My Teaching Philosophy
As much as a teacher can enlighten and inspire, I believe in learning to be driven by students, who must learn things by and for themselves. When it comes to languages, this is particularly true; as students practice skills they learn in class and apply them to real communication. Thus, my goal as a teacher is to provide strong support for student-driven learning, by understanding and meeting students’ various goals, and creating opportunities for student participation and interaction.
The teachers I have had who stand out in my memory had some traits in common; they presented knowledge in a way that caught my interest, clarified difficult topics and led me through many-sided areas, and put information into context so that its relevance was obvious. These role models have influenced my approach to teaching where I view myself first and foremost as an initiator of learning, rather than as a capable teacher who simply delivers information to students.
Another important element of my teaching philosophy is encouraging reasoned written and oral work, especially in developing logical arguments. A major factor of this is spending my time making suggestions, as students can only learn to present their ideas more effectively if someone shows them how and why alterations could be made to their natural style to make it clearer.