Philosophy of Teaching Statement | Trent the Teacher

My Philosophy of Teaching Statement includes a comprehensive inventory of what my students should expect to experience during their English learning journey. This inventory will make them succeed both in and outside of the classroom.

Classroom Structure and Assesment 

For effective lesson planning, I strongly believe in writing out structured and prepared lesson plans before every class. This includes at least two well-written and detailed terminal objectives that will state what my students will do and perform in the class and what they should have learned after the class is finished. In addition, I will include multiple formative assessments throughout the lesson, in many different forms, that will measure my students understanding of the material.

At the end of each class, I will finish with a summative assessment that will evaluate the learning outcome of my students. In addition, I like to end every class with a reflection and open up the classroom to any remaining questions. I strongly believe that there will always be leftover questions and thoughts after every lesson and I like to give my students ample time to get their questions answered. 

Encouraging Student Collaboration and Classroom Interaction

I like to have my classes structured to be as interactive as possible. I believe learning is most accomplished when I can have a meaningful dialogue with my students by incorporating the recent lesson. For example, when teaching new vocabulary and pronunciation, classroom learning is not most efficiently accomplished with me just lecturing new words to my students. I like to have my students practice speaking these new words back to me. I also like having my students practice speaking new English vocabulary words with their classmates because they tend to feel more comfortable since they are learning together and are usually around the same level of learning. 

In addition, I like to encourage student collaboration and group thinking. I like to pair students together so that they can share their original and individual thoughts and answers with their partners which will help one another expand their knowledge base and promote stronger responses on the subject matter. 

Promoting Cultural Sensitivity and Inclusivity

As a TEFL instructor, I believe it is extremely important to keep in mind your classroom’s socio-demographics. For example, when my students are responding to my questions or if I am having them repeat new English vocabulary words, I keep in mind their learning background and take into account the different accents and dialects that stem from their unique background. This is important because as English teachers, we want what is best for our students and as a result, some teachers will want to overcorrect and get our students to pronounce English words perfectly.

Overcorrecting student learning is actually more harmful than it is helpful. Therefore, I keep in mind that although their new English-speaking skills might not be the same as a native speaker, what needs to be considered is their progression. I evaluate my own teaching performance based on where my students started on the first day of class to how well they’ve progressed on the last day of class.

Displaying Leadership and Resourcefulness

Finally, as a teacher, there are different roles I must play while I am in charge of students in a classroom. Depending on the classroom demographic and dynamics, I believe it’s first important to serve as a leader. Leaders are there to help and guide their students and are to be looked up to when students are in need. I like to make it known to my students that I am a resource not only in the classroom but outside of the classroom as well. If there is anything my students would like to discuss not only with their school work but with their personal lives. I like for my students to know that I am here for them no matter what because there is so much to grow as a person and often times it occurs outside of the classroom.

Finally, I like my classrooms to be a safe space where I can encourage interaction and participation. I never want my students to feel like they don’t have a voice and are afraid to share their thoughts. As a TEFL instructor, I strive to be as empathetic and supportive as possible for my students.