education backgrounds and goals of the students are constantly changing, so will my teaching approaches and techniques. Therefore, I want to be in touch with the needs of my students and familiar with proven effective methods to teaching language. The principles that I believe transcend many different teaching contexts are: an emphasis on a functional approach to language in the simultaneous development of all four language skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening), cultivating students’ autonomy on the basis of intrinsic motivation, and creating an emotionally safe and relaxed environment for learning to take place.
All language teaching methods are based on one or a combination of three views of language: structural, functional and interactional (Richards & Rodgers, 2001). Within these three options, I favor the functional and interactional views because they are the most purposeful and communicative. A functional view offers that language is used for function, such as making a telephone call or ordering food at a restaurant. Of course, developing relationships and interacting socially can also be considered a language function, so I personally would combine the interactional view with the functional view. According to these views, learners require input from co-participants in order to be successful and gain exposure to the concepts of turn taking and language use for authentic purposes.
I am strongly drawn to Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) because with this approach, learning language means learning to communicate. Students are expected to interact with other people, through pair/group work or in writing. I will give students authentic language input materials to serve as a model and offer guidance for what they will encounter outside of the classroom. Authentic language reflects natural speech and is more likely to include integrated skills, which means language skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening) are used in conjunction with one another (McDonough, et al., 2013). An example of a task that involves skill integration is reading about an illness on the Internet and then calling a doctor to get more information. Then, as the doctor provides information, the integrated task requires writing notes about what he/she says and asking follow-up questions. Given these reasons, I will attempt to recreate language use in this way – integrated, not isolated, in communicative materials and assignments.
As I have become more familiar with language for communicative purposes, I strive to write all my lesson plans from a functional and interactional view. During the planning stages, I ask myself questions such as: What will do the students do with this task/concept after they leave the classroom? Does this task require input from another source/participant in order to be purposeful? How do students use language to participate and relate to others in this setting? After a little pondering, I will develop lessons with a goal and variety of measurable outcomes, from linguistic to content-based to discourse. This ensures the whole learner is being taught. I also strive to deliver activities through the four language skills so students can practice while their multiple intelligences are engaged. Examples of activities for language learners like these include shopping on the Internet. Here, student partners must a) see the product, read prices and reviews, b) talk together about the pros and cons of the purchase, and c) add the product to a list and justify why they want this item/gift. This example involves integrated skills because the students are reading, speaking and writing simultaneously. Of course, they are also listening to each other, evaluating a product and making decisions as a pair. For another group, planning a party is a good idea. Here, they will a) negotiate all the logistics of the party, b) write invitations and thank-you cards, read RSVPs and c) develop a graphic organizer (spreadsheet) of the costs of the party. This example involves integrated skills because it involves the written and oral collaboration of two people in order to make the party successful. Activities like these cover all of the elements of communicative competence as given by Brown (2007) and are easily adaptable depending on the goals and preferences of my learners.
I will strive to have my students receive and produce language in unrehearsed and naturalistic contexts. For example, to achieve these objectives, I will have my students visit local stores or shops and inquire about an item. These can include asking about the repair process of a broken watch or how to order cupcakes for a large party. My beliefs about the benefits of exposing students to authentic language are shared with Oxford (2001), in McDonough, et al. (2013)). Constant exposure to natural speech is important so learners will not feel a vast difference between what they have learned in the classroom and how they are expected to speak outside of it. Second, this approach allows me to monitor students’ abilities in multiple language skills at the same time. The different skills can be used to support one another, so if a student struggles with one skill, I can emphasize another in order to build upon the weakness. Finally, the integrated-skills approach emphasizes that language is used for people to share and interact for communicative purposes. As a result, language is not a means to passing a test or an area of study for study itself.
The second principle that I hope to carry to my language classroom is that of cultivating student autonomy. That is, I will aim to train my students to be largely responsible for their own learning and I will give them opportunities to focus on this learning through raising awareness of their learning styles (Brown, 2007). Once their learning preferences are established, students will work and learn more efficiently because they know which techniques appeal to them and which do not. Though students cannot always determine how they learn, they very often decide how much they learn based on their own levels of intrinsic motivation. As a teacher I will have many responsibilities, so if the students are intrinsically motivated, that is, motivated by self-determination and a desire for competence, I will have to focus less on providing motivation and more on actually teaching them (Deci, 1975, in Brown, 2007).
