Hi Anita, thank you for being our special guest on " Teachers Talk ". You run the school " Jolly Workshop " where students learn in a creative atmosphere. Would you tell us about your teaching approach, please?
First of all, I would like to thank you for calling me in for this interview. Indeed, I run a language school which is at the same time a teacher training centre. We love to create and try out new teaching activities that make learning an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Now … as far as my teaching approach as you put it so well-and not my teaching method- it is to a great extent the product of my own teaching philosophy. Learning, as the Russian educational psychologist L. S. Vygotsky said, is socially constructed. Thus, I try to create the necessary conditions and opportunities for my learners to collaborate with each other as well as with me. I view my classroom as a learning hub and myself as facilitator of learning. Teaching for me is not the traditional‘ spoon feeding” method by which a teacher simply delivers information to students. Learning is alive, an on- going process where children can actively be involved and take pleasure in. In order to meet individual differences and spark student enthusiasm for learning I have incorporated a variety of kinaesthetic, auditory and visual activities. I wholeheartedly reject“ teaching to the test” or“ drill and kill” methods as they are called, as they are counterproductive and do not provide holistic understanding of the language. My aim as educator is to provide strong foundations for life-long learning. Our motto here at the Jolly Workshop is“ Inspire, Aspire, Succeed”.
I wish I was one of your students, Anita. I get the feeling that any student can easily unveil the secrets of English with your help. What inspires you to create new games and activities?
That’ s an interesting question … My major sources of inspiration are the learners themselves … I always listen to their wants, needs and make sure to adapt my activities according to their areas of interest as far as possible. Before planning my activities however, I always ask myself“ What’ s the learning goal and what am I trying to achieve with my students? Is the objective of the game / activity to revise and / or introduce structures / vocabulary or other?” For me it is important that games and activities have a clear language learning purpose and are not just done to keep students amused.
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