a) Beliefs and
assumptions about language learning and language teaching based on my English
language development and teaching career
1. A Teacher should be a skillful and active
Professional
“For me to be a teacher is a demanding
job which requires a lot of abilities from the person who is going to carry it
out. Besides, he/she must take risks all the time in different ways in a
context which may not be easy to handle. This person must be prepared all the
time with different tools when facing his/her lessons because every one of them
is a different landscape with its own threats” (visual metaphor)
“Through the different courses I took in this
undergraduate program at Surcolombiana University, a new perception of what
being a teacher came to me. From that point I could understand that being a
teacher was more than teach a specific subject” (autobiography)
“In order to accomplish
this goal, I think the use of different materials like a video projector;
computer, pictures and videos helped a lot to get students motivated and
engaged with the topic” (Journal entry 1)
“So, I decided to change the activity at
that moment in order to not to let the activity fails. I create a competition
where groups of students had to run to the board, see a picture and write one
description of the cartoon. Then, the group with the most correct
sentences would win the competition” (journal entry 3)
“Through this art, teachers can related
all kind of knowledge, practices and situations where humans being are involved
in. in this way the scope of this profession gets bigger and gives the teachers
the freedom to play with language in order to teach and show the world with the
aim of using the language correctly” (journal entry 4)
2. Teaching is a reflective process.
“teachers have to bear in mind that this
path is no longer easy in a world of unexpected changes and unseen endings
which may not necessarily mean bad things all the time” (visual metaphor)
“after reflecting on this process now I
recognize that being a teacher represents a lot of difficulties but at the same
time gives the opportunity to grow as a human being through the reflection you
are forced to do every single day from place of work” (autobiography)
“I think the best parts of my lesson
were the anticipatory set and the activity to activate previous knowledge were
good because they were carry out through electronic devices and these mechanisms
increase students motivation and interaction” (Journal entry 1)
“Finally, I reflected on what I must do
when something similar happen again. I came to the conclusion that simple warm
activities which English lessons offer are quite enough catching students’
attention” (journal entry 2)
“Finally, after reflecting on what
happened in that lesson, I came to the conclusion that if I were to teach this
lesson again, I would probably bear in mind that many children are kinesthetic
and also they like to move a lot” (journal entry 3)
3. Language teaching has to be based-content
“This is said because through this art, teachers can relate
all kind of knowledge, practices and situations where humans being are involved
in” (beliefs about language teaching)
“This is said because any real learning requires the
interaction with the context and other people in order to validate that
experience” (beliefs about learning)
“It is a language which represents a
culture, a way of life, thinking and acting from a specific group of people”
(beliefs about English)
4. English learning is an interactive
process.
“The lesson allowed students to talk,
had fun with the description of different people and shared information with
the teacher” (journal entry 1)
“Many children are kinesthetic and also
they like to move a lot. So, TPR activities are always good strategies to
include in our lesson in order to motivate and engage students with our
teaching objectives” (journal entry 3)
“Any real learning requires the
interaction with the context and other people in order to validate that
experience” (beliefs about learning)
b)
Sources of my beliefs and assumptions
First of all I think the main source for
creating my beliefs and assumptions is my own experiences. Though my personal,
academic and professional experiences with different people and contexts I have
had the opportunity to build some specific point of view about my teaching
practices and the way I see learning along with students and education as an
emancipatory process for shaping society. Besides, due to the fact that I have
had the opportunity to work in different places with different kind of students,
these processes have pushed me to open my eyes and learn what I can offer as
teacher to my students depending on my students’ needs and my personal
abilities. That is why experience is a very important source of information and
learning process in my professional life.
Also, theory is another key component of
sources of learning. Theory has represented a way to validate or confirm some
personal experiences based on other people’s thoughts, actions and practices. As
a result, I can rely on other people’s experiences which have been proved to be
meaningful in the teaching and learning process. Moreover, theory has helped as
a starting point of underrating a specific situation when my own personal
experience is not enough.
Finally, the interaction with colleges
is another key element for my professional growth as a teacher. Sharing
experiences or observing some other teachers’ practices and beliefs have also
helped me to create and validate my views about teaching and learning. This
process of sharing ideas and experiences with our peers leads us to confront
what we take for granted sometimes and reshape or validate our assumptions.
c) How
would you challenge some of those beliefs?
I believe every single day in this profession we carry out we challenge
our beliefs. This is said because every group is a different world we have to
face and understand as teachers. Besides, every student in these groups has
their own worlds with their own problems and aspirations. In this way, to stick
to one way of thinking about how to do or apply our profession is quite impossible
to my personal point of view. We always need to be opened minded to these
worlds which may affect our beliefs and way to see the world.