I don’t believe that there is one single “best” way to learn a new language.  Every learner is different and in my experience of interviewing English Language Learners, the techniques that they have found to be the most productive have greatly differed.  From learning this I came to the conclusion that a teacher shouldn’t use a single method or technique to teach an entire class of very different learners a new language.  Instead, I believe that using a combination of different assessments, techniques, and tasks creates the most productive and inclusive learning environment.  I think that ensuring that every student is able to learn in the classroom, includes offering them the material that works best with their preferred learning style.  In addition to this, another very important aspect of a classroom is creating a supportive and welcoming learning environment.  When learning a new language, students tend to hold back because of the fear or making a mistake and feeling embarrassed about it.  I want to encourage students to make those leaps regardless of the fact that they may make a mistake.  That is how they will learn, by making those mistakes and being corrected.  I want the students to look forward to coming to class and wanting to learn.  Learning a new language is challenging but fun and exciting and I would want my students to feel that every time they come to my class. 

            In past classes that I have taken learning a new language, I found that many of the classes made me feel prepared in the sense that I could complete every activity or worksheet that the teacher assigned.  However, after passing that class, I realized a lot of information I never retained.  Therefore, in my future classes I would use Communicative Language Teaching (CLT).  This method as opposed to other methods doesn’t focus on grammar but instead focuses on meaningful communication.  Authentic tasks and materials come hand in hand with CLT because this teaching method provides heavy emphasis on language that students would use in their everyday communication.  Therefore, what they are learning in class will be authentic and they will constantly be learning how they can apply those lessons into everyday life and communication.  I believe that this teaching method provides the students with most meaningful lessons and will leave them with a fuller understanding on the language.  As I stated before, I think that a combination of materials and tasks being used are very important for a class as a whole.  I would use both formal and informal assessments because I think that they both offer something very valuable for not only the students but the teacher as well. 

I believe it’s very important to have activities that are covering all areas and aren’t too repetitive for the students.  I understand the value of finding a balance between providing a routine for the students while also changing things up enough to make things more exciting and promote productive learning.  Having a balance between grammar, listening, and speaking activities is one of the most important parts of learning a new language.  With each activity scaffolding is a crucial aspect and creates a safety net for students when learning.  I would scaffold activities by allowing the students to reference me for questions or any assistance that they would need.  Some techniques I would use for this would be simplifying the language used in activities or using visuals.  Along with scaffolding, I believe it’s important to ensure that the activities are organized in a way that is simple for students to follow along.  Having the lesson flow from less to more difficult allows for students to use past knowledge towards what they may be learning or working on next.  

Having specific and understood roles of both the teacher and students is necessary for a structured and productive classroom.  While I do believe that a classroom needs to be fun and inviting, I think finding the balance between this and making sure the students understand that you are the teacher can be difficult.  Teachers role above all is to have the students leave the class having learnt something they didn’t know before.  Students have to understand that the teacher is the authority figure and are in charge of the class.  If these lines are blurred it often changes the entire learning environment in a negative way.  Though the students need to understand the important role that a teacher has in a classroom, I wouldn’t have a classroom that is the students sitting through a lecture for the entire class time.  With creating a fun and comfortable learning environment for the students I would hope that this would promote their participation.