Philosophy+of+Teaching+English

Philosophy of Teaching English I. Values and Beliefs

My most memorable teacher was a professor here at Towson that I had during the junior and senior years of my undergraduate program. To me, Dr. Bergman always taught in a thought provoking way. Usually he would begin class by identifying whatever passage we had read and then pull out the obvious information- five w’s types of questions but then he would transition into questions that really made you think. Often times he would question the format of a text or who was doing the speaking in a work, who was being silenced or not given a voice, did this make a difference? Some of these questions were things I had never before considered, even though I have been an avid reader basically since the first grade. Learning to look at both sides of a text, what is written and what is left out, is just one of the things I took away from his classes. This to me was different than the read-the-story-in-a-historical-context methods that had been forced down my throat for so many years. It was refreshing for me to have someone ask questions that made the text more intriguing and not just the same interpretations and analysis that I had always done. Simultaneously, his professional manner (particularly when teaching 200 level undergraduate courses where not all students were there with the intention of learning) was something that always struck me. Even when the students in the class were snarky or downright rude; he always maintained his poise and composure. His grading was hard but consistent. He would take time to discuss concerns with students or to help them understand errors in their papers.

Now, as a future teacher, I see a lot of the qualities that I would want to bring to my classroom in what I observed in Dr. Bergman over the years. His respectful demeanor combined with his expertise and passion in the subject area made class much more engaging. He seemed genuinely interested in his students learning and doing well.

In the last year, I have had a lot of time to think about what I believe about children, teaching and learning. In general, I think most children will follow the example set for them by adults (not necessarily immediately but after a period of time if you are consistent). I think children look to the adults around them not only to learn about appropriate behaviors and how things work, but also to see what is acceptable and where boundaries are set. Modeling the behavior you expect from children and students is an important part of getting them to behave in these ways.

Along with this, I believe children want to be treated with respect and as individuals. In my experience, children and teens have many experiences where adults treat them as though they cannot handle certain situations or types of information and that they are less capable. While I am not advocating making children privy to all of my personal knowledge or beliefs, it seems to me that treating them as though they are less capable is not the way to go. Children may not have the most mature and developed knowledge of the world around them but they are aware of when they are being treated as lesser citizens. They do not want to be overlooked, ignored or patronized. Many of them will react to those types of behaviors as well which can present classroom management issues. Generally, I believe if you work to create an environment of trust and respect, children will usually reciprocate those behaviors.

II. Pedagogy

With this in mind, I hope to employ constructivism in my classroom. Constructivism calls for student centered learning where the ultimate focus is on students exploring and developing their understanding of the material rather than teacher centered models where the educator serves as the primary transmitter of information (Ryan, Cooper and Tauer 73).

Constructivism encourages learning though discovery and project-based learning as instructional methods. These are learning methods that I am particularly interested in using in my classroom. So many times English teachers stand in front of a class and lecture while students stare out the window. Project based learning gives students the ability to have input as to what they are learning, can be used to break up the overall lesson into smaller parts and gives them short term goals to reach throughout the experience. Students also have the opportunity to share what they are learning with peers which reinforces the information (Ryan, Cooper and Tauer 74).

There seems to be a push in education right now for teachers to use social learning theories over the lecture based teaching formats of yesterday. The thought behind this is that if students take an active role in their learning and develop meaning for them, they are more inclined to feel a sense of ownership with regards to the material. In my own experience this has been true. I have found that as my education progressed and I spent more time in discussion groups or developing projects around a subject, I have become more of a subject matter expert in those areas. On top of that, the material that I had to actively seek out became ideas that I now understand more fully than some of the material “learned” in lecture formatted classes.

In addition to the constructivist models that I have learned about during my graduate school experience thus far, I have learned tactics for maintaining the interest and motivation of students in my classroom. I have learned that instructional segments should be broken up into specific amounts of time (under 15 minutes) and that there are patterns to follow in creating lesson plans (always having a warm up for example). All of these things will also influence the way that I teach.

III. Content Knowledge

Outside of the concepts that I have learned to be a more capable teacher, I have my own experiences and content knowledge to bring into teaching. I have a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in English with a concentration in Literature from Towson University. When working on my undergraduate degree, I found that I am especially interested in British literature (particularly the “classics”). I have taken several courses examining the writings of John Milton as well as other classical canonical writers. I have also taken multiple courses in women’s literature, women’s studies and women’s politics. In addition to these interests, I have taken ten years of German language courses and have had the experience of being a long term substitute teacher in two Harford County high schools teaching German.

