Philosophy of Literacy Education

Personal Philosophy of Literacy Education Throughout my first year as a middle school Language Arts teacher, I have developed a theoretical understanding of what I believe are the necessary components to providing a meaningful and generative environment in which students develop and expand literacy skills. The teaching of literacy needs to include a balance of reading, writing, speaking and listening activities, and needs to be a social endeavor that provides a variety of instructional strategies to meet the needs of all diverse learners. My teaching strategies, beliefs and personality that I bring to my classroom can be characterized as a blend of two types of philosophical theories: social constructivism and relational teaching and learning. My philosophy of literacy education centers around five different ideals which I believe make my classroom a successful learning environment that promotes literacy acquisition. Those five elements in no particular order are: 1. building meaningful relationships with students, 2. encouraging collaborative learning, 3. providing generative learning experiences, 4. bringing relevance to subject matter, and 5. empowering students. I will discuss the research that supports these five methods, along with specific examples of their practical application in my classroom. A major component of my philosophy of education in general is the need to build meaningful relationships with students. I am firm in my beliefs that students must feel a personal connection to their teachers. When mutual trust and respect between students and teachers flourishes, two important phenomena occur. First, teachers are able to allow students more freedom and independence in the learning process, without worrying that classroom management will be compromised by a particular activity. In addition, students develop a positive attitude toward the class, and feel assured that the learning that takes place on a daily basis will be understandable, fun and

Cited: Au, K.H. (1998). Social constructivism and the school literacy learning of students of diverse backgrounds. Journal of Literacy Research, 30 (2), 297-319. Cummins, J. (1986). Empowering minority students: A framework for intervention. Harvard Educational Review, 56, 18-36. Mehan, H. (1981). Social constructivism in psychology and sociology. The Quarterly Newsletter of the Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition, 3 (4), 71-77. Moll, L. C. (1990). Vygotsky and education: Instructional implications and applications of sociohistorical psychology (pp 1-27). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Schwandt, T. A. (1994). Constructivist, interpretivist approaches to human inquiry. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp.118-137). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Spivey, N. N. (1997). The constructivist metaphor: Reading, writing, and the making of meaning. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.