Good Teaching Philosophy For English As A Second Language In College Essay Example

Teaching Philosophy for English as a Second Language (ESL) in College

“Language is not a genetic gift, it is a social gift.  Learning a new language is becoming a member of the club -the community of speakers of that language.” — Frank Smith (Despacio, 2012). Right from high school to college as an English teacher, my enduring teaching philosophy for learners has been analyzing their’ needs and developing their linguistic and communicative competencies to meet the evolving needs, to fully participate in the society in which English is the predominant language. Initially, although I had an orientation in literature, I was encouraged to become a teacher of ESL in higher levels of learning by the fact that I realized that I had competencies of analyzing students’ linguistic and communicative needs and providing them with friendly and supportive environments to develop their linguistic and communicative competencies. In any class, my objectives to shape my teaching philosophy are fundamentally four. First, any learning process should occur in a chain of successiveness so that language concepts are taught by being overlaid on the already existing ones. Secondly, the learners should appreciate the value and the power of the language in situated activities to examine rhetoric creation in different contexts, especially in the university’s fields of studies. Thirdly, the students should appreciate that proper learning or studying involves reflection and action. By reflection, one should be writing what he learns by reflecting on his or her experiences. However, by action he should be applying the concepts in various tasks like public speaking, projects, assignments, discourses and so forth. Fourthly, the learners’ linguistic and communicative competencies should be connected to the changing technological landscape. Learners should know how technology is changing both literary and social practices, at their levels.
Although there may be some monetary rewards in teaching ESL, the best reward is satisfaction when students attain class objectives to be competent in linguistic and communicative skills. Moreover, the teacher broadens her language by engaging in various class activities. Thus, one can realize that apart from developing others, teaching is also important in developing oneself. Therefore, it is notable that by being a member in the Language Implementation Task Force, I will foster the teaching of ESL by emphasizing on the values, interconnectedness, learning contexts and technology in both writing and oral practices for proper linguistic and communicative abilities. Thus, it is agreeable that “No man can be a good teacher unless he has feelings of warm affection toward his pupils and a genuine desire to impart to them what he himself believes to be of value.” — Bertrand Russell (Rhalmi, 2009).

References

Despacio, M. (2012).20 quotes for foreign language learners. Novice in Language Land.
Retrieved on 1 April 2015 from https://noviceinlanguageland.wordpress.com/2012/01/03/20-quotes-for-foreign-language-learners/
Rhalmi, M. (2009).Teachers and teaching quotes. My English Pages. Retrieved on 1 April 2015