Teaching Philosophy Statement: The Roles of Teaching Professionals My teaching philosophy can be best summarized in terms of the teachers

roles in the classroom. In the English as a Second Language classroom, the teacher acts as the instructor, facilitator, advisor, cultural informant, and answer key. Therefore, the teacher is a contortionist who instructs on content or tasks while teaching strategies for language learning as well as facilitating the use of language for selfexpression. The teacher also advises students of the paths for continual language development while frequently providing opportunities for further language exploration and experience. Another aspect of the teachers responsibilities is as a cultural informant to acquaint international students with cultural patterns for successful socialization and communication within the American culture. Frequently, this role calls for the teacher to act as a bridge to assist students through the more difficult and trying moments of culture shock. Lastly, the teacher serves as a barometer for accuracy in language learning. Correction is a sticky issue in the field of ESL, however, I believe that kind, yet not overly done, constructive criticism can aid adult second language acquisition. The role of the Teaching English as a Second Language professor is as multi-varied as that of the ESL teacher. The TESL professor must be an instructor, role model, coach, advisor, researcher, and administrator. The successful TESL instructor should be able to articulate all aspects of second language acquisition (interlanguage, input/output, interaction, learning strategies, etc), curriculum and materials development, four skills instruction, social and psychological factors, as well as linguistic theories and applications. The TESL professor also acts as a role model of how to teach ESL/EFL by exhibiting techniques and diverse methods while demonstrating appropriate classroom administration and professional demeanor. It is in this role that the TESL professor must create an environment for the coconstruction of teaching knowledge by the prospective teachers. The TESL professor performs the role of coach guiding students through the rigors of capstones/theses/dissertations research and writing, presentations at conferences, grant and scholarship writing, and publication submissions. As advisor the TESL professor guides the students into the professional arena in order to provide enhanced academic and scholarly opportunities. The TESL professor contributes to the department, college, and community through administrative responsibilities, research/publications, and volunteerism. Finally, the role of researcher is a particularly informative role for professors for two reasons. First, research endeavors guide their ESL/FL practice and teacher training. Second, conducting research studies allows the TESL professional to hone their research skills and knowledge of methodology and theory, which will ultimately be shared with the TESL undergraduates and graduate students. My own research studies have focused on students expectations and frame in ESL conversational settings. Overall, teachers should be able to convey a personal interest and enthusiasm for the subject matter because it piques the attention of students. En sum, my teaching philosophy is embodied in terms of one phrase: reflective action.