STATEMENT OF TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
Ludwig Wittgenstein once stated that the limits of his language were the limits of his world, a statement I unquestionably agree with if we consider how globalized the world is becoming and, according to ACTFL, how small the enrollment in foreign language classes is. Therefore, I believe in the importance of learning a second language from a performance-based instructional approach as an essential skill for the 21st Century.
My role as a teacher is that of a highly motivated facilitator that helps students use the target language actively, making the learning experience student-centered, setting contexts for comprehension that connect new knowledge with old knowledge, reflecting the tenets of Ausubel’s theory that state that learning must be meaningful and connected to learners’ personal experiences, and always setting clear and functional objectives that mirror the outcomes I want my students to accomplish. This approach, I believe, helps students with different learning styles and abilities. I also see myself as a motivated co-participant in the learning process who can motivate, guide, and facilitate students’ active use of the target language and performance development.
I achieve these instructional goals by creating comprehensible language activities with authentic cultural ensembles (texts, audio, video), and by providing students with appropriate scaffolding to capture interest, simplify tasks, and control the frustration students might experience. In addition, I always try to incorporate learners’ lifeworlds in the content and activities I develop so that I can instill a sense of belonging and, thus, motivate them to be successful in the second language classroom.
As a second language instructor, my main goal is for my students to perform in the three modes of communication: interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational. When implementing performance-based instruction, I expose students to an array of multimodal texts and use of the target language 90% of the time, with activities centered in students’ active use of the language in the three modes of communication. Even though students’ active use of the target language is the main goal of my classes, grammar is also part of my instruction. However, I do not believe that a traditional grammar or translation-only approach can help students communicate effectively in the target language. Instead, grammar should be taught as concept and in context, and students should be guided in the discovery of the connection between form and meaning. I facilitate this process of discovery and active language use by creating activities that aim for collaboration in, for example, writing assignments, interpersonal activities, and presentational digital projects, relying on supportive dialoguing that is scaffolded in instances when students cannot complete a task yet on their own, and, thus, assisting their work within their individual Zones of Proximal Development
In the future, I would like to expand my knowledge and practice in digital literacies, especially digital storytelling and game-based learning. I think being digitally literate is an essential skill for 21st century students, and also, work with multimodal, technology-based tasks pushes students to think and communicate in a plethora of ways while using different media platforms, which, in turn, allows them to broaden their knowledge of different cultural aspects of the target language with engaging ensembles.
The 21st Century second language class has to prepare students for a multicultural and multilingual world, because otherwise, they are in danger of ending like Wittgenstein, living in a limited world caused by the limits of their native language.