Behind any educator is a teaching philosophy that is instrumental to who that person is as an educator. As a teacher, I want to educate in a way that is effective for my students, and at the same time make personal connections with them. I aspire to have high test scores, but also build a classroom that is welcoming and fun for students. For my students, I want to encourage them to think freely and critical in my classroom and the world. As a ELA and Social Studies teacher, I want the improvement of student literacy to be a major factor in my class. For me, literacy can be simply explained as being able to read and write, but I’ve learned it’s not just pencil and paper in the classroom. For example, it takes literacy to know what a stop sign means while driving. Literacy can be seen almost anywhere in our daily lives. Literacy can take many forms and be seen through various resources, and literacy is all about comprehension through those different forms and resources. As a literacy teacher, I see myself spending a lot of time helping and developing my students reading and writing ability. I aspire to educate and develop the literacy of my students so that they can understand all parts of the world, and not just aspects of a classroom. As a teacher, my aspirations and goals are educating effectively, making personal connections with all my students, high test scores, a welcoming classroom, encouraging critical thinking, and developing literacy skills.

            I believe all of my aspirations and goals are achievable, and I have different teaching methods and styles to make those goals happen. First, I would like to point out how I will teach and develop literacy in my classroom. Two big aspects for me about teaching literacy is always have books available for students to read, and also spend as much time as you can on developing literacy skills. Reading is always a great way to increase literacy, and spending time on it is very important because the development of student literacy doesn’t need to be a one unit stop and then be done with it. Also I want to teach my students literacy through one-on-one encounters. I know it can be hard to work with one child at a time, but I think if there is opportunity to work with a child one-on-one, it’s important to take it. The student can learn a lot, and the teacher can learn a lot about the student’s literacy in a one-on-one. Karen Broaddus wrote an article about teaching students in a tutoring set up and she described it as “…taking part in the magic of teaching one child to read” (Broaddus, 1999, p.429). These are the main steps I will take as a teacher when it comes to developing my student’s literacy, along with a few other methods that will be mentioned next. Two other methods that I will use to achieve my aspirations and goals are collaborative learning and differentiated instruction, which are teaching methods I’ve learned this semester. I will also use these two methods to help teach and develop student literacy in my classroom. I want to use collaborative learning because I believe it’s important for students to be able to work in groups and communicate effectively. Megan Isaac said in her article about group work that “Collaborative learning is, however, something that all our students will employ once they finish their formal education…” (Isaac, 2012, p. 83). All jobs require some form of working with other people, and I want to prepare my students for that by using collaborative learning. I also believe that collaborative learning can help my goals of personal connections, welcoming classroom, and critical thinking. I want my students to experience collaborative learning because it can be a lot fun to work in class groups and it requires students to think critically about their task. The other method was differentiated instruction, which is a must for my classroom. Not all students learn the same way, and it’s important to differentiate so that all students can succeed. Kelly Anderson says in her article about differentiating instruction that “Teachers who differentiate believe that every child is unique, with differing learning styles and preferences” (Anderson, 2007, p. 50). I believe the same thing, all students are special and have their own unique abilities that need to be used in the classroom. Differentiated instruction can be hard work for the teacher and school, but it’s necessary for each and every child to succeed in the classroom. I want to use differentiated instruction because it will help me be an effective teacher, who gets good test scores, but also because it’s an essential element for any teacher who wants all of their students to succeed. I believe through all the methods, styles, and tools I’ve mentioned I can accomplish my goals and be an effective literacy teacher.

            Another important aspect of my teaching philosophy is assessment, and what that will look like in my classroom. I do believe that grades are important because they serve the purpose of showing how a student is doing to the students and their parents. At the same time, I won’t grade each and everything task a student does in my class. Feedback will be provided to show the student what was done correct or what needs to be improved, but a grade won’t be attached to every assignment. Next, I would like to talk about the different forms assessment that will take place in my class. I understand that testing is important to the state, school, and parents, but tests will not be the only form of assessment in my classroom. I want to incorporate other forms like: projects, papers, poster assignments, and many other things. I believe it’s important to have other forms of assessment so that students aren’t bored and unable to use their creativity. I want to use forms like presentations and drawings so that I can see clear understanding of a topic and also let students be more creative and free in their work. I do think assessment is very important and I will use test on the occasion, but it will not be the only form of assessment for my class.

