Running head: MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT

My Teaching Philosophy Statement

Ying Liu

UCR Extension: Portfolio

February 6, 2017
MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT 2

My Teaching Philosophy Statement

As a teacher of teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Ive always

been thinking that language is crucially beneficial to the students spiritual wellbeing. When they

are growing, their minds are full of curiosity about the world around them. Their minds are

constantly exploring those which are unknown to them, and they have a need to express in speech

or writing what comes out of their mind. At this moment, the expression of language or the choice

of language is particularly important to their interpretation of their observation. As we all know

that the language is our expression of thoughts, and language even shapes our thoughts. Thats

why I would love to be an English teacher.

I have always been thinking that I will be able to lead students to experience interpreting

those unknown things in language, which fascinates me. In order to do that, I studied linguistics

and language and learned numerous teaching theories and practical techniques which brought to

me confidence towards ESOL teaching. Currently, the world is changing fast, with advanced

technology becoming inseparable in our daily life; therefore, traditional teaching with teacher-

centeredness is out of date and not suitable any more for our fast-changing world and the

requirements for the well-rounded quality development of students.

Therefore, my ESOL teaching style will be focused on student-centeredness with my goals

and a welcoming and positive learning environment for them, so that they learn and grow.

I will break down my teaching philosophy into several parts. The following is my concrete steps

to build up my students:

1. Be patient, passionate and tolerant as a teacher

2. Set up goals and achieve measurable outcomes through each visible objective

3. Have a well-designed lesson plan

4. Establish a positive learning environment

5. Focus on student-centeredness

6. Maintain an effective classroom management

Be patient, passionate and tolerant as a teacher. I have a firm belief that I would

doubtlessly love this career with unique characteristics of patience, passion and tolerance because

I am building on the students. Their hearts and minds are open to me with expectation that they

would be loved and nurtured to be developed. I would establish a mutual trust and love between

them and me. Under this relationship, I would develop their motivation by helping them to

identify their strengths and potentials, acknowledging and encouraging them. Teaching is like to

plant a tree, without patience, passion, and tolerance, this process of building mutual trust cannot

be established at all. I used to teach undergraduates and graduates ESL, and I built up a trust

between my students and me. We still keep in touch. Some of them still bring me to tears by

sending me warm greetings and thankful words for being their ESL teacher. I value them, too. To

be a teacher, I know that I must have certain qualities which are a must in my life long teaching

career, without them, I cannot go far with my students.

Set up goals and achieve measurable outcomes through each visible objective. To be

a teacher, I have to set up goals for my students to strive for them. During the process of their

efforts towards the goals, I have to help them set up step-by-step practical and measurable

objectives to obtain. If the objects are too easy, then they cannot learn and grow; if the objects are

too difficult and they will get frustrated and would have a tendency to give up. According to Lev

Vygotskys zone of proximal development

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_of_proximal_development ), the students actual

development of the level is determined by his or her independent problem-solving ability in a

social setting or with the guidance of the teacher or the more competent peers. What the students
MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT 4

have in their minds does not mean that they are intelligible. So, tests are not the ultimate measures

to determine their intelligence. Different students do not have the same intelligence even though

they perform the same on the test. For example, in learning English language skills, each skill must

be obviously set and obtained. Students can be grouped with mixed levels to study a certain task.

Therefore, specific objectives must be set so that I can move their minds forward. It is important

that the students hard work and persistence must be valued in the process of language learning.

Have a well-designed lesson plan. A well-designed lesson plan is a presupposition to the

guarantee of a successful teaching. Before I begin to design my lesson plan, I have to identify my

students needs and levels; I have to analyze the rationale that I provide this lesson based on their

existing structure of knowledge; I have to decide what kind of teaching theory and technique or

skill I will use based on their learning styles to ensure that my teaching will get its maximum

effect. I have to be aware that the individual students understanding and acquisition of L2 is not

the same, based on that, I have to follow the simple six steps in having students do activities. To

make sure that I would always give direction, then model, check, give time, monitor and

feedback, and correct as a class so that I can check if the students really master what they are

supposed to learn or not according to my designed lesson plan.

