Personal Position Paper on Teaching and Learning, Essay Example

Introduction

To consider teaching today, particularly in regard to identifying theories and approaches to be adopted personally and in anticipation of the career, is significantly different as a process than it was once generally undertaken.  In plain terms, the teacher was expected to conform to established guidelines of instruction and adhere to traditional models, and “move students along” paths of education largely unquestioned.  With issues as arising from these standard practices, however, has come an immense field of study, and one in which every aspect of teaching, from the ideological to the pragmatic need to address cultural diversity in the classroom, is reevaluated.  The goal essentially remains the same, that of the best promotion of learning, but the processes are now varied and expanding in scope, and this is of great value to the teacher preparing a career in language instruction, and with an emphasis on English as Second Language (ESL).  In the following, then, the most relevant theories will be applied as a foundation to a personal model intended to have the optimal results.

Theories and Approaches

If theory in teaching may be considered a relatively new science, it is one nonetheless expanding in proportion to the importance of it, and also very much based on changing realities in the schools themselves.  Behavioral and social sciences are in fact called into play, as it is now recognized how education encompasses far more than any single practice of instruction; the variables affecting the life of the child and the community are powerful influences on learning, so there is a correct appreciation in place of the need to consider these wider elements.  With this focus has come an inevitably new understanding of the multifaceted role of the teacher.  Education is inextricably linked to everything within the child’s life, so it follows that the teacher’s comprehension of this translates to a more expansive commitment in general: “It is not only their own personal interests that are bound up with educational policy and practice, but their broader identifications with the well-being of their society” (Winch, 2012, p. 309).  This is, in plain terms, thinking finally acknowledging both the impact and the true obligations of actually being a teacher.

Regarding specific theory, and in terms of language and ESL teaching in particular, cultural diversity is profoundly important.  If in the past it was generally assumed that children from foreign cultures were expected to “assimilate” and adapt to the mainstream, it has now been seen that this is a grossly inadequate response to the actual challenges – and opportunities – afforded by diversity.  To that end, the theory of

culturally responsive pedagogy has evolved, in which there is an actual and necessary awareness of the diversity in the classroom, and the teacher employs this diversity as an instrument in learning (Rychly, Graves, 2012,  p. 45).  Differences in language and cultural background become aids to learning, as the class promotes the development of all through attention on both similarities and differences, which in turn must go to enhancing the child’s sense of diversity value outside of the classroom. That teachers already recognize the merit of this pedagogy is supported by research.  For example, a study involving 410 teachers in different language institutes in Canada and Turkey reveals the interesting fact that the majority were fully aware of the benefits of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) research and learning as important to teaching generally, and those unfamiliar with it cited only lack of time as preventing their pursuit of such research (Nassaji, 2012,  p. 349).  In simple terms, a world increasingly globalized irrefutably reinforces the urgency to address other languages and cultures as, today, foundational components of the society, and consequently of education.

It is as well hardly surprising that teaching ideologies have evolved from studies of parenting, as both efforts focus on advancing the identity and potentials of the child.  More specifically, modern theory affirms that a combination of nurturance and control is most effective in both efforts.  With the former, the child’s sense of agency and independent achievement are encouraged, while control necessarily establishes the parameters vital to this development (Walker,  2009,  p. 123). This is inherently a balance not easily translated into specific policy; rather, it is theory going to the teacher’s behavior and focus in general terms, and relying upon a virtually intuitive sense of where nurturing must begin and control must be asserted, and in an inestimable number of kinds of situations.  At the same time, however, and interestingly, this “new” thinking essentially reflects the persona of the traditional teacher, in that there has long been the expectation – and reality – of the teacher as simultaneously employing boundaries and encouragement of individual efforts transcending the norms.