            My teaching disciplines are ELA and Social studies, and while I will teach them differently, there will be similarities in how I teach them as well. First for ELA, I want my students to gain knowledge through reading, work on grammar mechanics, and improve their literacy skills. For Social Studies, I want students to gain knowledge of different parts of history, know what it means to be a citizen in America, and understand the role literacy has in a Social Studies classroom. For both content-areas I want include aspects like acting and inquiry-based learning to my student’s classroom experience. I personally have experienced both of the aspects mentioned and have witnessed how learning takes place within them. Acting allows students to embrace and learn about the roles they are using. Inquiry based learning is about having students “…develop their own question to answer, research the question in class, present their findings, and reflect on the process as a whole” (Markle, 2019). Inquiry based learning allows for the students to be researchers and critical thinkers, while the teacher gets to be a guide to their work. This is what I want my students to experience and gain from my ELA and Social Studies class.  

            Lastly, I want to end my teaching philosophy with how I will improve and grow when I become a teacher. I think a lot of my improvements and growth will come with more and more experience over time, but for now learning from the students I’ll encounter is a great place to start. Also, learning from other teachers and administrators is a great place to learn about how to improve as a teacher. As a literacy teacher, I plan to grow in my content-areas by taking notes on what works best for my future students, and learning from others around me. For me as a future teacher, my philosophy is all about educating at a high level, while at the same time being there for the students and other teachers in my life.

References

Anderson, K. M., & Algozzine, B. (2007). Tips for Teaching: Differentiating Instruction to Include All Students. Preventing School Failure, 51(3), 49-54. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ767744&site=eds-live

Karen Broaddus, & Janet W. Bloodgood. (1999). “We’re Supposed to Already Know How to Teach Reading”: Teacher Change to Support Struggling Readers. Reading Research Quarterly,34(4), 426. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.748215&site=eds-live

Markle, B. (2019, July 15). Inquiry-Based Projects Feed Student Curiosity. Retrieved November 9, 2019, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/inquiry-based-projects-feed-student-curiosity.

Megan Lynn Isaac. (2012). “I Hate Group Work!” Social Loafers, Indignant Peers, and the Drama of the Classroom. The English Journal, 101(4), 83. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.41415478&site=eds-live

5 Regions of Georgia Lesson (Click below to download lesson)

1. What did you learn about pop culture/digital tools in general or pop culture/digital tools in classrooms that you do not know before?

Something that really stood out to me in regards to pop culture/digital tools was from the reading on “Wiki Literature Circles: Creating Digital Learning Communities” and what stood out was the how much control the teacher had but also how much freedom the students had in their digital learning experience. I think back to my education and I can remember getting off task on computers and my teacher never knowing. In this reading it discussed how the teacher set up notifications for each group of students “wiki page” and the teacher could see who was posting what and when. If something was posted that was off task or inappropriate the teacher could see it, even if it was deleted. Granted, I was aware that there were ways to check on students’ progress and behavior but I was unaware of this teacher’s format. I learned from the readings that with digital learning it’s possible for the teacher to maintain control and supervision while still giving students the opportunity to work in a freer environment, where this isn’t a teacher physically watching you.

2. Based on the readings, brainstorm a specific activity or assignment that you can use in your classroom that incorporates pop culture and/or digital tools.

A pop culture/digital tool assignment for my future social studies class would be an end of the year project. Students could work in groups and their project would be to make a trailer for a “fake” Netflix series. In their groups, students would pick some historical figure or event that was covered in class and then make a short video trailer that could represent a Netflix series on that historical figure or event. Once completed, students and I would watch the “Netflix trailers” in class. This would be something fun for the students to do as the school year concludes.

3. What questions or concerns do you have about using pop culture/digital tools in classrooms?

A concern for me in the classroom would be that students come from different backgrounds and families, where they may not be as aware of some pop culture references. Also they may have parents who disagree with whatever pop culture item you’re using. My concern is how to use it so that no student is left out and also that no student or parent of a student is offended or upset about the use of pop culture in the class.

Word Count- 364 words

1. Summarize the article you chose to read in 50 words (no more, no less).

-The article I chose to read was the “I Hate Group Work!” and it was centered around group work and how to get kids to enjoy it more. It starts off by saying working in groups is an important skill and that If teachers work on “assignment design, group creation, and assessment” students can find more enjoyment in group work.

2. Reflecting on all of the readings for this week, what did you already know about collaborative learning before reading the article? What are your personal experiences in collaborative learning?