I can do a lot in order to build intrinsic motivation and autonomy in my students while developing their communicative competence, which include discourse, linguistic, sociolinguistic and strategic competencies. Discourse competence refers to the ability to link language coherently and linguistic competence refers to the ability to use a language’s grammatical and lexical structure. Strategic competence refers to the ability to use verbal and nonverbal language to navigate conversation and handle communication breakdowns, and sociolinguistic competence refers to a speaker’s ability to respond to language appropriately in different settings. In order to further these competencies, I will allow students to choose their own conversation topics (as opposed to one that I assign) and create reading materials for their classmates. Here, discourse and linguistic competences will be developed by reading texts of two substantial paragraphs or more and working in groups to negotiate for meaning. Strategic and sociolinguistic competencies will be cultivated by having students become familiar with the author (their classmate) and negotiate for meaning in their discussion of the content of their materials as they perform peer feedback. This will not only help improve their classmates’ work through the honest exchange of ideas, but also learn to show sensitivity and adapt to their audience. Importantly, my students will develop pride as their writing is shared, read and enjoyed by their classmates. It will also be the catalyst for class discussions where students exchange ideas and information about what their peers have produced.
I agree with Tomlinson (2011) that teachers can also help students build autonomy through language learning materials. First, Tomlinson (2011) said that in order to maximize a learner’s exposure in language use, I must engage them affectively and cognitively by way of purposeful and attractive materials. This is because materials are more likely to be taken in for processing when the “learners’ curiosity, interest and attention are attracted” (p. 8). Interests and curiosities will vary amongst different groups of learners, so I will conduct a needs-analysis early in the semester/teaching unit and be ready for adaptation.
I believe that novelty, variety and achievable challenge are the most important factors to developing students’ autonomy. Novelty is the use of unordinary topics and activities and will help prevent my classroom from getting into a rut. Topics and activities could include a debate on whether space aliens exist or a hot issue pertaining to our local community, such as what the government should do in case of an extreme water drought. Topics like these will inform students about local and global events, but also introduce them to new areas of study. At times, I will allow the students to choose their own topic for a classroom assignment to show them that I value their individual interests as well. Variety is the breaking up of a unit routine by way of an unexpected activity or text-type. I will strive for variety in my delivery methods (listening to a text one week, then reading it the next), so the learning doesn’t become predictable. With a variety of text-types, students will be more open to input from different sources and will also improve their critical reading and evaluation skills. With autonomy, students maintain the responsibility of choosing a source or model to follow for their learning purposes. A choice of equal models will empower the students and allow them to see that often there is not a right or wrong example to follow, as long as it reflects natural speech.
Finally, I believe that providing an achievable challenge for students is key to building and maintaining their autonomy. If the students do not feel the challenges I set for them are achievable, then they will not even undertake them. The same apathy will occur when being extremely under-challenged, which I desperately hope for them to avoid. To ensure their academic challenges are achievable, I will set objectives and benchmarks for the students to follow in order to monitor their progress. I will also be open to students achieving a common goal via whatever means they desire, such as performing a skit instead of a presentation (to inform classmates about a particular culture). Learner-centered activities and decisions can help learners develop autonomy in the classroom. As the facilitator of the classroom, I want to help students achieve what they want in the language, not what I think they should know.
The third principle I hope to bring to my language teaching is that learning should occur in a relaxed and supportive environment. This is because I believe, together with Dulay et al. (1982), in Tomlinson (2011), that the less anxious the learner, the more successful their language acquisition can be. If the students enter my classroom and know they will be supported, they may feel more comfortable experimenting with new aspects of the language or unfamiliar content. This environment will also help foster relationships between the students so they can make friends and practice the target language outside of class. This is particularly challenging for language students if they are the only one in the classroom with a certain L1 or from a particular culture.
Just like building student autonomy, I can assist with building a supportive learning environment. To do this, I will plan rewarding group experiences, such as co-curricular activities (Dörnyei & Murphey, 2003). During these group experiences, close proximity and interaction will be encouraged so the students become accustomed to working with others. Also, I can model everyday friendly and supportive behavior, by joining the student groups and sharing my own language learning experiences and personal stories with the students. Potential co-curricular activities may include volunteering with children or elderly for the day, cleaning a park or assisting tourists with local directions.
