a. Philosophy--My philosophy of Literacy Education: Provide a revised, organized and thoughtful explanation of your beliefs about literacy education that includes relevant and specific theory/practice, as well as examples from your classroom practices, as evidenced by your learning and experiences throughout the Literacy Program My experience as a student in the literacy education program coupled with my experience as an ever-changing educator of literacy has worked together to craft my evolving perspective on what literacy education actually is. I will begin my description with a brief definition of what it is not. Literacy education is certainly not something to be confined to one simple definition. Instead, it is an overarching term used to highlight its various components. My experience would define literacy education as the following: Literacy education is... Foundational I have consistently maintained the fact that literacy is the baseline. It is the avenue that paves the way for all other learning to occur. A literate individual is a confident individual who allows that confidence to permeate various areas of their life. As a preschool educator I work at the core foundational level, which can either nurture a love for learning, or completely divert one’s attention away from it succumbing to the notion that “education is not for everyone.” My job is to work with students to develop a sense of self-efficacy as well as work closely with parents and other educators to ensure that my work is not independent of the greater picture. Collaborative work is a large component in building opportunities for success. Interactive Collaborative work translates from working with adults to working with children in a variety of ways. More specifically, however, building a community of literate individuals requires the structuring of an interactive learning community. At the pre-kindergarten level, children are learning to navigate life through trial and error. They are learning independence, problem solving, social skills and, ultimately how to function outside of the familiarity, which resides in their homes. In addition to all of this, children are learning foundational academic knowledge so that they are equipped to begin kindergarten the following year. My job is to interweave all of these experiences in an effort to allow them to gain practical knowledge that will help them in their lives far beyond preschool. Practical One of my greatest “take aways” in this program has been that literacy education does not simply rest within the pages of books or other mediums of literature. Literacy encompasses daily interactions: experiencing and manipulating the conventions of oral language. It also involves Reflective Reflection is a huge part of teaching, in spite of content area. This is a truth I have maintained during my pre-service career and it is something I will remain steadfast on. Anyone who is reflective in any capacity is one who demonstrates commitment. Reflection coupled with action demonstrates a commitment to growth and change. This committed individual exhibits the ability to press pause, look back, assess and answer the question “where do I go from here?” Anyone who is able to do that, positions himself or herself for success. Ever evolving To evolve is to change, grow, advance, progress and develop. Reflection, typically, warrants change. Change is, ultimately, the welcoming of anything new. Whether it is new insight, new experiences or new interactions these can only begin once the educator actively invites the opportunity. Change is at the center of my work as a literacy educator. It works towards the success of myself, my students and if it is effective and contagious enough, it would also work towards the success of those around me (my colleagues). Responsive In being an ever-evolving literacy educator, the decision to change would warrant responsiveness to my students and their needs. At the beginning of my teaching career, I though I could plan all of my lessons seamlessly during that first year, file them away and use theme every year after that. This would, ultimately, save me time in the future and lesson planning would turn into a simple act of copying and pasting. Years number two, three and four have continually proven me wrong. This is the wrong mindset to have as a teacher because it does not consider the needs of the students to come at all. It leaves no room for adaptability, modifications and is completely and utterly stagnant. I feel relieved that my view has changed in this area. Additionally, my coursework has worked to alter this belief because I have learned a great deal of information, which I have been able to incorporate into my practices. Had I been open to the opportunity to utilize this new found knowledge, my students would be at a great disadvantage and my contributions to my work community would not be nearly as valuable. Research based Up until taking EDLIT 745, “research” instilled in me a great fear. More specifically, it instilled in me a fear of the unknown. It appeared to be such a large term, which was too large to comprehend, and I did not possess the desire to explore all that I did not know about it. It is a term, which I had easily related to the sciences and saw fit that I continue to associate it with the sciences, making it easier for me to not interact with it. After having taken EDLIT 745 and being a current student of EDLIT 740 my perspective on research has been altered significantly. I, now, understand that if I am too be as effective as I proclaim to be, I need research. Research should be at the center of my practices as an educator who seeks constant growth and maturity in my field. Research is not something, which is conducted to simply be presented once and sit upon a shelf after, never to be used again. Instead, research is conducted based on a need; a deficiency; an area where someone sees significant opportunity for growth. It is to be strategically thought out and worked at. It is through research that change occurs. Research is to be shared amongst colleagues and cooperatives to develop richer learning communities (within the realm of education). The research I have done as a result of this program has expanded my knowledge on preschool education significantly. What is most interesting about this is that my research is nowhere near completion. This research has prodded me to take a deeper look at my current and past practices and consider how successful I have been, using a different lense. It has allowed me to consider what research says about what I have been doing and act accordingly. It has also put me in a position to share my findings with my colleagues and use it as a means for assessing where we are and devising a plan for getting to where need to be. Research, like education, is not stagnant and committed educators should constantly immerse themselves in updated research in order to inform their practices and to help them work at their full potential.
