Kll, Ayfer TEFL 521-EFL Methodology 1 Reflection 1: Profile of yourself as a teacher

15.10.2011

My experiences as a teacher and as a learner have taught me that students attitudes towards learning are shaped by teachers attitudes. It is crucial that students have a positive feeling towards learning, and this feeling can only be created by a positive teacher. In my classes, I try to recognize the strengths and needs of each student, guiding them out of the class, being a friend rather than a teacher, and connecting the materials to students lives. In this way, the need for discipline is nearly eliminated and students become really enthusiastic about learning the language. In addition to that, I learn about students needs and expectations through a needs analysis questionnaire that I hand out at the beginning of each semester. The results of the questionnaire help me shape the teaching process according to my students expectations. The more I meet their expectations, the better they learn. I believe that having autonomous learners should be one of the first aims of a teacher. As language learning is a life-long process, it is really important to have autonomous learners. Keeping this in mind, I use lots of different activities in my classes; for individual development of students, I make use of technology, giving some tasks which aim to teach them how to use the internet in language learning. I encourage them to take part in cultural activities, introduce them to some native speakers and show them the ways to meet new native speakers. I give some group tasks to develop their interpersonal understanding and make use of movies and songs to show them different ways of language learning. I try to make use of portfolios as much as possible. The writing topics are given each week and students prepare several drafts for each paper. In this way, they gain self-assessment abilities and are equipped with a powerful tool for future development. Students vary in their opinion depending on what their aim in learning the language is. But, the majority of them would like to be able to communicate in the target language. I believe that without being given any information about the culture, students will not see the language as a means of communication and will not be curious about the language. As a teacher, I always keep in mind that language is meaningful only when its speakers are included in teaching, and a teaching which is isolated from the lives of these speakers would be meaningless, thus boring for students. Teaching should be learner centered. Students will differ in terms of background, learning style and motivation. The teacher should prepare a program which is responsive to those differences. Course design must be based on student needs. In this respect, I provide different learning activities for my students. I monitor student performance and give feedback. I pay

attention to learners' needs and different learning styles and discuss what the best method for learning a language could be. As for the requirements of being a teacher, I think a teacher is a forever learner. Each year means new classes and fresh brains for a teacher. In order to keep this freshness alive, the teacher should refresh herself as much as possible and should be open to new ideas. In this respect, I always try to consult my colleagues about teaching methods and new ideas. I strive to collect new ideas about teaching by making use of websites and teaching forums, reading magazines and attending conferences and workshops on language teaching. Above all, through personal reflection and students feedback, I aim to refine my teaching practice on a daily basis. Only in this way do I make my life more meaningful and rewarding.