Philosophy of Teaching

Hey guys. This is just a few thoughts on my philosophy of teaching English. It is a part of a project I did at the conclusion of my undergraduate degree at Indiana University. Feel free to take a look if you would like to know what sort of teacher I will be during this school year. As always, constructive criticism is encouraged!


Philosophy:

It has been 4 long, and at times arduous, years at IU and the School of Education, and in that time my philosophy of teaching has matured greatly. Thankfully, as my time as an IU student comes to a close, I feel as if I am finally able to accurately articulate what kind of teacher I will be in (hopefully) the very near future. I know this with a certain degree of certainty because this semester I have had a lot of experience in the classroom, and I have been able to see what I struggle with, what bothers me in terms of student behavior, and what I am able to do really well. I’ve learned to think about pacing and to think through every lesson for possible issues that take away from the lesson I’m teaching. In short, I think that I have begun to learn to develop patience with the students and curriculum, but also the hard work and creativity it takes to be a successful teacher.

I know now that I will be a teacher that doesn’t get flustered when students struggle. Instead, I will also be thinking about creative ways to attack each day. From what I have seen, students really appreciate that effort. I believe that students behave better and are more manageable when they are actively participating in their education. While this is true, it is because of solid planning by the teacher. I have seen that not only does the content of my lesson plan have to be right on, but also my timing, my transitions, and my methods of accountability have to be there as well. If not, even the most fun and creative lesson will fail miserably. I will be a teacher that gives his students options as often as I can because, to me, the medium is less important in terms of assessment than the ability that students are able to demonstrate. So, if the assignment is a paragraph to be written at home, why not set up some sort of online medium? You’ll see that I include such a medium at the bottom of this document.



I also desire a classroom where students can respectfully express their ideas. I support academic conversation and that isn’t possible if students are afraid to share what they think for any reason. For that reason, I will take a tough stance on any kind of disrespectful speech from either myself or students. For myself, I’ll do my best to never let it happen, and if for some reason it does, (because who’s perfect?) then I will make it a priority to make the necessary amends. I don’t believe I can ask students to be respectful and accountable if I’m not willing to do so myself.



Finally, I want to be the kind of teacher who cares. Of course I will care, but I will also do my best to make sure that students know that for sure, without a doubt. This means being involved in the school community. Going to plays and athletic events, being available before and after school, tutoring when necessary, and listening when students want to speak are all the types of actions that I think accomplishing that goal. I will be friendly. I won’t be their friend, but I think that deep down students would rather have me be a role model than a friend anyway. I think being a friendly teacher is important as well as an active classroom environment because it breeds friendly relationships between students. It models kindness, and I don’t just want smart students, I want smart students who are well-rounded and kind individuals. Therefore, I believe you will find that my expectations and procedures are designed to build community as well as incentivize learning.

Book Rationale: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Overview

Persepolis is graphic novel that functions as a biographical/historical work that details the events of the Islamic revolution of the 1970s in Iran through the eyes of a young girl. Satrapi tackles huge social/political/human issues with the innocence of a young child. For much of the novel, it is not about politics as it is about a little girl trying to make her way in a world where she has little to no power at all. Accessible to all readers, I believe that this is a great opportunity for parents and students to read a powerful piece of literature together and talk about its implications.

Audience

Because of a lower lexile score and simple cartoonish drawings, this book is very much accessible to all readers. I personally did not come across this little gem until college, but it is intended for anyone who will read it. Scholastic.com puts this work at a lexile score of 380L, but the interest level is set for most secondary students. Basically, this work in terms of reading level is much lower than most books read in 7th grade, however, the themes are very much for older students, and I think that students will benefit from reading such a work. Anyone interested in how lexile scores generally work can consult this webpage


Relevance to Curriculum

Below are the standards that we will be covering in this unit. For more information about the standards used to build this curriculum, click here

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.9 Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.

 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.1b Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text

 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.

