Awards and Recognition
Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards
2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003
2006-2007 GTA Winners
Teaching Philosphies
Wedsly Turenne Guerrier
January 2007
I believe that the classroom is a place where students should feel comfortable to learn, express their ideas and work with others. I remain convinced that there is always a method that a teacher can use to make any material simpler and easier for students to understand. The teacher must decide what to teach and arrange the materials in a way that he can manage to get things done in fifty minutes. He must also model the exercises, repeat the vocabulary words, and do the first example of the activities just to help the students understand what he expects them to do. He should be a model, a conductor, and a monitor. He must answer every single question to the best of his knowledge and must not spend time correcting every single mistake made by the students. By doing so, he makes the students feel comfortable to ask questions in the target language. The students should be active participants in the learning process. They have to listen to what the teacher has to say, repeat when asked to do so, and do the exercises as needed. They should be listeners, performers, and interactors. Group activities play an important role in language teaching; it gives the students the opportunity to know each other better, to practice the target language, to come up with new ideas, to express their feelings about some issues, and to have fun while learning.
Students assimilate knowledge in different manners and at different rates. I believe that a teacher should be able to adapt both content and methods, sometimes quite quickly and unexpectedly, to changing situations. As teachers, we have a challenge as our world becomes more and more diverse to find ways to meet the needs of each student, to make an effort to understand each individual experience, and by understanding, to become more successful educators. With my own students I try to maintain the balance of being intellectually challenging with being personally approachable. My students know that they can approach me directly, in class or outside of class. They are always welcome to visit my office or to send me an email. They feel more secure when they know that when times get tough, there is someone they can count on.
Overall, I strive to help my students develop skills that are useful while in college and beyond. I believe that critical thinking is one of the most important skills we can teach our students. It is also important for students to be able to work collaboratively with others as well as on their own.
