Rita F. Pearson once stated, “Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.” I have always found a passion for teaching and assisting individuals in reaching their highest potential, especially for students that are often overlooked because they need additional assistance in order to achieve success. My goal is to empower children with the knowledge, skill set, and confidence to go out into the working world and be successful and passionate individuals. Learning is an opportunity for students to explore the world around them, gaining knowledge about our world and its endless features. As Savignon states, “Learner attitude is without a doubt the single most important factor in learner success” ( 2001). Teacher attitude is just as important, and I will demonstrate this attitude to my students daily. All students, regardless of their language background, cultural background, abilities, or disabilities, have the capacity to learn. I hold great importance in searching for what motivates each individual student to learn and will work to place each of them on a path to success, noting that all of their definitions of success will differ.
As an educator, I make note of the students that may need extra guidance in reaching their goals. ELL students in particular need as much practice as possible, working and communicating with their peers. Students can learn a lot from each other. They can recognize the communication skills that their peers may not obtain and they can teach them, helping each other in accomplishing tasks. It is my goal to establish a safe learning environment for students who do not speak English as their first language and to enforce working and growing together. As a teacher, I feel it is important that all students feel comfortable to not only be themselves and express their feelings, but to also not fear making mistakes, as I find this to be a critical aspect of learning. I strongly believe in Peck’s statement, that lessons should “focus on collaboration and social development" (2001). This is something that I strive to promote in the classroom through small group work, partner activities, and whole group discussion. Because my goal is to instill passion in students for their futures and aid them in appreciating learning, I support that when teaching ELL students, “meaning should hold more importance than correctness” (Peck, 2001). The classroom should be a place of safety and an area where students feel as though they can express themselves through communication, while receiving support from their peers and myself. In order to promote adequate learning, part of my teaching philosophy is to provide meaningful corrective feedback to aid students in their development of learning to speak English. Research shows that “Learners almost invariably express a wish to be corrected” (Sheen & Ellis, 2011). There are ways to positively address students mistakes, and I believe in actively communicating students’ strengths and areas for improvement. I advocate that if ELL students have support from their educators and peers, are motivated to learn, actively practice communication with confidence and without fear of mistakes, then they will be successful in reaching their goals of communicating in an English speaking society. My philosophy is to instill confidence in ELL students and give them a sense of comfort and support in their learning environment. This is my current philosophy and is likely to change and develop as I continue to gain experience teaching, especially working with ELL students. |
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