Teaching Philosphy – Lindsay Nelson

I intend to create meaning in my English as a Second Language and English as a

Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) classrooms by way of connecting to students’ lives, nurturing

their evolving expertise, and developing their critical thinking skills. As a result, students in

my classrooms create connections between their own cultures and the content of the lessons,

become more confident in their English skills, and learn how to explore difference in more

complex ways than prior to my course. My teaching philosophy hinges on the following three

components:

• Context-informed lessons that construct meaning between teacher and student

• Exploration of new and challenging content in a safe and nurturing classroom

setting

• Instructional style that aims to develop the social consciousness of students by

critically examining difference

Results from the Teaching Perspectives Inventory (2019):

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Teaching Philosphy – Lindsay Nelson

Teaching Methods

Social Constructivist

When I teach English as a Foreign Language in the Dominican Republic context

matters, so I design my courses in response to the cultural and political atmosphere where I

am teaching. My goal is to have students examine their own assumptions about world topics

through a context-specific approach. For example, to illuminate discriminatory attitudes

against immigrants on the island, I show my Advanced Conversation class a Frontline

documentary entitled “Lost in Detention” about undocumented immigrants in the United

States to first provide a global context. In small groups, students discuss their reactions to the

documentary, and we detail the underlying motivations for immigration. After that, I bring

this global phenomenon into focus by asking students to draw comparisons between

immigration in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. I aim to bring macro-level topics to the

micro-level, and because I have both Dominican and Haitian students in the classroom, this

activity allows for students to authentically explore the dynamics between the two countries.

Students also scrutinize intracultural aspects of their society through a project that

addresses sexism in Dominican media. After a classroom discussion about ‘machismo’ and

the objectification of the female form, students take photographs of imagery they find in

magazines, advertisements, and on television and compile a presentation of their images to

share with the class. This activity highlights a broader global issue through the lens of their

home culture, making it both impactful and meaningful.

The Nurturer
My goal as a language instructor is to provide a setting where learners feel safe and

supported to make mistakes as they learn. Beginner students in my ESL Level 1 courses

struggle with basic language acquisition so, the Nurturing perspective is central in these

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Teaching Philosphy – Lindsay Nelson

courses. At this level, my teaching involves a lot of repetitive routines, like practicing

common greetings, writing the days of the week, and working on repeating basic vocabulary.

Because learners are quite timid at this level, they need safe and secure opportunities to

participate. To encourage their growth, I project different scenes, like a family having

breakfast, on the board for the whole class to see. Students are invited to say any words or

phrases they can identify in the picture, utilizing key vocabulary, all while building from peer

support and class-generated knowledge. Later in the year, I challenge my students by going to

order food in real-time during a field trip to a local ice cream shop. I rely heavily on group

cohesion and early confidence building to foster a sense of safety for my students before

asking them to embark on some of the more challenging aspects of language learning.

The Developer

As a Developer, I aim to lead students through a process of critical reflection and

intellectual growth as they progress in my classes. This process is marked by the introduction

of and discussion of current events and culminates with a presentation project in the target

language of English. When I teach ESL at the Intermediate level, students do daily written

reflections on current events found in an ‘Easy English’ newspaper designed for the ESL

classroom. My goal with this activity is to allow students to critically reflect on American

culture and life and compared to the cultural beliefs, practices, and understandings of my

students. Their written reflections are the basis for our daily oral discussion where students

articulate their reactions to and beliefs about diverse topics. Near the end of the course,

students complete a 10-minute PowerPoint presentation about an aspect of their home

country of their choosing. They must write a traditional five paragraph essay detailing the

content of their presentations before creating their digital project. This project challenges

students intellectually to use technology, to write in English, and to give a spoken

presentation to an audience. At the end of their presentation students must field questions

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from the audience, prompting them to reflect in real-time. This is one of the most difficult

pieces of my class because of the wide variance in both language skills and comfort with

using technology. In future iterations, I will consider giving students several presentation

styles to choose from.

Student Growth

Ultimately, my teaching aims to accomplish the task of creating meaning across

difference through safe exploration of emerging skills, all the while arching toward the

development of critical thinking skills and intellectual growth. I am able to do this by making

clear connections between the subject matter and students’ experiences, fostering a

supportive classroom setting, and asking students to generate thoughtful discussion about

global topics.

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