TEACHING PHILOSOPHY RAVEN REDMOND-JOHNSON 1

Second language acquisition is closely related to first language acquisition. Therefore, we

do well to peer into this process, as many academic texts point out, so as to gain invaluable

insight about the teaching and learning of second or foreign languages. Language learning is

accomplished by both implicit learning and explicit instruction, rather than just one of these

methods in isolation. In addition, language teaching is learning is largely informed by the

context in which idiosyncratic features of the language are taught. When there is a specific

purpose in language learning, teachers should instruct with that purpose in mind, catering to and

cognizant of the specific needs and interests of their students.

Language teachers must realize the importance of vocabulary, even if it seems miniscule

or is diminished in a wide array of pedagogical techniques. I always build a lexicon after

teaching phonetics and phonology, so that my students can progress in stages to discourse, which

is the ultimate goal in my language course. Students cannot comprehend what they are reading or

get even the gist of what you say in ​i+1 ​if they have no vocabulary base. Folse (2004) relates a

scenario in which he is completely hung up on one unknown word, a French hors d'oeuvre that

his teacher is creating a story around, and is unable to pay attention to anything else she says. To

avoid like situations in my L2 Spanish classes, I use partial translations in my intermediate

foreign language classes. While I avoid translations of whole utterances, I do accompany my

speech with gestures and other body language, such as in TPR activities, to help the students

begin to match significance to otherwise arbitrary vocabulary. I also give the students plenty of

subsequent opportunities to see and use the vocabulary again. Lexicon presented in the

classroom is usually up-to-date, as opposed to outdated archaic expressions, and relevant to the

community in which the students live and their interests.

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Vocabulary is best learned with visual aids. In my classroom, I make use of YouTube

videos with the captions underneath. I also use bilingual books Books in a foreign language teach

important lessons about what is important in a certain culture. Learning Spanish through books

also augments English skills. Students learn English words through Spanish/English cognates.

Reading bilingual or second-language Spanish material also teaches Latin and Greek

morphemes, which are of great importance for word association and eventual lexicon

development. Students learn chunking, collocation, circumlocution, negotiation of meaning, and

how to convey ideas in a variety of ways. These are authentic sources, books written for native

speakers of Spanish, and such books will teach children vocabulary, grammar, and cultural

values. They are on an elementary level, so these books will not overwhelm my second-language

learners. It is yet another resource that I will use to make learning a new language fun and boost

intrinsic motivation.

Second-language learners can acquire fundamentals of language similar to the way native

speakers learn by means of books. Books do this by means giving students a mental image to

correlate with an otherwise abstract concept. Some books also give students a familiar English

concept with a Spanish term embedded. In my own experience, this initial contact with a word

gives students a context to reflect back on and retrieve the term from their cognitive faculties.

These books encourage further intercultural research by piquing curiosity and motivating

students to delve into a whole new world.

I am a fan of Krashen (1982) and his Monitor Model, and I often make use of his

hypotheses. One of my favorites is the natural order hypothesis. I was surprised to learn that my

students often knew much more than they let on in class when I asked them to complete an
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end-of-the-year assignment that required them to talk about what they had gained from class.

Many of my struggling students, who I had initially given a hard time, expressed a metalinguistic

awareness that was shocking! As Krashen expresses, students learn language in a certain order. If

they do not get certain aspects of language as we are teaching them, this can often be

disconcerting. However, if they continue in their effort, we do well to remember that they will

soon acquire that step in their own due time. I have learned to avoid scolding students who just

do not seem to get it, or who are going through a silent period. These students often do come out

of their shells, but they cannot be forced.

In class, I speak about half and half in the native and foreign tongue to get my students

accustomed to hearing the language and to encourage them to imitate. While much information

that I have read encourages teaching at least 90% in the target tongue, I would argue that this

depends on your class. I have students who live in a rural area, where foreign language is

stigmatized and its speakers are stereotyped. Many of them bring language attitudes to the

classroom that affect the way they listen to new ideas and cultures. They often ostracize things

that are different from them. If I were to totally immerse them in the language at the beginning

stages, they would drop the class or quickly tune me out and stop trying. Instead of beginning

with 90% immersion, I live by Krashen’s input hypothesis (1977), which encourages language

educators to give students a step above what they know so that they may rise to the expectation.

Eventually, I am at 90% target language instruction, but through progressive increase and not all

at once.

I try to overcome this unwritten language policy by creating my own. I foster tolerance

and respect of differences by creating situations that allow them to be empathetic. I describe the
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prejudices that such ones encounter and teach them about the lack of certain rights and

opportunities in their home country as opposed to the ones they enjoy. I give them what I feel

they are ready for, increasing progressively until they are receptive of more. In this way, I

respect their identities while subtly softening their attitudes toward other cultures and peoples

and encouraging them to adopt new ones. I tell them that they don’t have to change who they are,

or assimilate, but that they should acculturate.

The learning environment is physically and spatially organized to be warm and inviting

and to give everyone a front-row seat. I arrange the desks on both sides of me, and I stand in the

middle of the floor so that students can watch my mouth as I articulate Spanish discourse. I am

not distant in space, and the physical closeness endears them to me even more. The fact that I

choose sitting in the middle of the floor, amongst all of them, instead of sitting at my desk makes

me much more accessible. There are nine desks to the left of me, and eight desks to the right of

me. I evenly distribute students on each side, making sure that the front rows are filled. This

spacing ensures that I am able to easily point to a student and ensure that no heads are on desks

or that no off-task behavior is happening. Being so close together in a small class makes students

well-aware that their turn to participate is always imminent, and they thus pay attention longer. I

can easily walk up and down aisles, or I could easily walk up to a students’ desk and give him

quiet individual support.

