In teaching there is no single prescribed way to effectively teach students. Often, the approach and techniques a teacher uses will vary according to factors involved with their particular class including the subject being taught, skill area, and even the population of students within the classroom. There is also an array of pedagogical theories with varying opinions and techniques that teachers can integrate and adopt into their own classrooms. That being said, I do believe that there are some features that every teacher should implement into their classroom no matter the individual factors. This paper serves as my teaching philosophy, and in it I will discuss these items and why I believe they are key to any successful classroom environment.
…show more content…
One such change has been a large movement away from the traditional teacher centered classroom to a more student centered learning environment. This type of learning environment focuses more on the learner and allows them to collaborate and participate in small group work which generates more student to student interaction (Brown, p.49). This student to student interaction is encouraged from the set-up of the room to the type of tasks given to students. In the classroom desks are arranged in groups of up to four rather than the more traditional row seating facing the front of the room. Students are also often assigned with tasks that encourage them to work collaboratively to figure out the content, patterns, or meaning behind a text (Brown, p. 53). They are encouraged to discuss and critique each other’s work to negotiate and critically evaluate answers, rather than being given the answer or rules by the instructor. This particular environment also supports another important factor for the classroom, student generated talk is a way for teachers to elicit responses and comprehension checks from …show more content…
16). Authentic material can come from a variety of sources including; newspaper articles, podcasts, radio, and various sources from the internet. This is where teachers can really use technology in the classroom, it allows them to provide varied examples of authentic material. This authenticity is important in a second language learning environment because it exposes students to ‘real’ discourse. Authentic material is also a good way to bring diversity into classroom activities to keep student’s motivation and interest levels high as they
One such change has been a large movement away from the traditional teacher centered classroom to a more student centered learning environment. This type of learning environment focuses more on the learner and allows them to collaborate and participate in small group work which generates more student to student interaction (Brown, p.49). This student to student interaction is encouraged from the set-up of the room to the type of tasks given to students. In the classroom desks are arranged in groups of up to four rather than the more traditional row seating facing the front of the room. Students are also often assigned with tasks that encourage them to work collaboratively to figure out the content, patterns, or meaning behind a text (Brown, p. 53). They are encouraged to discuss and critique each other’s work to negotiate and critically evaluate answers, rather than being given the answer or rules by the instructor. This particular environment also supports another important factor for the classroom, student generated talk is a way for teachers to elicit responses and comprehension checks from …show more content…
16). Authentic material can come from a variety of sources including; newspaper articles, podcasts, radio, and various sources from the internet. This is where teachers can really use technology in the classroom, it allows them to provide varied examples of authentic material. This authenticity is important in a second language learning environment because it exposes students to ‘real’ discourse. Authentic material is also a good way to bring diversity into classroom activities to keep student’s motivation and interest levels high as they