I will strive to ensure my teaching materials also help the learners feel at ease. This is vital to language learning because students constantly refer to classroom materials in order to facilitate their language learning. My belief that feelings of ease can be achieved through materials that encourage personal participation of the learners and help them learn instead of assess them is supported by Tomlinson (2011). Materials should never threaten the self-esteem of or cause embarrassment to a learner, so I must be mindful of the content I present to students. This can be accomplished by building materials with white space so students can jot notes and mark questions. I will also try to provide humorous pictures or illustrations that relate to a student’s original culture. Finally, I will strive to have clear and short directions on my materials so they are easy to interpret. These directions will help the learners gain confidence (which encourages autonomy) by providing an achievable challenge because they may be able to proceed without the teacher.
I want students to feel comfortable with both my learning environment and the materials I present in class. To do this, I will start my classes early in the semester with icebreakers that allow the students to share information about themselves. The other students will be required to ask their classmates (the speaker) a question about themselves or reveal a characteristic they have in common. Students in my class will also perform group assignments so they get comfortable expressing their opinions and sharing ideas. Beforehand, I will inform them of group roles (such as leader, secretary, peacemaker and organizer) so they can function in a variety of settings. If the students understand the expectations of group roles, they will more likely feel at ease when placed in a new group.
In conclusion, the three aspects of teaching that are extremely important to me are training students to use language functions in social interaction through integrated-skills, developing student autonomy and creating a safe environment in which students can thrive. Because these principles are in the best interests of the learner, I will strive to incorporate them into every class that I teach. My own learning will occur along the way. Now, I see it as my job to facilitate the needs and desires of every language learner who seeks my knowledge and assistance. As the TESOL field progresses and students become more intense in their willingness to learn, my skills and knowledge must evolve in order to stay current with my students and colleagues.
References
Brown, D.H. (2007). Teaching by principles: An integrative approach to language pedagogy. (3rd ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson Longman.
Dörnyei Z., & Murphey, T. (2003). Group dynamics in the language classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Deci, E. (1975). Intrinsic motivation. In D. H. Brown (2007). An integrative approach to language pedagogy. (3rd ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson Longman.
Dulay, H., Burt, M., & Krashen, S. (1982). Language Two. In B. Tomlinson (2011). Introduction: principles and procedures of language development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
McDonough, J., Shaw, C., & Masuhara, H. (2013). Materials and methods in ELT. (3rd ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
Oxford, R. (2001). Integrated skills in the ESL/EFL classroom. In J.McDonough, et. al. (2013). Materials and methods in ELT. (3rd ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2001). The nature of approaches and methods in language teaching. In Approaches and methods in language teaching: A description and analysis (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 18-35.
Tomlinson, B. (2011). Introduction: principles and procedures of materials development. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.) Materials development in language teaching (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 1-34.
All language teaching methods are based on one or a combination of three views of language: structural, functional and interactional (Richards & Rodgers, 2001). Within these three options, I favor the functional and interactional views because they are the most purposeful and communicative. A functional view offers that language is used for function, such as making a telephone call or ordering food at a restaurant. Of course, developing relationships and interacting socially can also be considered a language function, so I personally would combine the interactional view with the functional view. According to these views, learners require input from co-participants in order to be successful and gain exposure to the concepts of turn taking and language use for authentic purposes.
I am strongly drawn to Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) because with this approach, learning language means learning to communicate. Students are expected to interact with other people, through pair/group work or in writing. I will give students authentic language input materials to serve as a model and offer guidance for what they will encounter outside of the classroom. Authentic language reflects natural speech and is more likely to include integrated skills, which means language skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening) are used in conjunction with one another (McDonough, et al., 2013). An example of a task that involves skill integration is reading about an illness on the Internet and then calling a doctor to get more information. Then, as the doctor provides information, the integrated task requires writing notes about what he/she says and asking follow-up questions. Given these reasons, I will attempt to recreate language use in this way – integrated, not isolated, in communicative materials and assignments.
As I have become more familiar with language for communicative purposes, I strive to write all my lesson plans from a functional and interactional view. During the planning stages, I ask myself questions such as: What will do the students do with this task/concept after they leave the classroom? Does this task require input from another source/participant in order to be purposeful? How do students use language to participate and relate to others in this setting? After a little pondering, I will develop lessons with a goal and variety of measurable outcomes, from linguistic to content-based to discourse. This ensures the whole learner is being taught. I also strive to deliver activities through the four language skills so students can practice while their multiple intelligences are engaged. Examples of activities for language learners like these include shopping on the Internet. Here, student partners must a) see the product, read prices and reviews, b) talk together about the pros and cons of the purchase, and c) add the product to a list and justify why they want this item/gift. This example involves integrated skills because the students are reading, speaking and writing simultaneously. Of course, they are also listening to each other, evaluating a product and making decisions as a pair. For another group, planning a party is a good idea. Here, they will a) negotiate all the logistics of the party, b) write invitations and thank-you cards, read RSVPs and c) develop a graphic organizer (spreadsheet) of the costs of the party. This example involves integrated skills because it involves the written and oral collaboration of two people in order to make the party successful. Activities like these cover all of the elements of communicative competence as given by Brown (2007) and are easily adaptable depending on the goals and preferences of my learners.