Although my classroom is rich in visual stimulation, it is content-rich stimuli. Everything

inside my classroom makes students feel like the classroom is their second home; the physical

environment in my classroom is very cozy. There is a wooden structure at the back of the

classroom built in the shape of a house. I covered it with shower curtains with the semblance of a
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European house on them. There is lattice for the white fence around the house, faux potted plants

hanging from the structure, and green turf for the lawn. I have a culture board that honors

Hispanic authors, artists, and other people of interest. Cardi B, Amara la Negra, Selena

Quintanilla, and Frida Kahlo are all pictured on the board. The books ​Call Me Marìa a​ nd

Enchanted Air. ​There is a traveling board that features a passport and Hispanic countries and

encourages students to travel.There is also a word wall with pictures to accompany Spanish

terms and their English translations. I often see students looking for new vocabulary terms on the

word wall. The room invites them to step into a Spanish-speaking world and to switch focus

immediately from their other classes.

Backpacks are to be left at the front of the room so as not to serve as a distraction. I spend

many resources decorating my class at the beginning of each year so that the room looks inviting

to students. I want them to say, “Hey, I want to take that class!” Traditionally, I have allowed

stereotypes to influence my decorations, such as the “Hispanics love to party” idealism, and was

party to exaggerations and romanticized notions. This year, my decorations have served as a

teaching point. They have sparked interest about important historical and current figures in

Hispanic society, Spanish-speaking countries and Spanish-speaking cities here in the US,

Hispanic contributions to society, and travel to Hispanic countries to name a few. In this

information age, I encourage students to do research by experiencing some things firsthand and

to use electronics not only for that purpose, but to liven up presentations and facilitate language

and cultural learning I create an atmosphere where acceptance and transculturalism is

encouraged.
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Teacher-student relationships should always be cultivated in the classroom. Students

cannot learn from someone who they do not respect or who they feel like doesn’t care for them

on an individual level. Educators must find a balance between classroom management and

rapport-building. This involves consistency. Rules and regulations must be made clear and

enforced from the beginning of the school year. Educators must know when it is appropriate,

however, to relax certain rules and students must understand why exceptions were made in

isolated cases. Relationship building begins with actions as simple as speaking to students inside

and outside of the classroom and asking them about their well-being when they enter the room. It

includes validating their comments if they have even the least-level of relatability and always

seeking opportunities to offer sincere commendation for personal character traits and academic

performance or progress.

Adolescent students often have fragile egos, so I avoid embarrassing them when they

don’t do something correctly and find noninvasive ways for error correction, using techniques

like reformulation to do so subtly. Sometimes, I simply remind them that mistakes are the

pathways to success in language learning, even when I have to elicit the correct response by

appealing to their metalinguistic knowledge; sometimes, students simply do not know that they

know! Educators have the responsibility of drawing out students and leading them to the

knowledge that they need to advance in the language. Part of that job is helping students to

realize how what they know relates to what they need to do or how the knowledge that they hold

has practical value.

Student motivation, both intrinsic and outward, is vital for language learning. I help to

see students how bilingualism is practical in their lives. At the beginning of the school year, I
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outline the top ten reasons why Spanish is practical to learn. We talk about the number of

Spanish speakers in the U.S., the corporate benefits, and the cognitive rewards. Remembering

that not all students learn the same way can help to keep student motivation at its pinnacle. If I

need to repeat instructions, I do not make the student feel bad about this, but I attempt to explain

in a simpler or maybe in just a different manner. Students may also need different exams.

Because I make my own exams, this will require advance preparation on my part, but if it aids in

student success, then it is well worth the time. I could make two different versions, with one

being simplified. I will also endeavor to encourage students not to stick to the “script” but to go

beyond what they are taught, such as with vocabulary, and to be creative with language instead

of just sticking to a book or handout. This requires me to commit to not only being a teacher but

a lifelong learner. We cannot require that students stick to information that they’ve been given,

for fear that we won’t understand. Students are the best teachers, and since we will always be

learning our second languages just as with our native tongue, we must allow students to break

the barriers. Studies show that experimenting with language beyond that of what is required is a

sign of a good language learner.

I will integrate the standards of learning by teaching students to communicate, rather than

merely teaching things like morphology, syntax, and lexicon in isolation. My thematic units will

always include a bigger picture and emphasize how students can use these conversation pieces

and pointers in real life instances. The communicative language teaching approach is my

absolute favorite teaching approach, and I realize that if language is not taught with the purpose

of communicating with others, then we have accomplished nothing worthwhile. I will always use

other disciplines as media to teach language so that learning a foreign language seems more
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practical to my students. For instance, in a numbers unit, I have used math. In a unit on shapes, I

used geometrical figures. While talking about Hispanics in the U.S., I have built on content

knowledge about immigration and assimilation from U.S. and world history. I have even

compared alleles and genes to allomorphs and phonemes in Spanish! As I look for ways to

scaffold and build on their language foundation by implementing supplemental information, my

students will appreciate how to express themselves in different ways, as different languages

inspire a new way of thinking and expression. I will teach students the importance of knowledge

of cultures to promote peace and empathy to prevent misunderstandings. Comparisons will be

made once students see the bigger picture and how the interrelated features of culture come

together in a society. My overall goal will be to help them to see that their communities, and the

world at large, is bigger than just them. Communities are made up of a variety of people who

have much to offer and embracing the differences that make up societies helps to ward off

homogeneity and prejudices.

References

Folse, Keith. (2004). ​Vocabulary Myths.​ The University of Michigan Press. Ann Arbor.

Shrum, J.L., & Glisan, E.W. (2016). ​Teacher’s handbook: contextualized language

instruction (5th edition.). ​Boston, MA: Heinle Cengage Learning.