Engelke 1

Jordan Engelke
Dr. Salafia
Major Project Final Draft
May 2014
Teaching Philosophy
When a student walks out of my classroom at the end of a semester with me, I
want her not only to have learned a valuable set of skills and competencies that will
assist her through the rest of her college education and into her career, but also to have
felt that the class was a valuable contribution to her as a person in todays society.
Almost every professor will say that he/she promotes an active and engaging learning
environment. The real question is not why, but how we can ensure that occurs. I have
several ideas that I would personally employ in my classrooms, but this isnt to say that
these are the only directions I would take.
The best teachers encourage students to participate in their communities and
cultures. English literature professors in particular have a duty to employ techniques
that foster and illuminate the principles and practices of the discipline itself (Chick,
2009). Literature itself offers the opportunity to show students not only how their lives
matter, but also ways to make them matter (Van Engen, 2005). Literature professors
should aim to equip their students with the tools to think critically so they can then
apply those skills to the world of language, literature and culture around them
throughout their lifetimes (Showalter, 2003, p.26). Adapting my teaching techniques to
the needs of my ever-changing students is going to be integral to reaching them, while
using active learning strategies and engagement techniques in the classroom is the best
way to accomplish the goals of the teaching of literature itself. This, then, is where my
teaching philosophy lies: adapting to the needs of my students and focusing on ways

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they can become contributing members of society with a fulfilling background in
literature.
The students who walk out of my classroom at the end of the semester will be
different than they were when they entered. I strive to teach them specific skill sets that
they can bring beyond my classroom and into other classes, and their future careers.
These skill sets include things like critical reading and comprehension skills and higherorder thinking. In Blooms Taxonomy, for example, the lower-order thinking skills
(literally lower in the pyramid) are skills such as learning facts and concepts. These are
considered lower-order because they do not require complex thought processes in the
way that analysis, evaluation and synthesis do. These higher-order skills allow students
to develop and improve their critical thinking and problem solving skill sets.
For example, they will be able to critically analyze literature in a way that not only
reflects their command of theory, but also their understanding of the ways in which
literary scholars do literature (similar to how scientists do science). They will be able
to evaluate texts and use that skill to create new products out of this knowledge such as
journal entries and research papers. Giving a rigorous, but manageable reading load to
my students, while incorporating the assignments I have successfully employed in other
classes will help me accomplish this lofty task.
One of the techniques I use to stimulate higher-order thinking is the Big
Question. I run my classes based around this Big Question. For example, the BQ for
my Women Writers course is something like How are women portrayed in literature
and media? The question seems simple, but thats kind of the point. The goal of this
technique is to ensure that, throughout the semester, my students will understand
where they are in their education. It allows for self-reflection so they can concretely see

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how much they are learning during the course, and it also gives them a way to connect
all of the material together and to the world outside of the classroom walls. It also helps
the students understand the direction of the course, and will allow them to see the
reasons that were working on particular units or concepts in class so students never
have to ask, why does this matter? or why are we doing this?. Usually students who
come into my women writers classroom have a basic working, or novice-level knowledge
of feminist theory in literature, so this exercise is a good way not only for me to assess
their level of prior knowledge, but also for them to see how they have grown throughout
the semester and how the works they have been reading have helped shape their ideas
and thought processes (Feden, 2012).
On the first day of class, I have my students think about their answer to the
question and give them about five to ten minutes to write their responses. Then we come
together as a large group to discuss their answers together. I will ask students to share
their opinions and thoughts on the question, as I also take notes so that I may later
assess their level of prior knowledge on the topic. Then, after every major unit (theory,
poetry, short story, novel), I have them write a new answer to the BQ in their journals.
At the end of the semester, the students will compile their BQ answers into an essay in
order to formally reflect on their learning, similar to a final portfolio assignment. The
BQ is one part self-reflection and one-part analysis. As we analyze different texts,
students will be able to see the different ways in which women triumph over oppression
or ways that they are portrayed negatively or positively by a variety of authors.
Another course-long assignment that I think works quite well is journaling. In
addition to a medium for their BQ answers, I also use the journals as informal writing
assignments where students can write their answers to the weekly Guided Reading

