Katherine Ellingsen

Teaching Philosophy

“Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree,
it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” —Albert Einstein

• Promote a positive learning environment.

• Teach students to self-regulate; setting in motion a life-long ability (and desire) to learn.
• Educate students using different learning modalities.
• Create a classroom environment in which enthusiasm and engagement are actively present.

I believe that what makes an ESOL teacher “effective,” stems far beyond best teaching

practices. Furthermore, educating English language learners requires more than the ability to

create a positive, caring learning environment (although this is always a most essential

promotion, and obligation, of any educator). The most important part of teaching any student

whose native language is not English, is establishing a rounded understanding of, and respect for,

his/her native culture and language. This includes the integration of culturally explorative texts

and videos, lessons that allow students to share their heritage and contemplate the backgrounds

of others, and ensuring that a respectful environment is always maintained, not only by the

educator but by the students themselves. Students who feel validated in their cultural differences

are more likely to develop a value for the English language, as well as for their education in

general. The development of a healthy rapport with ELLs, and the creation of a positive sense of

community among students, is extremely vital to their academic success. The inclusion of a

student’s family in this process, also makes all the difference in the endeavor toward their

ultimate proficiency. Inviting parents/guardians in for meetings about the student’s progress, as

well as informing them on what they can do (and how) at home to assist is really important.

Finally, having insight into a student’s literacy skills in L1 means being able to assess how well
they may acquire L2. If the student’s literacy skills in his/her native language are mapped out

well by an educator, she can use them as a purposeful support for the acquisition of English,

through the stages of preproduction to ultimate fluency.


Additionally, teachers should always be actively reflective in their own teaching

practices. This includes gathering feedback from students throughout the course of a lesson,

conferring with other teachers, doing qualitative and quantitative research about what works best

for different groups of students, and assessing oneself as an educator as frequently as one

assesses her students. Reading pre-existing research on best teaching practices, as well as

maintaining communication with other teachers about the needs of individual students are both

crucial, as well. The best teachers remain avid learners, and that includes frequent, purposeful

self-reflection.

Also, not all students learn the same way. A good teacher includes all four learning

modalities in a lesson, whenever possible. For instance, some students respond best to lessons

delivered through visual and auditory modalities. For them, information written on a smart board

and/or paired with explorative discourse of new content is easily absorbable. For others,

however, this is not the case. Incorporating kinesthetic movement and interactive

demonstrations, engages students who might not learn best through auditory instruction alone.

Moreover, I find that implementing hands-on activities and assignments inclusive of total

physical recall (for example), aids ELLs tremendously because it gives them an additional

method for remembering new language and content. For example, when teaching new academic

language, I provide students with hand motions, songs, videos and and/or pictures to reinforce

the words. For some students, with different learning preferences, this makes all the difference in
their education. Differentiation for alternative learning styles, paired with an acute awareness of

how a student’s native language and culture effect their integration of English, are central in the

appropriate contouring of a lesson for a specific student, or group of students.

In terms of specific strategies important to the success of ELLs, I believe that the

importance of gathering substantive feedback from students parallels the importance of best

teaching practices. For example, having students free-write, provides insight into specific areas

in which they need to be supported, the extent of their prior knowledge, as well as the skills they

possess and/or ones that need to be honed in upon. Some students retain their ELL status simply

because their writing skills need work, and being able to pinpoint the path of that work is

paramount to their eventual literacy. Also, activating background knowledge before teaching new

content builds a cognitive bridge for accessing new information. A healthy exploration of what

students already know, paired with sufficient modeling, create the backbone of an effective

lesson together. Assisting students in becoming self-directed in their learning is also of great

import because students who can regulate themselves academically, end up learning more and

retaining content better. Of course, careful scaffolding of lessons is also pivotal. It is as if the

teacher creates an informational staircase for students to climb: one step at a time, differentiated

at intervals that students can appropriately step up on at an appropriate pace toward the next set

of goals. Finally, setting and sharing lesson objectives with students gives them the ability to

gauge their own learning goals and successes. Writing out and displaying language and content

objectives before each lesson (as well as discussing how well those objectives were met at the

end) helps students process and digest new language and content with clarity.


I believe that, perhaps, the most fundamental part of teaching ELLS, of any age, is
advocation. Lily Eskelsen Garcia, NEA President, once said, “All educators must become

fighters for what they and their students need to be successful.” Student advocacy is the main

reason I, myself, decided to become an educator. All teachers should be vehement advocates for

their students, but this role takes on even more importance when it comes to teaching ELLs.

Teaching ENL is, essentially, helping students linguistically unlock not only their curriculum, but

the entire world around them. Language literacy is an essential key to a student’s entire future.

Many schools have inadequate resources for providing the services that all ELLs are entitled to.

This has created an education system where many students become long-term ELLs because they

are not receiving the language instruction and supportive resources they need (and deserve).

Advocation is not just about showing up as an educator and providing a healthy learning

environment. It’s about actually taking action; with administration, in the community, getting

involved with students’ families, and remaining vocal about student needs in order to provide the

support they require. Many times, a single impassioned voice can inspire other educators and

members of the community to speak out as well; creating movements toward the provision of

necessary resources. Part of being a industrious educator, and a good ENL teacher, is being a

powerful advocate for all students.

What gives these many integral pieces of being an effective ESOL teacher life, is the

foundation of being an impassioned, empathetic and caring educator, simultaneously.

Maintaining and encouraging enthusiasm in the classroom, as well as supporting students as

individuals outside of the curriculum, is essential in their development of becoming active life-

long learners. Creating meaningful relationships with ELLs, and their families, means being able

to provide them personal meaning within their education. In any lesson or teachable moment,
having a real sense of passion as an educator models that enthusiasm for students to become

passionate about learning on their own. And that is the best gift any educator can give his/her

students.