Focus: Teachers & Teaching
Statement of Conception
I believe that teachers must be adaptable.
Definition of Terms
By adaptable I mean that, after observing the teaching environment — from classroom context to students’ goals and personalities — a teacher must be able to adjust plans (or scrap them) as needed.
Illustration
An example of this in the classroom is: A teacher arrives on the first day of an intermediate class, prepared to review present simple and present progressive tenses. But within minutes she discovers her students are well beyond that level, so — rather than continue with her planned lesson — she shifts her lesson plan to address the actual situation.
Implications & Applications
Because of this belief, when I teach I will need to be prepared with a variety of options or variations on a lesson plan, so that if the original doesn’t engage the students, or isn’t suited to their level or interest, I can “change gears” so that I don’t lose an opportunity to help the students learn.
Focus on Learners and Learning
Statement of Conception
I believe that learners are profoundly influenced by the attitudes of their peers and the teacher.
Definition of Terms
By influenced I mean that what classmates and instructors say and do affect — both positively and negatively — the attitudes of the student and thus influence their capacity for learning.
Illustration
An example of this in the classroom is: A student who is shy volunteers and answer. The teacher ignores his raised hand, or calls on him but doesn’t acknowledge the positive aspects of the answer. The student may become reluctant to try to participate again.
Implications & Applications
Because of this belief, when I teach I will try to learn about the natures of each student, to recognize the contribution of each, and to find a way of engaging the quieter ones rather than let them be drowned out by those more vocal.
Focus on Context & Culture
Statement of Conception
I believe that the student’s culture and life context need to become one integral facet of the curriculum, to the extent possible within the larger context: school, community, state.
Definition of Terms
By context I mean, first, the students’ situation (socioeconomic background, reasons for learning, family situation, culture); and second, the political environment of the school and of the community at large, in which the student lives.
Illustration
An example of this in the classroom is: coming into the classroom with an open and inquisitive mind, and a desire to learn about the lives of the students both as individuals and as learners. To transform this new knowledge into an effective curriculum, and one that is relevant and acceptable within the larger setting of school and state.
Implications & Applications
Because of this belief, when I teach I will: first, seek to know my students and learn as much as possible about their culture, values, norms, expectations and other crucial beliefs and aspects of their identity; second, find work within a school system whose philosophy is congruent with mine.
Focus on Educational Outcomes
Statement of Conception
I believe that educational outcomes can be viewed from many perspectives: that of the student, the teacher and the educational institution primary among them, and that these perspectives may not jibe with one another.
Definition of Terms
By perspectives I mean different conceptions of the goal in learning.
Illustration
An example of this in the classroom is: The student may be taking the class to learn enough English to get a job. The teacher may want the student to improve his/her grammar. The school may want the student to pass an exam which, among other things, can affect the reputation of the school in terms of its own successful outcomes.
Implications & Applications
Because of this belief, when I teach I will: be conscious of these three (and possibly other) expectations of outcomes, and try to find the territory in which the goals of all overlap. Consequently, at least partial success may be recognized by all parties. Also, I will seek teaching situations in which student goals, school goals and my own beliefs about teaching ESL are in sync with one another.
Focus on Subject Matter
Statement of Conception
I believe that: using English as a means to an end — rather than as the focus of a course — is a powerful and engaging method for language-learning as well as subject-learning.
Definition of Terms
- Means to an end: Using English to learn about something other than English
- Language-learning: Gaining competence in oral and written production and comprehension skills
- Subject-learning: Gaining knowledge about a matter of importance and interest, which serves as the overarching topic gluing together the language components
Illustration
An example of this in the classroom is: theme-based instruction in an ESL course, where a teacher, after assessing students’ needs and interests, conducts a series of lessons about a particular topic. For example: folk tales of the students’ country can be a thread through a series of classes. In preparation the teacher drills into the stories to identify the grammatical and other linguistic elements that are relevant to the students level and goals, and makes sure they are central (but subtly so) to the exercises. Listening, reading, writing and speaking tasks about the subject will also include the language item(s), but these won’t necessarily be taught explicitly.
Implications & Applications
Because of this belief, when I teach I will: focus on locating, modify and/or developing oral and written texts about a certain theme, and thread them through the curriculum, or perhaps (depending on the topic) use them alone for a single class. I would like to build up a selection of these topical materials to use as a primary source for my teaching. In learning to do this, I need to discover ways of gazing deep into relevant (and/or authentic) texts to identify their potential core linguistic structures, and then plucking out these elements to incorporate them with finesse into the students’ activities.