Teaching Philosophy

My response ratings on Michael Schiro's Curriculum Ideologies Inventory¹. varied across the four schools of thought outlined by Schiro—1) Scholar Academic, 2) Social Efficiency, 3) Learner Centered, and 4) Social Reconstruction. The results showed that my views about learning and development reflect the Learner Centered ideology, while my thoughts on pedagogy and teaching align with the Scholar Academic and Social Efficiency perspectives. Social Reconstruction was present in my responses to a lesser extent. My teaching philosophy reflects all four schools of thought to varying degrees of significance and priority, depending on the context. I also learned that my philosophy and vision developed over time and will continue to evolve.

As a language teacher, I strive to design thoughtfully differentiated lessons and activities that will enable my students to develop communicative competencies in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. I use media and technology to enhance my teaching of language and culture in the classroom and online. I believe it is vital to present the target language (L2) to students in ways that reveal the benefits and opportunities that come with learning a second language. Motivation is a critical component of language learning.

My overarching pedagogical objective is to deliver a curriculum that leads to increased L2 proficiency through specific, achievable, and measurable milestones acquired along the proficiency continuum. I use the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) World-Readiness Standards² to guide my teaching and to develop navigable paths that enable my students to achieve language and cultural competence. I employ Wiggins and McTighe's Understanding by Design³ (UbD) framework to specify learning targets and check for understanding across varying cognitive levels.

Given the ubiquity of social media and virtual meeting tools like Zoom, today’s language teachers have unprecedented opportunities to supplement their curriculum with opportunities for immersion and practice. I routinely collaborate with EFL instructors in other countries whose students have similar L2 needs, goals, and proficiency levels. Through streamlined cooperation, we align our content and language objectives. Then, we pair students for mutually beneficial translingual interactions. I believe structured language exchanges comprise an effective strategy for developing interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational L2 competencies.

Technology is integral to every aspect of my teaching and instructional planning. Today's students expect learning to be visual, mobile, interactive, and retrievable. I use computers, multimedia, and learning management systems to deliver compelling content, improve course organization, and implement learning activities that build learning communities and bring the curriculum to life.

My hybrid curriculum integrates experiential strategies, cooperative teaching, and instructional technology to deliver the optimal language learning experience. Students build measurable skills through autonomous learning, task-oriented activities, and performance-based assessments. My pedagogical goals for classroom learning are to activate students' prior knowledge, form relationships, and make learning contextual and community-based. I aim to deliver a transformative curriculum that develops L2 communicative skills while fostering learner autonomy, global citizenship, and a lifelong connection to the Spanish-speaking world.

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1.Schiro, M. (2008). Curriculum Theory: Conflicting Visions and Enduring Concerns. Sage Publications.
2. The National Standards Collaborative Board. (2015). World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages. 4th ed. Alexandria, VA.
3. Wiggins, G. and McTighe, J., 2005. Understanding by Design, Expanded 2nd Edition. Alexandria: ASCD.