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In this section of my portfolio, you can gain some insight into my beliefs about language teaching and learning and how I integrate those beliefs practically into my classroom. The links on the left will take you to pages highlighting different aspects of this. Below, you can find information about my teaching context and brief descriptions of some of my classroom practices.
Teaching Context
Teaching Context
I have been privileged to teach at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts (ASMSA) since 2017. ASMSA is one of 17 public residential high schools in the country specializing in STEM education for academically gifted students. Located in historic downtown Hot Springs National Park, the school is a campus of the University of Arkansas System. My students are motivated and genuinely interested in learning Japanese, which makes coming to work every day a delight. We are fortunate enough to have relationships with two sister schools in Japan, which allows our students multiple opportunities throughout the year to interact with peers from Japan both in person and virtually.
classroom practices
classroom practices
How I Promote Proficiency
How I Promote Proficiency
I want my students to be able to communicate effectively in Japanese, not just memorize vocabulary or conjugate verbs. Therefore, I believe that it is important to teach my students in a way that encourages them to use language in ways that emulate and prepare them for real world scenarios. I do this by employing techniques such as Comprehensible Input, Project and Task Based Language Teaching, and Communicative Language Teaching.
How I engage and motivate learners
How I engage and motivate learners
How can I teach my students if they don't want to learn or aren't engaged in the material? It is important for me to make class engaging by incorporating student interests into lessons and keeping class fun and enjoyable. I also encourage students to think about why they are learning Japanese so they can develop and maintain their internal motivation. Most importantly, I do my utmost to make sure that my classroom is a safe place for all of my students so they can feel comfortable and confident coming to class and be the best students they can be.
how I teach grammar and vocabulary
how I teach grammar and vocabulary
I believe that exploring language and discovering patterns and meanings for yourself is one of the best ways to learn about language. Therefore, I design my grammar lessons to allow students to notice and describe patterns and present vocabulary in context. This of course does not work for all students, so I also make materials with explicit grammar explanations and examples as well as vocabulary lists for students that need more support or prefer more traditional methods of studying.
how I raise intercultural awareness
how I raise intercultural awareness
Culture does not equate to fun facts about a country on half of a textbook page at the end of a chapter. Culture is a living thing that should be woven into all aspects of language learning. Instead of teaching facts, I ask students to explore and ponder viewpoints related to cultural practices, products, and perspectives and compare them with their own. I want my students to understand the "why" behind these things and relate to them instead of just seeing them as "different."
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