Over the years, I have had my fair share of proud and regrettable moments as an educator. Oftentimes, these are small moments that happen unexpectedly, but somehow have a big impact on my confidence as a teacher, and the way I teach and establish relationships with my students. During my second year as a preschool teacher, I had a 2-year-old English language learner in my classroom. Given his language background, I worked with his parents to help me learn words and phrases I could use with him in the classroom. I will never forget how his face lit up when he heard a familiar phrase and understood what I said. It was a proud moment for me. Another memorable moment was during my time in Japan when I successfully managed a class of 30 English language learners on my own for a week. It was only the third week of class. My Japanese co-teacher sent me a message informing me that she could not make it to work. I remember feeling terrified because I was a novice Japanese speaker but somehow I made it work through creative gestures and visuals. One experience that still haunts me to this day was when I tutored a first grader in reading. It had been a long day and we had been going over the same passage for quite some time. She kept making mistakes and switching her attention to other things. Feeling frustrated, I told her she was not yet ready to move on to second grade. I immediately regretted it and apologized and from then on, I learned to always remember not to let my emotions get in the way of teaching. She did manage to learn how to read but it was a transformative learning experience for me. 

      One of the beauties of being a language teacher is that we learn something new everyday. Whether one is a rookie or a seasoned teacher, it is inevitable to encounter new and unexpected problems and challenges while on the job. Part 1 of this portfolio explains how language learning is multilayered in such a way that different contextual factors influence the decisions we make in our teaching. In addition to this, Part 3 shows how the field of language teaching is constantly evolving especially with the changes brought about by technology. It is thus our role as educators to continuously seek ways to develop professionally in order to quickly adapt and face the challenges that may come our way. Given this responsibility, Brown and Lee (2015) share four developmental processes of teacher learning. These include skill learning, cognitive process, personal construction, and reflective practice. 

      I am proud to say that my time in the LTS Program has given me opportunities to go through all these processes. In terms of skill learning, all of the courses made significant contributions in honing my skills in curriculum and lesson planning, assessment design, material creation, and the application of digitally-mediated language learning in the classroom. Aside from the courses, being part of the LTS program also allowed me to gain new skills through hands-on experiences such as working as a graduate intern at the Center for Applies Second Language Studies (CASLS), classroom and conversation partner at the American English Institute (AEI), and graduate employee at the Linguistics Department. Our cohort also underwent a practicum where we planned and facilitated English language learning activities for one of AEI’s elective courses called “Talking with Ducks”. These roles pushed me out of my comfort zone and enabled me to develop my self-confidence as a teacher and be more open to taking risks and learning from my mistakes.

The LTS courses also provided numerous opportunities for reflective practice. These were done by observing and critically evaluating a variety of language classes, providing constructive feedback to our peers in micro teaching activities, and conducting self-observation in our own teaching. In my Talking with Ducks Reflection for the course Language Teaching Practice (LT537), I reflect on the teaching strategies I employed during my time as a lead facilitator. To complete this reflection, we were tasked to take video records of one another while leading the class. We then had to transcribe two to three minutes of the recording, and assess our performance through the transcription as well as our whole teaching experience. After reading my reflection, I realized how beneficial it is to observe our own teaching. Oftentimes, we prioritize reflecting on the content and the activities we implement in class but looking closely at seemingly minor details like our speech mannerisms, gestures, and eye contact can tell much about how we can effectively teach. 

In my reflection, I share strengths of how I delivered the instructions and possible ways I could have provided clearer instructions to my students. In our Design for Language Systems (LT536) class, we were presented eight key criteria for lesson design (Yerian, 2022). One of the criteria is “clear instructions''. This means that teachers need to utilize effective strategies to make sure that students need to know exactly what they are supposed to be doing. This seems like an easy task so it is often overlooked but it can be more challenging for language learners as they pose a greater likelihood of misunderstanding. As language teachers, this is one criteria to be extra mindful of. I also discuss in my reflection how experimenting on various activities and assessing what works in the classroom was a highlight for me. The classroom was like our playground where we were free to employ all forms of language-teaching techniques from controlled techniques, semi-controlled to open-ended ones (Crookes & Chaudron 1991, as cited in Brown & Lee 2015). Some examples of controlled activities include reading aloud exercises and dialogue presentation, while examples of semi-controlled techniques include brainstorming, storytelling, question and answer using referential questions, and information transfer. Open-ended techniques include games, interviews, problem solving activities, and group discussions. We also mixed it up with individual, pair, and group activities, and also utilized different modes of communication. Reflecting back on my TWD experience, paying attention to what the students need and finding the right balance of language learning tasks led to the overall success of the course. 

Another way where we applied reflective practice was through teacher collaboration. Developing professional expertise cannot be successfully achieved alone (Brown & Lee, 2015). It requires working with other teachers and learning from one another through constructive feedback. It was evident in my courses how collaboration was a vital component of the LTS Program. In Talking with Ducks, we experienced team teaching where we divided teaching responsibilities. My LT538 course design featured in Part 2 (Design) is also a product of a major collaborative effort between cohort members as we went through the process of reviewing and exchanging feedback in each part of the design. Our Design for Language Learning Pronunciation (LT539) class also promoted teacher collaboration. Peer coaching was incorporated in one of our final projects where we observed and gave feedback to one another in our micro teaching lessons. In my Pronunciation Teaching Demonstration Reflection, I share about this particular experience and how formative feedback from peers helped me notice my strengths and possible areas for improvement. I tend to be critical of myself so receiving positive feedback was validating and helped me realize that I can indeed be an excellent teacher. 

As I read through all my reflections, observation reports, and philosophy statements, I remembered the first statement of purpose I wrote for the program. It was my very first essay, the one I submitted for my admission application. It felt like a lifetime ago since I wrote that essay so I grew curious and decided to read it again. Reading my essay was a surprisingly emotional experience. There were a few cringy bits, but I felt mostly proud as I realized I have come a long way. In my essay, I discuss the importance of face-to-face connection and interaction in the language classroom. I also explain how it is critical to provide a stimulating environment to students, which means exposing them to various types of materials and activities to help them explore and discover the language they are learning. My time in the LTS has reinforced these beliefs and taught me how to articulate them professionally. My Teaching Philosophy Statement which I wrote for the Design for Language Learning (LT535) class is a testament to that. In my statement, I explain the communicative language teaching approach, particularly the importance of using learner-centered instruction, task-based approach, and experiential learning. In my statement, I write how I feel strongly about recognizing students’ individual learning styles and preferences. This is a reflection of a learner-centered approach, which Brown and Lee (2015) define as a teaching approach where students are active participants of their learning. Instead of being a figure of authority, the role of the teacher is to offer students the chance to choose activities and also be more in control of the lessons. As a language teacher, I also believe that it is important to provide students with concrete experiences in which they can use the language. This links to task-based approach and experiential learning, which relate to designing language learning tasks that are connected to real-world experiences. In these approaches, there is less focus on form and structure. More focus is given to the students’ ability to communicate their meaning across. As I leave the program, I hold these beliefs with more confidence knowing that they are backed by evidence-based principles and practices. I know that trends in language teaching will continuously change but I know having these beliefs to guide me will always lead me in the right direction.