– Prior to readings I knew that collaborative learning was important and necessary to be used in the classroom setting. Also was aware that collaborative learning could be used throughout all content-area classes. I may have not known the specific and best ways to use it but overall I knew that it had a place for each content-area class. When I think back to my K-12 education I can remember doing a lot that would be considered collaborative learning. Throughout the entirety of my middle school education I was involved in project based learning. In middle school all of my content-area classes participated in this and were constantly doing projects. All of these projects were with at least one other person and it was up to the group to learn and work together to complete the project in a given time. I enjoy working with others, most of the time it makes assignments easier and more enjoyable to do. Then there are those experiences where it’s terrible to be in groups but I personally have had more good than bad experiences working collaboratively with people.

3. What do you still want to learn about collaborative learning?

– There isn’t much that really sticks out to me as far as something I really need to know in regards to collaborative learning. One thing that I still feel unsure about is assessment in collaborative learning. Granted it did discuss assessment in my readings and was helpful but certain aspects are still fuzzy to me. As a teacher you can’t see everything and individual reflections are good but I feel like they could lead the teacher astray sometimes.

Word Count- 324 words

For my project I decided to do a podcast. Below is the link to listen to my podcast.

https://ryangreene.podbean.com/

1. Please do a free-write about your initial thoughts about Theater of the Oppressed and how it could be used in the classroom. 

• After watching the short clip and Ted Talk on the Theater of the oppressed I found myself thinking, wow that might be a lot of fun to do with a bunch of middle schoolers one day. My initial thoughts on the Theater of the Oppressed was that it seemed fun and very engaging for all the people involved. While watching the Ted Talk it was clear that the actors were very engaged and at the same time so was the audience. I do think this activity in the classroom would be very beneficial and engaging for students. My only concern with doing something of this nature is that some students would be very uncomfortable and not want to participate. I’m sure there is some sort of accommodation or role that could be made to get students like that involved without necessarily having to “act”. As a teacher you could definitely use your standards and content to set up scenes for the students to act in. Inside of those scenes there could be different social aspects and issues that students can learn and act about. My initial thoughts are that this could definitely be a great tool to use in the classroom and help students learn and thinking critically. Granted, I need to come much more educated on how to orchestrate and run a Theater of the Oppressed first. Overall, I think it could be a fun activity for both the teacher and the students to do in any content-area class.

Word Count- 251

1. After the class activities and the readings, how did your perception of the teaching of writing change?

For me writing has always been something that’s been exclusive to ELA classes and certain aspects of social studies. Even in those classes it’s limited and only fits certain topics and task, my original look on writing was very limited. I think my perception of teaching writing was like this originally because I didn’t have many experiences where teachers used writing as a learning strategy, especially in regards to math and science classes. The readings, along with class discussions, really showed me that my original perspective for writing was inaccurate and that there’s so many ways and strategies to incorporate writing in all content-areas. As a teacher I thought there would be only certain times to use writing but I’ve learned from the readings that it can be used to teach at any time. Strategies in the book discussed how different writing task could be used to start or end any content-area class. For example, it talked about the “Bell-Ringer” and how this strategy starts the class off with a question and then students write a response in regards to that question. This strategy isn’t strictly to be used at the beginning, it could also be a way to end the class and also has application to any content-area. My perspective of teaching writing has definitely changed and it’s changed in the way of me now understanding how versatile writing can be and also its use in any content-area class.

2. What role would reading and writing play in your future classroom?

– In my future classroom I plan to implement reading and writing as much as I can. The class readings showed me how beneficial reading and writing are to students remembering different topics. It does more than just help students remember what they did that day in class, it also helps them learn and provides them with different strategies to learn in the classroom. I want reading and writing to play a crucial role in my future classroom. As a future ELA teacher, incorporating a writing workshop in my classroom is something I really want to execute and make a major role in my classroom. Reading and writing in my future classroom room will have a key role and will be used a lot in different strategies to help students learn and think creatively.

Word Count- 375

1. How did the readings challenge you to think about writing in different content areas?

• For me, I always thought of writing as strictly for language and social studies. After the reading it’s very evident that writing is applicable and beneficial for all content areas. In the reading it talked about writing as more than taking notes and I think that challenges me to be creative with how I incorporate writing in my class. My content areas are ELA and social studies which both include a lot of writing but there’s still a lot that can be done with writing to help students learn and be engaged. Since I have two content areas that automatically have writing, I think a challenge for me would be to use writing as more than an assessment but as a tool to help deepen student’s knowledge on topics. Math and science aren’t my specific areas and before the reading, writing wasn’t something I thought of for those classes really. Even with those classes, writing provides so many options and ways for students to learn. The text discussed for math, writing out in words how to solve problems and write out real world examples. I thought that was a neat idea and smart way to see students understanding on a particular problem. This chapter challenges teachers to use writing in all content areas and use it as a tool to help students learn, not just as an assessment.

