As a child, I had many teachers who positively impacted my life, helping me to learn and grow, inspiring me to push myself to reach my goals or even to surpass them. As an elementary school teacher, I can think of no greater honor than being that person for my students, one who cares about them and wants them to succeed and will work with them to overcome any obstacles in the way of their learning and achievement.

My philosophy of teaching is based on cultivating certain elements in the classroom, including igniting creativity, promoting active and continuous learning that will last a lifetime and building a solid foundation that will aid students in reaching their full potentials and attaining success.

       In my classroom, students can gain deeper understanding of concepts and stretch their imaginations in a variety of ways. Ulyssa Martinez and Samantha Nolte-Yuperi note that “in both K-12 and higher-education settings, utilizing multimodal literacy in the art room enables students to recognize the capability of art to aid their ability to transfer stories and ideas between one language and another”, and in my classroom, students can learn higher levels of comprehension and how to express themselves through interactions with each other and in artistic endeavors (Martinez and Nolte-Yuperi 18). The integration of mixed media projects in my lessons, such as maps based on personal memories, handmade tunnel books about significant experiences and places and even creating short movies help students to become more cognizant of themselves and the complexities of the world around them. It also shows them how art can be a safe and powerful outlet, and it can perhaps even draw out some of the inventive spark that is within all of us.

       Active learning is of the utmost importance to me. While I do use the direct instruction method of teaching, I also incorporate techniques like the inquiry-based method of teaching as often as possible. In order to obtain essential communication and interpersonal skills and to better retain what they are learning, students in my classroom do interactive assignments, including projects with groups and partners. They also participate in frequent class discussions and learn concepts through physical activities, such as spelling with hand gestures and speaking the words out loud. Also, my teaching of writing does not rely on stale assignments that only fulfill curriculum requirements. To ensure that my students have more active and thoughtful experiences with writing, I make them a part of the process. I give them writing topics that are more relatable to their own lives and backgrounds. As Dawn Latta Kirby and Darren Crovitz point out, “students need to explore their strengths and improve areas of weakness in ways that inspire rather than demoralize and promote success rather than failure”, and I agree with Kirby and Crovitz in that I also feel merely teaching writing in ways that will help students pass standardized tests is not enough (Kirby and Crovitz 3). Allowing students to discuss and write about their personal experiences gives them the power to express themselves and make constructive changes to the way they analyze and communicate.

       Student assessment and reflection on my part as a teacher with what teaching strategies are effective help me to gage how to best cultivate and strengthen the skills of my students. I use several methods of assessment to aid me in seeing how to truly help my students. The use of test scores, my own observations, being attentive to how students respond during class discussions, and practice sheets are only a few of the many ways that I assess my students. The learning in my classroom is also tied to real life matters so that students can realize the immeasurable value of their education and how it can serve them throughout their lives. In order for students to get the full benefit of my teaching, lessons are based in real scenarios, such as writing assignments based on topics that are relevant and of interest to students today. I also bring in mentor texts and show my process of writing to my students so that they can better understand how to write themselves. As Kelly Gallagher remarks, “if we want young artists to develop their skills, we must move them beyond the narrowly prescribed school writing discourses found in most school districts and stretch them into areas that can be readily applied in the real world”, and just like Gallagher, I want to help my students grow as writers and meet the standards of the curriculum, but I also want to ensure how I teach writing is genuine and relevant to real life matters (Gallagher 7). Through focused teaching, student assessment and helping students see the value of what they are learning, I hope to build a solid foundation of skills and knowledge in my students as well as a passion in them for learning throughout their lives.

       Even though I want to light up my students’ imaginations and allow them to express themselves in some of their assignments, I still want to aid them in obtaining the academic learning that they need. I want my students to understand that there is no substitute for building a solid foundation for one’s education; it is like the first step on a pathway toward a bright and fulfilling future, a pathway that can lead students to the pinnacles of their true potentials.

Works Cited

 

Gallagher, Kelly. Write like This: Teaching Real World Writing through Modeling and Mentor Texts.

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     Stenhouse Publishers, 2011.

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Kirby, Dawn Latta and Darren Crovitz. Inside Out: Strategies for Teaching Writing. 3rd ed., Heinemann, 2013.

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Martinez, Ulyssa and Samantha Nolte-Yuperi. “Story Bound, Map Around: Stories, Life, and Learning.” Art

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     Education, vol. 68, no. 1, 2015, pp. 12-18.

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