I will strive to have my students receive and produce language in unrehearsed and naturalistic contexts. For example, to achieve these objectives, I will have my students visit local stores or shops and inquire about an item. These can include asking about the repair process of a broken watch or how to order cupcakes for a large party. My beliefs about the benefits of exposing students to authentic language are shared with Oxford (2001), in McDonough, et al. (2013)). Constant exposure to natural speech is important so learners will not feel a vast difference between what they have learned in the classroom and how they are expected to speak outside of it. Second, this approach allows me to monitor students’ abilities in multiple language skills at the same time. The different skills can be used to support one another, so if a student struggles with one skill, I can emphasize another in order to build upon the weakness. Finally, the integrated-skills approach emphasizes that language is used for people to share and interact for communicative purposes. As a result, language is not a means to passing a test or an area of study for study itself.
The second principle that I hope to carry to my language classroom is that of cultivating student autonomy. That is, I will aim to train my students to be largely responsible for their own learning and I will give them opportunities to focus on this learning through raising awareness of their learning styles (Brown, 2007). Once their learning preferences are established, students will work and learn more efficiently because they know which techniques appeal to them and which do not. Though students cannot always determine how they learn, they very often decide how much they learn based on their own levels of intrinsic motivation. As a teacher I will have many responsibilities, so if the students are intrinsically motivated, that is, motivated by self-determination and a desire for competence, I will have to focus less on providing motivation and more on actually teaching them (Deci, 1975, in Brown, 2007).
I can do a lot in order to build intrinsic motivation and autonomy in my students while developing their communicative competence, which include discourse, linguistic, sociolinguistic and strategic competencies. Discourse competence refers to the ability to link language coherently and linguistic competence refers to the ability to use a language’s grammatical and lexical structure. Strategic competence refers to the ability to use verbal and nonverbal language to navigate conversation and handle communication breakdowns, and sociolinguistic competence refers to a speaker’s ability to respond to language appropriately in different settings. In order to further these competencies, I will allow students to choose their own conversation topics (as opposed to one that I assign) and create reading materials for their classmates. Here, discourse and linguistic competences will be developed by reading texts of two substantial paragraphs or more and working in groups to negotiate for meaning. Strategic and sociolinguistic competencies will be cultivated by having students become familiar with the author (their classmate) and negotiate for meaning in their discussion of the content of their materials as they perform peer feedback. This will not only help improve their classmates’ work through the honest exchange of ideas, but also learn to show sensitivity and adapt to their audience. Importantly, my students will develop pride as their writing is shared, read and enjoyed by their classmates. It will also be the catalyst for class discussions where students exchange ideas and information about what their peers have produced.
I agree with Tomlinson (2011) that teachers can also help students build autonomy through language learning materials. First, Tomlinson (2011) said that in order to maximize a learner’s exposure in language use, I must engage them affectively and cognitively by way of purposeful and attractive materials. This is because materials are more likely to be taken in for processing when the “learners’ curiosity, interest and attention are attracted” (p. 8). Interests and curiosities will vary amongst different groups of learners, so I will conduct a needs-analysis early in the semester/teaching unit and be ready for adaptation.
I believe that novelty, variety and achievable challenge are the most important factors to developing students’ autonomy. Novelty is the use of unordinary topics and activities and will help prevent my classroom from getting into a rut. Topics and activities could include a debate on whether space aliens exist or a hot issue pertaining to our local community, such as what the government should do in case of an extreme water drought. Topics like these will inform students about local and global events, but also introduce them to new areas of study. At times, I will allow the students to choose their own topic for a classroom assignment to show them that I value their individual interests as well. Variety is the breaking up of a unit routine by way of an unexpected activity or text-type. I will strive for variety in my delivery methods (listening to a text one week, then reading it the next), so the learning doesn’t become predictable. With a variety of text-types, students will be more open to input from different sources and will also improve their critical reading and evaluation skills. With autonomy, students maintain the responsibility of choosing a source or model to follow for their learning purposes. A choice of equal models will empower the students and allow them to see that often there is not a right or wrong example to follow, as long as it reflects natural speech.
