Teaching Philosophy Statement

Education plays a pivotal role in the development of any country. From my

perspective, education is the backbone of society. Therefore, the English language is
considering as one of the relevant foreign languages that needs to be mastered in the most
schools. In accordance with the English language importance in my country, I always try to
deliver my lessons with a fun energy and excitement that I hope my students will emulate.
Throwback to my earlier years as a student, I have always found English lectures were boring
and difficult to get. Actually, it was expected for a seven years child seating and listening to
an hour lecture with limited understanding of the language. Now, when I became an English
teacher, I believe that education should be universal, enjoyable and reinforced literacy
skills. As I reflect, on my beliefs regarding to my experience in teaching and learning in
the United Arab Emirates (UAE), I find that my mission as an educator are summed up
by the following three idioms:

No child left behind;

When we play with pleasure, we never forget;
A classroom without stories, is like a body without soul.

These beliefs come from my practical experience and reflections over four years of
teaching experience in schools. I have always believed these three concepts are relevant
as well as mostly ignored by local teachers. Putting the effective methods at the center of
teaching are keys to the best learning for our children. Hence, my personal experience
while teaching was that students enjoy reading stories, experience a playful learning
environment, and do tasks that fit their academic abilities.

1- No child left behind

Considering the cognitive functioning and abilities of learners is essential to

implement effective strategies. As a teacher, I firmly understand that one size does not
fit all so I believe that using differentiation in my classroom provides an efficient
learning environment. According to Tomlinson (1999), differentiation is based on the
premise that teachers should adapt instruction to student differences. Rather than simply
teaching to one level, teachers tailor their instruction to provide multiple ways for
students to make sense of concepts. Through differentiation, I can better meet students
needs, varying readiness levels, learning preferences, and interests. I routinely plan three
different levels (high, middle, low-level) types of activities and objectives, for example
writing sentences, by differing each childs task according to his/her abilities. That can
help individual students engage in learning because providing appropriate tasks and
taking students needs into account will help them to learn and get motivated. According
to Harmer (2001), there are some factors lead to behavior problems such as the task content.
When it is very easy or too hard to do, then students will show their lack of interest by
misbehaving. I always try to determine the cognitive levels of my students and tailor my
lesson activities accordingly, as it is part of my Professional Development Plans in my
educational goals. With this consideration, I ensure that no child is left behind, and
everybody has the chance to learn appropriately in my class.

2- When we play with pleasure, we never forget

As games are a regular part of children's lives, I seek to encourage it in my lessons since it
is my second professional development plan for this year. I have valued opportunities to
conduct significant joyful, fun and hands-on tasks for various subjects like math, science,
and English. I always try to deliver my lessons with positive energy and excitement that I hope
my students will relish. Indeed, recreational activities offer a wealth of principles that,
when used appropriately, can benefit classroom learning and motivation at all levels.

I believe that students learn best when they are motivated, and learning occurs when they
are given opportunities to apply information presented in class to real life situations. According
to Dolinar (1994), Piaget stated that teachers should create the most appropriate play
environment for children to help them to progress socially and cognitively. In concert with
this, my role in student learning is to motivate them to learn by playing and facilitate their
learning.

Games are a powerful and useful tool; classrooms can address even the most difficult
content in a lighthearted, lively, engaging way (Haystead & Marzano, 2009). However, some
of my favorites that are well received by students include group games, classroom
puzzles activities, inquiry-based, realia, and interactive lectures. I find that providing real-
world and hands-on activities can be very useful to deliver a lesson for students as I have been
applying them as professional development plans for this year.

3- A classroom without stories, is like a body without soul

I strongly believe that stories are essential consideration for teachers to stimulate
learning by read aloud them. Interestingly, reading approaches develop many facets and
skills in the learner. It provides a productive atmosphere for children as the development
takes a part of their language, imagination, and cognitive skills. In fact, there are many
types of reading that I usually adapt, but my third professional development plan aim to
read aloud strategy. To be more specific, read aloud plays a major role in literacy growth, it is
an absolute must in the classroom that teachers have been using it to nurture learners' reading
abilities (Tyner, 2009; Crawford, Freppon, Temple, & Ogle, 2011). Additionally, studies have
found that the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for reading
success in school is reading aloud to children. (Calkins, 2001). To that end, no matter what
reading strategy I (as a teacher) use, I must make an effort to change students perception of
reading. I should make reading more fun and make students live happily ever after with carried
stories.

By implementing differentiation, playful tasks, and reading aloud stories in my

classroom, my pedagogical practices will be enhanced. More importantly, my methods
and professional development plans effectively impact students, eventually, they
interestingly gain language and improve their perception of it. As a result, UAE future
generation will acquire skills that they need to succeed in learning English language. I
must always take these beliefs into account so that my students can achieve language
success and experience meaningful practices at school.
References list:

Calkins, L. M. (2001). The art of teaching reading. New York: Addison-Wesley Longman.

Crawford, A. Freppon, P. Olge, D. & Temple, C. (2011). All Children Read: Teaching for
Literacy in Today's Diverse Classrooms. United States of America: Pearson
Education.

Dolinar, J. (1994). Learning Through Play: Curriculum and Activities for the Inclusive
Classroom. Albany, NY: Delmar.

Harmer, J. (2001). The practice of English language teaching. London: Longman Group.

Haystead, M. W., & Marzano, R. J. (2009). Meta-Analytic Synthesis of Studies Conducted at

Marzano Research Laboratory on Instructional Strategies. Englewood, CO:
Marzano Research Laboratory.

Tomlinson, C. A. (1999). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all

learners. Alexandria,VA: ASCD.

Tyner, B. (2009). Small-Group Reading Instruction: A Differentiated Teaching Model for

Beginning and Struggling Readers. New York: International Reading Association.