Teaching Philosophy

"Education is the difference between wishing you could help other people and being able to help them."

-Russell M. Nelson

Participatory Learning

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

-Benjamin Franklin

a. The Learner as a Doer

Students are active participants in class activities, taking initiative of their learning while my role as a teacher is to manage and facilitate student output and performance rather than to present the entire time.
I encourage students’ curiosity and adapt my lessons to accommodate their specific interests and needs.

I encourage student participation by praising their efforts and allowing them opportunities to be creative in their work and I celebrate student attempts whether they result in success or failure.

I build good rapport in my classroom so that everyone is comfortable sharing with one another and we can laugh at our mistakes together.

I am intentional in the way that I pair up and group my students so as to encourage active participation from everyone. Sometimes that includes assigning roles within those groups.
I mix up the way that I invite participation by not only asking for volunteers, but by sometimes letting students answer anonymously using technology, or assigning certain questions to specific students.
In highly differentiated classrooms, I prepare different levels of coursework under the same topic and let students complete them individually, while still allowing for class discussion before and after the individual work. I come prepared with additional assignments for early finishers so students can all go at their own pace.

b. Negotiating for Meaning

I foster an open atmosphere, where questions are welcome and discussion and collaboration are encouraged, both as a whole class and in groups.
I make sure to monitor groups as they work together, taking time with each one to observe and to ask and answer questions- and to make sure everyone is on task and understands the instructions.

c. The Language of Questions

I allow students to discuss higher order questions in groups before calling on them so that they have time to think and bounce ideas off of each other. I mix these types of questions in so that students have opportunities to apply concepts to themselves and to the real world and uncover a deeper understanding.
I use various platforms and formats for asking and answering questions, including different technologies, whiteboard and markers, and of course verbal exchanges.

I use questions to move the lesson along and to allow my students to connect ideas, rather than doing it for them. In this way, they can see how one concept leads to another.

I give students my full undivided attention when speaking so that they know they are being listened to. I will ask follow-up questions to ensure my own understanding and to be sure they understood my response. I thank them for their participation.
At times I guide students in answering their own questions while other times I open up students’ questions to the class, and have their classmates answer them, after which I may expound on the given responses. Other times we search for the answer together.

I use exit tickets as an opportunity for students to write down questions they may have had during class time but perhaps did not want to say aloud.

Comprehensible Input

"No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship."

-Dr. James Comer

a. Attending to the Learner

I make a genuine effort to learn students’ names and to use them.
I use eye contact and good listening skills when my students are speaking to me so that they feel listened to and so that I can understand their needs.
I slow down my speech as necessary to be sure that my speaking is comprehensible.
I check my students’ understanding before moving on.

I plan activities that promote class discussion and cooperation so that students have opportunities to learn from each other, not just me.
I familiarize myself and stay up-to-date with technologies that can assist in my various teaching roles.

My role in the classroom changes depending on the day’s activities and learning objectives. At times I play a more prominent, presenting role, while other times my main goal is to get students communicating with one another while I facilitate.

I use various platforms where students can ask questions, either online or on sticky notes or exit tickets, so that students who are more timid have opportunities to be heard and I can get a better idea of their needs.

b. Teacher Meta- Language

When possible, I encourage students to answer their own questions, or each other’s questions, in order to increase their involvement and minimize ‘teacher talk’. I will then take opportunities to expound on what they find to ensure their understanding.
I use a flipped classroom method so that students are prepared for the day’s lesson before they walk in the door.

c. Learning Outcomes

I explicitly review the learning outcomes at the start of the class period so that students have an idea of what they are working towards that day and how the coming activities will serve them.
By the end of the class period, students should be able to articulate how our class time contributed to their learning and identify what was accomplished.

Assessing Learning

"Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning."

-Benjamin Franklin

a. Checking for Learning

After a new concept is taught, I immediately have my students do some form of practice and application, so that they can gain experience putting those new concepts into action and I can get an understanding of how well they understood the instruction.

I like to guide students in assessing their own work with my guidance and following a rubric, so that they can see from an outside perspective how well they were able to complete certain requirements.
I weave formative assessments into all of my lessons so that I can keep tabs on how well students are progressing and so that they have opportunities to put their new skills to the test without the pressure of a very formal test.

b. Error Feedback

I adjust my error feedback methods to the seriousness of the errors and the learning objective.
For higher order errors that inhibit comprehension and/or fall under the current learning objective, I give meta-linguistic feedback, while for lower-order errors I may just react with a form of elicitation.

I create a “culture of error” in my classroom by building good rapport and encouraging students to get messy and try new things. I applaud all attempts- even those that result in mistakes. We see mistakes as opportunities for growth rather than something to be embarrassed about.

I am careful not to over-correct my students so as not to discourage or overwhelm them.
For those who are uncomfortable being corrected in front of the class, I find opportunities to meet with them individually or give them written feedback that they can take and not feel embarrassed by.

Language Skills

a. Speaking

I prioritize student talk over teacher talk- especially in the speaking classroom.

I focus on communicative competence as the end goal and all activities are structured toward that.
I am selective about when to give corrective feedback, taking into account errors vs mistakes, how much is too much, and when is the right time.

b. Listening

I provide meaningful and intentional input that allows students to notice characteristics of the language.
I teach pre-listening strategies, while listening strategies, and post-listening strategies so that students can get the most out of the input.

c. Reading

I believe reading is a key element in building students' language skills overall.
I ignite excitement for reading in my students by encouraging extensive reading on topics that interest them and allow opportunities for them to share what exciting things they read with the class.
I teach pre-reading strategies based off of Anderson's ACTIVE framework, including activating prior knowledge, cultivating vocabulary, and teaching and modeling reading strategies for while students are reading and after.

d. Writing

I take a process based approach to teaching writing rather than just product based.
I am selective about the corrective feedback I give, taking into account errors vs mistakes, how much is too much, and what the objective of the written assignment is.
I provide opportunities for students to develop their own voice in their writing and deeply value that.