My philosophy of teaching is based on the following four core beliefs that I feel are most important for second language (L2) teachers:

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1. understanding the values of language as a window into the mind and culture of a different group of people;

2. having open-mindedness and the capacity to accommodate all students of diverse cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, and identities;

3. teaching not only the target language but also allowing students to practice using it, for example, by providing opportunities to practice conversation and public speaking skills, discussion skills, and negotiation skills;

4. making the learning process enjoyable for both the students and the teacher. 

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First, why do we learn an L2? I believe that by learning new languages, people can widen their perspectives because language and culture cannot be separated. Through learning an L2, people can encounter a new culture that allows them to see the world in a new way. L2 teachers should be aware that language is much more than just a communication tool. Parts of the linguistic relativity hypothesis have been supported by the finding of language having a powerful influence on our thoughts (Wolff & Holmes, 2011). When people learn an L2, they can have a new window to the minds of a different group of people. 

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My second belief is that understanding this value of language helps teachers to be open-minded to accept students who have different first languages (L1s), cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, and identities. Both teachers and students should respect each other, and in a classroom, be able to express themselves freely. In a monolingual classroom, this idea of accepting diversity is often ignored because everyone shares an L1 and cultural background which makes it easy for teachers to forget the importance of diversity. When I was learning English in Japan, I was introduced to American and British cultures using materials that have standard American and British accents. However, with globalization rapidly spreading, we can assume that Japanese students will be using English with other L2 learners perhaps even more often than with native speakers of English. Thus, teachers should be aware of English as a lingua franca (ELF) and introduce this concept to their students. For example, in class, teachers can use materials that include World Englishes. I would introduce ELF to my students by using listening materials that include various types of English. By providing opportunities for students to become familiarized with different types of English, we can prepare our students for their future use of English. As a student studying abroad, I have encountered various types of English spoken by, for example, Irish, German, Spanish, Korean and South African speakers. Accepting ELF can help teachers teach with open-mindedness and respect for diversity, and can help students open their own minds and also gain self-confidence. 

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This leads to my third belief, about the importance of aiming to be able to communicate with others in the target language. Gaining one’s communicative competence takes practice, and it is important for teachers to provide opportunities for students to use the L2 for the purpose of communication, for example, providing activities that involve conversation, public speaking, discussion, and negotiation. By applying communicative language teaching (CLT), teachers can focus on how students negotiate, interact, express, and listen actively rather than focus only on individual language features. Instead of just marking students’ errors, teachers can use them as opportunities for learning. For example, I would encourage my students to explain their thoughts if they make errors. If a listener cannot process what a speaker says because of low language proficiency, I would encourage the listener to send out signals such as asking clarification questions. The speaker can then learn how to adjust the output, for example, by rewording the explanation (Nation and Newton, 2009, p.106). In this way, language teaching can become more than just teaching the language because CLT allows teachers to aim for communicative competence in a classroom (Larsen-Freeman & Anderson, 2011). 

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In Japan, English teachers usually focus on teaching reading and writing rather than listening and speaking. This is because of the entrance exam system in Japan. A huge number of students take entrance exams to go to universities, and thus, it is easier to assess reading and writing skills rather than listening and speaking skills. Even though changing this system may be difficult, I believe that we can teach English through a CLT method and still enable students to prepare for their exams. Rather than dividing language skills into listening, speaking, reading, and writing, I would focus on students gaining integrated skills. Students can and should use listening and speaking skills to improve their reading and writing skills and vice versa. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) suggests that “communicative language competence is activated in the performance of various language activities, involving reception, production, interaction or mediation” and claims that activities need at least two individuals to communicate with each other to solve problems or complete tasks in both receptive and productive modes (Council of Europe, 2001, p.14). As a teacher, I would include task-based activities, for example, giving students different information about the same map and ask them to complete the map by asking each other questions. Having tasks to do or problems to solve, students can practice using a variety of communication skills and interactional strategies, and by doing so, can become motivated and usually find them interesting and enjoyable. 

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Finally, education should bring joy. Both learning and teaching should be enjoyable. When I was in high school, most of my teachers made learning a negative experience. Of course, L2 learning takes a lot of time and effort, but the process should be enjoyable so that students can stay motivated. Also, it is difficult to enjoy learning something if the teacher does not enjoy teaching it. What teachers express in class has a strong impact on students’ learning experiences. Applying the CLT method, teachers can teach how to communicate in the target language. Students can gain confidence and motivation by being able to use what they have learned outside of school which would lead to an enjoyable process of learning. In addition, as a teacher, I would include authenticity in my teaching to make the learning process more enjoyable, motivating, and engaging for my students. For example, I would use authentic contexts like global warming for discussions in class, and by doing so, I believe students can enjoy the process of learning more because it is a problem that’s happening and relates to every single one of us. When students can find reasons or are eager to learn something, they are more likely to be engaged and participating actively which I believe would bring joy to the students (Buck Institute for Education, 2015). 

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In my philosophy of teaching, we can widen our perspectives to see the world in new ways with L2s, and by doing so, be open-minded and accommodate diversity. I would use CLT methods because I believe in the importance of providing opportunities for students to practice using the target language. Lastly, I believe education should bring joy to people’s lives. Both students and teachers should enjoy the process of learning and teaching. I myself want to enjoy teaching to encourage students to have fun with their L2 learning. 

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References

Buck Institute for Education (2015). Gold Standard PBL: Essential Project Design Elements. 

https://www.pblworks.org

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Council of Europe.2001. Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching,

Assessment. https://rm.coe.int/1680459f97

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Larsen-Freeman, D. & Anderson, M. (2011). Techniques & Principles in Language Teaching. Oxford:

Oxford University Press.

 

Nation, I. S. P., & Newton, J. (2009). Learning through task-focused interaction. Teaching ESL/EFL

Listening and Speaking (pp. 97-113). London: Routledge.

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Wolff, P., & Holmes, K. J. (2011). Linguistic relativity. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive

Science, 2(3), 253-265.