The author was motivated to become a tutor based on their educational experiences of both invigoration and intimidation in school. They were excited by learning as a child but also felt intimidated studying Japanese in later years. Their favorite teacher, Mr. Chiu, inspired them through thought-provoking discussions in English class. However, they struggled with speaking Japanese due to anxiety about making mistakes. The author now wants to promote discussion, inquiry-based learning and reduce anxiety in their own tutoring based on these experiences and educational research supporting these techniques.

1. EDUCATIONAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND PERSONAL TUTORING PHILOSOPHY
My motivation to become a tutor began on my first day of schooling. I
remember being so excited by learning, pouring my heart and soul into
schoolwork and achieving the highest grades. I attribute my initial interest in
schoolwork to how highly my father valued education and took pride in the fact
that he was the top of his classes. I continued to be invigorated by academic
achievement, particularly in English and Japanese, but I also became intimidated
when studying Japanese, which has been highly influential to my tutoring.
This reflection of mine will cover how my educational experiences of
invigoration and intimidation influenced my decision to become a teacher and
relates to pedagogical theory, as well as how these experiences influence my
personal teaching philosophy, with reference to both of my learning areas;
English and Japanese.
I am going to begin with English because I have always seen English as
primary in my educative experience. I loved sitting in year 12 English, bouncing
ideas back and forth with my year 12 English teacher; Rohan Chiu. I want to be
an English teacher because I love exploring texts. And, yet, I want to be a
secondary English tutor because of Rohan Chiu. His pedagogical techniques not
only facilitated my development in English but also inspired my interest in
English, exponentially. He asked thought-provoking questions, probed my
thinking further when I gave responses to those questions and continued to
upgraded my vocabulary by introducing me to new words like ‘amalgamated’
and ‘furthermore’ to integrate into my responses. I started questioning my own
beliefs and the discourses in society, becoming more open minded and critical. I

2. found that my development in English in school directly transferred to my
eloquence outside of school, as I was able to communicate in an articulate way
with older family members of my peers and my peers’ family friends. I believe
that my ability in English also increased my emotional intelligence, as I was
continually studying representations of the human condition, relating it to my
personal experience and becoming highly reflective about the relationships in
my life. Thereby, I have come to perceive English as an invaluable discipline
because of the benefits that I have personally derived from my dedicated study.
I believe that my invigoration in the English classroom is directly
attributable to my involvement in discussion, which increased my critical
thinking skills and academic outcomes. Recent pedagogical theory reinforces my
belief (Alexander 2002; Barnes 2010; Ritchhart 2012; Hirn and Scott 2014).
These theorists argue that discussion is a powerful tool for pedagogical
intervention and cognitive development (Alexander 2002) as talking to explore
ideas creates a “deep thinking classroom” (Ritchhart, 2012, p. 8) that “leads to
better intellectual engagement with what is being taught” (Barnes, 2010, p. 10).
Therefore, “one of the principal tasks of a teacher is to create interactive
opportunities” (Alexander, 2002, p. 2) like dialogic talk and “opportunities to
respond” (Hirn and Scott, 2014, p. 591). I believe that it is highly beneficial that
students perceive learning as a process of exploring ideas so that they can start
formulating their own informed opinions and thinking independently and
critically. Therefore, I want to promote a culture of enquiry in my tutoring. I
want my students to question my analysis of texts, question one another and
ultimately question themselves.

3. However, I also spent a great proportion of my educative experience
being intimidated whilst learning. In the senior years of Japanese, I began feeling
highly anxious about practising speaking. After so many years of being an
exemplary student, the tasks were suddenly not as easy to complete as once
before. I did not want to face the fact that I may not be perfect in an academic
setting; that I may have to work hard at something that did not come naturally to
me. This resonates with Dweck’s pedagogical theory of fixed mindsets in that I
was being a “self-handicapping high achiever” (Scott, 2015, p. 121). Dweck’s
theory (1998) of fixed mindsets argues that students who identify as intelligent
can lack “resiliency to [academic] setbacks” (p. 34) when a task requires more
effort academically than others because “they hold the belief that the naturally
talented don't need to apply themselves to doing well” (Scott, 2015, p. 121). I
internalised the idea that I was intelligent as a major facet of my identity and
subsequently sacrificed “potentially valuable learning opportunities” that
challenged that identity, like speaking tasks in Japanese (Dweck, 1998, p. 33).
Studies state that there is an inverse correlation between language acquisition
and anxiety levels (Krashen 1987; Krashen 1988). I experienced anxiety in
learning Japanese because I did not want to make a mistake whilst speaking in
front of my classmates. In year 12, my VCE Japanese teacher Sumiko Jojima
enthusiastically said ‘let’s make mistakes’, which truly resonated with me. She
was encouraging everyone to be comfortable with making errors, which I believe
is key to language teaching. Therefore, I want to actively try to decrease anxiety
in my classroom, particularly for those who perceive themselves as high
achievers. I want my students to perceive mistakes and struggling with tasks as
an integral part of the learning process. If a task is too easy then what will my

4. students gain in doing it? If my students continually shy away from difficult tasks
then when will they develop as learners?
I am motivated to become a secondary school tutor from being
intimidated in my own education because I believe that the final years of
schooling are greatly rewarding challenges for young people, academically and
emotionally. In my eyes, the final year or two of high school is the first true,
major test for individuals transitioning from adolescence and school into
adulthood and society as a whole. From reflecting upon the enjoyment that I
derive from helping students in their final years of schooling, I have realised that
I enjoy it so much because tutoring is much more than content transference.
Tutoring is about mentorship; supporting students emotionally with the trials
and tribulations of their learning.
In conclusion, I want to always promote a culture of enquiry-based
learning and decreased anxiety in my practice. I want to be open-minded to
exploring new pedagogical practice and dedicated to calmness in the face of
challenges because I believe in the facilitation of lifelong learning. This is highly
influenced by my past experiences, which, in turn, influences my personal beliefs
about teaching and learning.
WORKS CITED
Alexander, R. (2005). Culture, dialogue and learning: Notes on an emerging
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Barnes, D. (2010). Why talk is important. English Teaching: Practice and
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Hirn, R., & Scott, T. (2014). Descriptive Analysis of Teacher Instructional
Practices and Student Engagement Among Adolescents With and Without
Challenging Behavior. Education and Treatment of Children, 37(4), 589-610.
Krashen, S. (1987). Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition.
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Krashen, S. (1988). Second Language Acquisition and Second Language
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Ritchhart, R. (2012). The Power of Questions. Creative Teaching and
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Scott, C. (2015). Learn to Teach: Teach to Learn. Melbourne, Australia:
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