The two quotes that I think summarizes my theoretical framework are;
“Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.”A Chinese Proverb and
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” by Maya Angelou My philosophy of education is built upon my experiences as both a student and a teacher, Constructivism, Humanism and Connectivism. I started learning English as a second language at a bilingual school at the age of 12 totally through the direct approach, which means no use of a person’s mother tongue. Lessons begin with dialogues and anecdotes in modern conversational style, actions and pictures are used to make meanings clear, grammar is learned inductively, literary texts are read for pleasure and are not analyzed grammatically (Murcia, 2001, p. 6). I learned English well, but my skill level was lower than my friends; I never figured out the usefulness of English other than for schoolwork. My level of English was sufficient enough to do the work, but I wasn’t fluent until I met Tim, my husband. This demonstrates that motivation, which can be defined in terms of attitudes towards the language, in second language learning, is important, because if learners have favorable attitudes towards the speakers of the language they will desire more contact with them (Lightbown & Spada, 1999, p56). Constructivism holds that meaningful learning occurs when people actively try to make sense of the world by filtering new ideas and experiences through existing knowledge structures (Snowman et al., 2009, p. 337). In agreement with Jerome Bruner, I confront students with problems and help them to seek solutions either independently or by engaging in collaborative group discussion (Snowman et al., 2009, p. 337). Fetherston (2007) calls this as social negotiation and adds that teachers operating according to constructivist principles would create an environment where students had ample opportunity for this social negotiation (p.160). Furthermore, teachers adopting a constructivist approach would scaffold their students’ learning by matching the task to the students so that it lies within their ‘zone’ and use real and authentic tasks (p.161). As a language teacher and a strong believer of the constructivist approach, I make sure the students see meaningful connections between content and skills and the real world by providing opportunities for them to use the tools in authentic, real-life activities to create common or shared understanding of some phenomenon (Snowman et al., 2009, p. 340). Therefore, I plan and implement learning experiences in classroom and outside of classroom that supports students’ development and active engagement with the world (Standard 6).
Much of our current society is built on systems that pacify the individual. People are encouraged to be watchers and observers, but not encouraged to take part in influencing or changing situations. Traditional education, which is based on behaviorism, feeds into this problem by making students empty vessels that knowledge must be poured into. The learner is passive during the time the teacher delivers the lesson. It is my belief that education serves to change the individual’s personality from passive to active. Lesson planning shifts from focusing on teacher delivery of content to designing collaborative projects that tap into cross-curricular content, abstract concepts, and learning in meaningful ways (Knobel & Wilber, 2009). Bruner argues that conceptions that children arrive at their own are generally more meaningful than those proposed by others (Snowman et al., 2009, p. 337). Vygotsky believed that children learn more from the interactions they have with those who are more intellectually advanced, particularly if the interaction is designed to fall within the child’s zone of proximal development (Snowman et al., 2009, p. 47). Therefore, it is my belief to implement intellectually challenging learning experiences that actively promote student inquiry both individually or collaboratively, and also promote higher order thinking by scaffolding (Standard 3).
Learning a foreign language in a country where the language is not used, can be challenging. Errors are a natural part of language learning (Lightbown & Spada, 1999, p167). Students make many mistakes throughout this journey and more importantly they learn from their own mistakes. Tomlinson & Kalbfleisch (1998) argue that in order for learning to take place, learning environments must feel emotionally safe. I make learning appealing, minimizing pressure and reducing responsibilities for failure or embarrassment (Snowman et al., 2009, p.445). Also in agreement with Abraham Maslow, I try very hard to have a positive teacher-student relationship in the classroom. In addition, I make sure the students are physically comfortable, feel safe and relaxed, have a sense of belonging, and experience self-esteem (Snowman et al., 2009, p.444) (Standard 7).
Students today have grown up in a world where mobile computers, cell phones with browsers, and other personal digital devices are common tools, and instant messaging, blogs, and wikis are common modes of self-expression (Apple, 2008). Dondlinger argued that several studies have demonstrated that the use of computer-based learning and teaching increases students’ intrinsic motivation and performance (as sited in Snowman et al., 2009, p.454). In order to engage this new generation of learners, I encourage learners of all ages to learn vocabulary and grammar by having them use programs such as Comic Life or iMovie as students who worked on computer-based projects exhibit more self regulated learning behavior, greater persistence and more positive attitude towards their peers who did not match their cultural, social or gender profile...(Lou, 2004). Some of the principles of connectivism are that learning and knowledge rest in diversity of opinions, learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources, learning may reside in non-human appliances, and nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning (Siemens, 2004). Therefore, connectivism presents a model of learning that acknowledges the tectonic shifts in society where learning is no longer an internal, individualistic activity (Siemens, 2004). I believe that the students should continue learning outside of classroom using programs such as Facebook, Messenger, or iChat. Since languages are dynamic and evolving over the years, there is only a small amount of information that can be taught in a classroom. Beyond that, I encourage the students to learn more by connecting with other people around the world. Siemens (2004) also states that as our ability to learn what we need for tomorrow is more important than what we know today. Students now need the skills to understand how to locate, comprehend, synthesize, evaluate, and effectively use information. Connectivism provides insight into learning skills and tasks needed for learners to flourish in a digital era (Siemens, 2004) (Standard 1).
Finally, in the world we live, there are students from diverse backgrounds in almost all classes. Multicultural education is an indicative component of being a successful teacher. As an immigrant to the United States with Turkish ethnicity, I wish to foster an understanding of and mutual respect for, the values, beliefs and practices of different cultural groups (Snowman et al., 2009, p.143). In order to achieve this goal, I make sure that students bring their unique cultures into class by having discussions where they become proud of themselves and their cultures. (Standard 4).
References
Apple. (2008). Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow-Today: Learning in the 21st century: Apple inc.
Fetherston, T. (2007). Becoming an effective teacher. Nelson Australia Pty Limited: Thomson, Australia.
Knobel, M. & Wilber, D. (2009). Let’s talk 2.0. Whether it’s Web 2.0 or literacy 2.0, it’s a whole new way of thinking, Educational Leadership, Vol.66, No.6, pp-20-24.
Lightbrown, P. M. & Spada, N. (2003). How Languages are Learned: Revised Edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York.
Lou, Y. (2004). Understanding process and affective factors in small group versus individual learning with technology. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 31(4),337-369.
Murcia, M. C. (2001). Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language. Third Edition. Boston, MA: Thomson Learning. Heinle and Heinle.
Siemens, G. (2004). Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. Elearnspace everything elearning. Retrieved from:
http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm Snowman, J., Dobozy, E., Scevak, J., Bryer, F., Bartlett, B., & Biehler, R. (2009). Psychology Applied to Teaching: 1st Australian Edition. Qld: John Wiley & Sons.
Tomlinson, C., & Kalbfleisch, M. (1998). Teach me, teach my brain a call for differentiated classrooms. Educational Leadership, 56(3), 52. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database on 3/14/2010.
