Brittany Granquist

21 March 2011

Philosophy Statement for Assessment Portfolio

I believe that effective instruction must recognize each student as an individual,

comprised of unique experiences, backgrounds, and cultures. Each student needs to be

challenged in ways that complement their individual learning styles, and be honored for their

strengths so that they can develop a sense of inner-wealth. In order to provide the highest quality,

nondiscriminatory education, instruction and assessment should not be limited to a “one-size-

fits-all approach” but rather should be authentically accommodated according to the needs of

students. I believe that every child is capable and learns at his/her own rate and style. The best

way to challenge every student is to provide engaging and applicable instruction that is

supplemented with technology, integrated concepts, manipulatives, and societal and global

connections so that they can learn to synthesize different content knowledge through authentic

classroom experiences. Integrating subjects around concepts and social issues within society at

large and the community will help students gain an understanding that learning is holistic and

that skills learned in school can be used for meaningful activities that relate to their own lives

and the lives of other people. Learning needs to be grounded in the lives of students and should

promote critical, multicultural, experiential, rigorous, and joyful experiences.

Progress monitoring and consistent informal and formal assessments of students’

performance will allow me to provide opportunities for intervention and enrichment, that will

truly challenge students according to their ability levels in the various subject areas. Consistent

assessment will also teach students the importance of accepting accountability for their actions

and schoolwork, and by providing authentic opportunities for students to succeed, they will learn
to become intrinsically motivated. In order to meaningfully assess students, I will utilize

differentiated rubrics aligned with state standards, Bloom’s Taxonomy to assess comprehension,

anecdotal notes to make informal evaluations of students’ performance, and homework to ensure

that students are extending their learning at home by practicing and applying skills. It is my

belief that homework needs to be given on a nightly basis to intermediate students so that they

can begin to utilize preferred study habits that will lead to their success throughout middle and

high school. Reading needs to be practiced at home by students of all grade levels, so that they

can make progress in comprehension, accuracy and fluency. Assessment needs to be authentic

and consistent so that educators can make informed judgments about the effectiveness of

instructional strategies and can determine what areas need to be re-taught and to whom. If and

when a student is perceived by myself or another professional as having difficulty in a particular

subject area, with an emphasis on literacy, immediate accommodations must be made to help this

student catch up to grade level standards. Early identification and quality of help can prevent

students from feelings of anxiety and inadequacy associated with low levels of achievement.

The classroom environment plays a crucial role in students’ ability to learn. Through the

use of a positive and nurturing management system that follows a firm procedural system, I will

foster a safe, positive, and motivational classroom environment that feeds off students’ success

in the academic and social curriculum. I will do this by promoting mutual respect and trust as the

basis for both teacher-student and student-student relationships, I will communicate clearly and

consistently with parents, I will hold my students to high expectations, and I will establish clear

classroom rules and procedures so that I can remain fair in managing student behavior.

Teaching should be highly dependent on collaborative learning. When

children are able to share their knowledge with each other in working
towards a common goal, the results are powerful. For this reason, I will

create a physical classroom environment that facilitates discussion and

inquiry based learning. I believe that giving children the opportunity to

discuss and debate with their peers in order to discover and explore new

knowledge is far more beneficial than individualistic instructional methods.

Discussion and debate will be centered on the idea of respect. Students will

respect their peers’ inputs and their ideas, and will offer their own opinions in

a polite manner. Collaboration will also extend to the community of

educators within a school, and how I communicate and share my ideas with

fellow staff members, specialty teachers, special educators, and

administration. Educators are equal shareholders in the success of students

belonging to a school community. It is the role of the educators to use each

other as resources to support instruction and decision-making and meeting

diverse needs within the classroom.

I believe that one of my roles as an educator is to create competent and concerned

citizens who are able to find the motivation to contribute to society. In order to be successful in

today’s global marketplace, one must be computer and technologically literate; this is why I

believe so strongly in using technology as a means for supporting instruction and empowering

students. It is my responsibility to model the effective and appropriate uses for technology and

allow students the opportunities for guided and independent practice. In addition, I believe in the

importance of teaching for social justice so that students can become critical and independent

thinkers regarding the issues present in society. Students will learn how to become citizens not

only of the classroom, but also of our nation and the world.