Philosophy of Teaching | Marianne Cabbat

In choosing to become a future educator, I feel that it is extremely

important to first reflect over my experience as a learner. In observing my
instructors through my years as a student, I have seen many qualities and
teaching tips that have stood out to me and greatly aided me in my journey
of learning. As I begin to prepare for a future in language teaching, I would
like to take those commendable qualities that I have observed and adapt
them for my own. As a future instructor, it is my goal to be engaging,
approachable, and adaptable for my students, as well as work together with
them to create a supportive environment in which learning can take place.
Engaging
I think an ideal learning environment is any time or place where there
are no feelings of danger or overwhelming anxieties (some anxiety is good
it pushes us not to be lazy). According to Lightbown and Spada (2006), if
students are at ease, their interest is piqued, and their progress is visible,
ideally, motivation can be increased and learning can take place. If there is
too much stress placed on students to feel like they must answer correctly at
all times, this may take away from students focus on what is being taught or
intimidate them into not wanting to participate. Therefore, it is important for
students to know that it is okay to make mistakes, as often it is through
mistakes that we learn even more.
I believe that creating an ideal learning environment begins with the
teacher. There will be many times where classes of little interest are a
requirement rather than a choice. Recalling my own experiences as a
student, it was often in these classes that I met some of my most memorable
teachers and had my most memorable experiences. I came to enjoy going to
class and learning merely because the teacher was passionate about what
they were teaching and how they shared the knowledge that they had,
conveying its function and importance into something that I could
understand. This is what I will strive to do for my students. If a teacher is
uninterested in what they teach, how can one expect students to find
interest to learn? Therefore, I believe the first step in creating a supportive
atmosphere in the language classroom is to act as a role model for my
students. As advised by Dornyei (2001), I will show my students that learning
can be fun and a worthwhile experience by showing enthusiasm towards the
knowledge I will impart. To do this, I can share my own language learning
experiences and why Im excited about language - it allows me to
communicate on a larger scale, opening many doors of opportunity for the
future. I can also decorate my classroom with posters of all of the different
countries and cultures Ive come to learn about through and in relation to
language, showcasing and celebrating the worlds amazing diversity.

Philosophy of Teaching | Marianne Cabbat

It is a well-known fact that a considerably large driving factor in

learning is motivation. If a student is interested in what they are learning and
can see their progress along the way, they are more likely to want to
continue learning and enjoy their successes. Keeping students updated on
their progress, as well as constantly showing them that I have faith in them
and encouraging them along their way, I believe, can make a huge difference
in the often difficult and trying journey of language learning. Also as advised
by Dornyei (2014), I can motivate my students by making sure students
successes are known and celebrated, bringing in guest speakers to describe
their excitement and successful language learning journeys, and establishing
within the classroom that there is no competition against others but
competition with self to progress. By providing this foundation of support, as
many instructors have done for me, and cultivating it within a risk-free
environment, I believe students can feel unafraid to grow unhindered in their
awakened potential.
Approachable
In cultivating a supportive learning environment, I view creating
relationships within the classroom to be extremely important. I want my
students to know that they are not alone in their language learning journey that they will have myself as a guide and their classmates as support. As a
teacher, I can simply provide guidance towards a path, but learning often
best occurs when learners come to walk that path together and relate to
each other along the way.
I want my students to be able to feel comfortable in asking questions
and know that I am available for the benefit of their learning. I would like
them to know that, though I am a teacher, as long as we have established
mutual respect, there is no such large, intimidating distance between us as I,
too, am still a learner. To cultivate this trust and respect, I can become my
students pen pal through journals or offer an always-open question box for
them to share any questions or concerns that they may have and that only I
will see the contents of. If the student shares their name with the question, I
can answer them directly and if it is an anonymous question concerning
language, I can address the whole class without singling anyone out and
share information with all. I personally find it very important to also be
reliable and humble not everyone can know everything and to make
mistakes is to be human. If a student has a question that I answer incorrectly
or dont have an answer to, I wont be afraid to admit that I was wrong or
that I dont know. In response, I will try my best to correct my error, promise
to find an answer as soon as possible, and make sure to follow through on
that promise. Doing this can also help reiterate the idea that making
mistakes is okay and that learning can still come from it.

Philosophy of Teaching | Marianne Cabbat

One can only achieve so much when attempting to learn alone. I

believe that a classroom should be student-centered and that Longs (1996)
hypothesis of interaction is extremely vital to learning another language. One
of the joys of being a learner of another language is gaining the ability to
relate to others and expressing oneself in that language. By working
together, students can help bring out the best in each other and bring to
light different perspectives and new information. They can learn to recognize
their own strengths and weaknesses and use this opportunity to help each
other grow as well. Ideally, by working together in pairs or groups for projects
and presentations of their interest, students can learn the values of
teamwork and responsibility, while also learning how to function as an
individual within a group as they come to learn more about themselves. By
implementing circular or group seating arrangements and icebreakers at the
beginning of each semester, rapport in the classroom can be instilled from
the very start and carry through the year. As observed in a previous class of
mine, I can also cultivate rapport and free language use with my students by
opening each class with a question of the day - a general question which
everyone, including myself, can answer and discuss together in brevity and
allowing us all to relate to each other.
Adaptable
Not everyone learns the same way, but thats not a bad thing. As an
instructor, it would be my challenge and responsibility to take the varying
learning styles or multiple intelligences, as identified and described by
Gardner (1983), into consideration when lesson building. Making use of
authentic, meaningful materials can also help enhance multiple types of
learning while providing real-life, relevant information. Bringing in
appropriate music, videos, news articles and more can allow students to
experience various platforms of learning as well as a variety of content.
Allowing students to pick such appropriate content of their own interest can
also work to stimulate motivation and creativity.
As a student, doing the same type of exercise every day tends to get
boring. I feel it is important to remember to be flexible and switch things up
a bit from time to time. I can implement this by integrating different
activities and making use of various mediums of technology in the classroom
while also extending the challenge to my students to be creative as well.
Each class will differ from the one before it, and each student is different as
well. Keeping this need for adaptation in mind, I anticipate many changes to
be made along my journey as a teacher. However, I look forward to this
journey of growth into a well-rounded and efficient educator for the future.

Philosophy of Teaching | Marianne Cabbat

References
Drnyei, Z. (2001). Motivational strategies in the language classroom.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Drnyei, Z. (2014). Motivation in second language learning. In M. CelceMurcia, D. M. Brinton, & M. A. Snow (Eds.), Teaching English as a second or
foreign language (4th ed., pp. 518 531). Boston: National Geographic
Learning.
Gardner, H. (1984). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences.
New York: Basic Books.
Lightbown, P., & Spada, N. M. (2006). How languages are learned. Oxford
England: Oxford University Press.
Long, Michael (1996). The role of the linguistic environment in second
language acquisition. InRitchie, W. & Bhatia, T. Handbook of second language
acquisition. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 413468.