ESL Instructor
My Teaching Philosophy
One remarkable time period in my English learning life was when I attended a summer camp in Britain. I took ESL classes in a local school and lived with a host family. Both experiences helped me to notice the importance of learning in an authentic environment. However, all the required tests and exams I took emphasize the importance of explicit knowledge such as grammar and vocabulary. From my own experience, grammar and vocabulary are lifeless if their use in authentic, meaningful contexts is not integrated into the lessons. Since not all students are fortunate enough to have the experience that I had, balancing between the accuracy of language forms and students' engagement in communicative activities is what I want to achieve in my language classrooms. My classes are the summer camp and the host family that my students need.
In the Community Language Program at Teachers College, where I have been teaching, I always encourage students to speak so. I could notice their struggles immediately and adjust my lesson plans accordingly. In my class, students learn speaking (learn to speak) in activities that provide contexts for them to make an invitation, show appreciation, give instructions, and so on. They also speak to learn which means they are not required to speak error-free sentences; instead, they will be provided with feedback so they can learn to use correct grammar structures and vocabulary. I found that the most engaging activity always involves students talking about their own experiences. Students feel more connected to the second language because they can talk about things that personally matter. Learning also becomes more effective in a real-life setting. In the textbook, there may be a dialogue between a customer and a client to teach expressions about shopping. In this case, students could bring their own shopping experience into the classroom, and learning becomes easier.
Another method to enhance their learning capability and consolidate learned knowledge is to provide them with plentiful practicing opportunities, the lack of which may lead to attrition easily. This doesn’t mean to give them a large number of grammar exercises but to allow them to use what they learned in a communicative way such as speaking or writing. My English proficiency improved significantly when I have to use and speak English daily. The language environment is very important and it could also help students to build their sense of the language. Although different students have various learning purposes, I still suggest that the true mastery of a language is equal to the ability to utilize the language in communication. Only to learn how to answer grammar questions and pass exams are not enough. Students also need to create opportunities for themselves. They could find an advanced English speaker to communicate with after class. Students need various contexts to practice what they learned, make errors, and receive feedback from the teacher or friend.
Language learning is an integrated and complex process. As a teacher, my goal is to make the integration easier and more efficient for my students. Students experience their lives with different stages, different emotions, and experiences and I could help them to put these life pieces together for language learning.