ESL Teaching Philosophy

ESL Teaching Philosophy

My teacher beliefs are based on theoretical study of materials in language learning and experience implementing principles of materials selection in the classroom. When selecting, adapting, and developing materials, authenticity of language content establishes a direct link with the world outside. Teaching materials should allow for an appropriate balance of explicit language instruction and communicative tasks. In addition, textbooks should present objectives and directions with clarity, and materials must be engaging. Media such as videos, blogs and podcasts are an excellent way to supplement textbooks and keep students engaged. Teaching materials and topics should be compatible with the cultural and institutional context. Most importantly, course objectives must meet the needs of the students. My overall teaching philosophy is to set students up for success by providing them with meaningful language they can use, while humanizing textbooks and utilizing supplementary materials, exploiting sources of language input in ways which maximize the likelihood of intake and purposeful output (Tomlinson, 2011). Finally, teaching learner strategies encourages independent learning.

Reading materials should set students up for success by allowing them to draw on their background knowledge. Readers, textbooks, literature and other academic content generate efficient and fluent reading based one of the interactive-compensatory methods. Essential pedagogical models should include reading comprehension materials combined with critical thinking activities. Also, extensive reading outside of the classroom should be encouraged. To increase reading fluency, students must enjoy reading!

Writing instruction should focus on process and discourse. Writing textbooks can either be comprehensive or specific to skill, but overall will rely heavily on explicit instruction throughout the various stages of the writing process. Academic tasks that require a combination of reading and writing skills are critical for academic success. Students enhance their writing through the reading process by annotating, reflecting, paraphrasing, summarizing, synthesizing and responding critically. Lastly, collecting written pieces purposefully helps students understand specific problems and solutions in the writing process.

When teaching speaking, teachers should keep in mind that students must be given time to process the language. For this reason, I believe that the PPP model sets students up for success. In the presentation stage, the instructor should present useful and meaningful language using appropriate textbooks or PowerPoint slides, eliciting background knowledge from students, checking for comprehension, and modeling the language through explicit instruction. Students should be given time to practice the language in teams during controlled communicative activities. Students will then be able to demonstrate mastery of the language through less controlled communicative activities. Afterwards, the instructor can address common errors in speech as a class. Textbooks and task sequencing depend on the needs of the student but overall, speaking materials should result in oral fluency, improved communication, and the awareness of appropriacy.

Listening texts should be preceded by engaging topic previews in the form of discussion or essential vocabulary. Examples of the target language should increase awareness of relevant cultural, topical, and world background knowledge. Discourse markers and verbal cues should be explicitly taught along with note-taking skills. Focusing on the process of listening rather than the product, sample models of notetaking help students understand rhetorical forms and structures of target genres. Textbooks should also allow for discussion and analysis. Pre-discussions will help students predict main ideas and details and post-discussion allows for critical thinking. Finally, scaffolding is helpful for students when listening to difficult academic material. The objective of increasing fluency in listening will be achieved through this approach.

Nation’s Four Principles (2003), meaning-focused input, meaning-focused output, deliberate language focused learning, and fluency development, are foundational to vocabulary learning. Overall, students should move along the spectrum of noticing through varied exposures, to retrieving meaning, to using words confidently through output. Furthermore, because vocabulary learning supports language use across the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, learners need to be familiar with general academic vocabulary and high frequency words. It is the responsibility of the teacher to use materials such as textbooks, media, and supplementary materials as tools to fill in gaps in vocabulary knowledge that hinder comprehension.

Finally, grammar should be taught in tandem with vocabulary to express meaning. Therefore, materials should utilize a task-based approach with activities that include clear directions, language scaffolding, and focus on form, use, and meaning. Lower level classes will require explicit teaching of grammar rules. On the other hand, higher level classes can start with an activity in the deep end of the PPP model, allowing students to discover, notice, and employ the grammatical structures of English.

References :

Anderson, N. (2009). ACTIVE reading: The research base for a pedagogical approach in the reading classroom. In Z. Han & N.J. Anderson (Eds.), Second Language reading research and instruction: Crossing the boundaries (pp.177-143). Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.

Coxhead, A. (2000). A new academic word list. TESOL Quarterly, 34, 213–238.

Ellis, R. (2002) Methodological options in grammar teaching materials. In E. Hinkel & S. Fotos, S. (Eds.), New perspectives on grammar teaching in second language classroom (pp. 155-179). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Epstein, R., & Ormiston, M. (2007). Tools and tips for using ELT materials. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.

Nation, I. S. P. (2003). Vocabulary. In D. Nunan (Ed.), Practical English language teaching (pp. 129-152). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Tomlinson, B. (2011). Introduction: Principles and procedures of materials development. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Materials development in language teaching (pp. 1-31). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Tomlinson, B. (2013). Humanizing the coursebook. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Developing materials for language teaching (2nd ed.) (pp. 140-155). London: Bloomsbury.

West, M. (1953). A general service list of English words. London: Longman