My teaching philosophy
As Penny Ur (1986) points out that teacher roles are related ultimately to assumptions about language and language learning at the level of approach. A good education is that teachers apply the theoretical knowledge learned to the classroom reasonably according to the situation of the students. The role of the teacher in a class is very important. The teacher is the designer of a class and designs the classroom activities. The teacher is the guider of a class to guide the entire atmosphere of the class. The teacher is also the supervisor of the classroom to ensure the normal operation of the classroom. Different teaching theories represent different teaching concepts, and each teacher has different teaching philosophy. The following are my philosophy that I hope will be used in my future classrooms.
The first concept I want to mention is the Affective Filter Hypothesis of Krashen (1982). In my opinion, a low anxiety classroom is very important. This theory considers classroom effects from the emotional factors of learning motivation, anxiety and self-confidence. In the second language classroom, students' general sense of pressure comes from worrying about the teacher's criticism, fear of being ridiculed by classmates, worrying about parental punishment, and worrying about losing face when they speak English. All of these causes create anxiety. However, these anxiety can cause students to focus on their own stress in the classroom rather than on the content of the class. In this situation, on a psychological level, comprehension input is blocked from entering the central nervous system. In my class, I will reduce the anxiety of students. For second language learners, due to cultural differences, students can easily feel unconfident and have high anxiety. As a future English teacher, I will improve classroom anxiety in these ways. First of all, at the beginning of the class, I will care about students and interact with them about daily life. For example, how are you today? How is life feeling lately? Through these daily interactions, teachers can quickly get closer to students, so that students also have less sense of distance.
In addition, there is a wonderful way which can help students reduce anxiety which is ‘no grade’ in class. Teachers can use an all-feedback and no-grade approach in the classroom because grades have always been the cause of student anxiety. Kohn, A., & Blum, S. D (2020) have previously condensed their own pedagogy into these for words “Start by trusting students.” In China, teachers and students are also very concerned about grades, and students are very concerned about the results of grades. I think the all-feedback and no-grade approach can very well alleviate students' anxiety about grades. Teachers give students sufficient trust, and students will learn more easily, allowing students to learn independently. Teachers give more feedback to students in the process of teaching and students' learning so that students feel that they are being concerned and valued, rather than simply giving students a result after students learn.
In terms of teaching methods, according to the theory of British linguist D. A. Wilkins, the communicative teaching method is very effective. I think a language is a tool, so it's important to be able to use the language properly. In a traditional teaching classroom, teachers help students understand the history, theory, and grammar of the target language. But many times, students who know the language can not use it. I think a language class should be a class that gives students the opportunity to use language, creates language situations that students may use in real life, and helps students use the target language in context.
At the same time, activities designed by teachers should also include cultural awareness, which can help students to understand language deeeply. For example, in an English class, you can't call the teacher 'teacher', but the 'professor', or the teacher's name directly. In my future classroom, I will also integrate the second language culture and second language habits into my classroom.
In conclusion, in my English class, firstly, I think a relaxed and happy atmosphere is very important. Secondly, in the teaching methods, I think the communicative culture teaching method is the main teaching method.
Reference:
Kohn, A., & Blum, S. D. (2020). Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead) (Teaching and Learning in Higher Education) (1st ed.). West Virginia University Press.
Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition.
Ur, P. (2012). A Course in English Language Teaching (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Hi Beijia!
ReplyDeleteWhen reading your blog entry, the one thing that really stood out to me was the quote you used: “Start by trusting your students.” I absolutely love this quote and I think that this is so important because it is so hard to do that in a classroom. As teachers, we obviously all want our students to succeed. It makes it so hard to watch our students productively struggle and sometimes even fail when they are in our classrooms. This is something I had to grapple with for a long time when I first started teaching. I ended up giving my students too much support and too much scaffolding because I wanted so badly for them to be successful. However, productive struggle is so massively important for our students. Students are more than capable of being in charge of their own learning if we provide the proper supports (not over supports) and we let them struggle. It is also so rewarding for a student when they finally learn the concept.
I think the idea of giving students some “no grade” assignments is very powerful for their affective filter. As you stated, Krashen’s theory of Affective Filter is so significant to language acquisition. If students are constantly feeling the pressure of a grade, they will have high anxiety, low self confidence, and low motivation. It will be harder to encourage them to take the risks necessary to develop language fluency and communication skills. Students need an environment where they are getting constructive feedback, not constantly feeling judged or shamed. I think that the steps you have described will help you to have a low-anxiety environment for your students. I think that you can also incorporate scaffolds into your lesson to help relieve some anxiety as well. For example, sometimes getting started on an assignment is the toughest part. Sentence starters or brainstorming before an activity can help get your students comfortable before they even begin. Providing background information can help them feel like they are more able to access the information. Allowing them to bounce their ideas off of peers or organize their thoughts in a graphic organizer can allow them to feel more prepared during a lesson.
