Jordan Northcott 1

APLNG 500
Teaching Philosophy

Finding my interest and passion in teaching took a lot of work, I flitted my way through

other fanciful ideas of careers. The common themes throughout was my love of helping people,

or working with people, finding gratification in that act. It was also ideal if I found myself in a

career where I could discuss the things I enjoy and am passionate about, teaching fulfils that act.

My bachelor's degree is in Secondary Education Social Studies, which combines those two

points mentioned, helping/working with people and discussing my interests (history being one). I

find my enjoyment, my comfort in teaching, in discovering how to help people grow their

knowledge. To feel that warmth in my chest when they understand something is immeasurable.

This began my love affair with the career of teaching, which led to the road I am currently on,

teaching English as a second language.

The acquisition of language is not unlike the acquisition of historical knowledge, as that

in and of itself is a language. There needs to be practice, interest, understanding, and

transformation or growth. Unlike learning history, however, learning a language needs more than

just the facts the grammar and pronunciation guides. Learners should be exposed to new ways to

interact with it, to be helped into transforming it. One of the ways I have tried to do this, is by

having students structure an argument about “AI use in the workplace” without any

technological help. They were assigned into groups, given this broad topic and told to select a

workplace in which they would like to talk about. An example of one group is they discussed the

use of AI in food ordering systems for restaurants. Then students, on a blank sheet of paper,

wrote down a general argument, solution ideas, where they might find resources to support their

argument and who their audience was. After they finished, they then used the chalkboards in the

classroom to transfer their ideas onto slate, which allowed for the whole class to see what
Jordan Northcott 2
APLNG 500
everyone had come up with. We then went group by group and students presented their

hypothetical argument. This had students, using built upon knowledge over the course of a

semester, working with English to structure an argument and then debate their idea with their

classmates. The focus was not on grammar, proper spelling or pronunciation but on their ability

to use the language how they needed. Sometimes interacting with language is more than reading

and writing, it’s where learners are orally interacting with each other and English. It allows for

them to see it as more than words on a page and structure that needs to be learned, but free,

changing and mailable to their needs.

Language is not stagnant, it changes and flows. But like history, language is culture and

community, it is more than just words on the page or screen. Learners come into a new language

with a background, with previous context and knowledge that is then being applied to this

process. As a teacher, it is my hope to help them use what they have to learn a new language (in

this case English). To understand the wider contexts they are coming from, and use that in the

classroom.