My name is Samantha Jungheim and I have over five years of experience working with students who are new to learning English.
My background in Fine Arts has shaped my multicultural perspective in developing a classroom culture that is innovative and inclusive.
I am constantly thinking about how to make my classroom more innovative. TESOL is an ever-evolving field and I am here to push the field forward!
When I’m teaching, I consider each individual student and how my objectives and content are relevant to them. Sometimes individualization can help the collective classroom.
My students truly inspire me! Their interests create a collaborative learning environment. We are co-constructing knowledge in my classroom.
My responsibility as an educator is to guide students to gain access to academic, personal, and professional opportunities through language instruction. Students will learn to code-switch, as I recognize the value in their cultural and linguistic diversity.
My teaching philosophy aligns with Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP) and Culturally Relevant Instruction (CRI). Students in my classroom are motivated and diverse learners whose backgrounds I respect and view as assets to the classroom.
My classroom is an inclusive and welcoming learning environment. I approach my students with an open-mind. I am fortunate enough to have met many students who defy stereotypes. I incorporate social-emotional learning theory and in my curriculum development and learning activities. If there is conflict in the classroom, I promote a fair classroom using guidelines for restorative justice.
When I meet new students, I learn about their backgrounds to best serve their learning and development. I remain flexible to allow room for students’ and my own growth. Through scaffolded instruction, I am able to guide students to build their English language knowledge. During my lessons, English learners tap into their funds of knowledge and then move into a state of optimal cognition (zone of proximal development or ZPD).
Students have multiple modes and opportunities to use their voice in my class (i.e. a class blog or speaking during a paired discussion). By engaging students’ voices I increase students’ well-being and academic achievement. I differentiate by providing ample choices for the medium that students use for their assignments. My classes inspire students to engage in their passions and fields of interest.
As I develop curriculum and materials, I refer to the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to ensure my materials are accessible and promote maximum learning potential. I strive to create relevant materials that connect to students’ lives. When I design lessons that utilize educational technology, I also consider the H.E.A.T. framework and the SAMR Model to insure students are getting the most out of each class. My lessons are meaningful because I try to learn about my students’ linguistic and cultural backgrounds while also observing global and local trends.
Students’ needs guide my pedagogy. Not only do I inspire students, I also aid students in achieving their dreams of academic, personal, and professional development with my language instruction.
I would love to hear more about you and what brought you to my page!
You can contact me with any questions at samjungheim@gmail.com