As a teacher, it is my responsibility to ensure the students I encounter leave with more confidence and skill in English than before they came to me. It is my belief that each student learns in their own unique way, however example and effort are needed each person’s journey. People learn through mistakes. While these areas are important, the area that is of utmost importance is comfort. A person can only learn when they are able to mentally be calm in the learning environment. A person with little experience sent down a raging river in a kayak might be able to paddle their way to safety, however I’m sure they won’t have the greatest technique, won’t remember much of how they got out of the water, and surely will never want to do it again. I think if you cause chaos and discomfort in the classroom, your students will not learn nor will they want to continue their learning journey.
To ensure that I help my students be calm in the classroom, I need to show them that I care. Students whose teachers care about them and their learning are more likely to put more effort in the class. I do this by building connections and seeing the students as real people, not just a name on the roster. Talking with my students giving assurance in the class, and having a warm persona will help my students be calm and comfortable. Reassuring my students will make sure they know it’s okay to be themselves, and make mistakes in the class will give them opportunities to learn and remember what they are learning. The goals I have for my students are simple: gain confidence in English, leave feeling better about their own skills and wanting to continue their learning.
As someone who studies History, I find myself thinking about why I teach the way I do and seeing the culmination of my experiences learning and knowing that each of my teachers are a culmination of their experiences as well. I teach they way I’ve been taught and each experience I have had-whether good or bad, consciously or subconsciously- have created who I am as a teacher. I like to think that I have had good teachers in the past and will be a good teacher for my students moving forward.
To ensure my students are learning in the class I add a variety of tools to the class. I try to make the class as fun as possible. I give several examples with my students for them to see how the language is used. I give the students frequent small assignments in class as well as group activities for the students to get comfortable using what they are learning. I check in with my students regularly to ensure understanding and so they have the opportunity to ask for clarification while needed. As I put in the effort from the beginning to have a good relationship with my students they feel comfortable speaking up about any confusion. Lastly, I give error correction when needed but in a way that doesn’t call out a student for their mistakes. I will do it at the end and go over some mistakes I heard frequently. Having the error correction done as a group at the end while it being anonymous allows my students to not feel embarrassed in their mistakes.
As a teacher, it is my responsibility to continue to grow and learn so my students will get the best possible learning opportunities from me. I will learn from experience as well as formal education. If at some point my lessons don’t align with my philosophy or just aren’t feeling right I will re-evaluate and reflect on my teaching to ensure I continue to become the teacher I want to be.