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Questions before class. After assigning a reading, I will distribute Guided Reading
Questions to students and the next class period they will come with prepared answers
which they will share in small discussion groups. I have them write down the answers to
the questions prior to class because it has been shown that students who have prepared
answers, even to informal assignments, will feel more comfortable sharing their ideas
with others. Having students write their answers, feelings and observations in a journal
helps me assess their abilities better than an exam would. Exams have been shown to be
more of a cause of stress and anxiety for students than an actual demonstration of their
level of learning. A better way to assess student learning is through complex writing
assignments. This goes back to my discussion on Blooms Taxonomy. Exams only
activate students lower-level thinking skills because they simply try to memorize the
facts they believe will be on the exam rather than trying to analyze and synthesize new
information.
I also like to employ a strategy in which I choose the most thoughtful and wellwritten answers from the journal entries that week and read them aloud to the class
anonymously of course. This works well because students take pride in having their
work read aloud, and it also gives most students a reason to develop thoughtful answers
to the guided reading questions. It also can be encouraging to students who arent sure if
their answers are good enough to offer up in class conversationsthey will see that
there is an atmosphere of acceptance in which I encourage all types of interpretations
(as long as they are supported with textual evidence).
When students take my classes I want them to have acquired a body of knowledge
that will make them feel empowered as readers and members of their society and
culture. My classes focus on the big-picture issues of what is going on in todays society

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with the help of the literature we read. This body of knowledge will include things like
understanding inequality, racism, alienation, and overcoming such hurdles. With these
skills, students will undoubtedly reap great benefits. They will be able to become active
members of society who can teach others about inequality and injustices that women
and people of all walks of life experience. This will make them more culturally aware and
give them the skills to communicate more effectively with their peers, superiors, and the
world. In addition to benefitting society, these skills will help the students live a more
fulfilling life for themselves because they will understand the mechanisms at work in
their own culture and others, and thereby more fully understand themselves. They will
also develop teamwork skills and the ability to direct their own learning and challenge
themselves in ways that had not previously considered. These, ultimately, are the
reasons for pursuing higher education.
My teaching methods help students to work in groups, engage with the material,
and feel a connection with the class and their education in it. Education is something
that should be accessible to all students, regardless of their learning style or
background, and I strive for an environment that promotes those beliefs.

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Sample Assignment
Journal Prompts for Short Story Unit (4 Days: 2 weeks) (20 points)
(These prompts are based on the students reading of these stories: Blind Date by
Lydia Davis, The Day It Happened by Rosario Morales, The Lesson by Toni Cade
Bambara, and The Veil by Marjane Satrapi.)
1. How does the story grab your attention right away? What affect does this have
on you as a reader? Why is this important?
2. How does the author make use of metaphor, symbol, imagery, theme,
point of view, characters, style (Charters, 2012, pgs. 20-21). Use specific
examples. What affect do these devices have on the story? How do they move the
story along?
3. What function does the title play? How does it assist in the telling of the story?
4. Identify the climax. Why is its location important?
5. What function does dialogue (or the absence of it) play in the story?
6. How does setting influence the characters or the plot of the story? (Charters,
2012, p.50) Compare and contrast the settings of the different stories.
7. Why is The Veil written as a graphic novel rather than in traditional story
format? What is its effect on the story?
8. How are women and men portrayed in these stories?
9. What are societys expectations of women in these stories?
10. What gender roles and/or stereotypes are present? Do the characters, narrator,
protagonist, etc resist or support traditional gender roles? Who, how and
why?
11. What is the relationship dynamic between the women narrators (main character
in Blind Date) and the men in their lives? Why this particular portrayal? In
what way is this portrayal typical or atypical?
12. How do the women resist or accept patriarchal oppression?
13. In what ways do the cultural differences (between the stories themselves, and
between you and the stories) play a role in the development of the story? Are the
cultural differences made obvious?
14. Why would it be important to the reading of these stories to note the cultural
differences?

