Literacy Philosophy

Literacy Philosophy
Southern Oregon University
Trevor Hancock

Literacy Philosophy

Literacy is an absolute in the elementary classroom for many reasons. Literacy is a skill
students will use throughout their lives. Once a student learns to read it opens up opportunities
for them to learn other subjects as well. One example of this I learned this quarter was
integrating thematic units into the classroom (Tompkins, Literacy for the 21st Century: A
Balanced Approach, 2014, p.417). Students are not only reading during these units, they are also
learning other subjects such as; science, health, personal life skills, history, or anything that fits
what is being covered in class. I found this strategy very intriguing, and would like to incorporate
it into my classroom someday. I believe that literacy should be a main priority in elementary
education.
My beliefs strongly relate me to the educational philosophy of Progressivism. This
student-centered philosophy sticks out to me due to the aspects of students becoming critical
thinkers, and independent learners. Critical thinking is an immense part of literacy. Each time a
student reads a piece of literature they are working through strategies such as; identifying the
moral message, the main ideas, the characters, and so many other ideas that involve critical
thinking. Another reason I really like this philosophy is it allows for each students individual
needs to be met since it is a student-centered philosophy. I plan on doing my personal best to
make sure each student receives the help they deserve, whether it is by differentiating instruction,
or being flexible with my lessons. Making sure each student receives the proper help is a main
focus point of mine, which is why I would like incorporate to the Progressivism approach to my
classroom philosophy.
Materials and resources are not hard to come by for teachers anymore due to technology.
One of the classes I did my practicum had a class set of iPods to use during literacy workshop. I
found this awesome; however I dont know how expensive that was. I am not sure about all

Literacy Philosophy

materials needed to make a classroom run smoothly. A few materials that I find important to
incorporate are books, textbooks, poems, music, flashcards, posters, and magazines. One reason I
love my education classes is because the Professors make learning enjoyable, and that is
something I want to carry over into my classroom. A variety of materials will allow for each
student to find something that fits their liking. I plan on using many resources as a teacher. The
first and foremost is collaboration with other teachers. This allows me to take ideas from veteran
teachers and put my own twist to their ideas that have worked best for them. Technology
provides another great resource for the classroom. The internet is filled with great ideas for
teachers, along with teacher blogs, Pinterest, and websites strictly for teachers. The final place I
will go for resources is the community. There are so many aspects of a community built for
learning such as; community libraries, gardens, parks, even different clubs and organizations for
financial support. There are so many different materials and resources needed to make a
classroom work, luckily I have learned of many ways to obtain these necessary items this
quarter.
Curriculum in schools is impacted by state standards, and the schools standards. I would
like balance my curriculum in a way that meets both requirements needed, but allows for me to
be flexible with what I teach. The most important thing Ive learned throughout this quarter is
each student learns differently, and as a teacher I must differentiate my instruction to meet each
students learning style. The book I read this quarter for book club deals with boy writers. One
way I plan on differentiating my instruction is to make sure both the boys, and the girls in my
classroom are able to be successful readers and writers. This book really opened my eyes as to
how it is important that there are opportunities for sexes of students to learn. The main way I
intend to incorporate curriculum in my class is as guideline for what I need to teach daily,

Literacy Philosophy

monthly and yearly. However, each day will not go according to as planned, so flexibility is a
must in the classroom when it comes to integrating curriculum.
After this quarter I have a totally new outlook on assessment. I do believe that assessment
is an import aspect of every classroom, but it is even more important what the teacher does with
the results of every assessment. I would like to incorporate an assessment at the beginning of the
year school year with every topic I will cover, and give this same assessment at the end of the
year. This measures growth of the student, which is what learning, is all about. This particular
strategy is how I would like to use assessment in my class by measuring growth progress of the
students in my class. Assessment also indicates the areas where students are succeeding and
struggling. Assessments are very important in the classroom, but I dont think putting a huge
emphasis on the grading is the best strategy for assessing students.
I have learned so many different ways that I intend to bring literacy into my classroom.
This quarter there was a huge emphasis on teacher lead read aloud, and why they are so
important in the classroom. This assignment was important because we also had to find state
standards that related to the book we read aloud. When I implement literacy into the classroom
many things will impact it such as; state standards, students reading levels, and school standards.
I would like to bring a variety of strategies into the classroom so each student can grow at their
own pace; this also allows me to measure the progress of each student. I would like for my
students to set long-term and short-term goals for themselves throughout the year, this they are
working to improve their abilities. One strategy that really caught my attention was reading and
writing workshops. This is a great idea because it differentiates instruction. Another reason that
draws me to this particular strategy is it allows the teacher to put their own twist on the
workshops. Thematic units in another great way I intend to bring literacy into my classroom

Literacy Philosophy

because it combines literacy and other subject areas all at once. The final way I intend to bring
literacy into my classroom is making sure that students have a silent reading, and writing time.
This gives each student an allotted time out of the day where they have a choice to read, and
write about whatever they want. This is important because it the students choice, which will
entice them more in these areas of literacy. As I have said before, literacy is very import in the
primary classroom and these are many of the ways I intend to bring it into my classroom.
I personally would not like my literacy history to affect my teaching of reading and
writing. I have always enjoyed writing, as it is has always been an outlet for me in many
different ways such as emotions, thoughts, and so on. However, my literacy history in regards to
reading is not much to be proud. At times I certainly regret not reading as much as I should have
throughout my life. Teachers are role models for students, so if students see me reading a book
they will want to do the same. If students see me personally taking interest in certain books they
will be curious about what Im reading. I think this is a great way to impel students, without
having my literacy history have any effect on my teaching. Although, one way my literacy
history will help me is reaching out the students who are not found of reading. My own
experiences can help me relate to them, so we can find common ground. Due to my past
experiences I do not expect every student to love reading and writing, but I do however expect
them to be able to know how to do both.
I hope that I achieve great relationships with all of the families of my students. This will
show me that students are receiving support from home. Communication is bar none the best
way to establish this relationship. I personally will have to reach out and gain the respect of each
students family. Having family members volunteer in class, conferences, and sending out
newsletters are some of the ways I hope to get family involvement into my classroom. Not only

Literacy Philosophy

does this allow for students to learn outside the classroom, it also shows the family members
what their students are learning in class. In regards to literacy specifically I want students to be
encouraged to read in the classroom, but also at home. This can be achieved by students taking
home books to read from school, or bringing books from home as long as it fits into their reading
level. School is not the only place students learn, and family members can be great teachers
outside of the classroom. Family involvement for many reasons is crucial for students growth.
This class has taught me so much about incorporating literacy into the classroom, and
why it is so important to have in the classroom. There are many things I want to do after this
quarter ends to further my knowledge of applying literacy into the classroom. One example is to
keep reading books, blogs, or websites that show different ways teachers bring literacy into the
classroom. Throughout this term I learned many different ideas I want to incorporate into my
future classroom. I want to research certain strategies and see what other teachers liked/disliked
about each strategy, and how they added their own twist to them. I am also fortunate enough to
be friends with many teachers from my home town, so I plan on picking their brains a little bit
when I return home for Christmas break. My second example is to start building a small set of
books for a class library. I am not yet certain about the grade level I will teach, but I would like
to have a few books that I have ready for when I enter the classroom. Plus it is always fun rereading book I read as a child.
In conclusion, I am truly excited about my future as an educator. This quarter has been
great for me as I have learned so much in all my classes, and been able to apply some of the
techniques into my practicum setting. Literacy is an important skill used all throughout life, and
it is a necessity in the elementary classroom.