My Teaching Philosophy

My Teaching Philosophy

What is my philosophy for teaching languages? I think my ideas are very close to those of Hilbert Meyer, whose ideas I got to know during my teacher training course in Mönchengladbach ages ago. I would like to explain them here little by little and complete them if necessary in my opinion.

1. Clear Structure of the Classes: Students should always know what teaching goals I have got and how I want to reach my goals, i.e. they should know which contents are part of the class. They should be aware of their roles in the different teaching phases. Therefore, we need rituals. Students should know them and pay attention to them.

2. Efficient Teaching Time: I think that good time management is as useful and important in teaching as many other jobs. Therefore, it is essential to plan the lessons carefully. The students should get the time they need to acquire the respective teaching contents.

3. A Good Teaching Atmosphere: This is a very important aspect. Mutual respect among teachers and students is crucial. We have to be able to count on each other and have to take over responsibility for each other. The students should feel comfortable in class. They should realize that their teacher shows real human interest for them and wants to help them to advance in their teaching progress. Students should also be encouraged to motivate and help each other. They should achieve individual and common goals.

4. Transparency: As a teacher I have to make my tasks transparent: What single steps will we take to achieve to the desired teaching results? The teaching process as a whole should be totally clear for the students. At the end of the class the results should be summarized. They should be comprehensible for each student.

5. Meaningful communication: Maybe this is the most important aspect along with the third one. In language classes, communication should be given priority. Grammar is important as well but it has a serving function, i.e. it should make communication possible. A stimulating comunication culture should be the goal of the language class. Students should be involved into the planning of the class and should be encouraged to give a constructive feedback.

6. Variable Methods: Classes are a production like a theatre play and should not always evolve in the same way. They should be variable, i.e. the teacher should have a repertoire of different methods. Talking about theatre productions I also think that it is a good idea to include theatre elements in class. I’ve found a book from the Goethe Institute Southafrica, from which I have taken a few suggestions, e.g. the samba cercle. Theatre elements can be included in language classes of all different levels from A1 to C2.

7. Individual support: If I have a group of twenty students, I have got twenty individuals who all think in a different way and have their own learning behaviour. Different learner types… That means I have to fulfill the individual demands as far as it is in my power. Every individual needs appropriate support. A key word in this context is the so-called Binnendifferenzierung, a kind of differentiation within the group, which is almost always necessary if the group is not very homogenous.

8. Intelligent Practice: Everything that has been introduced in the classroom has to be practiced to consolidate it. To achieve this, the teacher can make the students familiar with certain learning strategies matched with the single learner types. The methods should vary when the students do their exercises so that they will not grow tired of them but consider them as a real means to improve their language skills.

9. Clear Performance Expectations : The performance expectations should always be transparent. Students have the right to get an immediate feedback.The teacher  should take efforts to be as clear and fair as possible.

10. Stimulating Learning Environment: The classroom should be created aesthetically to provide a stimulating environment. There should be enough light. If possible, there should be room for the students to move around. This is not only important for including theatre elements but also for group work. It is easier to promote social and affective learning in a stimulating learning environment.

I think that all the mentioned aspects above are necessary for the students to advance in their learning progress. What characterizes a good teacher apart from his comprehensive training in his subject is first and above all his love of mankind and a good sense of humour.

It goes without saying that the four skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing) should be improved in the language classroom. Once in a while, the teacher should include projects or a phase of E-learning in his class. 

Personally, I enjoy creative writing, e.g. writing poetry, and I want to encourage my students to acquire creative skills by writing their own texts and presenting them to an audience. I also want them to read as much as possible in the respective language and try to listen to it as much as possible by watching series or movies, videos or the news. Pronunciation has to be taught as well, especially when the mother tongue is from a completely different language family than the language which is taught. Last but not least I would like to emphasize that in my opinion students should not only study the language but also become familiar with intercultural aspects.

I think I have mentioned what is important to me as far as teaching languages is concerned. Certainly, there is a lot more to say…