Introduction

                                                   INTRODUCTION

At the risk of sounding cliché, I always wanted to be a teacher; from the age of five to be exact. The idea of having several pairs of eyes fawning on me, my words carefully listened to with utmost reverence appealed to me the most.

I got my wish and taught at various secondary schools for five years. Although foreign languages are my true love, there is a place reserved in my heart for Language Arts. My passion for reading and literature on the whole somewhat influenced my decision to become a Language Arts teacher.

I taught Language Arts but its importance in the Caribbean context never dawned on me. I believed that teaching Language Arts was all about getting my students to write CXC. However it should be about getting students to be aware of the language variations which they are constantly bombarded with in the media. With this awareness comes an appreciation which would make them want to learn other aspects of the language.

The gravity of my decision to opt for English at teacher’s college hit home when I entered my first English class. English teachers in the Caribbean have the important role of getting speakers of English and French Creole to speak the standard variety in order to become well rounded students. In the words of Ludwig Wittgenstein ‘The limits of my language means the limits of my world.’

Whatever it is we teach students, we need to consider how they learn. I never had a philosophy of learning until my training at teacher’s college. Learning is an interactive process. It takes places between teachers and students as well as among students. Constructivists like Piaget (1954) propose that children learn best when they are actively involved in or ‘constructing’ their own knowledge, therefore children should not be passive in their learning. Vygotsky (1968) also stated that children learn through social interaction so it is crucial that we give students an opportunity to communicate their ideas with peers in small or large groups.

As facilitators of learning, teachers also have to ensure that students feel safe in their environment and that it is conducive to learning. This is something I was guilty of as I never afforded my French Creole speakers in the class an opportunity to speak their language in the classroom.

This portfolio is geared at reflecting on concepts in the teaching of adolescent literature. From this portfolio I hope to become a more reflective teacher in my practices, where my decisions are based on the needs of my students and not the curriculum.

References

Ludwig Wittgenstein’s quote retrieved from http://thin kexist.com/quotations/language/2.html (8th April 2011)

Morey English Academy.  Philosophy of learning. Retrieved from http://www.moreyenglish.com/philosphy-of-learning.htm (8th April 2011)