My Personal Teaching Philosophy

My Personal Teaching Philosophy I cannot word my teaching philosophy within the limits of this essay since it has a myriad of different sides and aspects which are on a constant change. So, I will tackle only a few at this time. First, even though I am teaching the language, I am in the opinion that I often coach humanistic values rather than words and grammar, which directly relate to language teaching. This said, I believe that school is the place where students should be taught, beside formal disciplines, right attitudes and manners, which will help them grow into good members of the community. The characteristics of properly functional community like social cohesion and collaboration between members are fast disappearing in today’s competitive environments that seem to cherish individuality and success on a personal level over common good and conformity. As a result, I have tried to encourage social responsibility and accountability among my students. Sometimes it is called emotional intelligence; for me, it just means people skills and the ability to function as a member of a society. I tell my students that there is one especially lucrative principle that is so simple yet worth remembering and following in almost any situation: it is nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice. Courtesy and good conduct can open many doors while arrogance and incivility yields a negative return and social rejection. In other words, what goes around, comes around. My second belief is that all students and kids are benign even though this it may not show through at first. There are some troublemakers

whose choice of words and attitudes I do not welcome because I find them either vile or downright offensive. Sometimes an F-word just slips out of a student’s mouth, in rare cases it is verbal abuse, but most often kids simply tease teachers to see how far they can go. In case of intentional verbal abuse, I send the student out of the classroom since it is a place for civilized people; thus, if a kid cannot fit in he automatically opts out, which is his choice. Ability to conform is a social skill which can be learned and trained. Foul language does not shock me emotionally but I try to distance myself and my students from it. School is not a tavern, but more like a shrine where people follow a certain code of conduct that is not laid out in a written document but comes with proper upbringing and nurture. Today, after some ten years of working at school I can say that I have prevailed in instilling good conduct in my students, which I take immense pride in. As for language teaching, I have recently changed my approach as I was dissatisfied with the results reflected in the performance of my students. I used to be naïve enough to think that students want to learn and are diligent. To put it bluntly, they are not. Students are no different from the rest of the human kind who seek comfort and easy living in every possible way. So, I followed the footsteps of the sitting President of the United States Barack Obama who called for change in his election campaign, and change I did. As a consequence, I have substantially increased the workload in classes and I also give homework on a regular basis. To further intensify the speed and work pressure, I correct the tests and other written tasks by the next time we meet, so that we do not have time lags and students can quickly make amends if necessary. Terms are relatively short and I do not want to have too long intervals between 2

grades and tests so that we can go on with other topics and issues on the agenda. What’s more, today I feel that the more marks I can get the better it is for the students, because their term grade will then be more objective, plus they are entitled to work throughout a term for individual marks that count towards their final grade. As for marking, I have implemented a strict percentage scale where possible. If a student scored 89 percent out 100, he will get a “4” and so it is. Yet, sometimes it feels a bit unfair because 89 percent is tilted towards a “5” while 70 percent, which still gives a “4”, has a very strong inclination to a “3”. Therefore, to comfort my students and encourage them to perform better next time, I enter the percentages in a spreadsheet and let the program do the calculation for me. By so doing, I get a fairly objective view of performance, leaving no room for protests that may arise at the end of the term. For example, we get different average results when comparing 7 imaginary tests a student John Smith took: Percentages

85

84

87

100

95

86

85

=89.59

=>

5

Marks

4

4

4

5

5

4

4

=4.29

=>

4

The average percentage score would give this person a borderline “5” while marks show a sturdy “4” instead. The same rigid mathematical logic applies equally well to marginal “4”s and “3”s. For example: Percentages Marks

72 4

74 4

70 4

75 4

45 3

74 4

75 4

=69.29 =3.86

=> =>

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I have asked my students for feedback on the percentage scales and got mixed opinions. The majority of people think it is just and fair while others would prefer marks over percentages. I then smile and say that percentages, in fact, translate into marks after some time. 3

Hence, as previously said, there is little or no room for negotiations over marks. Another thing that I try to foster in my students is right work ethics and accountability for the marks. It is not a rare case that learners fall behind or do not do their work on time, which results in a weak score or failing altogether. If a student does not pass a scheduled test paper, he still gets his percentage points, which can be as low as 0, with the option to retake exactly the same test within the next 7 days. According to the school rules, which I comply with, students are entitled to a second chance. To make them learn for the initial test and save time, I have indicated that in the second attempt I automatically deduct 20 percent off their score, so students cannot get a “5” and even need to go an extra mile to get a “4”. This policy gives me a chance to lift the ridiculously low margin for a “3”, which today is 45 percent, to 65. On my end, keeping track of percentages and dates is highly time-consuming but I hope that this teaches my students the moral imperative to do their work on time and meet the deadlines. As for teaching methodology, I try to have materials structured and use a coursebook. Each unit gives some 100 – 150 new words and expressions to learn. I type a wordlist for students and ask basically all words in two consecutive tests each containing no fewer than 50 items. Word quizzes take very little time if you have them wordprocessed. If learnt, students can give a translation to a word within 15 – 20 seconds, thus a typical tests lasts for approximately 15 minutes. At first, I received complaints in relation to the number of words and the time constraints. Today, after 3 months of adaption, these protests have ceased. I explained the sulky ones that having more words in a test give them better odds to get a good mark. 4

Statistically, 5 mistakes in a 50-questions-test still yield a maximum mark. That brings a smile on their faces. For me, marks are unimportant, but I have pulled my groups into learning more words than ever before, which gives me a degree of satisfaction. I also ask my students to make regular speeches on some topics that the study unit discusses. They get a statement to elaborate on, bringing out their personal views and insights. The rest of the group listens to the speaker and should put him or her relevant questions. This is a fine way to make the students speak and listen at the same time; what’s more, in addition to furthering their command of the language, they can debate and analyse intriguing issues, which is mind-opening and thought-provoking. Finally, let me touch upon the issue of grammar as well. Language structures are fairly difficult to learn and teach as tests and practice take up a big proportion of lesson time. Nevertheless, we cannot neglect grammar, either; quite the opposite, I am in the opinion that the more time we devote to it the better it is. A known problem with all sorts of tests is that they tend to end up in a garbage bin the moment students get them back. Yet the teacher has taken his time to correct and mark. Asking students to look at the mistakes they made seems to be wishful thinking; thus, I invite them to mark the tests for me, so that they have to look at the paper again. A student gets his classmate’s test and I then dictate the answers that they compare with those given. Thereafter they do the math and finally give a mark. I cannot fully trust corrections made, so I have them back for a recheck and only then submit the final mark. This policy is actually a win-win situation both for me and my students because they can learn

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when going over the same lines again and I do not need to waste time doing the dull work of correcting one test hours on end. To sum up, I think this recent change in my approaches will work wonders in a long run but it takes time before I can see the actual fruit. But I do hope and believe, similar to President Obama, that the change was needed and the bounty is on the way.

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