Teaching Philosophy

Statement of Teaching Philosophy

My passion for teaching languages stems from the saying to have another language is to possess a second soul. A language does not only enrich the individual’s life but also serves as a bridge for communication between individuals, communities, and nations. Therefore, I have always loved to see my students empowered by learning and speaking a second language. For me, teaching is a way to build a global citizen who is able and willing to reach out to other people of different background and nationalities. This is mainly achieved when students reach a threshold of communicative competence and intercultural awareness, two main components of successful language learners. 

Student-Centered Learning

The main cornerstone in my teaching philosophy is that teaching should be student-centered. I myself grew up in an educational context where teachers were the dominant figures in the classroom. However, starting my teaching career at Albaath University in Syria, completing my MA at The University of Warwick in England, and all the literature and best practices I have been exposed to during my PhD candidacy, all these elements combined made me realize that the role of the teacher is to facilitate and show the way to learners, and create a learner-centered engaging environment that is conducive to learning. This requires focusing on activities that allow learners to engage in the learning environment and take charge of their learning such as group and pair work, instructional games, role play, and others. My students also have the option of choosing writing topics of personal interest; this helps personalize the learning experience and give them a sense of control over the content of learning as well as the way of learning it. In some of my classes, students engage in peer assessment where they give each other feedback on their language production or share learning tips and ways to address some of the challenges students typically face. These and other changes in my practices and idiosyncrasies as a teacher reflect my personal and professional growth, which I see as a continuing process.   

Promoting Autonomy

A successful teacher is someone who is able to create autonomous learners who can think for themselves, speak as themselves, set their learning goals and work hard to achieve them in and beyond the classroom. Technology is one of the tools that can encourage out-of-class learning, which is especially important knowing that learning is a life-long endeavor that should not be confined within the classroom walls. To do this, I provide my students with some of the necessary tools that help them realize their individual goals; for example, they are encouraged to use Aljazeera website, which is designed for learners of Arabic. They are also referred to websites that give them free access to Arabic stories, novels, and PDF books in different genres. Moreover, students are encouraged to use the Lang-8 website; a language learning social networking site that learners can use to connect with native speakers around the world and work with them in tandem learning. My Arabic language educational blog contains many of the tools that I provide for my students to improve their language skills and increase their cultural awareness. The different resources provided in the blog are based on experience accumulated from teaching, observation, research, conferences, and workshops which all contributed (and still do) to shape and enhance my perceptions of what effective teaching and learning entail.

Differentiated Teaching

Because learners are different, I adopt a universal design framework for learning; such design creates a flexible learning environment that caters for the different types of language learners in the classroom. For example, learners are often referred to YouTube videos or PowerPoint slides to help them learn and apply certain grammatical concepts. Also, students in my class practice their new vocabulary by using the Quizlet flashcards app and other games; or through writing sentences on my blog to get feedback. In some writing activities, students are encouraged to submit their writing assignments typed in a word document; however, they will always have the traditional option of handing in assignments in paper format if this was their preference. Such varieties of activities give learners the freedom to choose the learning tools that best match their preferred learning style. Moreover, similar tools enhance the students’ digital literacy and promote multimodal learning, which is a key skill students can benefit from in the digital age we live in today.

Inclusive Excellence

Promoting an environment of inclusive excellence that engages the rich array of students is a key element of my teaching. This is due to my deep belief that the success of students inside and outside the classroom highly depends on their appreciation of the diversity of the communities they are inherently part of. This appreciation will eventually lead to greater understanding and tolerance of others. To help students value and appreciate diversity, I expose them to rich and authentic cultural content that urges them to analyze, compare, and contrast what they learn to their own culture. Similar exposure helps learners not only appreciate diversity and become more tolerant and accepting of other cultures, but also acquire the cultural fluency and appreciation which they need to succeed in life in the real world. Collectively and by time, this helps promote agency in individuals who believe in and strive for equality and positive change in their local communities and in the global circles.