“Whether a student feels inspired in your class depends largely on whether they feel

inspired by you. As their teacher, you have the power to deliver course material in a way
that motivates them to dig deeper.”
My teaching style is student centered. I always focus on students and find the best way to teach
them according to their learning abilities. The Communicative approach (1980) is the most
relatable to me and it forms my teaching philosophy. I work with children (elementary and
middle school) so I try to engage, entertain, help them to love and explore other people’s culture
and language. According to this approach a language is like a tool that connects people all over
the world. All the four skills (reading, speaking, writing and listening) are important and my
students want to learn them step by step. As a result, I apply different techniques like language
games (Bingo, Scrabble, Taboo, Yes No game) role plays, pictures, authentic materials (news,
menus, songs, carefully leveled books, weather reports), information gap exercises and make my
lessons more memorable. I teach them how to communicate in real-life situations. However, I’d
like to add that it’s not the only one approach that resonates with my vision of teaching, learner
is a main figure and I use different techniques from other approaches too. I believe some
principles of the Comprehension approach (1980) are helpful there, especially for young
learners, because it allows them to study at their own pace and provides silent period. They form
their own concepts and make connections before they start speaking. I use comprehensible
content like: classroom objects (a blackboard, a desk, a book…), observable actions (jump, sit
down…) and other visual materials to help them to convey meanings. I also use role-reversal
from time to time. According to it, my learners feel relaxed, gain confidence, take part in
activities and not afraid to talk. I’m sure that the way how the Affective Humanistic Approach
(1970) supports the idea of positive atmosphere in a classroom is a must too. It helps students to
remove barriers and fear to language learning, make students feel comfortable, self-confident
and creative. I involve them in dramatization, role-plays and different dialogues, so they can
choose new identity and get out of their shell. To sum up everything, I should say that in my
point of view a combination of different principles from these approaches is a golden mean. I see
that my students are motivated to dig deeper and broaden their horizons.