My Teaching Philosophy
I maintain three goals for my classroom and my students: My students will become autonomous, responsible individuals who know not only themselves, but also the world. My students will enter into dialogue with one another as well as the community and will use Spanish in a real-world context. My students will enter into reality to change their community if they come to find unjust situations – in any sense of the word unjust. These three goals align with my beliefs about teaching, learning, and the world, and can easily relate to theory in practice.
In order to become autonomous, responsible young adults, my students need love and opportunities for trust to develop. This is done through dialogue and experiences in which they see that I truly care about them: I find value in self-reflection, and this concept will play a large role in my classroom. Dewey emphasized the importance of the objective conditions of the classroom, and through my classroom observations this has become salient – in sitting down with a student, the situation has been equalized to teacher-student and student-teacher, rather than some highly authoritarian figure. The students are instantly given more autonomy and freedom in the classroom. The objective classroom conditions also relate to opportunities for dialogue. Having students work in groups and partners to engage in authentic discussions about the community is the first step.
However, more can be done: students can enter into dialogue with the community upon becoming involved in service learning. I currently integrate service learning as pedagogy into my teaching through my work with Spanish Honor Society and with Spanish IV. Not only does this have benefits for the students, in learning language and culture from native speakers, but it also benefits the Hispanic community. In working with bilingual elementary school students and tutoring, my students will be able to see the impact they can have on an individual but perhaps also an entire community of learners.
This leads directly into the third goal I have established, which highlights the importance of integrating social justice into my teaching. One of the main reasons that I believe so strongly in the power of foreign language learning is because I believe in the inherent worth of bilingualism and the importance that bilingualism will have as demographics in the United States continue to shift. Unfortunately, these demographic shifts can be looked down upon by many Americans, and as a future foreign language educator, I believe it is my job to ensure that the inherent worth of all individuals – English-speaking or not – is maintained. From my perspective, discrimination is often a matter of ignorance. Students simply need to come to know “the other” for these views to change. In involving my students with the Spanish-speaking community from an early age, they will be able to have an extended view of “the other,” as well as themselves. I believe in the power of the human community and the inherent connections that bind us all together, independent of native language, race, or nationality.
Through bilingualism, dialogue, collaboration and community I believe the goals I have for my students will be able to be attained, and that my teaching style and practice will align with my personal world view and my desire to work with colleagues within and outside of the school community. Dialogue is a necessary component for students to come to understand their experience, especially upon collaborating with the Spanish-speaking community. Without reflection and discussion, stereotypes can be reinforced and even strengthened. But by working towards and inclusive classroom environment where the objective conditions are right for dialogue conducive to learning, experience can be shaped in a way so that students are able to understand themselves as part of the global community and then work to change unjust situations in our global community.
In order to become autonomous, responsible young adults, my students need love and opportunities for trust to develop. This is done through dialogue and experiences in which they see that I truly care about them: I find value in self-reflection, and this concept will play a large role in my classroom. Dewey emphasized the importance of the objective conditions of the classroom, and through my classroom observations this has become salient – in sitting down with a student, the situation has been equalized to teacher-student and student-teacher, rather than some highly authoritarian figure. The students are instantly given more autonomy and freedom in the classroom. The objective classroom conditions also relate to opportunities for dialogue. Having students work in groups and partners to engage in authentic discussions about the community is the first step.
However, more can be done: students can enter into dialogue with the community upon becoming involved in service learning. I currently integrate service learning as pedagogy into my teaching through my work with Spanish Honor Society and with Spanish IV. Not only does this have benefits for the students, in learning language and culture from native speakers, but it also benefits the Hispanic community. In working with bilingual elementary school students and tutoring, my students will be able to see the impact they can have on an individual but perhaps also an entire community of learners.
This leads directly into the third goal I have established, which highlights the importance of integrating social justice into my teaching. One of the main reasons that I believe so strongly in the power of foreign language learning is because I believe in the inherent worth of bilingualism and the importance that bilingualism will have as demographics in the United States continue to shift. Unfortunately, these demographic shifts can be looked down upon by many Americans, and as a future foreign language educator, I believe it is my job to ensure that the inherent worth of all individuals – English-speaking or not – is maintained. From my perspective, discrimination is often a matter of ignorance. Students simply need to come to know “the other” for these views to change. In involving my students with the Spanish-speaking community from an early age, they will be able to have an extended view of “the other,” as well as themselves. I believe in the power of the human community and the inherent connections that bind us all together, independent of native language, race, or nationality.
Through bilingualism, dialogue, collaboration and community I believe the goals I have for my students will be able to be attained, and that my teaching style and practice will align with my personal world view and my desire to work with colleagues within and outside of the school community. Dialogue is a necessary component for students to come to understand their experience, especially upon collaborating with the Spanish-speaking community. Without reflection and discussion, stereotypes can be reinforced and even strengthened. But by working towards and inclusive classroom environment where the objective conditions are right for dialogue conducive to learning, experience can be shaped in a way so that students are able to understand themselves as part of the global community and then work to change unjust situations in our global community.
Slideshow of Photos from New Berlin West
The photos below are representative of my involvement in the New Berlin West school community
and all of the wonderful things my students do on a daily basis!
and all of the wonderful things my students do on a daily basis!