“Yen is so full of life and active in the classroom. It is clear that she wants us to learn and become fluent and that she is willing to learn new things from us.” [From Intermediate French (Fren 2090)]
I find it most rewarding when students understand that my teaching comes from my best interests for them to learn, and that they also have valuable contributions. My investment in the classroom, whether for language learning or for a seminar, can be epitomized in the following practices:
Relatability
As a learner of a language myself, I was very timid about my speaking ability, especially in relation to my peers. It became very important to me as an instructor to relate to my students and encourage them to connect with one another in a way that exemplifies interaction as organic, rather than intimidating or forced. During the first week of class, I hold office hour meetings with groups of 2 or 3 to learn more about each student’s language goals and to initiate these intra-student connections from the very beginning. These meetings also establish my accessibility as an instructor.
- “The instructor was amazing. She made it easy to talk in class and helped develop my oral skills. She made me feel extremely comfortable day one. She was also available to meet with you or speak with you if you needed it.”
- “I felt as though I was welcome because of the family that we created in the class. Everyone had a listening ear with no judgmental expressions. The instructor helped facilitate an open environment for discussion by expressing her thoughts then asked for comments making it clear that there are no right or wrong answers.”
[From Writing Seminar (Roms 1108)]
Equal opportunities to share & learn
In a classroom, all students have equal opportunities to speak. It is a continuous challenge to make one’s course accessible to a growing diversity of students of different backgrounds, abilities, classes, and personal investments. Using different materials is a way for me to address this aspect of teaching, and when this was successfully applied, student participation as well as the general class dynamic were positively affected.
- “She really created lots of opportunities for us to improve our ability of speaking in the language. She was really understanding and I really like how she made the classroom a comfortable atmosphere to learn.”
[From Intermediate French (Fren 2090)]
- “I loved the different types of readings we did including poems, novels, graphic novels, and excerpts.”
[From Writing Seminar (Roms 1108)]
Energy & Passion
While energy and passion for the subject are important to find in an instructor, I also think it should be de-centered and balanced with student interests and abilities. Any passion that exudes in my teaching has principally been reinforced by positive responses in my students to my approaches and styles.
- “Yen is a really caring and attentive teacher. When I got things back, I always felt she really paid attention to all aspects of the work and gave helpful hints.”
[From Second Semester Beginning French (Fren 1220)] - “She was always patient, the work was never too much, but it did help us learn, and she definitely had our best interests in mind at all times.
[From Intermediate French (Fren 2090)]
yen n. vu 