The words that best describe me are linguistic adventurer. I have traveled throughout the world to experience the languages, cultures, and people outside of my community. My multicultural enthusiasm and experiences have been able to inspire students to be successful in all areas of language development (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) through the incorporation of cultural connections. These connections inspire student interest, involvement and enthusiasm.
My language teaching career includes teaching English as a foreign language in Japan, English as a Second Language , Spanish, Japanese, and German. As a result of these experiences I developed teaching strategies and activities that met each learner’s needs. By connecting with the students’ interests I was able to increase their confidence, willingness to take risks, and success.
My training includes: Teaching Proficiency in Reading through Storytelling (TPRS), Total Physical Response (TPR), English as a Second Language teaching methods, creation and use of podcasts to teach language, TCI (Teaching through Comprehensible Input), and Content-Based Instruction. These tools have empowered me to involve students in a variety of activities that allow all learning types (styles) to be successful.
The strategies I use to assure maximum learning for all students include: teaching for multiple intelligences (different learning styles); monitoring student progress; modification of instruction to meet individual student needs; and taking and using a student interest inventory to make teaching relevant to students' lives and thereby increase interest and involvement.
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