Teaching Philosophy
In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.
-Phil Collins
Introduction
If there is one thing that I have learned from the various courses, placements, and teaching positions that I have experienced, it is that teaching requires one to make countless amounts of decisions throughout the day: whether or not to engage in certain texts or activities, whether or not to sit particular students next to one another, whether or not to allow more time to work on an assignment in class, etc. The list is endless. Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that teaching is a balancing act. In my opinion, a great English teacher is someone who is able to establish an adequate balance within the material that she teaches, the classroom environment, and the methods that she uses to assess student learning.
Balancing Texts
When referring to material taught in an English course, I believe that part of a teacher’s balancing act involves the variety of texts that students should be exposed to in class, such as novels, scholarly articles, graphic novels, and film. It is no secret that each student is unique, coming from various backgrounds and possessing different talents; having a wide variety of texts allows students to have equal opportunities to work with their strengths and weaknesses. Because I minored in Global Media Studies (Film) at the University of Michigan, I am an avid believer that the ability to analyze and evaluate a film (media literacy) is just as important as the ability to do so in a novel. Students encounter various media images throughout the day due to an increase in technology. Therefore, I believe that it is important that students be able to effectively decipher these pieces of media, so that they are better equipped to not only analyze texts inside the classroom, but outside as well. As a result, I make an effort to incorporate various types of texts in class, stressing to students that film is an asset to English, rather than a supplement or a “free day.”
Balancing Environment
An English teacher’s classroom environment is another aspect that must be balanced so that students may have the best learning experience possible. For example, the classroom should be an environment that is comfortable and inviting; however, it should allow the students to step outside their comfort zones as well. From day one of my English teaching job at South Lyon, it was my primary goal to create an environment where the students feel free to speak to one another, so that they were not only able to learn from me, but from their fellow classmates as well. I want students to practice critical thinking when analyzing texts, learning that even though they may not be verbally involved in the various discussions that we have, that they can be mentally involved. I want students who have trouble speaking in front of the class to be able to get just as much out of the class as a student who is an avid participant. However, I do not want the environment to be too comfortable, as it is also crucial that students develop skills in order to adapt to unfamiliar situations. If they are never placed in uncomfortable situations and they are never challenged, how will they ever be able to adapt to college or the real world? In addition to a balanced comfort level, I believe that building a community within the classroom that focuses on the group as well as the individual is a very significant factor. Therefore, one of my goals for the first week of class each school year is to have students be on a first-name basis with one another. In order to achieve this sense of community, I conduct a lot of socratic seminars, as well as group activities. I feel that group activities are beneficial to student learning, as they allow students to work with people that they may not necessarily talk to outside of the four walls of my classroom. Furthermore, sometimes these types of activities allow students to learn more than they would have learned if they simply listened to me, the teacher, lecture. However, I do believe that it is very important to support each student’s sense of individuality as well, especially during a period of time where each student is trying to determine who he or she is. Thus, I also incorporate individual activities such as journal entries, projects, and papers throughout the year, so that the students start to establish both their individual identities, as well as how their identities and ideas are perceived by others.
Balancing Assessment
Finally, I believe that one of the most important balancing acts regarding student learning involves assessment. Therefore, throughout my various teaching experiences, I have attempted to develop a balance regarding the types of assessments given to ensure that the students are retaining information about the various forms of literature that we encounter. I not only try to assign paper topics that cause students to compare, contrast and analyze texts, but also topics that coax them to relate the texts to the world around them. Furthermore, I incorporate other types of assessments and assignments, including multimedia projects, as being technologically versed in this day and age is almost crucial in order to be successful in the working world. I believe that although the students may be required to work with texts that seem as if they are not relatable to their identities, that the type of assessment given can make a difference in how the student experiences reading and evaluating these texts.
Conclusion
There are aspects about teaching that are fairly new to me, even though this will be my third year teaching. However, given the experiences that I have had, I believe that all of the ideas mentioned above are ones that I believe in whole heartedly. Furthermore, I believe that with more experience, I will not only be able to implement these tactics successfully, but also will take into account other ways to improve student learning. Therefore, I look forward to gaining more experience in education, developing skills that will allow me to create the balance that is needed in the classroom in order for the students to achieve success.