Molly Rubin
I chose to share my teaching philosophy because I felt it would be most helpful and relevant to my classmates, considering many of them will have careers within the field of education. I feel like we have a lot to learn from one another and can easily adopt some of the strategies or ideas communicated in our teaching philosophies, and wanted to contribute to this.
I believe teachers can powerfully influence the trajectory of their students by imparting onto them valuable lessons and life skills that can be applied to various facets of the students’ lives. My primary goals as an educator are to provide a balanced amount of support for the students so that they remain engaged and motivated in the class material, while also developing the skills needed to thrive in the next level of academics. As an English teacher of middle school students, I would want to push them toward their potential, but in a supportive and productive environment where they would be able to progress in their abilities and become confident learners. My teaching goals are grounded in Vygotsky’s teaching philosophy, and specifically his Zone of Proximal Development, which refers to the difference between what the student can already accomplish independently and the highest level they can reach with guidance from another more knowledgeable individual. I believe this theory is critical because it focuses on the student’s maximum potential and in basing my practices on this foundation will lead to the greater success of my students.
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| http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/social-development.html |
In order to foster cognitive change and development, I would first provide support through scaffolding techniques where I would walk the students through the task at hand, then would gradually remove myself from the process and allow them to internalize the skills. For example, if I were teaching them how to close read a passage, I would go through the process step-by-step as a class to promote intersubjectivity, or the co-construction of knowledge between the learner and teacher. I would then have them choose a passage to analyze for homework and would have some volunteers read and explain their passages as a way to promote open engagement in the classroom and to add to students’ understandings of what it means to close read. After continuing to do close readings in class, I would assign an essay with a requirement of close reading analysis and, by this point, students should have internalized this skill.
In order to increase intrinsic motivation, I would include a wide array of texts on the curriculum including novels, short stories, and poems, so that if one text fails to grab the attention of a student, another text hopefully will. As another tactic to increase intrinsic motivation, I would weigh class participation more heavily (anywhere from 20-30%), but would have less grade stratification in this specific criterion, using check minuses/checks/check pluses rather than letter grades. This more relaxed grading system agrees with Alfie Kohn’s research findings that suggest greater intrinsic motivation results from a less stringent grading system. Subverting conventional learning styles, such as a lecture series, helps to encourage individual contribution and aids the development communication skills without the pressure of grades. I believe one of the biggest challenges I would encounter as an English teacher would be motivating all the students do the required reading for class. However, my intention to weigh class participation heavily would help ensure all students complete the reading. Another challenge I could encounter is that some students may think they are not capable of doing the required work or of participating effectively in class discussions. As a way to proactively avoid this, I would have regular office hours to accommodate my students and help them with any problems they may be facing, and would also refer them to the writing center if one exists. I would also have a very encouraging attitude in class and would try to impart a “you can do it” type mantra into the students.
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| https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/book/gamification-at-work-designing-engaging-business-software/chapter-5-58-motivation |
While guiding students through the class material is definitely a crucial role of teaching, equally important is the ability to “let go” and allow the student to independently build on the skill set they have been working toward. By posing daily reading questions and/or having students respond to the assigned reading through blog posts, this would allow individual interpretations and skills to develop alongside the class material/discussion. I will assess both student learning and my own teaching by perceived engagement and interest in class discussions and by reading for the quality of their weekly assignments. I will also be able to judge students’ learning from their attendance in office hours, as it seems to be a general trend that the people who come in for extra help tend to be more interested in the course material and to do better in the class overall.
My use of scaffolding will set high but not unreasonable expectations for the students where they will feel supported and capable of reaching their goals. Vygotsky’s theory establishes the theoretic rationale behind what I envision for a class lesson where I teach something then we, as a class, try it together and finally the student tries it on their own. Hopefully these methods and others which I have developed based on Vygotsky’s theory will have the intended effects on promoting student learning and potential.
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