My Teaching Philosophy
Throughout my courses with Johns Hopkins, I have read books such as Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom (2010) by Carol Ann Tomlinson and Marcia B. Imbeau and The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way (2014) by Amanda Ripley that have played a key role in how I have shaped my teaching philosophy. Organizations, such as Teach for America and Educators for Excellence, and experiences, such as teaching, studying and volunteering abroad, as well as my last few years teaching at my current school, have also shaped my philosophy.
.jpg)
Immersive Environment
My experience teaching English in China, where all classes were 100% facilitated in English to simulate an immersive environment, taught me how important staying in the target language was. I witnessed an impressive amount of progress from my students in just the year that I taught there. As a result, I brought that strategy to my current teaching position. Many of my students do not have much exposure to Spanish outside of class, so it is imperative that in order to realistically learn the language and be able to use it in a practical sense, my students need to speak, hear, write and read the language as much as possible when they are in my classroom. This is especially true when you look at the number of hours needed in the target language to become proficient. The Common European Framework (CEFR) estimates upward of 1,000 learning hours are needed to become proficient in a language depending on many factors, such as the similarity to the learner's language (Cambridge, 2018). For instance, my Portuguese speakers will have an easier time gaining proficiency as a result of Portuguese's similarities to Spanish. However, for my students who have no prior knowledge of Spanish, it is necessary that I am including as much Spanish in each class as possible. That means that from the moment students enter my class, I am exposing them to the target language. That includes starting the class with a Do Now in Spanish, playing music in Spanish, plenty of activities involving reading, and writing in the language, as well as speaking and listening. I regularly pair and group students to maximize the amount of Spanish they are using. I also give homework where students review the vocabulary, so that they are prepared to apply it during class. I really struggled with this during my first year as a Spanish teacher, as I would see students "check out" mentally every time I spoke Spanish or give up the moment I had to do an activity speaking Spanish. However, I have gotten better at scaffolding material, so that they students have access to the target language that we use in the activities.
Project-Based Learning
I have been working on effective projects not only to add variety to the curriculum but also for students to more-holistically demonstrate what they have learned. Assessments — especially multiple-choice — can be difficult determinants of a student's grasp of another language. Because of this, I am balancing my class with assessments and projects. In my first year, I struggled keeping the projects rigorous. Many students would also take advantage of the time to mess around and procrastinate. My rubrics were not very clear, as well. I improved last year by improving my rubrics and holding students more accountable. This year I am planning my units better, so that the projects are scaffolded throughout the units and that the steps and expectations of the projects are clearly articulated.
Technology in the Classroom
Our classrooms have interactive white boards, Chromebooks, and WiFi. When I first started teaching at Central, I tried to find all different kinds of ways to incorporate technology in the classroom. However, I have noticed that just because I add technology in my instruction, it does not necessarily translate to higher student outcomes. This was reinforced when I read Amanda Ripley's The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way (2014) and took Global Education Policy and Analysis, where we read and discussed how the United States invests much more money in the classroom, yet our international assessment scores are much lower than countries that invest much less in students and especially technology in the classroom. In my class, I noticed the more technology that we used, the more distractions that were available for students. As a result, I still use technology, but I have to make sure that I am balancing it with traditional methods and that I am only using it when it is effective and productive.
Differentiation
My classes contain students of very different levels and abilities, such as students with IEPs and 504s, Heritage Speakers, English Language Learners, and students who have no prior exposure to Spanish. In Carol Ann Tomlinson and Marcia B. Imbeau's Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom (2010) and Effective Practices in Teaching and Learning, I learned many strategies to differentiate between my students of different levels and abilities. I find this important because all students deserve the right to be challenged and receive an education in my classroom. To ensure this, I modify assessments and activities for students with IEPs and 504s, as well as translate for my Portuguese speakers with limited Spanish and English abilities. I also constantly group and pair students with new students in the class, so that they can get peer assistance.
Rigor
Rigor is another aspect of my class that I find key to ensuring students get a good education. It has also been difficult for me over the last few years in maintaining high standards. In my first year, I started the school year failing half of my students, and after consultation, I changed my grading to prevent so many students from failing. However, this also resulted in me watering down my instruction. This year I am working on making sure that I still hold my students to high standards. I do numerous activities that require students to speak, listen, read and write in the target language. I give Exit Tickets at the end of class that summarize what we learned during the class. It helps me maintain my standards but also direct my instruction to areas that students struggle.
References:
Ripley, A. (2014). The smartest kids in the world: And how they got that way. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Cambridge University Press. (2018, January). HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO LEARN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE? Retrieved from https://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/How-long-does-it-take-to-learn-a-foreign-language.pdf
Tomlinson, C.A., & Imbeau, M .B. (2010). Leading and managing a differentiated classroom. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.