Thanks for your awesome thoughts!
Thanks for your comment！Jackie！I agree with the scaffolding you mentioned, and scaffolding does relieve anxiety. Relieving anxiety through a no-scoring policy may not be enough, as scores are still effective to a certain extent. Everything is difficult at the beginning, student also need more time at the beginning. The is same for students with new knowledge. I also think that teachers should give more help to students at the beginning. Through the theory of Vygotsky, high challenge and high support in classroom, students' learning is also very effective. Last but not least, I think the starting activities you recommend are also very interesting.
DeleteHi Beijia! I really enjoyed reading your philosophy of teaching statement. Specifically, I agreed with your strong consideration of the Affective Filter Hypothesis from Krashen. Like you mentioned, it is crucial for teachers to consider how emotional factors can impact student motivation, anxiety, and self-confidence. I believe these three criteria are three criteria that are essential to a successful language learner, especially in a language classroom full of learners. As a teacher, it is essential to create an environment of open discourse where all students feel that they can produce the language without the fear of criticism from their peers or their teachers. Because of this, I like to emphasize in my classroom that everyone makes mistakes, even the teacher. As second language learners, each day is part of the learning process; it takes persistence and determination in the face of these mistakes to succeed. I am sure all of your students will feel very comfortable in your classroom as you value the importance of Krashen's Affective Filter Hypothesis.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, I think it's important to have students know that it's normal to make mistakes. Teachers also make mistakes. Although the role of a teacher is to be a model, I think a model does not make mistakes. Real model can admits and corrects mistakes when they make mistakes. Then, I agree with you that it is important for students not to be afraid of making mistakes, especially in language subjects. Because language needs to be spoken, when students understand knowledge and when students actually use language, these two things are completely different. Teaching students that it is normal to make mistakes can also greatly reduce student anxiety.
DeleteHi, Bella. Your “all-feedback and no-grade approach” impresses me a lot and I completely agree with Krashen’s affective filter hypothesis that anxiety would interfere with the learning process. Grades tend to be a source of anxiety. In many cases, parents and teachers pay too much attention to learners’ results and grades, which would cause learners’ pressure and discourage their interest and motivation for learning. As you mentioned, language teachers should make efforts to create a relaxed atmosphere in the classroom to reduce learners’ negative emotional response for learning. In this sense, the “all-feedback and no-grade approach” does work. I also believe that teachers should focus on learners' success and progress in the learning process to maintain a success-oriented learning environment. So I prefer formative assessment than summative assessment.
ReplyDeleteYinran
Thank you for agreeing with my theory, I think the full feedback no-score theory is very good. We as future Chinese teachers can learn, as ying said, our Chinese education is education that is measured by academic achievement, we use this approach may need to adjust. In my opinion, in China, it is impossible for us to abolish grades completely, and grades also have advantages. I think the ratio of test scores to total grades can be reduced, and teachers actively give feedback to students in classroom activities. According to Vygotsky's theory, high Students can also learn effectively in high -challenge and high-support situations. According to the Scaffolding Theory, teachers constantly help students in the beginning stage, and cultivating students' learning ability can also help students reduce stress. So, as a future Chinese teacher, I think that by using the previous method as a basis to apply the method suitable for Chinese students. We can’t complete copy, nor complete denial.
DeleteHello, Beijia. I’m extremely glad to find that we both believe Affective Filter Hypothesis and Communicative Language Teaching should be employed in our future teaching. It seems that you have a keen interest in reducing students’ anxiety, which was also mentioned in my teaching philosophy. You mentioned all-feedback and no-grade approach in your blog and I completely agree with you. However, there is a question hidden in my mind for a long time. I want to ask: Do you believe no-grade approach will be fully utilized by most of the Chinese English teachers (Since English education in our country is test-oriented)?
ReplyDeleteYing
Thank you for agreeing with my theory, I think the full feedback no-score theory is very good. We as future Chinese teachers can learn, as you said, our Chinese education is education that is measured by academic achievement, we use this approach may need to adjust. In my opinion, in China, it is impossible for us to abolish grades completely, and grades also have advantages. I think the ratio of test scores to total grades can be reduced, and teachers actively give feedback to students in classroom activities. According to Vygotsky's theory, high Students can also learn effectively in high -challenge and high-support situations. According to the Scaffolding Theory, teachers constantly help students in the beginning stage, and cultivating students' learning ability can also help students reduce stress. So, as a future Chinese teacher, I think that by using the previous method as a basis to apply the method suitable for Chinese students. We can’t complete copy, nor complete denial.
Delete