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15. How does the author make use of region, race, gender, class, and narrative
technique? (Showalter, 2003, p.88)
Rationale
This set of guided reading questions would be distributed to the class along with
the assigned reading for this unit. The short story unit will be taught toward the
beginning of the semester for several reason. One is that its a much more manageable
genre in terms of length, and it also is a good tool for teaching some of the literary
devices that will be important for the students to employ throughout the semester in
other works and genres. The primary learning objective for this unit is for the students
to become familiar with the short story as a significant literary genre. Other objectives
include analyzing themes, identifying patterns, multicultural awareness, and analysis of
issues in gender and equality.
The first day of this unit will be used to introduce the short story as a form. The
beginning of the class will be a small lecture, including definitions of important terms. It
will also be interspersed with questions to the class regarding their experiences with
short fiction (What short stories have you read? Which are your favorites? Do you like
the form, why or why not?).
Before the next class, I will distribute the stories and guided reading questions
(GRQs). The students will read all of the stories, and then choose one story they would
like to focus their GRQs on for the unit. By allowing them to choose the story they focus
on, students maintain a personal stake in the direction and flow of the class, thereby
increasing their engagement. (Youssef, 2010).
The homework after day ones introduction will be to write out their answers to
the first six questions in the list. These focus on the elements within the stories, rather
than on the content of the stories. The students are expected to write about 3-5
sentences for each of these questions. During the second class period of the unit, the
students will discuss their answers in small groups of 3-5. I expect that this small group
discussion will take up the majority of the class time. The homework after the second
day of class is to answer the final nine questions (ideally they will have a weekend break
in which to accomplish this, as I understand that this is a lengthy assignment). These

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questions require a longer response of 5-7 sentences. The third class period will be used
to discuss their answers in small groups.
The fourth class period in this unit will be used to discuss the importance of these
stories to the larger ideas of the class, the Big Question and their responses to it. The
students will be expected to write a thorough journal entry (in addition to the one
containing their answers to the GRQs) that will answer this question: How are women
portrayed differently between each story, and what influence does the culture of the
women have on their behaviors, or our interpretation of their behavior? (Additionally:
how do these stories fit in to the big questiondid they change your mind in any way
regarding the big question?) The entire class period on the fourth day will be dedicated
to discussing this question within the context of the different stories.
I chose these specific stories because they were written by female authors, and
they all feature women as the main characters. They also discuss the relationships
between men and women and society as a whole. I will choose to focus on cultural
similarities and differences (Blind Date=American, The Day It Happened=Hispanic,
The Veil=Middle-Eastern). They also all succeed in posing the problems of women in
literature in their relations with the world, and it will be valuable to show the students
how these problems relate to them personally.
I have them write their answers to the GRQs prior to class time because,
teaching specialists recommend asking students to take a few minutes to write their
answers to the opening question before sharing them have students pair off and
discuss the questions together before they speak (Showalter, 2003, p.54). This way,
they feel more prepared to share, and more confident in their answers. The journal
writing assignment is designed to help students become producers as well as
consumers of literary knowledge and active participants in a version of an academic
communitythe classroom (Blau, 2003, p.164). The journals can become a substitute
for quizzes, as they will be collected and graded after each unit, or during one-on-one
meetings with the students throughout the semester. A midterm and final assignment
may be modeled after Blaus reading log audit assignment in which students produce a
final portfolio in which they discuss their progress and transformation in the class via
their journal entries (p. 166).

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References

Showalter, Elaine. (2003). Teaching Literature. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub. Print.

Blau, Sheridan. (2003). The Literature Workshop: Teaching Texts and Their Readers.
Heinemann Pub. Print

Charters, Ann & Samuel. (2012). Literature and Its Writers. Bedford/St. Martins Pub.
Sixth Ed. Print.

Feden, Preston D. (2012). Teaching without telling: Contemporary pedagogical theory

put into practice. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching 23(2), 5-23. EBSCO
MegaFILE. Web. 5 Feb. 2014.

Van Engen, Abram. (2005). Reclaiming Claims: What English students want from
English profs. Pedagogy 5(1), 5-18. EBSCO MegaFILE. Web. 1 Feb. 2014.

Youssef, Lamiaa. (2010). A matter of relevance: Teaching classics in the 21st century.
College Teaching 58, 28-31. ERIC. Web. 8 Feb. 2014.