b. Reflection--Four ways of looking at myself as a learner/literacy educator: Provide a revised, integrated and reflective discussion of your learning, as evidenced by the collection of all your progress artifacts and showcase artifacts so far, by looking in four different directions described below.
Looking inward--How have I grown and changed as a learner? Are there a few most significant/influential experiences/milestones that changed the way I think about myself as a learner? I have become more open to the idea of trying new things. I used to think that I was flexible and willing to change but this year has helped me to realize that I was wrong. While learning this, I have been stretched in my academic career and professionally and my areas of growth have been made evident through my work. Academically and professionally, I have learned the importance of research. I have learned how crucial it is to find valuable research articles, track my thinking around the research and use my findings to conduct research. I have also learned the importance of synthesizing it all, receiving a second and third opinion and then presenting it in an effort to share what I have gained. This gift of knowledge should work to help others to improve upon their teaching practices. Looking outward--How has my learning at Hunter impacted my teaching and my students’ learning? Are there a few most significant/influential experiences/milestones that changed the way I think about my teaching and my students’ learning? This last year at Hunter College, my thinking about what preschool education actually is has shifted significantly. What I have learned as a result of taking EDLIT 742, 745 and 740 in combination with new insight provided by my instructional coordinator at work have challenged what I have held to be true during my first three years of teaching. Possessing the knowledge that preschool is the “set up” for kindergarten, I was interested in ensuring that they were “set up” academically. I would pride myself on teaching students sight words and word families. I beamed with pride, as students were able to read these words in context of simple texts and write all of the letters of the alphabet. While I recognize that these are milestones for pre-kindergarteners to be praised, this should not be the highlight of pre-k. I have learned and continue to learn that students need more tangible experiences that they can easily reference as use as tools for building. A current example of how a shift in my thoughts has translated to my classroom practice is I spent a few days in my classroom over the spring break transforming it to look representative of nature as the new unit centers around nature. Our sand and water table has been transformed to a gardening center where there are gardening tools for students to turn the soil and plant pretend flowers. Also towering over this area is a giant beanstalk, which will be explained more in depth after a read aloud of Jack, and the Beanstalk.” Students will be able to contribute to the beanstalk by adding leaves they have created out of an array of art materials. There is also a vine, which travels throughout the classroom, it is designed to display student work throughout. Additionally, the library area has been transformed into a reading garden with an abundance of theme-relevant literature, a grass mat, a giant daisy, butterflies and plenty of wall space for students to contribute their own artwork to the garden as the unit progresses. Finally, our dramatic play area has been turned into a flower shop. All of these areas will be explored throughout the unit and read alouds and lessons will work to build upon students’ knowledge throughout the unit. Looking forward--What short-term and long- term goals do I set for my continued professional growth? I initially, thought that once I have completed my masters in literacy education I would immediately seek out opportunities to teach at the elementary level. I assumed that by teaching at the elementary level I would be able to translate all of my learning better than I can at the prekindergarten level. This idea has been challenged because literacy education is applicable at any age. Literacy education begins in the womb and can build over the span of a lifetime. Possessing this knowledge, I do not feel as though my work at the prekindergarten level is complete. I would like to experience, at least one more year in pre-k where I can apply the comprehensive knowledge I have gained as a result of experience as a teacher, my coursework and research at Hunter College to provide my students with optimal learning experiences. Afterwards, I would like to go on to transferring my knowledge to other lower elementary grades. Additionally, I would like to expand upon my knowledge of literacy education by pursuing my doctorate in education. I have not decided on whether I would like to pursue literacy education or curriculum and instruction. I know that the two overlap in some instances, however, my goal is to find the best fit for me. My goal in pursuing my doctorate degree is so that I will go on to obtain a job as a Professor of Education enabling me to impart knowledge on pre-service educators. I want to share my experiences as a classroom teacher and demonstrate through my teaching a commitment to the educational system and a love for learning and growing. I want to, ultimately, have a hand in crafting teachers who are reflective, practical, ever evolving and responsive to the needs of their own students.
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