Roseline A.

My teaching philosophy, much like the IB philosophy, is to help students by equipping them with tools to own their learning. I work with my students to acquire the needed skills for IB Diploma and lifelong learning.

Listening/Reading comprehension: One of my effective icebreakers is a short audio or reading text that is easy to understand and remember. I will ask guiding questions to identify students’ strengths and areas that need extra attention. I will share specific techniques to help students build confidence in their oral expression, reading comprehension, and grammar. Writing: If students are willing, they can share their written assignments with me, based on which I will give them feedback on how to improve their work and commend them on aspects of their writing that they should keep. ToK: For most of my ToK students, we will discuss the essay assessment and key concepts around past TOK essay questions.

To become an independent learner requires, in my opinion, a goal, a plan, and honest self-assessment. I can help my students achieve this through constant encouragement and allowing them to take the initiative in their learning process by determining what they believe they need to improve. Again, I would encourage them to work in groups, if they can, to put their strengths to use and find ways to overcome and manage their learning difficulties. I will encourage my students to set goals and targets to allow their learning to evolve by achieving them. As a teacher, I would constantly remind their dreams and how they intend to achieve them.

Most students are often motivated at the start of a new learning journey. However, over the years in my experience as a teacher and as a student, I have noticed that the subsequent loss of motivation comes from a lack of precise achievable aims. When initial goals are broken down into smaller time-bound targets, students can easily see their progress, keeping their eye on the ball. I would encourage student-teacher journalling with frequent evaluations to help students see their progress and project themselves into future goals.

It often depends on what I am teaching. I have realized that concrete relatable examples help my students a lot. I would try some models that are relatable to aid my explanation in further detail. If that doesn’t work, I would ask the student to explain their problem with the particular content. Subsequently, with varied examples, I would ensure that the question becomes as familiar to the student as possible that it no longer poses a threat.

As a learner, I have noticed that various methods work for various topics, even as individuals. As a teacher, I have tried and tested this truth. A difficulty with a particular area of learning allows for different ways to be explored, such as audios, videos, etc., in place of reading comprehension. I will address reading comprehension difficulties by identifying the precise problem and adapting my strategies to suit those needs.

I have realized that oral comprehension and expression have accounted for a huge proportion of student successes in language teaching and learning. However, I believe these successes are relative and stem from a more fundamental reason: confidence. What I have found to be most effective is establishing a clear path from a confident start towards achieving goals. Constant encouragement and constructive criticism often yield remarkable results.

I am a good listener and a conversationalist, so I will engage in conversations with my students over anything that is current news, age-appropriate, and attractive to them. To engage students, I will try to make my class as interactive as possible by asking open-ended questions that engage student faculties. I have learned to read students’ emotions and moods to adjust teaching plans for maximum output.

I often use examples, questions, and a recap of points to help students memorize and understand the lesson’s key points. I also give practical problems that require a little more than the basics to ensure that the student has completely grasped the concept.

I set tasks and targets for each lesson and activity from the most basic tasks to the highest achieved. Based on these criteria set before the study, the student is aware that there is always something to be commended for once a task is attempted. I do not hesitate to reiterate all the tasks that they have completed and why their work is commendable because of these.

One of my first questions to my students is their expectations and how they align with their current and future needs. We will rank them together on a scale from the most pertinent to the least pertinent based on sight goals. I also evaluate their reading, listening, and oral comprehension and expression during the first few sessions, and I adjust the plan accordingly.

As I stated earlier, student needs are varied; every need requires a tailored strategy to suit the student in question. I have generally noticed that having clear goals and aims makes the learning progression more tangible and allows for easy adaptation when the need arises. Being sensitive to students’ growth in the learning process also influences the teaching plan. I will be conscious of this fact and ensure that the defined needs factor in time and achievability at all times.

For 1-1 tutoring, I often like to work with Google Docs or any other software that allows easy editing and commenting. I also want to have Screen-sharing with audio sharing options to facilitate listening comprehension activities. I also like to use interactive applications that help with oral expression to offer students other forms of evaluation that help boost their confidence and reinforce the need for improvements in extra work areas.