Philosophy & Influences

Shanahan & Shanahan

Disciplinary literacy is about having students learn the essential skills that will help them understand the content in a discipline. It also utilizes various tools and abilities to help students engage in various disciplines. This has been an important resource for me because I have a deeper understanding of what literacy is and how critical it is for development.

Ippolito, Lawrence & Zaller

There are many ways to teach and learn vocabulary in various disciplines. We don't just learn by looking up the word in a dictionary, so students need to learn the strategies that will help them understand the concept better. Ippolito shines a light on the importance of activating background knowledge, having a vocabulary-rich environment, and using visuals to help with comprehension of the words.

Feldman

Feldman sheds light on equitable grading practices such as practices that are mathematically sound, that value knowledge; not environment or behavior, that support hope and growth mindset, and that lift the veil on how to succeed.

Luis C. Moll

Dr. Moll's concept of viewing a child as a "whole" person and not only as a student is what impacted my way of thinking in the classroom. His work on Funds of Knowledge and Identity has shaped my thinking about how to engage student strengths. I have also been influenced by his work on supporting underrepresented students.

Cheryl Staats

Every educator should know that as human beings we all hold implicit biases. Staats work on how implicit bias is an unconscious association is an important notion to be aware of and address it to be able to counteract it. My biggest takeaway was that as future educators we are going to be engaging with diverse populations, whose identities differ from our own, so we need to be empathetic, open-minded, and supportive.

Ron Ritchhart

"Understanding is not a type of thinking, but a result of thinking". Ritchhart emphasizes the importance of making thinking more visible and an important part of our educational practice. This has been an important resource for me because when students are learning math I want them to truly understand rather than memorize.

Jacquelynne Eccles

Professor Eccles' work on the design of learning environments has shaped my thinking about how to create positive spaces for learning that are appropriate for adolescent development.

Lev Vygotsky

Vygotsky's "Zone of Proximal Development" has become an important aspect of my educational practice. Vygotsky highlights the importance of learning by scaffolding and has many more important insights for the educator in his articles.

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