For example, if I design a grammar lesson, I have to introduce the grammar patterns in a

context and integrate it with the other skills, such as reading, speaking, listening, and writing.

Language skills are not isolated, and on the contrary, they are intricately interwoven together as a

whole system to function for many meaningful purposes. When the students learn the L2, they use

these skills on the different levels at the same time. As Dewey (1956, p.75) wrote, From the

standpoint of the child, the great waste in school comes from his inability to utilize the

experiences he gets outside of school in any complete and free way; while, on the other hand, he
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is unable to apply in daily life what he is learning in school. Therefore, language skills are not

separated from one another, but taught as though they were an end in themselves.

Establish a positive learning environment. It is very important to establish a positive

and welcoming learning environment for the students. Under this learning atmosphere, they do

not have a pressure, and on the contrary, they are relaxed, more open and engaged, which is

conducive to their language acquisition. I remember that I tutored two brothers last year one at

age of 9, another 11. I always tried to create a positive environment for them. What I saw was

that they were so immersed into learning and actively asked relevant questions. To my

amazement, they showed their great ability to summarize some definitions of vocabulary words.

In return, I learnt from them by using different perspectives to paraphrase the words. When the

students mind is not tangled with such expression as, Oh, I cant; Oh, it is too difficult. and

etc., they are actually full of potential production. As a teacher, I will try my best to establish a

welcoming, non-threatening atmosphere and protect this kind of positive learning environment by

blocking the negative factors from coming into it.

Focus on student-centeredness. My teaching style would be definitely student-centered.

There are more advantages about student-centeredness than teacher-centeredness. Teacher-

centeredness is focused on the authority of the teacher, not the students. They are filled with the

knowledge for the sacrifice of their creativity, problem-solution, and cooperation. Student-

centeredness is focused on the students, just as Gattegno says, The teacher works with the

students; the students works on the language. (2011, p. 61) I, as a teacher, can only work with

the students for a while, and cannot accompany them in the long journey of their life. According

to Vygotsky theory of scaffolding, students development of level is critically determined by their

independent problem-solving by the guidance of the teacher or the more competent peers. I would

scaffold the students, and when they achieve some progress and feel comfortable in language task
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learning, I will gradually back out of it, so that they can complete it independently without my

guidance. So, I would try every means to help the students to identify how capable they are, to

encourage them, and develop their motivation. My role of teaching is to help them open the

window of the knowledge, watching them to explore the unknown areas until they grow to be

independent from my guidance. Thus, they can form a habit and life-long learning attitude which

will be beneficial to them for the rest of their life.

Maintain an effective classroom management. Classroom management is critical to the

success or failure of a class. Classroom management is not just to discipline the students

behaviors, but also to include how to use my teaching techniques to manage the whole class. For

example, I would use my teaching techniques to make the whole class flow smoothly; each

teaching activity should be transitioned naturally and smoothly; the proportion of teaching and

students practice should be allotted reasonably; feedback should be conducted as a whole class in

time; classroom management should be business-like. To manage an effective classroom would

guarantee that students are going to have a maximum learning outcome.

To summarize, as a teacher, I would be a facilitator to the students language learning.

What is important for them is to have a welcoming and positive learning environment with a

patient, passionate and tolerant teacher along with them. At their every step of learning process,

they will be able to see their measurable outcomes with gladness. In the student-centered learning

style, they would maximum their learning effects through my well-designed lesson plans and a

well-managed classroom. But I firmly believe that there is no fixed rule to teach L2 even though

there are so many theories, methods, approaches and techniques contributed to the L2 acquisition.

Students needs and levels determine what I should teach. Teaching and learning is not a one way

but two ways, not only about the teacher and students but also more about students among
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themselves. I will apply my teaching philosophy to my classroom which will prepare the students

to be knowledgeable and form a constructive attitude leading to their future.

References

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2016). Zone of proximal development. Retrieved from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_of_proximal_development

Larsen-Freeman, D. & Anderson M. (2011). Techniques & principles in language teaching.

NY: Oxford university press.

Dewey, J. (1956). The child and the curriculum and the school and society. Chicago: University

of Chicago press.