Week Two
RIVERS, W. (n.d.). PRINCIPLES OF INTERACTIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING.
Reflections:
I enjoyed this article and as a new teacher feel that it is crucial to consider these ten principles as I begin my journey. I especially feel connected to the old proverb, "the person who is too old to learn is too old to teach." This proverb supports my credo and my desire to share my passion for education and to encourage students to become life-long learners. I was so fortunate as a child to have fantastic and supportive, and patient educators. Differential learning is also important because I am aware that children learn differently and at different rates. Yet, being an educator who values Rivers first principle focusing on the student's motivation I feel that using a wide variety of teaching strategies and promoting an inquiry-based learning will enable my students to remain engaged. Although, this is something that I plan on developing through collaboration with colleagues and mentors. As an FSL instructor, I see the benefit of having the students engaged and practicing their communication skills on a regular basis. This allows students to gain confidence in their speech and to create an environment where they feel safe and vulnerable and take risks on making errors and learning from these mistakes. Finally, I made a strong connection with Rivers eighth principle using formative assessment and providing students with constant feedback that focuses on learning rather than grades. During my practicums, this is something that I embraced and provided my students the opportunity to re-write any test or quiz. Learning is a fluid process and to place weight on one exam is not supporting the students learning. The students also loved this and successfully improved their scores while at the same time developing their knowledge.
I enjoyed this article and as a new teacher feel that it is crucial to consider these ten principles as I begin my journey. I especially feel connected to the old proverb, "the person who is too old to learn is too old to teach." This proverb supports my credo and my desire to share my passion for education and to encourage students to become life-long learners. I was so fortunate as a child to have fantastic and supportive, and patient educators. Differential learning is also important because I am aware that children learn differently and at different rates. Yet, being an educator who values Rivers first principle focusing on the student's motivation I feel that using a wide variety of teaching strategies and promoting an inquiry-based learning will enable my students to remain engaged. Although, this is something that I plan on developing through collaboration with colleagues and mentors. As an FSL instructor, I see the benefit of having the students engaged and practicing their communication skills on a regular basis. This allows students to gain confidence in their speech and to create an environment where they feel safe and vulnerable and take risks on making errors and learning from these mistakes. Finally, I made a strong connection with Rivers eighth principle using formative assessment and providing students with constant feedback that focuses on learning rather than grades. During my practicums, this is something that I embraced and provided my students the opportunity to re-write any test or quiz. Learning is a fluid process and to place weight on one exam is not supporting the students learning. The students also loved this and successfully improved their scores while at the same time developing their knowledge.
Annotated Bibliography: