I think teaching is very valuable because it is always involved with students and it might change some students’ life. Teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) includes many complex concepts because English as a language is deeply related to cultures and thoughts of the community where English is spoken. In other words, teaching EFL includes teaching cultures of other countries as well as English itself. My overall teaching objectives as an EFL teacher are to let students express themselves and communicate with other people with confidence and have more chances to study or get a job by means of English in the world as well as in Korea. It is important to articulate my teaching philosophy because it outlines my teaching practices in actual classrooms. I specify my teaching philosophy in regards to language, culture, assessment and students’ affective features.
I would like to teach authentic World English to students. We are living in a global era and English is used as a lingua franca in the world. This means that English does not belong to only inner circle countries such as America or England anymore. As I teach students Standard English to communicate with other English speakers more successfully, I will also present how World English is spoken all over the world, which has different accent, vocabulary and writing conventions. For example, I will teach how to articulate Standard English sounds and diverse accents through video clips with different contexts. I want students to express themselves with confidence without feeling shamed by their accent.
I think learning language includes learning the culture of the country where the language is used. English is a tool to get access to diverse cultures in the world that students may not have previously explored. At the same time, English should be taught as a means of introducing students’ own culture and language to the people all over the world. In addition to the concept of World English, it is assumed that experiencing other cultures and introducing students’ own culture by means of English can contribute to improving students’ motivation.
Learning objectives are closely linked with assessment; assessment refers to the full range of procedures as to how well students perform based on learning objectives specified by the teacher. Learning objectives should be in line with assessment. However, assessment in Korea is used to rank students mainly based on multiple-choice tests with high reliability rather than evaluating how well they can use the language. Assessment in Korea seems to exist to rank students instead of improving students’ performance based on feedback from test results. Therefore, I would like to rely more on performance test than on traditional paper and pencil tests. I will assess communicative competence in authentic contexts that students might encounter. I would like to design integrative speaking and writing tests. For example, students are asked to write a reply to a friend giving advice or speak their preference about studying style.
Lastly, student’s motivation, confidence, and self-esteem when learning and using English should be carefully considered. Looking back on my teaching career, I think motivating students to learn through raising their confidence and self-esteem is the most important characteristic leading to successful teaching. Good English teachers should have not only knowledge about English language, but also an understanding of their students’ affective features to achieve effective teaching. Therefore, teachers also need to elaborate how to give positive feedback to improve students’ confidence and self-esteem.
Though I have an ideal teaching philosophy in mind, it is hard to apply it in actual classroom practice. I have experienced many unexpected difficulties in teaching, I often have used negative feedback about students’performance errors. I used to directly correct them to save time rather than allowing students to rethink their performance or process. I will try to put this new teaching philosophy into action to facilitate improved learning of English in my students.