Questions! after reflection!

Why was it important to explore and be aware of your beliefs about teaching a L2?

Throughout years, one’s way of thinking changes every single day, and thinking a bit of our beliefs about teaching is a matter that should be keeping us aware, one thing is true, one as a single person, a human, is programmed genetically to develop a nature, a very unique nature, and that is what is hard to change, it will be present every day you teach and every day you live. But no matter what is our nature, one should transmit what we think is the best for others, what should we transmit and for the good of our people and country, do it in the best way possible. That is why exploring ones beliefs about teaching is very important to see if you’re doing it right or wrong, it is important as well what others think about my beliefs and know what are my partners beliefs.

After your decisions today about teachers and students beliefs, ask yourself a question… and answer analytically.

From your point of view, how would be the ideal teacher according to the models seen in class?

A teacher is a compound, a recipe of many ingredients, and from my point of view, the first step to the ideal one; autocratic, because looking like a dictator makes think your students believe in what you’re saying, at least to be quiet, by the way, the fact of being a dictator makes your students a “sponge”, or a ball of clay to be shaped; next, and what  contradicts that part of the dictator is the democratic, well, one must be aware of the students beliefs of the class, something has to be done if the class sucks, and that’s one as a teacher must let know the class that they have that right, of putting forward their rights. And the last part, the laissez-faire, once you know your students, you let them fly little by little, focusing on their abilities as the multiple intelligences, critical thinking, without letting the anarchy get to our classrooms! 

Reflection!!!

Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
Enseñanza L2
Reflection questions
By: Brian Martin

1. What are your beliefs about the role and importance of the skills (Reading, listening, speaking, writing), in L2 teaching and learning.

- It’s very important not to know all the structure and the whole thing, but at least to know what are you saying, and think about it, these skills are the whole language, if you know how to do it well, you got it, you can listen, read, write and most important, communicate in a spoken way; I mean, how we consider a person analphabet?, because doesn’t have the ability to read or write, but he can speak and listen to what others say, there is where one say, a person is involved totally in the language, no matter if he can write or read, but he understands.

2. What are your beliefs about the role of grammar in L2 teaching and learning.

- As when we were learning the grammar of our L1, in real life we use a 60% of what we were taught; at least for once in your life one’s got to use the grammar to teach, your children for example; but we were talking about grammar theory, that progressively will turn into applied grammar in real life; that is important, but talking seriously one has a grammar code inside that won’t let you fail while you’re talking, one does not ever say “hey, there it goes, the subject, the past tense, the blah!”

3. What are your beliefs about the role of culture in the L2 classroom?

- Learning a language is to get to know the whole thing, that involves, culture, or why are we learning a L2? To talk with Colombians? no! We must learn everything related to the language to not to have cultural shocks when communicating with native people; once we speak in L2, we shall be as a native, we transfer into other personality, one must think in L2, forget the L1!

4. Have your beliefs as a student affected your learning of a foreign language?

- in the first sight, the first impression of a class when beginning, I see how it will be, and I have no beliefs as a student, of course learning a language in the country it is spoken is better, but I’ve found teachers, Colombians, that give a class as a native speaker, that doesn’t mean that I prefer that rather than being in the original country; I just trust on somebody who has spent at least 20 years in the L2 country, otherwise I will not believe everything.

5. How can your beliefs as a teacher affect the learning of your students, keeping in mind that they may have different beliefs?

- in my way of seeing the world, ones may believe in what I say, others may not, but I teach with a belief, and that is very different compared with the regular teachers that just want to follow a written guide that the school give them.

6. Does this reflection boost any attitudinal/emotional cognitive changes in you?

- It made me think that I should teach more grammar from the book than the one I learned throughout the years and experience, while being in the states, but from my point of view, I believe much more on a teacher who says “close your books, you’ll not use that grammar in real life”- I mean, the grammar from the books, the formal and boring one. Once I said to my class, do not believe on everything is written here, if you use it that way, you’ll look as a alien, there’s nothing more comfy than going unnoticed.