Madeline Albrittain

Teacher Belief Statement

The Jesuit model of “cura personalis” is an essential component to a positive learning

environment. In my classroom, building student:student and student:teacher relationships is
fundamental. I strive to build a classroom that is equitable and inclusive in nature. Students
cannot reach their full potential as learners unless trust and community is established. It is a
building block for student learning. I believe that each student should have the opportunity to be
successful and the role of the teacher is to facilitate, guide learning and challenge students.
I believe students learn best when they are motivated and engaged in the learning
process. I incorporate technology into every lesson as means to engage all students in my
classroom. I use sites such as Voicethread for flipped classroom activities and Nearpod for
interactive direct instruction. With rigorous curriculum guidelines and goal to prepare them for
the next level of Spanish, it is essential that each student be given opportunities to demonstrate
understanding in the various communicative modes in the target language. I incorporate
authentic, formative assessment into my weekly routine. Whether an exit slip, a
think-on-your-feet speaking challenge, or a project-based learning assignment, students are
exposed to different aspects of foreign language acquisition. In my classroom, formative
assessment is a daily occurrence and I use it to improve instruction. For example, if I find a
common error in an exit slip, that will be the next day’s warm up activity. Project-based learning
in my classroom always has a cultural component in which students are exposed to different
customs and traditions in Spanish-speaking countries. For example, in my Spanish 2 classroom,
students choose a Spanish-speaking city to explore via Google Maps and compare cultural
differences, thereby increasing cultural competency. It also invites students to share their own
cultural differences and backgrounds. Students might also produce a video for a task-based
learning assessment. In my Spanish 3 Honors classroom, we explore Chilean and Argentinian
dictatorships through poetry and literature while we explore the social injustices in Latin
America. I want students to have the opportunity to engage cross-curricularly in material. This
holds true for my classroom, especially with topics of social justice. I especially challenge my
honors level students to think critically in the target language as we analyze and compare
cultures. I believe that technology is an amazing component to the foreign language classroom as
it has the ability to enhance the authentic use of the target language. This learning is
student-based and allows students to engage in the inquiry process. I also use formative
assessment because it encourages conversational Spanish. Students complete “speaking
challenge” videos and oral assessments. These often require partner work and peer evaluations,
encouraging students to guide one another in the learning process. At the end of the year, they
are asked to compare their first and last videos. Students come to class the next day proud of
what they have accomplished and how they have grown over the academic year.
I believe that routine is essential in maintained an organized classroom environment.
Daily routine in my classroom involves daily prayer. The bell rings, students stand, and we offer
intentions and pray in the target language. After which, I go over the day’s objectives,
tomorrow’s homework and students begin on their daily warm-up. Toward the end of the year,
this routine is student-led, once again allowing students to use the target language. This daily
routine allows me to check in with each student individually and build positive classroom
relationships. Part of my weekly routine also includes introducing new grammar structures to my
students. If one of my goals as a Spanish teacher is they use a variety of grammar structures to
express present, past or future tense, I need to model the correct way in which each is used.
Imperfect subjunctive and conditional tense are not easy conjugations to grasp. Throughout my
TEACHER BELIEF STATEMENT

mini-lectures (10-20 mins), I use songs, acronyms and model examples to guide students through
this process. As Brookfield (1995) states in ​What is means to be a critically reflective teacher​,
“before students can engage critically with ideas and actions, they may need a period of
assimilation and ground in a subject area or skill set” (p. 4). Lecturing should be used as a model
or pathway toward critical thinking. If students are properly guided, they will be able to use the
new material in an engaging and authentic way.
Lastly, I believe I have never perfected my practice as a teacher. I believe one of the
many marks of a great teacher is critical reflection. This is a pillar of a Jesuit educator. Farrell
(2012) suggests, “Reflective practice… is a ​compass that allows us to stop for a moment or two
and consider how we can create more learning opportunities for students.” Critical reflection is
not simply reflection about past lessons or student interactions. Rather, it requires educators to
think and act of what has been revealed in this process. For me, engaging in critical reflection is
similar to the Jesuit model of “contemplative in action” because it involves constant inquiry and
growth. I collaborate with my colleagues and students in order to find more opportunities for
professional growth. I use online statistical quiz and test reports to examine the quality and
fairness of my summative assessments. I use this data from assessments to drive reflection to
improve student learning. Data about our student population can also help me adapt curriculum
and maximize student growth. Through critical reflection, I have begun to use these statistics to
my benefit. I also strive to provide a classroom environment in which students feel comfortable
giving me feedback on a daily basis. While students often take advantage of this, I also ask
students to complete a Google Form at the end of each quarter for suggestions and goals moving
forward. Student review surveys allow me to see common trends in my classroom and ways in
which I can improve. My goal to be a critically reflective teacher means that I am willing to
improve and grow at every opportunity I can.

References

Brookfield, S. (1995). What it means to be a critically reflective teacher. Becoming a critically

reflective teacher (pp. 1-27). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. (CHAPTER 1)

Farrell, T. S. C. (2012). Reflecting on reflective practice: (Re)visiting Dewey and Schön.

TESOL Journal, 3(1), 7-16.