I believe that teaching as a profession is an enormous responsibility and privilege. The classroom is the anticamera to the world. An informed teacher should be very thoughtful about the messages that are passed along in the classroom. I believe that it is above all the responsibility of the teacher to never lose sight of the mission of education and to treat the profession with the reverence it deserves.
I believe that teaching in itself is a learning experience and that a good teacher should strive for excellence by staying current her field, engaging in related research, and attending conferences and workshops. A teacher should be open to new techniques and methods and still have confidence and faith in what she already knows. Teaching, like learning, is a life-long process. One should endeavor to be constantly growing and building both subject knowledge and pedagogical skills. I believe that scholarly inquiry and teaching are interdependent and rely on each other for their mutual development.
I believe that it is the task of the teacher to be a role model and a mentor, and to enable each student to realize their individual potential. It is important to teach students to be independent thinkers and responsible for their own learning. The teacher acts as a facilitator to knowledge and discovery. I believe that teachers can make an enormous difference in the lives and futures of their students.
I believe it is important for the teacher to be committed to giving the type of feedback that will encourage improvement and growth. It is important to be optimistic and positive and to help the student understand how learning is a process, and that mistakes (and sometimes failure) are a part of it. I emphasize personal excellence rather that perfection. It is important for a teacher to be willing to give assistance when it is needed and desired (and also to anticipate that need) and so should be accessible to their students both in the classroom and during office hours.
I believe that every student has different abilities and talents, and something valuable to contribute. The teacher should encourage active participation in the classroom. Diversity increases the scope and extent of knowledge. It is the responsibility of the teacher to respect those differences and help the students to understand that as well, both about themselves and others.
I believe that a teacher should be enthusiastic about the subject they are teaching, and should transmit that enthusiasm for the subject and for the love of learning, in general, to the student.
I believe that the study of a foreign language serves many purposes and that it comprises an essential unit of a college education. Beyond learning Italian for the practical purposes of travel, study abroad, or work, what students gain from studying a language they can use no matter what they do or where they go. They gain an awareness of the variety of cultures beyond their own. They learn that language is a reflection of the way the mind thinks and orders its ideas. The study of a foreign language can make a lasting impression on students for years to come. I try to respect the many individual reasons students have for studying Italian. I strive to be aware of the many different learning styles, and employ whatever method or tool is best suited to the learning task at hand.
In my teaching, I emphasize the following:
Cultural awareness: A true understanding of the Italian language can only come from knowledge of all aspects of Italian culture. I strive to include as much information as possible on Italian literature, music, art, history, politics, current events, social norms, and customs. I also include information on the history of the Italian language.
Communicative proficiency: At the center of my teaching lies student interaction with each other in Italian on a daily basis. Immersion in Italian is essential to building all four principal language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. I encourage my students to produce as much language as possible. I also teach them to be creative with their solutions to their communication problems.
Grammatical competency: I believe that grammar is a very important tool for language learning. Many students say they learned more about grammar analysis in a language class than in English classes. Grammar helps them with their writing. Also, it is an exercise in critical thinking as they work to understand why something is said in a particular way. I try to help students understand how we learn language and to develop effective study skills.
Writing skills: Any form of writing is an opportunity to study the art of writing. I believe it is my responsibility to teach them how to write, and so I focus on form and style as well as their Italian usage. I believe that it is important that they begin writing in Italian from day one, even if it is just a few words. Weekly assignments, such as diary entries, are an integral part of my curriculum. I teach them to use what they know rather than to translate directly from English. I also focus on building vocabulary skills and teach them how to use an Italian dictionary.
Critical thinking and interpretive skills: I believe the study of language and literature teaches one how to identify and analyze narratives, and narratives are present all around us. They help us to understand and live in our world. I encourage students to think critically about the ways in which they interact with cultures outside their own.
Encourage travel abroad: As I tell my students, in an ideal world every student would have the chance to travel abroad. Not only do they learn so much about other cultures and build fluency in Italian, but they also learn about themselves as individuals and about their own culture. I am committed to helping every student have the opportunity to visit a foreign culture.
Multiple uses for language technology: Innovations in technology have been extremely useful and important for language teaching. While technology could never replace the classroom teacher, it is a marvelous tool which I use to bring Italy closer to my students. There is a virtual Italy online that is the World Wide Web. I have also developed classroom group projects in which the students build websites, since I believe that it is part of my responsibility as a teacher to teach them how they can use technology to their advantage.