My Teaching Philosophy
I believe that my role as an ESL instructor is to support adult learners in reaching their linguistic and communicative goals to be independent and critical members of society who are able to live, work, thrive, and interact successfully with others. The key questions that I always seek to answer as I begin to work with a new group of learners are: i) ‘why are they here to learn English?’ ii) ‘what do they need to learn?’ and iii) ‘what do they already know?’. With this information, I can develop my curriculum and lessons accordingly, choose or create appropriate materials, and understand how to effectively connect and build relationships with each and every learner.
I aim to lead my classes as a guide and facilitator. In my work with adult newcomers to Canada, my lessons are usually designed based on learners’ stated language learning goals as well as social needs such as learning about intercultural communication and adjusting to life in a new country. I want my learners to be working with language for real-life situations, using realia and drawing from their own experiences. I am cognizant of the need to raise my learners’ background knowledge first before introducing new content, and I strive to engage learners in active and cooperative learning tasks.
I also believe that learning is most meaningful and relevant for the learners by developing curriculum that is student-driven, or at least created with student input. I can also find opportunities to provide learners with choices: this can range from learners being able to choose from a variety of activities during a lesson, or choose which reading to complete from a carefully vetted selection. I am also committed to finding ways to incorporate technological/digital literacy as a relevant learning and life skill area into my lessons.
I believe that students learn best when learning with and from others. As such, I strive to find ways for students to share their knowledge and expertise with each other. This may happen formally through a ‘skills show and tell’ presentation project, or informally by having tech-savvy students help classmates who are less familiar with computers. By encouraging learners to work together and seek support from each other, I am helping to build a strong learning community.
Additionally, I include my mentors and volunteers as part of my ‘teaching team’ whenever possible and appropriate. In the past, I have had guest speakers and former students come to share their experiences and knowledge with my learners, and I also have encouraged learners to get involved in community events as participants and/or volunteers. By widening the circle of learning outside of the classroom walls, I believe I am supporting my learners in finding their voice and place in society.
When working with adult ESL learners, I try to frame discussions about social issues (such as homelessness, employment standards, and racism) so that my students can reflect on how these issues affect them and what their role is or can be in making change happen. I must be ready to carefully guide and support my learners through often very challenging and stressful moments in their lives, while at the same time recognizing the limitations of my role as an instructor.
Of course, a focus on language learning is also at the heart of what I do as an instructor. Therefore, I strive to help learners reach their goals in developing their specific English skills such as listening and speaking, grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. I also believe that it’s important to support learners in developing cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies in order to become independent and critical learners.
I believe that ongoing reflection, professional development, and collaboration with other teaching professionals are vital elements of excellence in teaching. As a conscientious teacher, I must stay true to my philosophy and vision, be patient and intentional, and create the right conditions for my teaching practice to be a reflection of what I believe in.
I aim to lead my classes as a guide and facilitator. In my work with adult newcomers to Canada, my lessons are usually designed based on learners’ stated language learning goals as well as social needs such as learning about intercultural communication and adjusting to life in a new country. I want my learners to be working with language for real-life situations, using realia and drawing from their own experiences. I am cognizant of the need to raise my learners’ background knowledge first before introducing new content, and I strive to engage learners in active and cooperative learning tasks.
I also believe that learning is most meaningful and relevant for the learners by developing curriculum that is student-driven, or at least created with student input. I can also find opportunities to provide learners with choices: this can range from learners being able to choose from a variety of activities during a lesson, or choose which reading to complete from a carefully vetted selection. I am also committed to finding ways to incorporate technological/digital literacy as a relevant learning and life skill area into my lessons.
I believe that students learn best when learning with and from others. As such, I strive to find ways for students to share their knowledge and expertise with each other. This may happen formally through a ‘skills show and tell’ presentation project, or informally by having tech-savvy students help classmates who are less familiar with computers. By encouraging learners to work together and seek support from each other, I am helping to build a strong learning community.
Additionally, I include my mentors and volunteers as part of my ‘teaching team’ whenever possible and appropriate. In the past, I have had guest speakers and former students come to share their experiences and knowledge with my learners, and I also have encouraged learners to get involved in community events as participants and/or volunteers. By widening the circle of learning outside of the classroom walls, I believe I am supporting my learners in finding their voice and place in society.
When working with adult ESL learners, I try to frame discussions about social issues (such as homelessness, employment standards, and racism) so that my students can reflect on how these issues affect them and what their role is or can be in making change happen. I must be ready to carefully guide and support my learners through often very challenging and stressful moments in their lives, while at the same time recognizing the limitations of my role as an instructor.
Of course, a focus on language learning is also at the heart of what I do as an instructor. Therefore, I strive to help learners reach their goals in developing their specific English skills such as listening and speaking, grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. I also believe that it’s important to support learners in developing cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies in order to become independent and critical learners.
I believe that ongoing reflection, professional development, and collaboration with other teaching professionals are vital elements of excellence in teaching. As a conscientious teacher, I must stay true to my philosophy and vision, be patient and intentional, and create the right conditions for my teaching practice to be a reflection of what I believe in.