Page 1 of 4

Marcy Brandt
November 13, 2017
Teaching Philosophy

The basic component of my teaching philosophy is to unite through language.

For a Spanish Teacher like myself, this means; engagement, interaction, empowerment and

flexibility. How do I accomplish this? I begin with a solid and clear syllabus and a classroom

assessment. For my students it is always important to know what they will be studying, and

what is expected of them, the syllabus gives them a guide into the program. For me, as their

teacher, it is important to know what level of fluency they have. This is the reasoning behind

a starting assessment that gives me a clear understanding and a commencing point to

elaborate the academic side of the classroom.

After assessing the level of fluency, I can start establishing the learning environment

of the classroom. I always begin by presenting my ideology to the students; an ideology of

respect, comfort and cohesive group learning. The most important skill I have learned as a

practicing teacher, is to make the classroom an inviting and safe place. Students that feel they

can make mistakes without judgment or ridicule are usually those who will progress more

rapidly. My goal is to unite these diverse and talented people that come to my classroom, in

such a manner, that they feel free to express themselves in the new language, and in turn, they

are receptive to the new material. I engage my students with a warm tone and an invitation to

tell me about themselves. This affords me the opportunity to use motivational strategies by

way of personalized components, I use these learned components to address students by

name, or remembering a personal detail like; favorite sport or pastime. Caring about my

students and their education is vital to our success.

Once the comfort level is established it makes learning a more enjoyable process, and

further language literacy is then obtained through structure and flexibility. I establish
 Page 2 of 4

structure by having a clear and precise lesson plan that includes CLT methodology and,

student centered activities. In todays world of hands on practicality, and a new generation of

students, the use of a communicative approach is more successful than ever. I utilize

exercises that students can perform with each other such as; dialogs between two students in

Spanish regarding a daily situation. For example; when your car breaks down, how to find

help, another example is how to ask for directions to a restaurant, how to order food and

address people in the proper manner. These exercises are useful and can be applied outside

the classroom immediately after, therefore, students can see the practical application of what

they have learned. I encourage them to try a Hispanic Food restaurant and to practice

speaking in Spanish. During these dialogs I have incorporated grammatical structures, the use

of proper articles, pronouns and verb conjugation.

Another component is flexibility, this becomes important, as students are adapting to

the material, I remain vigilant that my strategy does not become rigid and cemented. In many

occasions, I have found that what works in one classroom, may not work in another,

therefore, I must adjust and re-assess when necessary. An example of this is when teaching

grammar rules; many students are good at theory leaning, while others, are visual learners. I

practice flexibility by adjusting my lesson plans to incorporate both types of learning styles.

This becomes a critical point for me, because I want both learners to feel that they have

options and can achieve learning rigorous rules without being overwhelmed. Flexibility is

also key in a case like this, because, I am tailoring my teaching to the necessities of the

students. This is what learning looks like, it is performed among the students, they are the

proponents and recipients, I the teacher, become their facilitator.

Another very successful exercise entails competition. Todays student of whatever

age, race, sexual orientation or nationality, loves to compete. I use a software program called

Kahootit.com to elaborate questions that students have a determined amount of time to

 Page 3 of 4

answer. At the end of the competition the number of correct answers are tallied, and the

winner gets to boast about being, the best. What they dont realize is that, in those

questions they have answered I have integrated grammar, comprehension and retention

components that are commonly taught through books. This activity not only engages all the

students to participate, it also capacitates them, and creates healthy and stimulating

competition.

Another exercise that I use is a culture presentation. I ask that every student research a

Spanish speaking country, discover their cultural aspects such as; monetary currency,

dialects, tourist locations, social structure, music, cinema, art. The presentations are 10-15

minutes long and the student can talk about any of the given aspects they feel comfortable

with. Once they have completed their research, the student gets to play teacher for the day.

On that day, they share with the class what they have discovered. The presentation is done in

Spanish and is interactive with questions and answers. This exercise not only enhances the

knowledge of the Hispanic world, it also allows students to use learned and expanded

vocabulary. The students are taking charge of their education and presenting it to others. The

bond and unity that develops from the knowledge of others, expands and develops a more

tolerant and accepting environment. The personal growth a student achieves from this

exercise never ceases to amaze me, their eyes are open to the world and the world becomes

smaller and closer.

My goal is to continue to spread the love for language, specifically Spanish that has

become the second most used language in the world. My belief in uniting people through

language, has always been very strong, for this reason, I continue to learn and evolve to make

sure my abilities can stay current and effective. The use of the CLT approach has proven very

useful in the classroom with social interaction, language exercises, task based syllabus and

functional communication. I always approach teaching using the most current technology that
 Page 4 of 4

works for my students, plenty of enthusiasm and love for what I do. I believe that my

students are very receptive to my approach, and they feel in charge of their education, more

so than, if I had only used a book driven approach. I always feel gratified by students who see

me outside the classroom and are not in fear of using Spanish to speak to me. The fact that

they feel comfortable and engaged outside the classroom in Spanish, proves the success of

my methodology and teaching philosophy.