Week 1 Blog Topics

Entry #1: Discuss with another teacher, his/her philosophies about teaching literacy. (This can be a casual, short conversation with the purpose of gathering another teacher’s philosophies on his/her practices of teaching literacy.)

My teaching philosophy is to provide a safe and friendly classroom community in which students feel the benefits of their hard work. I believe pride in one's work and knowing that 100% effort was given is better than an A grade. I try to make assignments and activities both challenging and fun, and I try to incorporate as many different learning styles as possible when it comes to curriculum design--that way, students feel free to experiment with differentiated learning styles. I have high expectations for behavior; I believe that having a positive attitude is very important. Through a dedication to high-quality curriculum, differentiation, and teaching the whole student, I believe I establish the sort of learning community in which every student feels valued, empowered, and successful.

Entry #2: Reflect on the writing instruction you have received. Which view of writing described in this chapter corresponds most closely to your experiences?

Writing has always come naturally to me, and I have never really felt like I've struggled with writing. Growing up, I had two incredibly supportive and well-educated parents who always encouraged me to read, write, and seek out powerful word choices. Consequently, I have always felt that my learning experiences (at least with reading and writing) have been more constructive, and akin to Piaget's and Dewey's theory of the learner being the central force of an educational model. I used the support of my family and teachers, but ultimately made the discoveries on my own. I can't count how many times my mother would use some polysyllabic word and I would ask "what does that mean?" to which she would reply "look it up." In doing so, I learned so much from my own inquiries and experimentations. Personally,  I believe that this is a better approach to education, as it is learner focused and more easily allows teachers to practice the gradual release of responsibility without students feeling as though they have been abandoned.

Entry #3: Comment on the relationship between oral language and the reading process.

As we develop our communication skills over our entire lifespan, the root of our skills is based in our oral language experiences. Though speaking, reading, and writing sometimes develop simultaneously and continually, our first experiences with language are heard and spoken. This is true for initatil language acquisition regardless of age or develepment (i.e., this applies to native speakers and those learning a new language equally). Consequently, the relationship between oral language skills and reading (and writing) is innate and ever developing. Vocabulary acquisition and mastery, in particular, is a strong indicator of student success; what language students hear and speak affects what language they are able to decode and comprehend. Subsequently, and especially at the secondary level at which point the emphasis on phonics, phonemic awareness, and fluency is replaced by an emphasis on vocabulary and comprehension, it is paramount that teachers and parents model high standards for oral language in order to benefit students' reading and writing skills. As previously mentioned, this is important for students learning English as an additional language or for those with speech and language learning disabilities. I firmly believe that strong reading, writing, and speaking skills are rooted in a strong vocabulary. ESL/ELL students, students with speech and language disabilities, and even students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds have markedly fewer opportunities to hear, speak, read, write, and comprehend language than other students. As teachers, we need to address this.