Teaching philosophy

The Role of Motivation

Students master subjects through effort. Natural ability helps at first, but early strugglers catch up. Therefore, motivating students to persist in difficult subjects tops my priority list. I strive to motivate students by

showing them the importance of writing
meeting them where they're at
communicating my belief in them
praising effort rather than natural ability
using internal rather than external motivation (see Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Dan Pink)
incorporating their interests
making lessons enjoyable

Learning Models

Some models for language instruction center lessons around a grammar skill and create simplified readings or isolated sentences for practice. These approaches fail to create fluency. Students learn individual skills better in the context of real use. Therefore, rather than starting with separate grammar lessons, I usually teach a point of grammar or style when the issue arises in a real context of reading or writing. The student can then make an easy connection between the individual point and the whole. I follow up with reinforcement on that issue as needed. (See ESL/EFL Teaching: Principles for Success, by Yvonne and David Freeman.) This holistic approach applies to other subjects, too. The Whole-Part (as opposed to Part-Whole) and Whole-Part-Whole learning models are two examples of this emphasis.

I do not follow this principle slavishly, however. For example, research shows that students benefit from learning vocabulary as a separate activity, not just from encountering new words through reading.

Individualized Instruction

I mentioned above that I incorporate students' interests to motivate them. This means choosing different reading and writing materials for different students. Likewise, in the learning models discussion, I said that I teach grammar or writing style issues as they appear in students' reading or writing rather than in a set order.

Grade level, age, and the student's level of comfort with the subject shape my approach, too. I keep in mind the Minnesota standards, which categorize skills by grade level. However, I find that students can often surpass by far the expectations for their grade. With adults I still take into account the order of skills from basic to advanced.

Many have tried to identify how people learn differently. One popular model, for example, categorizes learners as visual, auditory, or kinesthetic. Scholars disagree widely on individual learning styles, but many believe that students learn better when teachers vary their approaches, regardless of the model used.

I believe the Felder-Silverman model pinpoints important personality differences. Anyone can take the free online test and receive immediate feedback.