"Second Language Education" Teaching Philosophy Essay

Introduction

All is not yet known about the best philosophy in teaching ESL successfully. Why? Because what seems to be successful in learning and teaching is intermittent and fleeting given the recessive and progressive nature of SL acquisition. The manner in which we acquire both the FL and SL will influence how we teach ESL. This explains why the personal philosophy among teachers differs even though they share common goals (White, 2011). However, these goals are based on the value and belief systems, and the theories of language acquisition teachers hold. In my philosophy, it is essential to understand the theory behind what I teach and reflect them during my approach to teaching. This paper seeks to address the Second Language Education Teaching Philosophy that I believe can help in teaching ESL.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The teaching methods and approaches in teaching ESL are based on the codified set of rules and specialized knowledge of one's beliefs. My teaching approach in ESL aims to guide students through their interaction and communication in the English language based on the following theoretical concerns in teaching students to attain tangible results at any level:

Understanding the principles of learners development, learning profiles, and their individual social, emotional, cognitive, and physical areas to create a supportive environment, which take care of the student's needs.

This principle shows how people may be similarly based on their humanness but different in their cognitive potentialities and learning abilities, which affect their quality and pace of learning English as a second language. Mukherjee and Hundt, (2011) describe that the cognitive style of every individual is programmed in a way that relates to their social style. As long as teachers respect this aspect during the learning process, then learning SL becomes easy and practical. As a teacher, I need to recognize student's differences, understand their language mastery and implement approaches that can accommodate their differences and consider each student as unique in their way. For example, when working with students, I first need to identify the different needs required by about 45o students in learning a foreign language. As a result, the teachers had to learn the needs of each student and create culturally and linguistically rich learning environments. Therefore, learning ESL can be achieved if the learning environment and conditions the student needs. Their motivation to learn is based on their desire to interact and communicate beyond the classroom.

Developing autonomous learners who can create ESL learning skills independently.

The importance of this principle is to promote the student's reflective learning process. These processes are defined as the intellectual and effective activities that reflect all knowledge sources and explore the learning experiences to develop understanding and approval. According to Lantolf (2011), efficient development of learning processes, which the best for lifelong learning of a language occur a reflective form of learning is implemented into student's learning processes. For example, I will be tasked with constructing a learner-centered classroom where students are involved in the search for learning resources that can help them improve their professional and personal skills to facilitate a more meaningful form of learning. This will also impact them with the awareness of language acquisition, knowledge of oneself and discover the target language and make it their own. Therefore, through the ability to analyze and reflect their results of the assessment, the students will be making progress and see what they need to improve.

Using real-life materials and language, ensuring meaningful interaction in situational contexts, and targeting a language speaking environment.

The principle describes that when teachers develop a classroom that ensures a spontaneous interaction as a way of integrating student's interests, language, and culture, they will be able to interact and communicate in a different context through the use of language for specific purposes in real life. Ellis, (2010) in his study shows that interaction in a spontaneous classroom ensures students use a foreign language as long as they know and understand it. Ellis further considers that language is a form of communication that involves an interpersonal activity within the society. For example, I will allow students to use speak English in both its situational, linguistic, and social context. This will enable them to achieve their independence during communication and social interactions. Therefore, the principle allows students to cross significant linguistic, cultural, listening, and psychological barriers.

Integrating the development of student's cultural learning with language proficiency

This principle function based on the belief that learning a second language is an imitation of interaction within the community. This is the most natural manner that humans interact and use a foreign language. As a result, the principle requires teachers to find new opportunities for student interaction with the speakers of the target language in a specific cultural context. With the development of e-learning, new processes for teaching and learning ESL have been created and made easier (Duff, 2013). This has integrated the modern work to facilitate virtual intercultural communication in foreign languages. For example, in the classroom, I will employ the use of dialogues to help the student learn and understand the target culture and compare it with their own culture. I will try to use this in a more enjoyable manner by allowing students to write, read, speak and listen in English in a more integrated manner by ensuring there is no translation of their thoughts in native language. This method will enable them to use authentic models, grammatical structures, and vocabulary within a short period of teaching. Since skills can only be developed through actions, I will have to use some web-based technology and instructional tools to support the learning environment and support understand the student's written and oral input in learning English. Besides, I will use other effective methods of e-learning to increase student participation and conversations in English. Therefore, teaching ESL using E-learning is discovery that facilitates English learning. Learning English as a foreign language requires student involvement and maximum interest in the subject which allows them to understand the cultural practices of the target language.

Conclusion

Overall, the experience of teaching English as Second Language is based on the reflective learning methodology as the most appropriate and efficient of developing a culturally and linguistically learning environment. Through the complex interaction of the theories behind my philosophy and my philosophy, I hope to ensure the full potential of students learning English as their second language. As a guide and part of linguistic discover, I believe I will be able to foster and prepare students for more significant social challenges and broaden my cultural awareness as a teacher. Therefore, developing a philosophy in second language teaching allow the student to be more aware of the diverse cultures, self-efficacy, and learning process to communicate in the right manner.

References

Duff, P. A. (2013). Identity, agency, and second language acquisition. In The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 428-444). Routledge.

Ellis, R. (2010). Second language acquisition, teacher education, and language pedagogy. Language teaching, 43(2), 182-201.

Lantolf, J. P. (2011). The sociocultural approach to second language acquisition: Sociocultural theory, second language acquisition, and artificial L2 development. Alternative approaches to second language acquisition (pp. 36-59). Routledge.

Mukherjee, J., & Hundt, M. (Eds.). (2011). Exploring second-language varieties of English and learner Englishes: Bridging a paradigm gap (Vol. 44). John Benjamins Publishing.

White, L. (2011). Second language acquisition at the interfaces. Lingua, 121(4), 577-590.