I teach English as a Second and Foreign Language and Portuguese. Learning a language opens up possibilities never explored before. The task is not as simple as teaching strings of words and grammar. The learner needs to become ready to experience a new culture and, therefore, a new way of thinking and behaving. Opening up doors to such new possibilities is what draws me to language teaching.

Language learners are handicapped because they can think like adults but are not able to express themselves in the way they are in L1. I believe that the role of the teacher is to build students' confidence and independence so that they can succeed on their own terms. In order for this to happen, I spend a lot of time teaching strategies. The one strategy that I constantly encourage is risk-taking because it enables students to test and reformulate their hypotheses. I stress that errors are a natural part of the learning process and they can be used in a positive way. Students hardly ever come with no knowledge of English or Portuguese. My students always have something to add and I try to use that to our benefit. Their self-esteem is definitely boosted when the teacher shows that they can make a contribution to the class.

The task-based and the communicative approaches are the methods I have used to teach English and Portuguese. Students do not communicate in class with the sole purpose of exchanging information. I create a natural context in which that language will be used and establish a goal to be achieved. For instance, the Present Continuous can be practiced through a telephone conversation where someone calls with last minute plans and asks "What are you doing?". The goal is to invite the person out and make arrangements if the invitation is accepted. All activities are connected to a main topic (e.g.: Going out). The vocabulary I teach is also related to a main topic and is presented in collocational patterns.

I aim at becoming a teacher who is totally comfortable using technology inside and outside the classroom. Teachers cannot encourage students to make use of technology if they eschew it themselves. I feel that I will accomplish a lot in this area by attending training sessions and applying them in class. Since I encourage my students to take risks, I will follow what I preach! I am not afraid of experimenting with technology, so every time I learn some activity done in the "traditional" way, I try to think of ways to incorporate technology.

Since risk-taking is such an important aspect of my teaching, whenever I assess my students, I let them know exactly I will be evaluating (e.g.: use of the preposition, or paragraph organization) and how it will be graded through a rubric. This way they can focus on what really matters and still feel comfortable with taking chances. Needless to say, washback plays a vital role in assessment. Since my goal is to have students look back on their work with a fresh eye, they are encouraged to evaluate their own mistakes and set goals either with the assistance of a peer or on their own.