I think this will have an effect on my classroom teaching in a variety of ways. First of all, my background in the German language and culture gives me an insight into some pieces of literature or periods of history that other teachers might not have. For example, when studying literature surrounding Word War II, I can translate passages or phrases in German without consulting Babblefish or other databases. I also have exposure to some of the literature and culture outside of WWII.

The courses I have taken in women’s literature have encompassed a variety of multicultural pieces as well. Frequently it seems that students read the material of “dead white guys”. Having some experience studying material that does not fall into this category has given me another pool of writers and stories to share with students.

Having a starting point for finding material for students to be exposed to (particularly something they can relate to for one reason or another) will be helpful when creating engaging lesson plans and units. English can be used to teach empathy and to open students to new ways of thinking or identifying with others. The more exposure I have to materials alternate to the textbook, the more I will be able to bring to my students.

IV. Cultural Diversity and Social Justice

I think one of the most important things that you can do as an educator to create a meaningful educational experience for your students is to get to know your students. This is the first step in learning what they know and what they will benefit from learning. Cultural diversity is an issue that becomes more and more relevant with each passing day. Knowing the background and interests of students can help me to be a better teacher and help me interact with my students in more effective ways. For example, if I know that a student is speaking English as a second language I am able to prepare supplemental material for them to ensure they fully understand what is occurring in the classroom. Simultaneously, understanding any cultural differences (for example if a student observes certain religious holidays) can be helpful in making sure students feel welcomed and valued in the classroom.

Cultural diversity will affect my classroom environment as well. I would like to have my students help me create an environment that reflects them as well as what we are learning. One way I have thought of doing this is by creating a collage of pictures of them or anything they would like to contribute. It could be a project that continues throughout the year to reflect their changing interests as well. I also would like to have a class library that students can read from. Students would be able to bring books in if they wanted to or I would find books from libraries, used book stores or other places to add to our collection. I would want these books to reflect all different cultures and types of writing. Using the class library in this way would give my students another opportunity to see a variety of types of writing from all different types of people and get exposure to material they may not have otherwise seen.

So far as choosing materials, I would like to introduce a variety of pieces of writing from different cultures and even ask students if any cultures interest them in particular in an attempt to try to find material to support this interest. I understand I will not have time to add a lot to the already crowded curriculum but if nothing else I can compile a list of books they can read independently or add them to the class library. By giving students direction in choosing works they may enjoy, I can help to promote reading.

Social justice is a way to build empathy and is something that should be an important focus in the classroom. Students can relate works in literature to current events or something that has affected them personally. By addressing issues that relate to social inequities in the classroom, students will have a safe place to share their experiences and it will allow me to get to know them better. Simultaneously, social justice themes give teachers the chance to have students put themselves in someone else’s shoes and experience things from another perspective. These types of critical thinking questions can be engaging and informative for the student as they may have never thought about certain situations in that way before. Asking students questions about how they would feel if something occurred or is this fair or how do you think this should be handled/ changed etc. can lend itself to instructional possibilities that can be authentic and engaging. Examples of these activities could be having a mock trial or an intervention type of activity. By relating literature to real world situations, students will learn about people, places and things they may not have in other content areas.

V. Connections to Unit Plan

My unit plan reflects my philosophy of teaching a variety of ways. Beginning with the first journal entry students are being asked to make I am attempting to connect their lives to the novels we will be using. The first response they write will tie the theme of race which is important to both novels to their own personal experiences. Beyond that, there are a lot of short writing assignments built into my unit that ask students to share their experiences or put themselves in someone else’s position. At certain points, students are asked to write letters from the point of view of one of the characters in the novels.

I have chosen to use //To Kill a Mockingbird// by Harper Lee and //Black and White// by Paul Volponi in teaching this unit. Both of these novels tell the story from the perspective of a non-“dead white guy.” In fact, the novels are told from the perspective of three young people, one of which is African American and another of which is female. This reflects my desire to have students read material that is more diverse than some of the materials they are given traditionally.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">I have asked the students to complete a video project as their performance assessment at the end of the unit. The students will have had time and opportunity to explore various facets of racism and discrimination and will use this information to create a video to an audience of their choosing sending the message that they wish to convey. Each activity prior to this is a constructivist building block to get to this point. The students will use their written responses to explore and create knowledge surrounding these issues. By allowing the final project to be reasonably open-ended, I hope to encourage them to use their individual voices and the knowledge to create something that is meaningful to them.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">Overall, I have attempted at every step to incorporate my philosophy of teaching English into the unit I have planned. In these ways, I hope to create a safe and positive learning environment for my future students.

References

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">Ryan, K., Cooper, J., & Tauer, S. (2007). //Teaching for Student Learning: Becoming a Master Teacher//. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.