Personal Statement - Essay Example

Personal ment Describe why a teacher would seek a position in international education. What would make a candi who will be successful in an international setting? International education is a different setting from the local educational setting, owing to the diversity of the learners in terms of culture, language, religious affiliations, family backgrounds and even political ideologies. Nevertheless, there are some reasons that would make a teacher seek for a position in international education.

First, the world has become a global village, where cultures, social customs and beliefs, as well as language is being shared among different people from different parts of the world, through face-to-face interactions or though technology (Day and Judyth, 49). Most fundamental, is the role played by the social media in enhancing globalization, where people from different regions of the world can meet and interact over the internet, despite their social, political and religious orientations. This concept has enhanced cultural and social integration, which makes the world operate as though it was just a single family unit.

Therefore, a teacher can seek for a position in international education, so that he/she can continue to perpetuate the cultural and social integration that the society in the world is experiencing. This is beneficial, since the teacher can teach students from a different social background the cultures, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors of the community he/she comes from, allowing the students from the international setting to appreciate the local society from where the teacher comes from. Teaching a local language to the students in an international setting is yet another reason why a teacher can seek for a teaching position in international education.

Multilingualism has become a common concept of the modern society, which can only be perpetuated through teaching (Saha and Anthony, 417). A candidate who will be successful in an international setting requires commitment, patience to learn the culture of the other societies and flexibility to fit into any social setting. Ability to learn quickly is also essential, to enable the teacher learn the new setting and its requirements and thus fit well into it. 2. How do students best learn? What is the role of the teacher in facilitating that learning?

Education is a unique concept, due to the fact that different people learn differently, while the learning is also highly influenced by the environmental factors, as well as the psycho-social factors. Therefore, to make an educational setting suitable and favorable for all students is a challenging task. However, there are various fundamental principles that make a learning environment universally favorable for students. The Constructivist Learning Theory provides that teaching should always be multi-faceted, considering the fact that if a teacher applies only one approach to teach all the students, the learning potential of some of the students may fail to be exploited to the maximum (Day and Judyth, 47).

Therefore, for students to learn best, a variety of teaching styles should be adopted by the teacher. While it might be difficult for the teacher to apply all the different styles while teaching one lesson, the teacher should apply different styles in teaching different lessons, so that the students can benefit from the various approaches, since at least each student will be best suited to the application of one or more of the different styles and approaches (Saha and Anthony, 412). There are three categories of learners.

The first category is that of students who learn best by being told what to do, the second category is the one that learns best through doing the activities by themselves, while the third category is the one that learns best through being told what to do and also being shown how to do it (Saha and Anthony, 415). Thus, to combine all three learners category, students learn best by being told what to do, being guided on the process of doing it and finally being given an opportunity to practice doing it on their own.

The teaching approach will cater for all categories of students. This realization formulates the role of the teacher as that of instructing students on what to do, indulging with them in the execution process of what they have been taught, and finally allowing them to practice further on their own. Simply, put, the role of the teacher is to instruct, guide and oversee the learners accomplish the learning activities. 3. What can a teacher contribute as a member of a professional learning community in an international setting?

As a member of a professional community in an international setting, a teacher can contribute teaching approaches and styles that are effective to enhance student learning, and knowledge acquisition. Different local educational settings have different educational and teaching approaches, which are most favorable for their student community. However, some of those approaches and styles cab be adopted in different other regions and communities, to complement the teaching styles and approaches that are already in existence (Day and Judyth, 52).

Therefore, a teacher can contribute the teaching approaches and styles applied in his/her local setting, which can then be integrated into the international setting, to provide diverse approaches to student teaching. Additionally, a teacher can contribute the teaching and learning culture of his/her community in the international setting, which can also be incorporated into the international educational culture, and thus serve to diversify the international culture, and make it more accommodative for all.

Works Cited Day, Christopher, and Judyth Sachs. International Handbook on the Continuing Professional Development of Teachers. Maidenhead: Open University Press, 2004. Print. Saha, Lawrence J, and Anthony G. Dworkin. International Handbook of Research on Teachers and Teaching. New York, NY: Springer, 2009. Print.