My Teaching Philosophy
I believe that as an instructor it is important to get to know students very well to be able to develop a learning process that complements each personal student’s needs. That is the reason why I base my teaching on theories such as the four dimensions of learning style associated with second language (L2) learning by Rebecca Oxford. To me, it’s imperative to find the style preference for each student because once I locate it, I am able to help the student to develop beyond the comfort zone dictated by his/her natural style preference.
My teaching strategies are very simple. To avoid anxiety, I always start with strategies students already know. Then I find it helpful to use a framework such as CALLA to teach students new learning strategies. I have noticed that if I offer students a great variety of activities within a learner-centered and communicative approach then they feel comfortable working in groups. I think that the most effective strategy of instruction shows when a given strategy might be useful, as well as how to use and evaluate it, and how to transfer it to other related tasks and situations.
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In an online class, in order to get to know my students I introduce myself in the same way that they will be required to. I make a video of myself in English, but using the accent of the target language (video is included in my teaching portfolio). In the video I talk about myself, how the course is divided, and why I think it is important to know more than one language. Giving a perspective of learning a L2 helps me to get a response from them on the topic. My directions to the students are flexible, that in order to introduce themselves, they can record a video or post their picture, giving their viewpoint on learning a L2. I find this activity in CANVAS very useful; I learn about the students, and they not only learn about me, but they have a face to go with my name.
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To include students in their learning process, I introduce them and ask them to recognize their learning styles using a chart I provide in a real-time online lecture. Most of my lectures online have been in real time. I’m very fond of using the real time format to monitor their progress. I try to use it especially at the beginning of the course so students understand how I teach and learn some of the patterns I use in class. My goal is that they feel comfortable and confident enough to work by themselves later in the semester.
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In the presentation phase of a lesson, I usually explain a new concept or language skill along with a strategy useful for the case, name the strategy, and tell them when to use it so they can remember it for future scenarios. For example, during the first weeks I like to teach students stressed and unstressed syllables. They learn about dividing words into syllables, and the position of the stressed syllable such interesante, bonita, inteligente. I call it the rule of 2 because the stress syllable falls in the second syllable starting from the end, therefore students count backwards, and stop on two. This exercise allows me to talk about the importance of the accent marks and the tilde. I believe that the advantage of teaching students these rules can be seen later when they are learning any verb conjugation in beginning Spanish.
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To me, one of the hardest parts of teaching is to keep students engaged. However, I have noticed that phone applications and online tools help me to keep my students involved. They get points for using DUOLINGO and TELETANDEM. Duolingo keeps their vocabulary updated, while TELETANDEM helps sharpen their pronunciation. Both applications and WHATSAPP keep students connected to each other, and we maintain active communication not only during the entire semester, but also when they are taking Spanish 2 or 3.
My teaching experience has improved during these 18 years. I have taken every academic year as a challenge, and I have been constantly modifying my teaching philosophy in order to adjust it to each new classroom. Each classroom brings its own personality, and I think that as instructors we need to adjust our teaching strategies based on that. Santa Fe College has given me the opportunity of experimenting with my classrooms, it has prepared me for a full teaching load with 26 students in each classroom. I usually get three classrooms and I have to prepare myself for each of them. Therefore, I feel confident teaching a great amount of students with different learning approaches. I think that working with different platforms and online applications in my face-to-face and hybrid courses have prepared me for teaching online. To me, technology is one of the most important tools an effective instructor can use in and out of the classroom to address different learning styles, to create a productive learning environment, and to increase student motivation.