Philosophy

Philosophy of Teaching

(For the full PDF version, click here.)

The basics:

  • Knowing a different language has played a vital role in helping me understand others.
  • Teaching foreign languages involves the creation of intricately-planned lessons that include ample comprehensive input as well as information-gap communicative tasks.
  • Assessing students is necessary not only to gauge their progression, but to see where I am succeeding and failing as an instructor.
  • Changing and adapting to current research and trends is important to being the best teacher I can be.

Me & Language

When somebody asks me what I do for a living, I usually give them a pretty simple answer: “I teach Spanish.” I am, in fact, an instructor of beginning, intermediate, and advanced Spanish-language classes designed for university-level students. I really have no intention of changing my profession because I love what I do. I teach because I like to interact and be creative with different people while using Spanish, something that is very interesting to me. I see Spanish, and all foreign languages, as a key that allows individuals to communicate with millions of others around the world; that is, knowing a foreign language allows people of different cultures and communities to interact, speak, and understand each other better. Knowing a different language changes the way we see the world, and it changes the way the world sees us. By learning Spanish and communicating with people in different Hispanic communities, I personally have developed a deeper sympathy for others and a more profound appreciation for the differences and similarities between various cultures throughout the world. By teaching Spanish, I am able to act as an ‘ambassador’ for the language and different cultures that exist in the Hispanic community.

What do I do?

Teaching Spanish, to me, involves the organization of logically-structured lessons where I guide students to notice different lexical, grammatical, and cultural aspects through contextual and comprehensible input. I have found success in using the PPP (present-practice-production) model as a way of organizing my lessons. By maintaining a familiar and, in a way, predictable lesson format, students are able to more easily comprehend my presentation of new material and pay attention to certain aspects of the language and culture without preoccupying themselves with procedures of the class. Simple assessments allow students to practice using the language, and well-organized, info-gap task activities provide students the opportunity to produce the language while communicating to each other, resulting in gains to both their language and cultural proficiency.

How do I do it?

While the PPP model may be a way to describe the way I structure lessons, it doesn't fully describe how I carry out each part of the lesson. When introducing new material, I find myself using a variety of methods to present the language in context. I may use a TPRS-method (for example, when using stem-changing verbs I may tell a story about me moving to Spain), or a method more reminiscent of the Natural Approach (for example, when using many visuals and extended input in order to familiarize students with some outdoor activities). No matter the method I use, I always strive to follow ACTFL's recommendation to use at least 90% of the target language during class time and present the material in context, allowing students to see how the language can be relevant and cross-curricular.

Following the presentation of objectives and new material, I then proceed to provide students opportunities to use the language in both structured drills and activities (Practice) and open-ended tasks (Production), and then assess the students to ensure that they understood the exercise and were able to meet the day’s goals by utilizing the target language. While I may use techniques and use different technology to create these activities, I try to ensure that all classroom tasks are both interactive and communicative, and they allow the students to practice the language while focusing on the specific objectives of the lesson (normally involving information gap, choice, feedback, and focus on form). For example, in a lesson focused on the verb IR (‘to go’) in a unit about ‘studying at the university’, I guide students to ask each other questions about how often they go to specific places: to the library, to the professor’s office, to the nightclub, etc. in order to explain whether or not their partner is studious or not (“My partner is studious because he goes to the library every day, he always goes to class, and he never goes to parties.”). By creating interactive and communicative activities, I intend to create an environment where students get to use the language in a relevant, meaningful, and entertaining way, which, in turn, motivates them to go to the next level. These activities have provided a lot of laughter, and more importantly, a lot of language production, which I feel makes them successful.

Reflecting

If this statement were written when I first began teaching, or even last year, it would have looked vastly different. As an instructor, I see value in reflecting upon what has worked well and what has not, and making changes to the way I do things. This means that I have to listen to my students and pay attention to formative and summative assessments, not only to inform students of how they are progressing, but in order to advise me how I am performing as an instructor. I commonly hear other instructors comment about how lazy their students must be, “because half of them are failing!” However, I prefer to see student performance as a reflection of my performance as a teacher. If I see students’ comprehension of the language content is lacking (whether it be an “F” on an exam, or a blank face in the crowd) and they are not developing reading, writing, speaking or listening skills, I try to analyze what techniques or activities I could have improved upon, or perhaps, re-evaluate my objectives and expectations of certain skills or content areas.

Always Changing

Not only do personal reflection and student performance shape my teaching, but keeping informed and up-to-date with the latest methods and technologies as well has influenced my instruction. Since I began teaching, I have taken numerous graduate courses, attended numerous conferences, and participated in various workshops. These experiences open my eyes to different ways of carrying out instruction, incorporating new technologies into lessons, and new methods of assessing student achievement. By being the best teacher I can be, I hope to open the eyes of my students to a community they may not have been able to communicate with previously, and start their own journey to become future language and cultural ambassadors themselves.

ANDREW R. SEWICK - sewickan@gmail.com - PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING STATEMENT