Julianne Jones

ENGL 681

Dr. Hartman

21 June 2018

Philosophy of Teaching ELA

Teaching reading and writing can be a frustrating task for any educator who has state-

mandated tests to contend with in the classroom because the tests do not reflect the way students

read and compose outside of a school setting. Outside of school, students are reading both print

and digital texts, and they are composing on digital platforms where they create written, visual,

and auditory messages for diverse audiences. In school, students should have more opportunities

to read and compose texts similar to what they are already reading and writing on their own. In

my classroom, students will have opportunities to learn how different types of compositions

serve a variety of purposes to effectively communicate ideas.

Becoming critical thinkers and effective writers are two goals I want my students to reach

by the time they leave my classroom. Both skills are necessary for students to gain marketable

skills for the workforce and become active participants in society. To achieve these goals, my

classroom environment must be collaborative, process-based, and built on the knowledge that

literacy is not limited to words on paper.

Collaboration and discussion are essential for students to become effective

communicators and critical thinkers. I encourage students to formulate their own responses to the

variety of texts read inside and outside the classroom, and acknowledge the existence of differing

opinions. Students are asked to provide their own interpretations of texts and support their

conclusions using evidence. During discussions, students are encouraged to share their thoughts
in an environment built on respect and trust. In a safe, collaborative environment, students can

gain confidence and motivation to complete tasks and share their achievements. I want students

to know their voice is valued in my classroom, and I attempt to build strong relationships with

my students by understanding and learning from their personal histories. Through discussion and

working together, students will build their decision-making and problem-solving skills, and

comprehend the importance of flexibility and teamwork in work environments.

Students should gain an understanding of learning processes and familiarize themselves

with various ways of constructing meaning. I believe students should have opportunities to

explore different learning styles and texts in the classroom setting, gaining knowledge about their

own strengths and weaknesses in communication. In a collaborative environment and project-

based classroom, students may explore different learning styles through assignments that require

the use of multiple literacies and modalities. Creativity is encouraged in the completion of

assignments and I often require students to use written, aural, oral, visual, gestural, and spatial

modes of communication on a daily basis. The incorporation of all modes of learning in

classroom instruction provides students with the opportunity to consider how the texts they

encounter in academic and social situations are beneficial for effective communication.

While using multiple learning styles to explore texts, students will grow in their

understanding of their personal writing process by making connections between what they are

writing and reading in in-school and out-of-school contexts. Students must be cognizant of their

own growth as readers and writers, reflecting upon the processes they employ while completing

those tasks. As a result, draft work, writing workshops, and reflections become an important part

of the work students complete in my class. Draft work provides opportunities for the students

and the teacher to see how students are progressing as readers and writers. During the
workshops, students gain confidence in the sharing of ideas, giving and receiving feedback from

peers; establishing a positive writing environment and modeling appropriate writing group

practices is essential. Reflective assignments and portfolios that require students consider what

they have learned and how they are learning are used to promote critical thinking.

In writing instruction, I want my students to feel more prepared for composition tasks

than I did after high school. I believe writing instruction must reflect the composition

opportunities students will have once they leave school. Students will leave my class with the

skills to adapt their writing according to the occasion and audience, understanding how certain

styles and structures can be used to convey a message and recognizing that composition is more

than black words on white paper. Engaging with both print and digital texts is necessary for

students to learn how to evaluate sources of information for accuracy and credibility, and

compose for a variety of purposes. Technological abilities will be enhanced by the regular use of

digital tools to study or compose new texts. Students must understand that their out-of-school

literacy experiences are relevant in school as well in order to gain the literacy skills needed to be

connected readers and writers.

Bibliography

Kylene Beers, Robert E. Probst, Linda Rief, editors. (2007). Adolescent literacy : turning

promise into practice. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Turner, K.H. & Hicks, T. (2015).Connected reading: teaching adolescent readers in a digital

world. Urbana, Illinois: NCTE.