Reflection 3 - Response to a question about English teaching

http://www.everythingesl.net/askjudie/?i=11117&n=0

How a teacher should be eclectic in their approach to language teaching?

Re: Teaching

by Francisco Rojas Lopez on Nov 19 2008 8:04 PM

From my point of view teachers should be eclectic most of the time specially in language teaching. We all know that students have different backgrounds; they learn in many ways; they are interested in different things. Teachers have to be aware of these differences; they have to appreciate them in order to make their instruction more effective.
It is necessary to understand that teaching demands a long-life learning; we can not teach in the same way year by year; we always have to be in contact with new research or new experiences that can help us to improve our teaching; we have to take the best of these different approaches and put them into practice and see what works and what does not. Also, it is important to have a strong teaching philosophy leading our decisions; it is important to have in mind some criteria at the moment of deciding what you are going to do; but also it is a good sign for your students because they know what expect from the teacher.
To learn a new language can be a really difficult task, but we are responsible for making this process successful and motivating for our students.

I decided to answer this question because in this week, working with the ESL class at Lewis and Clark High School, I have seen the importance that diferentiated instruction has in teaching; how important it is to have high expectations for our students; how teaching through content can motivate them when they are doing a task; the importance of giving some space to the first culture and language in the class. An ESL/EFL teacher needs to have all of this knowledge in mind when he or she is planning or teaching a class. In this class where there are students from all over the world; with different ages and with a different previous instruction; the teacher needs to be aware of this in order to give the students the opportunity that they need to master the new language and to understand the new culture.