Cristina Giansante

May 19, 2014

Dr. Martinez/ ESC769


Assignment 3: Philosophy Statement

Since my youth I have always had a passion for culture, and discovering how
others experience the world. I have spent much time traveling and immersing
myself in several different countries, and learning about the different cultural
perspectives around me. This openness to other cultures is what motivated me to
enter the field of teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). Throughout my
degree program I have been able to build upon my motivation with a solid
theoretical foundation, and teaching strategies in which I will base my future
teaching on.
In my personal philosophy of teaching, I believe that effective learning occurs
in a collaborative context in which teachers and students participate in the teaching
and learning process. Students have their best chance at success when they can
actively construct their own meanings and make their own connections. As an
instructor I must provide students with the tools and opportunities to construct
these meanings and develop these connections. As an ESL instructor, it is essential
that these students do not become passive learners in the classroom.
Classes are the most beneficial for all students when a comfortable,
supportive, and safe atmosphere is maintained. I base my philosophy on personal
experience, and Krashens affective filter hypothesis. The hypothesis states
anxiety, stress, or tension may hinder a learners ability to learn (Krashen, 1982). My
approach is to ensure that students have a safe, relaxing place to express individual
and social skills, by providing a classroom that consists of acceptance, approval, and
respect. English Language Learners, just like all learners, need a place to build
confidence. It is my goal to create a classroom where differences are celebrated. It is
important that not only the students respect one another, but also the teacher
respects the students diverse strengths, intelligences, and interests. It also means
respecting the students weaknesses and needs, and finding ways to assist these
students.
My teaching approach in ESL is to guide my students through the process of
second language acquisition, socialization, and content while keeping in mind the
challenges that culturally and linguistically diverse leaners face. In my classroom, I
address these concerns in the following ways:

Impact on Language Learning and Academic Achievement

During my graduate studies I have taken courses in which we deeply
investigate the impact of cultural identity, racism, cultural conflicts, discrimination,
and stereotyping that can all be found in schools, and affect a students learning. As
an ESL teacher it is important to keep in mind that not all students follow the same
customs that we do here in America; for example in many cultures it is a sign of
disrespect if a student makes eye contact with a teacher while he or she is speaking
to the student. Teachers beliefs, and attitudes play a powerful and intricate role in
students learning. I find it crucial that my fellow teachers and teacher assistants do
not hold negative attitudes towards ELLs in the classroom. This can lead to
discrimination, which will traumatically affect the students achievement level. It is
imperative that teachers maintain high expectations for ELLs just as they do for
native speaking students. I believe that teachers attitudes largely affect the
academic performance and learning outcome of all students. As an ESL teacher we
must be open and accepting to new cultural customs, and find ways to incorporate
them into our classroom, so the student has his or her best chance at success.

Challenges Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners Face

Culturally and linguistically diverse learners must overcome a variety of
challenges to succeed in an educational setting. I have found that these learners
often face language and social barriers due to immigration, or in some cases due to
poverty and lack of prior education. As ESL instructors we must recognize where
our students stand as far as Banks Stages of Ethnicity. These stages can reflect a lot
about where the students are with their identity and how the teachers can work
more effectively with them.
Another challenge ELLs face is school to home communication. Many
students are the only form of translation between the parent and teacher. I believe
that parents should play an integral role in the students education and should
always be allowed the opportunity to be involved. Many families tend to stay away
from the classrooms due to language or cultural customs, however, in my classroom
I like to provide translated notes home, and events during holidays where we
highlight all cultures and customs, and encourage different heritages to come in and
participate in our learning.

Classroom Teaching Strategies

Meaningful communication will be key in my classroom. The purpose of
language is for communication, and ELLs want to be able to communicate fluently
with their peers and teachers. Throughout my experience I have noticed that
language learning occurs most successfully when meaningful communication is
made contingent upon it. I would like to incorporate meaningful communication
into my classroom in a number of ways such as reading, listening, and discussing
texts that reflect students interests, have students work in small groups where
communicating is necessary, or using strategies such as pair and share.
Research has proven the use of nonlinguistic objects and models to be very
successful for ELLs. In my classroom we will utilize these nonlinguistic objects and
models as often as possible; when students can touch and visualize objects it helps
strengthen their vocabulary, and for ELLs it allows them to make connections.
Vacca-Rizopoulos and Nicoletti (2009) advocate the use of visual cues and
supplements to reinforce the literacy development of all students. I am a strong
believer in that concept maps, word maps, and graphic organizers can help students
visualize relationships between concepts. The use of graphic organizers not only to
display relationships among concepts, but also as a scaffolding tool to teach the
language needed to express these relationships (de Jong & Harper, 2005). As I am
big on visual representations my students are always provided with vocabulary
charts with accompanying pictures to help the students make important
connections. All of these strategies that I have used in the past are simple, quick,
adjustments that truly assist the student, and make them more comfortable in the
classroom to try a new language.
Through a complex interaction between my personal philosophy of teaching
and my experience and research that have supported my theories behind my
philosophy, I strive to develop the full potential of my students in the language-
learning context. I believe that all students are capable of learning and becoming
successful. My constant career goal as an educator is to always ensure every student
reaches his or her highest potential. I strive to be the students biggest motivator; I
believe a teacher must be an inspirational role model to the students in all aspects,
not just inside the classroom. As a teacher I believe it is my responsibility to teach
the students to be positive and active contributors to society, no matter what their
cultural identity or differences are. As my students develop linguistically and
academically, I hope to foster skills in my students that will prepare them for higher
academia and social situations. In the process, I also hope to continually broaden my
cultural awareness and grow as an educator. My ultimate goal as a teacher is to
educate, motivate, and inspire my students to value lifelong learning.







References

de Jong, E. J., & Harper, C. A. (2005). Preparing mainstream teachers for English-
language learners: Is being a good teacher good enough? Teacher Education
Quarterly, 32(2), 101-118.

Krashen, S.D. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Oxford:
Pergamon.

Vacca-Rizopoulos, L.A., & Nicoletti, A. (2009). Preservice teachers reflections on
effective strategies for teaching latino esl students. Journal of Latinos and
Education, 8(1), 67-76. doi: 10.1080/15348430802466829