I aim to create learning environments that are deeply influenced by my students’ agency. 

My teaching style most closely aligns with the key pillars of the Communicative Language Teaching approach and integrates the use and development of the 21st Century Skills.

 

In my role as teacher, I aim to act as a “guide on the side” for students.

I believe teachers should act as facilitators in order to create a space where student curiosity and intrinsic motivation can purposefully aid language development. It is important for me to establish my classroom as a safe space for “trial and error.” I facilitate a “team” mentality amongst my students through routine icebreaker activities, collaboration opportunities, and extensive communication. To motivate my students, I aim to tie my lessons to their interests and hobbies. This requires me to build strong rapport and relationships with my students so I know how I can tailor my lessons for them. Through my previous teaching experiences, I have come to understand that students have varied reasons for learning English; the same goes for their expectations for future use of the language. Allowing student goals and components of their day-to-day lives to influence the learning environment increases their engagement as learners and fuels their motivation to succeed. 

 

I plan my lessons with the intention of linking my classroom to the outside world.

I believe that in order for students to connect with subject matter, they must see the direct correlation to language activities in their daily lives. I attempt to create this bridge for students by integrating realia and meaningful and authentic language in my lessons; examples of this may include bringing in local restaurant menus, role playing encounters that may occur at local business, and teaching slang/dialect prevalent to their community. My classes will be heavily influenced by community settings and student backgrounds to accurately inform how I can prepare students for “real world scenarios” during their time in the classroom. 

 

I believe students should learn through experience.

I aim to create activity-based lessons that integrate key learning points. Learning should be fun! My class activities will vary in delivery as a means to engage all types of learners. I am eager to embrace modern tech trends and incorporate them in the learning environments I create. Constant participation in activities will not only keep students engaged but also offer a focus on the development of language fluency. 

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As an educator and nonprofit professional, I hold years of formal and informal experience in language instruction and mentorship/leadership roles. I believe in individualized instruction and take great care in getting to know each of my students on a one-on-one level. Most importantly, I am passionate about the English language and bring this sentiment to the forefront of my instruction and teaching.