Philosophy+of+Teaching+English

**Philosophy of Teaching English

I. Values and Beliefs ** In the classroom, I believe that respect is one of--if not the-- most important quality to uphold. Because of the nature of the secondary student, building mutual respect between teacher and learner is critical in establishing a productive learning environment. In one of my class in high school, Mrs. J created this respectful atmosphere from day one. This may have had something to do with the advanced nature of the course, but it is my understanding that Mrs. J expected a lot from all of her students, regardless of achievement level. She treated her students like adults and spoke to us not as seventeen-year-old kids, but as mature young adults. This high level of respect gave us as students more motivation to work hard and at the end of the year, we probably learned more than other students in the same course.

Because of the nature of the adolescent and the developmental stages which one goes through in middle and high school, the secondary teacher has even more at stake in their classrooms. A good teacher has the ability to set every student up for success, while a poor teacher may squash any potential in a learner. I think one of the most important parts being an effective teacher is having faith in your students. If students see that you believe in their abilities, they will work hard to make others see the same potential.

I identify strongly with the progressive philosophy of education. Progressivism started in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as a reform movement against the traditional ideas. It focuses on child-centered learning, educating each student based on his or her interests and needs (Ornstein & Levine, 2008, p. 187). In other words, in order to make content meaningful for students, I believe that it must be personalized for each student. I will work hard to make connections between my students and the content in order to make the most out of their educational opportunities.
 * II. Pedagogy **

One way to achieve this individualization is through Vygotsky’s theory of collaborative learning and various scaffolding activities. To execute these theories, I will employ activities which require students to work together and build new information onto their banks of prior knowledge (Neubert & Wilkins, 2004, p. 78). Small group work is a prime example of a scaffolding activity. If students are given the opportunity to work in a small group before full class discussion, they are able to comfortably rehearse their arguments, and be more prepared for a larger audience.

During my time as an undergraduate student at Towson University, I have strived to take a variety of classes spanning a wide range of topics in the field of English. I believe some of the English courses most likely to translate well to the secondary classroom are the American and British Literature survey courses, for they required me to read a number of pieces from very different writers. Rather than having a narrow focus on a few specific subcategories, I have acquired knowledge on a variety of texts that can be used in the classroom.
 * III. Content Knowledge **

In addition to being an English student, I am a member in good standing of the Honors College at Towson. The requirements for the Honors College include a number of seminar courses which students must take. Over the past years, I have participated in seminars covering the poetry of Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs, The Problem of Evil, and Public Culture and American Values. These courses exposed me to a variety of media which affect the human condition. I feel I will be able to incorporate not only the texts from these courses, but also the skills learned. As these courses were heavily discussion-based, I have acquired a strong set of conversational skills which I hope to employ in my own English classroom.

There are a number of experiences in my personal life that affect how and why I will embrace cultural diversity in my classroom. Although I was raised in areas with very little diversity, I have experienced much diversity during my time at college. In my sophomore year, I took the opportunity to study abroad. For approximately five months, I lived and studied in Newcastle, England. This was the first time in my life that I was seen as a minority and was faced with strong cultural differences. Upon my return, I began working in Towson University’s Study Abroad Office where I not only help other American students seek out international education experiences, but also introduce multiculturalism to students studying at Towson. The exposure I have gained to different cultures have enlightened me to just how important it is to embrace and celebrate all the differences and similarities among us. I feel that these personal experiences will be strong motivators to utilize multicultural texts in my classroom, making it a welcoming environment for all students.
 * IV. Cultural Diversity and Social Justice**