B. Teaching

Teaching is my passion. My goal as a teacher educator is to carry out my department's mission—to “prepare educators who are culturally responsive, critically conscious, and committed to education for social justice in our democratic society” (Department of Elementary Education Mission Statement, 2019, p.1). I contribute to this mission by preparing teachers and reading specialists to plan, implement, and advocate for high-quality, data-driven, and differentiated literacy teaching practices that also empower students to effect change in the natural and social world.

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY:

I seek to prepare adult learners to become influential and socially-just literacy teachers, teacher leaders, and educational researchers. Grounded in a sociocognitive perspective that has been informed by the science of learning, teacher education research, constructivism and social constructivism (e.g., Cochran-Smith & Zeichner, 2005; Darling-Hammond & Bransford, 2005; Lave & Wenger, 1991; National Research Council, 1999; Putnam & Borko, 2000; Vygotsky, 1993), my teaching philosophy is driven by three principles.

(1) Influential and socially-just literacy teachers need models of high-quality instruction and first-hand experiences.

In my classes and workshops, I strive to model the practices and principles I would like for my learners to learn. I begin by identifying my learners’ strengths and needs, and I use a variety of methods and resources to foster growth. In the process, I continuously work to develop my instructional practices by trying out new ideas and reflecting on learners’ responses. I also constantly adjust my instructional practices to better meet the needs of my adult learners. Moreover, I use tools and methods that my learners can also use in their own practices. I ask students to participate in Book Clubs, inquiry projects, writing-to-learn activities, problem-based learning, cognitive coaching, learning stations, analyses of video clips featuring K-12 literacy instruction, and other evidence-based approaches.

(2) Influential and socially-just literacy teachers have strong senses of self-efficacy and are committed to effecting social and educational change.

I strive to facilitate my learners' self-efficacy and advocacy by fostering their expertise and professionalism. In my courses and workshops, I address teachers’ literacy-related knowledge, capacities, and dispositions. I help teachers to learn about literacy content knowledge, evidence-based instructional practices, culturally-sustaining pedagogy (Alim & Paris, 2017), and the role of facilitator, to provide more equitable learning opportunities, to optimize each child’s literacy development, and to serve as advocates for equitable education in their local schools and communities. I also try to empower teachers by offering choices in learning activities, facilitating experiences in teacher leadership, and encouraging teachers to speak up and to effect change in classrooms and schools. Moreover, I work to establish learning communities (e.g., Bielaczyc, 2010; Florio-Ruane & Raphael, 2008) that open spaces for colleagues to learn from and support each other as they explore ideas, take risks, resolve cognitive dissonance, and engage in successively closer approximations of expert performance.

(3) Influential and socially-just literacy teachers are lifelong learners and adaptive practitioners.

Learning to teach literacy well is a lifelong endeavor. While I try to maximize my learners’ growth, I also recognize that I can only teach so much in a single workshop or course. So I try to begin my instruction at each learner’s level, support learners along their personal learning trajectories, and help them to find their own paths to meet today’s standards for teachers. I also try to build a foundation for my learners’ further development and for my learners' committment to continuing to adapt their practices to accommodate their future students and teaching and learning contexts. For instance, I facilitate access to new resources, differentiate between what needs to be learned today and what might be useful later, and foster learners’ abilities to organize and access social and material resources. I also use readings, discussions, and projects to promote learners’ commitment to lifelong learning and adaptive practice.

In short, I strive to model and enable high-quality and equitable literacy teaching, to foster my adult learners' senses of self-efficacy, and to help them to become lifelong learners and adaptive practitioners.

References

Alim, H. S., & Paris, D. (2017). What is culturally sustaining pedagogy and why does it matter? In D. Paris & H. S. Alim (Eds.), Culturally sustaining pedagogies: Teaching and learning for justice in a changing world (pp. 1-21). Teachers College Press.

Bielaczyc, K. (2010). Teacher Learning Communities - Teacher learning and the new professional development, community, teacher learning communities. http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2483/Teacher-Learning-Communities.html

Cochran-Smith, M., & Zeichner, K. M. (Eds.). (2005). Studying teacher education: The report of the AERA Panel on research and teacher education. Lawrence Erlbaum.

Darling-Hammond, L.,& Bransford, J. (Eds.). (2005). Preparing teachers for a changing world: What teachers should learn and be able to do. Jossey-Bass.

Florio-Ruane, S., & Raphael, T. E. (2001). Reading lives: Learning about culture and literacy in teacher study groups. In C. M. Clark (Ed.), Talking shop: Authentic conversation and teacher learning. Teachers College Press.

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press.

National Research Council. (1999). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. National Academy Press.

Putnam, R. T., & Borko, H. (2000). What do new views of knowledge and thinking have to say about research on teacher learning? Educational Researcher, 29(1), 4-15. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X029001004

Vygotsky, L. S. (1993). The collected works of L.S. Vygotsky: Vol 2 (J. Knox & C. Stevens, Trans.). Plenum Press.