My philosophy of teaching and learning
​
Reflecting on my teaching practice invites an automatic dialogue with my beliefs about learning, as I see these as inseparable activities. First, my approach as a teacher stems from what I believe about the processes and goals of learning; and second, teaching, like all professional practice, is in itself an active learning process.
Learning involves collaboration
At the outset of all of my classes, I establish a culture of information-sharing by using multiple digital learning platforms for different purposes, and demonstrating how these can be used for collaborative learning. For example, when students send e-mails with questions about assignments or course material, I gently re-direct them to the online class forum. I model collaboration by responding actively in this space in the beginning, gradually stepping back as other students take the lead in responding to their peers. Many homework assignments involve students working virtually in small groups to complete pre-reading or video-viewing matrixes on a shared Google Doc. Finally, I frequently ask students if they will share specific work by making it public in our online course management system, explaining why I feel it is representative of a particular learning goal.
Learning involves cognitive, affective, and developmental dimensions
I believe that people learn by connecting new knowledge to existing knowledge, through external affirmations of what they already know, through application of knowledge to a specific context or problem, and by having a specific, internally driven goal or purpose for learning. A frequent instructional technique that I use in introducing a new concept is a 3-minute in-class writing reflection that asks students to write what they know about a topic, what they think about that topic, what they would like to know, and how they might go about learning more. My goals in using this activity are to engage cognitive, affective, and developmental processes inherent in all teaching and learning contexts, to account for different processing styles (oral versus written), and to create a space for learner-generated goals.
Learners are unique individuals
I believe that engagement in the learning process stems from being acknowledged and known as a learner with one’s own unique background of language and literacy development, learning experiences, and life; and one’s own individual learning goals. This is as important for me as an instructor in being able to meet students in their developmental process as it is for students’ sense of belonging in a class. At the beginning of each semester, I ask students to complete a language learning history narrative, their goals for the course, their own articulation of their strengths, and their self-assessment of their use of specific learning strategies. I typically find one element in each student’s autobiography with which I can connect, and do so through written feedback and/or through one-on-one conversation. Finally, I address my students by name as early as possible in the semester; I believe that this is a critical act in affirming them as individuals and as learners, and not merely a class of students.
Learning involves active participation
Offering students multiple means and modes of expression is key to engaging students who are more timid about speaking in class. In an FL classroom, this reticence may be related to insecurities about one’s oral production skills, and yet it may also relate to individual differences, such as the fact that some learners process orally and spontaneously, while others process more slowly and only upon reflection. Sometimes I give students index cards and ask them to write a response to a general question on the card, then collect the cards anonymously and show responses on the overhead projector at random. Other times, students discuss their responses with their neighbors. The act of writing enhances the ‘thinking’ phase of a familiar think-pair-share sequence, and mitigates potential insecurities about speaking up in class.
Effective teaching is learner-centered
When students come for one-on-one assistance, I ask probing questions that help them articulate the nature of their challenges, offering pieces of the puzzle until they arrive at a solution or a response on their own. This inductive strategy is at work both in individual advising and in the classroom. In my language courses, just before the first reading activity, we focus on strategies. Rather than laying out a list of strategies, I start out by asking students to think about their L1 reading practices with a question: “What is reading? How do you go about it?” I write their ideas on the board, guide them through pre-planned activities while also naming the strategy, then revisit their own generative list of strategies, comparing the known and the new. I further encourage learner-centered engagement by attending to the physical layout of the classroom and my position in relation to the students. I typically stand in the front of the classroom when giving instructions for a task, then move about the room to engage with individual students. When the entire class is collectively focused on a text, I project this text on the screen and move to the back of the classroom to create space for students to express their thoughts more freely and in dialogue with one another.
Teaching language is more than teaching language
In teaching French as a second language, my goals for my students extend far beyond learning the target language and some facts about its associated cultures. I want my students to be conversant about cultural beliefs and practices of communities of French speakers, to be able to situate themselves in terms of their own cultural beliefs and practices, and to develop understanding and appreciation of reasons for different cultural practices. I also want them to be able to critically evaluate texts, their authors, their purposes, and language choices used in order to convey meaning. To this end, I plan instructional activities using the Knowledge Processes from Cope and Kalantzis’ Learning by Design project, and endeavor to engage students in processes of experiencing, conceptualizing, analyzing, and applying. Beyond traditional disciplinary goals, I also want students to learn skills of navigating resources, to become more comfortable and self-efficacious users of new technologies, and to be resourceful information-seekers by going beyond the limits of the classroom. I use multiple technologies in teaching, and introduce these in stages through guided activities that engage learners as observers prior to their becoming active users.
Teaching is also learning
Good teaching requires reflective practice, both individually and in conversation with others. This includes reflection on lessons that have or have not worked well, and why; reflection on whether there is consistency between course activities and goals; and reflection on the overall alignment between one’s praxis and principles of teaching and learning. In my view, reflective practice is both an individual and a shared activity that involves journaling, talking with colleagues, consulting the literature, watching teaching videos, attending conferences, giving workshops, and publishing research. It entails both seeking and sharing ideas and advice in order to continuously grow in the profession.
