EXPLORING TEACHERS’ BELIEFS

   What beliefs or assumptions about language learning and language teaching have you held throughout your English language development and your teaching career?

  1.     Teacher should be a reflective practitioner

“I reflect on my teaching every time that I finish a class so as to improve it with my students the next time. In this way I get a chance to think and make my students think and reflect about some behaviors, beliefs or sometimes misconceptions that my students and   I have about the teaching-learning processes.”     (teaching Metaphor).

“Working as a teacher made me think that I have to be up to date to give not only knowledge but to make my students think about the importance of learning, and know how to face different situations in class.”    (autobiography).

“After that situation I decided to ask them how did they work?. And what did they think about working in different groups? The answers of some students were “the activities were good, but you are very bad at organizing groups to work in class” “please, let us to choose our partners next time”. So I started thinking how to work with them in the next classes, because I want all of the students participate.” (journal #1)

“I think it is important to have other options for students who do not like to work with others because they need attention. And as I know this situation next class I could plan a specific strategy to work with those students.”  ( journal # 2)

“I am aware that reflection is one important step in the teaching- learning processes.”   (individual reflection- conceptualizing teaching acts)

  2.    Teaching and learning are ongoing processes.

“I think about my teaching and I see it as a changing process. This is because nowadays students are changing. Their beliefs, way of learning and lives are “getting different everyday with more resources and technology, with different situations at home.” (teaching Metaphor).

“I am really convinced that all that I learn would benefit my student’s learning process.” (autobiography).

“I know that teaching is an ongoing process, this way I can say that I am concerned with my professional development as a teacher.” (individual reflection- conceptualizing teaching acts)

“It is to say that is through the process of teaching and the students’ learning that I realized if what I have learned really works.” (individual reflection- conceptualizing teaching acts)

   3.    The teacher is a model for the students and the principal motivator in the learning process.

"In the first place I think the students’ motivation is the main factor in the learning process. If they are not motivated I have to plan how make my students motivated about what I teach, especially in secondary school." (teaching Metaphor).

"This class I worked with the students reviewing the topic of past tenses and worked with a concentrate on game, as the students told me the previous class that they wanted to play ." ( journal # 4)

I" think that in this profession we guide the people that are the present and the future of our society." (individual reflection- conceptualizing teaching acts)

  4.    Teaching and learning are not just about linguistics

"Besides teaching is not only give knowledge to the students but to help them to think, reflect and grow as human beings." (teaching Metaphor).

"Working as a teacher made me think that I have to be up to date to give not only knowledge but to make my students think about the importance of learning. And  know how to face different situations in class. "(autobiography).

"I had to spend more time with them because I had to explain the importance of learning and the consequences of the bad behaviour in class."( lournal # 2)

"the first thing I do as a teacher is to know the kind of students that I teach in order to provide them with the necessary strategies and activities for them to learn and taking into account that everyone is different. I also care for teaching them to think about their learning process and try them to become people with values." (individual reflection- conceptualizing teaching acts)

I" am really engaged to improve my teaching process through my reflection and to teach not only knowledge but make my students to become critical thinkers as human beings". (individual reflection- conceptualizing teaching acts)

   5.    Teachers have to take into account different aspects through the learning process.

"In my teaching there are some factors that I consider necessary for a successful learning process such as intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of the students, materials, kinds of activities and class environment among others." (teaching Metaphor).

"As soon as I finish my career I started to work for a private school, where there were many advantages to teach languages such as the hours per week, amount of the students and materials, besides it most of the students were willing to learn. Soon I moved to the public schools where the teaching seems to be in a different setting, where most of the schools do not have materials, where students are facing social conflicts and their families do not support them in the learning process," (autobiography).

"I think it is important to have other options for students who do not like to work with others because they need attention. And as I know this situation next class I could plan a specific strategy to work with those students." ( journal # 2)

"The first thing I do as a teacher is to know the kind of students that I teach in order to provide them with the necessary strategies and activities for them to learn and taking into account that everyone is different." (individual reflection- conceptualizing teaching acts)