Finally, I believe that providing an achievable challenge for students is key to building and maintaining their autonomy. If the students do not feel the challenges I set for them are achievable, then they will not even undertake them. The same apathy will occur when being extremely under-challenged, which I desperately hope for them to avoid. To ensure their academic challenges are achievable, I will set objectives and benchmarks for the students to follow in order to monitor their progress. I will also be open to students achieving a common goal via whatever means they desire, such as performing a skit instead of a presentation (to inform classmates about a particular culture). Learner-centered activities and decisions can help learners develop autonomy in the classroom. As the facilitator of the classroom, I want to help students achieve what they want in the language, not what I think they should know.
The third principle I hope to bring to my language teaching is that learning should occur in a relaxed and supportive environment. This is because I believe, together with Dulay et al. (1982), in Tomlinson (2011), that the less anxious the learner, the more successful their language acquisition can be. If the students enter my classroom and know they will be supported, they may feel more comfortable experimenting with new aspects of the language or unfamiliar content. This environment will also help foster relationships between the students so they can make friends and practice the target language outside of class. This is particularly challenging for language students if they are the only one in the classroom with a certain L1 or from a particular culture.
Just like building student autonomy, I can assist with building a supportive learning environment. To do this, I will plan rewarding group experiences, such as co-curricular activities (Dörnyei & Murphey, 2003). During these group experiences, close proximity and interaction will be encouraged so the students become accustomed to working with others. Also, I can model everyday friendly and supportive behavior, by joining the student groups and sharing my own language learning experiences and personal stories with the students. Potential co-curricular activities may include volunteering with children or elderly for the day, cleaning a park or assisting tourists with local directions.
I will strive to ensure my teaching materials also help the learners feel at ease. This is vital to language learning because students constantly refer to classroom materials in order to facilitate their language learning. My belief that feelings of ease can be achieved through materials that encourage personal participation of the learners and help them learn instead of assess them is supported by Tomlinson (2011). Materials should never threaten the self-esteem of or cause embarrassment to a learner, so I must be mindful of the content I present to students. This can be accomplished by building materials with white space so students can jot notes and mark questions. I will also try to provide humorous pictures or illustrations that relate to a student’s original culture. Finally, I will strive to have clear and short directions on my materials so they are easy to interpret. These directions will help the learners gain confidence (which encourages autonomy) by providing an achievable challenge because they may be able to proceed without the teacher.
I want students to feel comfortable with both my learning environment and the materials I present in class. To do this, I will start my classes early in the semester with icebreakers that allow the students to share information about themselves. The other students will be required to ask their classmates (the speaker) a question about themselves or reveal a characteristic they have in common. Students in my class will also perform group assignments so they get comfortable expressing their opinions and sharing ideas. Beforehand, I will inform them of group roles (such as leader, secretary, peacemaker and organizer) so they can function in a variety of settings. If the students understand the expectations of group roles, they will more likely feel at ease when placed in a new group.
In conclusion, the three aspects of teaching that are extremely important to me are training students to use language functions in social interaction through integrated-skills, developing student autonomy and creating a safe environment in which students can thrive. Because these principles are in the best interests of the learner, I will strive to incorporate them into every class that I teach. My own learning will occur along the way. Now, I see it as my job to facilitate the needs and desires of every language learner who seeks my knowledge and assistance. As the TESOL field progresses and students become more intense in their willingness to learn, my skills and knowledge must evolve in order to stay current with my students and colleagues.
References
Brown, D.H. (2007). Teaching by principles: An integrative approach to language pedagogy. (3rd ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson Longman.
Dörnyei Z., & Murphey, T. (2003). Group dynamics in the language classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Deci, E. (1975). Intrinsic motivation. In D. H. Brown (2007). An integrative approach to language pedagogy. (3rd ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson Longman.
Dulay, H., Burt, M., & Krashen, S. (1982). Language Two. In B. Tomlinson (2011). Introduction: principles and procedures of language development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
McDonough, J., Shaw, C., & Masuhara, H. (2013). Materials and methods in ELT. (3rd ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
Oxford, R. (2001). Integrated skills in the ESL/EFL classroom. In J.McDonough, et. al. (2013). Materials and methods in ELT. (3rd ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2001). The nature of approaches and methods in language teaching. In Approaches and methods in language teaching: A description and analysis (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 18-35.
Tomlinson, B. (2011). Introduction: principles and procedures of materials development. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.) Materials development in language teaching (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 1-34.