This theory may be seen as related to the experiential which, as the name implies, relies on actual student experience as providing the most effective learning.  More exactly, the nurturing enables the exercise of independent efforts of learning within the control parameters, and this in turn generates an immensely valuable effect: “Experiential learning is the most powerful because it’s learning associated with emotion” (Cookson, 2006, p. 15).  As the child feels accomplishment, the learning is more organic and certainly more agreeable to them.  It is then reasonable to suggest that these several theories may work most efficiently in concert, and that nurturing and control, exercised with a commitment to diversity in the classroom and an understanding of the value of learning as made experiential, combine to present a modern and highly effective approach all its own.

Personal Position/Approach

Given the above analysis, it seems evident that a personal teaching position, and one particularly based upon language and ESL instruction, would do well to embody in practice these theories.  The teacher, no matter any specific focus, maintains a single agenda: that of facilitating a learning environment wherein the most gain is achieved by all, and through the most effective processes which are then intrinsically attractive to the students.  The cultural diversity in place in most classrooms today then virtually demands an interactive and proactive approach.  Rather than attempt to direct student efforts into a single mode of expression – the traditional policy believed to expedite learning but in fact exclusionary – it is more effective to explore in the class how meaning varies in different languages.  This then promotes experiential learning, in that the children perceive the broader implications of expression and consequently attach an emotional quality to language as reflective of themselves and their individual worlds.  Then, delving into the variations of languages works to more strongly enhance the meaning of the native language to each student, as the simple process of comparison underscores the meaning initially understood.

To teach SLA and language, and at any level, is to inherently bring the student to a more keen appreciation of language as expressive of both the self and the student’s native culture.  Language is then an ideal avenue by which to encourage development in any arena; as the language study affirms the child’s being by enhancing their ability to communicate, so too is there a stronger sense of selfhood, and most teachers would readily agree that confidence is invaluable in how a child learns.  Then, as noted, employing language study must expand the student’s basic understanding of their wider community, and promote interactions based on genuine interest, rather than the mistrust generated by fear of the unknown.  Also as noted, it is strongly suggested that an awareness of nurturing and control as active and co-dependent processes be within the teacher, for this too enables the experiential learning occurring when the child is encouraged to apply their unique natures, abilities, and inclinations to the learning process.  These efforts made, the teacher then assumes their rightful role. The teacher is then far more than an instructor; they are a leader within the school and a vital force in shaping school policies (Virginia Journal Education,  2013, p. 15)

Conclusion

The validity and necessity of modern theories notwithstanding, the reality remains that teaching is inherently a unique calling, and one whose very nature defies set structure or policy.  This has been true even as traditional models have given way to the new, in that nurturing and control have always been essential to the good teacher. They are still, but it is important that they be augmented by a commitment to employing cultural diversity in a proactive manner, which in turn enhances the likelihood and benefits of experiential learning.  For the teacher entering into language and SLA education in particular, the theories discussed combine to provide, if not a structure, a template.  It is a template intrinsically expansive in nature, as the approach of the teacher must always rely on a full consideration of the children in each classroom, and in every circumstance of teaching.  Nonetheless, awareness alone of the importance of these concepts enables the language teacher to “expand” the parameters of educational opportunity itself, and chiefly in connecting each child with the inestimable value of comprehending the meaning of all expression, both familiar and unknown to them, which then goes to encouraging cultural diversity in the truest sense of the term.

References

Cookson, P. R.  (2006). Your First Year-One Mind at a Time. Teaching Pre K-8, 36 (4), 14-16.

Nassaji, H. (2012). “The relationship between SLA research and language pedagogy: Teachers’ perspectives.” Language Teaching Research, 16(3), 337-365. doi:10.1177/1362168812436903

Rychly, L., & Graves, E. (2012). “Teacher characteristics for culturally responsive pedagogy.” Multicultural Perspectives, 14(1), 44-49. doi:10.1080/15210960.2012.646853

“The Future of Teaching.” (2013). Virginia Journal of Education.  14-18.

Walker, J. M. (2009). “Authoritative classroom management: How control and   nurturance work together.” Theory Into Practice, 48(2), 122-129.

Winch, C. (2012). “For philosophy of education in teacher education.” Oxford Review of Education, 38(3), 305-322. doi:10.1080/03054985.2012.693299