The knowledge, skills, or attitudes you seek to foster in your English Learning students.

Describe learning outcomes you would expect for students in terms of content knowledge, communicative competence, affective
development, critical thinking and intercultural awareness.

As a teacher, I value spoken communication as equally important to furthering students communicative competence.
From my experience as a foreign language learner, speaking often gets overlooked and undervalued in the classroom.
When I teach, I want to emphasize spoken interaction just as strongly as reading, listening, and writing. I also want to
maintain a fun and engaging classroom, where students can create a personal relationship with and motivation to learn
English. I dont want to make language learning feel like a chore, and I instead want my students to recognize the value
that a second language can bring to their professional AND personal development. Whenever possible, I want to
introduce new cultural perspectives, and I want to help my students realize that English as a language is not separable
from greater cultural contexts (not just American culture either, I want my students to be aware of other world Englishes
and how culture and language varies from one English-speaking location to another).
The teaching approach, methods, and strategies you use to promote student learning.
An imbalance between philosophy and methodology is a common pitfall identified in teaching statements. Describe the general
instructional approach that you most align with, as well as the method(s) you aim to employ to help students achieve the outcomes listed
above.

I most align with the Communicative approach and I aim to employ Communicative Language Teaching methodology in
the classroom. I believe that communication is the core purpose of both spoken and written language and, in order to
foster competence in a new language, students must be introduced to realistic content and must have a purpose behind
all acts of communication. For reading and listening practice, I will have students look at and listen to real-life materials
such as news broadcasts, TV shows, movie clips, music, novels, short stories, advertisements, etc. Even if I teach
beginners, I will incorporate as much real-life material as possible, even if it is something simple like a childrens picture
book. I also want to take a majority of classroom focus off of me. I want students to practice their English among
themselves with limited guidance from me. I want to introduce concepts, but I want to give students most of the class time
to engage the material among themselves and to ask questions to me when necessary. As the base of all my lessons, I
want students to participate in real-world tasks that they are likely to encounter with English speakers and/or in English
speaking countries such as ordering food, making suggestions, talking about family/friends/personal interests, buying
movie tickets, etc.
The learning environment you seek to create in your classroom.
This includes your expectations for the teacher-student relationship as well as student-student interactions; how you create a safe,
comfortable environment for students that is conducive to effective language learning; and what actions you take to create connections
between students. It might also be appropriate to discuss how you ensure active participation from emergent bilingual students.

I want to create a classroom environment that is friendly and fun. I want my students to be on good terms with each other,
and I will make an effort to reach out to each of my students individually throughout the semester/year. I am a very
relaxed person, and I want my classroom to be the same. I want to be on a first name basis, and I want my students to
feel comfortable coming to me with any and all questions. If there are ever any altercations between students, I will make
every effort to resolve conflict between only the involved parties and myself. Only if necessary will I get administration
involved. I will not make a show of students for punishment, as I seek to maintain my classroom as a place of education,
learning, and growth. From day one, I will get students talking to each other, exchanging information, and breaking the
ice. I will also attempt to learn all names and basic information about my students as quickly as possible. I truly believe
that a relaxed and friendly classroom is a huge benefit to effective language learning. When students dont feel judged or
awkward, or shy around their peers, they are less afraid to use their new language and make mistakes.
In order to encourage active participation among my students, I will not only call on students who raise their hands or
demonstrate more advanced control of English. I will encourage all students to participate equally, and I will never make
fun of or single students out who are struggling with concepts. I will review difficult concepts with students who are
struggling a lot during breaks in the day or after school when necessary. I will also include a variety of activities and input
that cater to students with different learning styles.

How your understanding of issues surrounding globalizationand the role of English in a globalized world
informs your philosophy of teaching English as a foreign language. Consider here what your understanding is of the
advantages and disadvantages to English having such prominence globally. Are there also ethical concerns associated with being an
American ex-patriot teaching English in Korea or any other country, for that matter?

In countries like Korea, English has become a sort of necessary evil for many people. From first-hand observation and
testament from friends, many people in Korea learn English due to an external drive of some sort. Globalization has
resulted in English becoming a sort of lingua franca between countries as they engage each other in business, trade,
academic conferences, etc. In Korea, being able to speak English (or at least have a test score that claims you can speak
English) also lends a huge hand to social mobility and is key in obtaining higher paying jobs. Many English learners are
learning the language due to reasons outside of loving English and wanting to communicate with English speakers. This
focus on English as a means to an end creates a sense of apathy in English learning among some students and hinders
their overall ability to learn and be able to use English later on.
I dont necessarily agree that English is a language that everyone in the world should make an attempt to know. As a
language, English is no better or worse than any other language. I do, however, recognize its role in the globalized world
and I see the demand for native English speakers to teach English worldwide. I dont agree that English should be
emphasized over any other language by its own merit, but I also dont see anything wrong with teachers going abroad to
meet the English education demand that already exists. American ex-patriots teaching English in Korea becomes
problematic when the ex-pats have no experience and are only taking advantage of the situation to travel for cheap and
dont care at all about their school or their students. I have met some people like this, and it does feel unethical to me.