My Teaching Philosophy
My
teaching philosophy consists of a variety of beliefs about my role as a
teacher, students’ roles and responsibilities, the interaction between teachers
and students, and teaching input. These beliefs have undergone several changes and are sure to
continue evolving as I gain more experience about every aspect of teaching
and learning.
Up to this
point in my career, my set of beliefs includes the following general
points: (1) I should enable students to
have enough practice with the target language in class, (2) I should not stick
to certain methodology; rather it is more productive to vary my techniques so
as to be appealing to all students, (3) I should find ways to motivate my students and
create enjoyable learning environment, and finally (4) students should be engaged
as much as possible in all learning activities.
First,
I believe that in a non-English speaking environment, it is essential to provide
learners with enough opportunity to practice the language in class. Nothing
is equally important to getting students to practice the language forms
properly in controlled and extended practice in class. This practice should involve varieties of techniques to match
students’ levels and learning styles. I believe that teachers should not stick
to certain methodology, as what works with some students may not necessarily
work with others. Understanding and
building on individual differences entails allowing learners to work at their own
pace. Effective classroom interaction is
both a means and an end. It demonstrates students’ progress in listening and
speaking. In addition, it creates mutual understanding between my students and
me.
Second,
it is central to my teaching philosophy to motivate learners and show respect of
their learning styles by using a variety of techniques and activities. Extra
curricula activities always give me a wider range of possibilities for
motivating my students. Moreover, these activities improve the flow of
communication and open more gates between me and my students which has a
significant effect on their learning and interaction in class. As task
engagement is a sign of proper motivation, I tend to be ready with tailored tasks
for all levels of proficiency. ESL
classes “normally” include low-achievers and advanced learners who need more
care. So, it is my responsibility to provide them with tasks that challenge
their thinking and promote their learning.
Another
important consideration and a key feature of my teaching philosophy focuses on
teaching material. In the pre-university level students rely heavily on assigned
set of books and practice books. In many cases these books do not display or
support content in a way that fits all students so I resort to technology to
fill that gap. I believe that well prepared
technology applications can facilitate my job and lead to more task involvement.
Technology is a wonderful stimulus
for second language learning as it involves using authentic learning material and
can be used unlimited number of times. Moreover, using varied interactive
activities help second language learners strengthen their linguistic skills,
and improve their self confidence. Furthermore, using technology creates low
anxiety environment and improves students’ motivation. This is why I have been
trying to develop my computer skills and use more technology in my class.
Finally, I believe that each learner has a
unique learning ability that will evolve and develop in his own way. So,
I should allow him to learn in a most convenient way that matches his
uniqueness. I always believe that with proper guidance and encouragement, students
can achieve excellent results. Other factors such as parents’ involvement play indispensable roles in promoting learners’ progress. Parents should be
included, and invited to participate actively in their children’s learning.
This belief has led me to start a social network with many parents for the best
follow-up of their sons. I am sure that my teaching philosophy will undergo
further changes with every opportunity to add to my learning or teaching
repertoire.
Khaled Mohamed Ahmed
John, a woodcutter, worked
for a company for five years but never got a raise. The Company hired Bill
and within a year he got a promotion. This caused resentment in John and he
went to his Boss to talk about it. The Boss said, "You are still
cutting the same number of trees you were cutting five years ago. We are a
result-oriented company and would be happy to give you a raise if your
productivity goes up." 
