Philosophy of Education

Today’s society is one that deals with constant changes, a simple example of that is that today we go down one street and the next day they have changed the direction of that same street. This to me this is what’s happening in ESL education, the way children learned years ago is not the same way our students learn today. I have been working in the public system as an English teacher for the past 20 years and I have had to adapt my teaching strategies to the current times. As a responsible educator, I have also been obligated to constantly research the different existing methodology, so that I can meet todays, my students’ and my own expectations. In this paper I will approach my personal opinion on ESL education and the changing times.
In the 90’s ESL teaching was more structural and standardized whereas today we can apply a rainbow of teaching strategies to our courses. Our role as teachers is to guide that student in obtaining his or her main goal which is to acquire a second language. The constant technological advancements and this change has also been experimented by our students, nevertheless we must also take into consideration that due to globalization English has come to be a universal language and that it must be met at least in it’s the basic form if you want to compete in this fast changing world.
Students before would sit in a classroom and try to absorb what the teacher was giving us, but not today, technology has invaded our classrooms and has planned to stay! Video games, interactive programs, computers are just a few of the technological advancements that our students encounter daily. Thus a student can play with his video game alone our just simply connect his game to the web and play with other children from all over the planet and how do they communicate using the universal language which is English. So in order for us to meet the expectations of our students we must be aligned to the current technological changes. We must implement technology in our classrooms and become acquainted the latest technological trends so that we can meet our students expectations.
As for I teaching gives me an opening to continue may search for learning, so that I can face my students and teach them in a more secure and stimulating ambiance, Making sure that my teaching strategies are aligned with the current trends.