My Personal Teaching Philosophy

I cannot word my teaching philosophy within the limits of this essay

since it has a myriad of different sides and aspects which are on a
constant change. So, I will tackle only a few at this time.

First, even though I am teaching the language, I am in the opinion

that I often coach humanistic values rather than words and grammar,
which directly relate to language teaching. This said, I believe that
school is the place where students should be taught, beside formal
disciplines, right attitudes and manners, which will help them grow
into good members of the community. The characteristics of properly
functional community like social cohesion and collaboration between
members are fast disappearing in today’s competitive environments
that seem to cherish individuality and success on a personal level over
common good and conformity.

As a result, I have tried to encourage social responsibility and

accountability among my students. Sometimes it is called emotional
intelligence; for me, it just means people skills and the ability to
function as a member of a society. I tell my students that there is one
especially lucrative principle that is so simple yet worth remembering
and following in almost any situation: it is nice to be important, but it
is more important to be nice. Courtesy and good conduct can open
many doors while arrogance and incivility yields a negative return and
social rejection. In other words, what goes around, comes around.

My second belief is that all students and kids are benign even though
this it may not show through at first. There are some troublemakers
whose choice of words and attitudes I do not welcome because I find
them either vile or downright offensive. Sometimes an F-word just
slips out of a student’s mouth, in rare cases it is verbal abuse, but
most often kids simply tease teachers to see how far they can go. In
case of intentional verbal abuse, I send the student out of the
classroom since it is a place for civilized people; thus, if a kid cannot fit
in he automatically opts out, which is his choice. Ability to conform is a
social skill which can be learned and trained. Foul language does not
shock me emotionally but I try to distance myself and my students
from it. School is not a tavern, but more like a shrine where people
follow a certain code of conduct that is not laid out in a written
document but comes with proper upbringing and nurture. Today, after
some ten years of working at school I can say that I have prevailed in
instilling good conduct in my students, which I take immense pride in.

As for language teaching, I have recently changed my approach as I

was dissatisfied with the results reflected in the performance of my
students. I used to be naïve enough to think that students want to
learn and are diligent. To put it bluntly, they are not. Students are no
different from the rest of the human kind who seek comfort and easy
living in every possible way. So, I followed the footsteps of the sitting
President of the United States Barack Obama who called for change in
his election campaign, and change I did.

As a consequence, I have substantially increased the workload in

classes and I also give homework on a regular basis. To further
intensify the speed and work pressure, I correct the tests and other
written tasks by the next time we meet, so that we do not have time
lags and students can quickly make amends if necessary. Terms are
relatively short and I do not want to have too long intervals between

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grades and tests so that we can go on with other topics and issues on
the agenda. What’s more, today I feel that the more marks I can get
the better it is for the students, because their term grade will then be
more objective, plus they are entitled to work throughout a term for
individual marks that count towards their final grade.

As for marking, I have implemented a strict percentage scale where

possible. If a student scored 89 percent out 100, he will get a “4” and
so it is. Yet, sometimes it feels a bit unfair because 89 percent is tilted
towards a “5” while 70 percent, which still gives a “4”, has a very
strong inclination to a “3”. Therefore, to comfort my students and
encourage them to perform better next time, I enter the percentages
in a spreadsheet and let the program do the calculation for me. By so
doing, I get a fairly objective view of performance, leaving no room for
protests that may arise at the end of the term. For example, we get
different average results when comparing 7 imaginary tests a student
John Smith took:

Percentages 85 84 87 100 95 86 85 =89.59 => 5

Marks 4 4 4 5 5 4 4 =4.29 => 4

The average percentage score would give this person a borderline “5”
while marks show a sturdy “4” instead. The same rigid mathematical
logic applies equally well to marginal “4”s and “3”s. For example:

Percentages 72 74 70 75 45 74 75 =69.29 => 3

Marks 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 =3.86 => 4

I have asked my students for feedback on the percentage scales and

got mixed opinions. The majority of people think it is just and fair
while others would prefer marks over percentages. I then smile and
say that percentages, in fact, translate into marks after some time.

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Hence, as previously said, there is little or no room for negotiations
over marks.

Another thing that I try to foster in my students is right work ethics

and accountability for the marks. It is not a rare case that learners fall
behind or do not do their work on time, which results in a weak score
or failing altogether. If a student does not pass a scheduled test paper,
he still gets his percentage points, which can be as low as 0, with the
option to retake exactly the same test within the next 7 days.
According to the school rules, which I comply with, students are
entitled to a second chance. To make them learn for the initial test and
save time, I have indicated that in the second attempt I automatically
deduct 20 percent off their score, so students cannot get a “5” and
even need to go an extra mile to get a “4”. This policy gives me a
chance to lift the ridiculously low margin for a “3”, which today is 45
percent, to 65. On my end, keeping track of percentages and dates is
highly time-consuming but I hope that this teaches my students the
moral imperative to do their work on time and meet the deadlines.

As for teaching methodology, I try to have materials structured and

use a coursebook. Each unit gives some 100 – 150 new words and
expressions to learn. I type a wordlist for students and ask basically all
words in two consecutive tests each containing no fewer than 50
items. Word quizzes take very little time if you have them word-
processed. If learnt, students can give a translation to a word within
15 – 20 seconds, thus a typical tests lasts for approximately 15
minutes. At first, I received complaints in relation to the number of
words and the time constraints. Today, after 3 months of adaption,
these protests have ceased. I explained the sulky ones that having
more words in a test give them better odds to get a good mark.

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Statistically, 5 mistakes in a 50-questions-test still yield a maximum
mark. That brings a smile on their faces. For me, marks are
unimportant, but I have pulled my groups into learning more words
than ever before, which gives me a degree of satisfaction.

I also ask my students to make regular speeches on some topics that

the study unit discusses. They get a statement to elaborate on,
bringing out their personal views and insights. The rest of the group
listens to the speaker and should put him or her relevant questions.
This is a fine way to make the students speak and listen at the same
time; what’s more, in addition to furthering their command of the
language, they can debate and analyse intriguing issues, which is
mind-opening and thought-provoking.

Finally, let me touch upon the issue of grammar as well. Language

structures are fairly difficult to learn and teach as tests and practice
take up a big proportion of lesson time. Nevertheless, we cannot
neglect grammar, either; quite the opposite, I am in the opinion that
the more time we devote to it the better it is. A known problem with
all sorts of tests is that they tend to end up in a garbage bin the
moment students get them back. Yet the teacher has taken his time to
correct and mark. Asking students to look at the mistakes they made
seems to be wishful thinking; thus, I invite them to mark the tests for
me, so that they have to look at the paper again. A student gets his
classmate’s test and I then dictate the answers that they compare with
those given. Thereafter they do the math and finally give a mark. I
cannot fully trust corrections made, so I have them back for a re-
check and only then submit the final mark. This policy is actually a
win-win situation both for me and my students because they can learn

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when going over the same lines again and I do not need to waste time
doing the dull work of correcting one test hours on end.

To sum up, I think this recent change in my approaches will work

wonders in a long run but it takes time before I can see the actual
fruit. But I do hope and believe, similar to President Obama, that the
change was needed and the bounty is on the way.