Rebecca M. Bender - Teaching Philosophy
Department of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese
Spanish Basic Language Program
TWTC - Teaching with Technology
Over the past eight years, I have developed my teaching philosophy so that it reflects my own personal experiences, my individual personality, and my evolving beliefs in regards to teaching a second language. In my early years of studying education, my philosophy was largely based on my own experiences as a learner of a second language. Consequently, during my first experiences teaching Spanish to high school students, my approach was reflective of the way in which I had been taught. While I believe that some positive aspects of this approach do exist, I have since learned a great deal about different methods of teaching a second language, through both graduate study and varied teaching experiences. As a result, I have molded my current philosophy of education around all of these influential experiences. Additionally, with the use of technology in education having increased dramatically in recent years, I am proud to say that my teaching philosophy also embraces this crucial aspect of twenty-first century education. I seek to incorporate technology into language instruction whenever possible; with assignments, activities, presentations and projects that take place both inside and outside of the classroom setting. I feel that technology is a valuable resource for instructors and students of foreign languages and, when effectively used, will greatly enhance the acquisition experience of the learner.
One of the most important elements of my teaching philosophy involves providing my students with as much exposure to the target language as possible. With this end in mind, I conduct my classes in Spanish (the target language), as opposed to English (the native language of most of my students). I adhere to this principle regardless of whether I am teaching an advanced or an introductory language course. In fact, this is a perfect example of how my teaching philosophy has evolved as a result of my experience teaching at different universities. As I have mentioned previously, during my first teaching experience, I tended to teach as I had been taught. In the classroom, I had learned through studying the textbook, performing well on exams, and attending classes conducted in English, explaining the grammatical functioning of the target language. When introduced to the communicative approach at the University of New Mexico, I was hesitant to conduct a class in a language that my students would not be able to fully comprehend. However after my two years of refining my skills in this approach, I can now say that I believe conducting a language class entirely in the target language is not only beneficial, but absolutely necessary. One of my favorite things to observe is the way in which students, especially beginners, so dramatically increase their comprehension as a result of only one course. I am committed to constantly exposing learners to authentic input, and I act as a facilitator in their acquisition. In fact, I have even been able to use technology to enhance my ability to do this. In my classrooms, I have frequently used Spanish-language news sites, YouTube, Spanish music videos and audio files, and even online “Telenovelas,” to provide my students with access to authentic input. These types of realia appeal to students’ affective needs as they show the real-world use and application of a second language, place it in the “here and now,” and consequently generate conversation and interest.
A second important aspect of my teaching philosophy is that of creating a comfortable atmosphere conducive to acquiring each of the four skills of language learning. Additionally, from my personal experience, I believe that affective factors are critical in a student’s ability to advance in the target language. As a result, I aim to create a room arrangement that reflects these goals of providing a comfortable atmosphere and a setting which promotes affective communication. One of the easiest ways to achieve this is by creating a circle, or a semi-circle, thereby displacing the emphasis from the teacher to the students themselves. When students are comfortable with each other and their instructor, they will in turn be more comfortable expressing themselves in a language that they have not yet mastered. A second way to promote a comfortable atmosphere is by creating a setting that is both appealing to the students’ interests and designed to promote the main focus of the class—the language and the culture associated with it. In this way, students can take advantage of visuals to aid them in oral comprehension, critical thinking and communication. Again, in this respect technology has proven to be a useful asset in the classroom. I am able to create carefully structured PowerPoint presentations which aim to maximize visual aids and provide authentic input. With PowerPoint, it is possible to include audio and visual aids, as well as links to useful websites which can instantly provide enhancement and clarification of the topic presented.
Finally, I believe that the inclusion of culture is a crucial aspect of language learning that is often overlooked. The culture of the target language should be integral, as it can generate countless topics of conversation relevant to almost any unit or lesson. Additionally, many students are fascinated by cultural events and/or foreign countries and cities—especially, for example, “las fiestas” or other activities found in daily life. Cultural connections should be made in every class with photographs, objects or even through the communication of personal experiences. All of these spark interest and conversation, and even act as motivating factors. Again, this provides an excellent opportunity to make use of the innumerable resources that technology provides. In a matter of seconds, students can research a culturally specific topic on the internet and immediately locate full length-articles in Spanish, complete with pictures and interactive links. In some of my basic language classes, my students have chosen a topic relative to Hispanic culture, researched it entirely in Spanish (using www.google.es), then used the text to search for recognizable words and cognates. They are always amazed at what they are able to understand from the text, entirely in the target language, with the aid of visuals and the simple fact that they are researching a topic that interests them specifically.
Finally, while my teaching philosophy has evolved in each of the above aspects, I have also developed the concept of my own role as an instructor. I now see myself as a facilitator in the language acquisition process, and this distinction is extremely important. Rather than appearing as the all-knowing expert who lectures students and provides them with a constant flood of notes and diagrams, I strive to guide students in their quest for communicative competence. I do this by providing them not only with the tools, resources and technology necessary for success, but also by creating a comfortable learning environment in which they can feel at ease expressing themselves in their new language.
Microsoft Word Version
Last updated on: December 8, 2008