2. Which strategy is your favorite? Why?

• My favorite strategy was from the textbook on page 67 and it discussed response journals. I liked this idea because it gives students one place to do all their writing and assignments. If writing is going to be incorporated often I think it’s important to have that journal for students to do all their writing. This strategy was in the social studies section but it could definitely be used for any and all content areas.

3. What are some possible challenges that you foresee in using the strategies presented in the readings?

• The main challenge that came to my mind during the reading was time. Granted, I haven’t run a classroom yet but there’s so much that has to be taught and writing assignments can dictate time a lot. In the reading it discussed time and how it can be managed in the classroom. I still see it as a challenge but I do think it’s a challenge that can be figured out. The reading has made it clear to me how important writing is and that time needs to be made for it.

Word Count- 399

When you were in secondary school, how did reading take place in your learning?

When I was in secondary school we participated in project based learning and it dominated most of our time. I remember a lot of our reading came from huge packets that consisted of information related to a particular project. To know how to do the project and what to include you had to read it thoroughly a couple of times. Most of the projects weren’t centered around reading but I can remember one or two projects that were about a book we had to read. We were allowed to pick any book but it did have to be at like a 6^th grade reading level. All I can remember doing is reading and then doing a report on that book.

When did you read and how did you read?

I remember doing a good bit of in class reading but it wasn’t for novels, it was more about reading for information that was relevant to the current standard at that specific time. For this kind of reading I would usually read the whole thing once and then go back through and pick out parts that I needed for class. The other times I can remember reading was outside of school and it was assigned by my English Language Arts teacher. This reading was bigger novels and sometimes we would have choice over what we read. I always read super-fast and would have to, almost always, go back and reread everything to understand it all.

How are the strategies in TIDL connected to or different from your existing knowledge of what reading is and how reading should be taught? 

In the TIDL reading there was on strategy that stuck out to me because it was the opposite of what I did in school. It discussed having students read in pairs instead of reading in a group setting. Throughout my K-12 education, we always read stories, plays, and anything else out loud as a whole class. In the chapter, it talked about how reading in pairs leads to students being more at ease and able to focus on the reading better. Granted this was different than what I experienced but I do agree with it and see how it would be more appropriate for reading.

Word Count-341

1. How do you envision culturally relevant pedagogies in your future classroom(s)? Please provide some specific examples.

As a future social studies and language arts teacher I believe it’s very important for culturally relevant pedagogies to be a driving factor in the classroom. Implementing culturally relevant pedagogies is crucial for all student’s success in the classroom. As a teacher you cannot just assume the culture and backgrounds of your students, you have to take the time and learn about them and their culture. Once you learn and understand all the different and unique backgrounds in your classroom, that’s when culturally relevant pedagogies can truly be implemented. In the reading, Milner discussed “culturally relevant curriculum” and that is something I specifically envision for my classroom (Milner IV 68). It’s important as a teacher to have curriculum that is suited and fair to all students, where they can learn about their own culture and other student’s culture as well. For my future classroom I envision projects and assignments that give students the opportunity to learn about their culture and at the same time listen and learn from others. Making sure that my future classroom has culturally relevant pedagogies is very important for the success of all students and me, the teacher, as well.  

2. How does Selasi’s talk make you think about the question “Where are you from?” What are some implications for your future classroom?

The talk given by Taiye Selasi really made me think about the question “Where are you from?”. I was born in Tennessee and the majority of my family is from there but I was mostly raised in North Georgia. I don’t have many “experiences” from living in Tennessee, but I have countless “experiences” from my life in Georgia. Selasi’s talk made me think I’m really not from Tennessee, it’s just a place where I was born. All of my traditions, family, and friends were formed in Georgia. So for me, my local is North Georgia. From this video, my main takeaway as a future teacher is not to just learn where a student is from but to discover and learn about their experiences. Wrong assumptions can be made if all I do is find out where they were born or come from. It’s important for a teacher to really know their student and make connections with them. A teacher can use what they have learned about a student to help with that student’s education.

Word Count- 368 (not including prompts)