 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.5 With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.5a Interpret figures of speech (e.g., literary, biblical, and mythological allusions) in context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

This unit is primarily designed to introduce students to a new place. Since 9/11 and the Iraq war, many ideas have circulated about people in the Middle East that may or may not be true. We certainly will not be teaching any sort of ideology as a part of this unit, but rather we are simply presenting a fairly unbiased and accurate account of Iran's history so that students can form their own opinions. We also want to show students that issues in Iran are similar to issues that have taken place in the United States and other parts of the world. The hope is that students will see that although people groups may have different beliefs, we are not so different from each other. At the end of the unit, students will complete a group project that displays just that. They will compare Iran's revolution to similar events in other countries. Using their own research, they will compare and contrast such the events in Persepolis to those in other areas of the world and then to the United States.

Potential Issues

There are a few potential concerns when it comes to this novel, but I believe that they are minimal. There are some scenes that suggest/depict torture and imprisonment. Also, there are a few choice words that are inappropriate for use by students in school. Fortunately, (as can be see in excerpt above) the drawing style of this novel is quite symbol, so that limits any kind of gore that might potentially traumatize or upset the students. Also, the bad language of this novel is not systematic or pervasive. I would compare it to that of a PG or PG-13 film.

Finally, the last remaining issue is that some may find this novel "cartoony" and not very high in merit. To that criticism, I would suggest doing some research on this novel. For fear of coming off as biased, I do not provide any resources on this novel, but I do know that many exist. From what I can find, there is nothing but positive reviews for this work. Also, I think anyone who picks up this novel and reads even the smallest amount will see its merit right away.

Alternative Works

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana

Cracking India

V for Vendetta


Once again, concerns are always welcome. Feel free to email/call me.

Hello! (Parents/Guardians Read Me!)

Hello! If you are looking for Mr. Harrison's class blog for 7th grade students at Pierce Middle School in Merrillville, IN, then you have come to the right place! As your (or your student's) teacher, I am very excited to begin the school year and start to get to know all of my students and their families. As many of you might have figured out, I am new to Pierce, and I will just tell you that I am bubbling over with excitement! I'll reiterate, SO EXCITED. Of course, what I am most excited for is the reading, writing, and learning we will be doing this semester. As a student, you probably read that and groaned just a little bit, but I promise that while we are going to work really hard and make a lot of progress, we will also have a lot of fun as well.

      You might be asking yourself, "What is with this new teacher and this blog?" Well, let me explain because I want this web tool to serve two major functions. My desire is that this blog will provide a line of clear, candid, honest communication as well as an opportunity of students to complete homework assignments using their technological/multimodal interests. You'll notice each one of my classes has a page dedicated to it on the right side of the homepage.

      I obviously do not have a ton of my own experience teaching, but I come from a family of teachers. In my vicarious experience through my family members and my own student teaching experience, I have found that the biggest issue that limits student success and parent involvement is poor communication. Many times, announcements end up like a game of "Telephone." I make the announcement, students hear/understand/know the announcement, but then after a long day that announcement either never makes it home or is slightly distorted. When this happens, teachers are frustrated, parents are frustrated, and most importantly, students might not get everything they need to be as successful as they could be. No one is truly at fault when these things happen, but as a teacher, I believe it is my responsibility to try to take steps to maximize the success of my students.So in the spirit of American problem-solving, I am going to try this method out in the hopes that everyone in all my classes will be on the same page. Announcements will all appear on the homepage where students and parents will easily be able to find them. Typically, the types of things that will appear on this page will include: deadlines of major assignments, book rationales, class events (field trips, guest speakers, parties), and also general news about what's happening here at Pierce.

I also want my students to have the OPTION of completing homework assignments online and in a creative way. The world is changing. In many places, they have stopped teaching cursive because for the most part, students will do all their formal writing on a computer instead of with a pen and paper. For that reason, I strongly believe that students should have the chance to increase their technological prowess. I believe that these are important skills that will eventually make them more competitive in college/the job market. Any opportunity that I can provide for them to prepare them for their future, I plan to provide your students with that opportunity. There are not many academic standards dedicated to technology, but as a teacher who truly cares about the future of your children, I believe this is my obligation. HOWEVER, I know that  for some folks internet access is not readily available, and therefore every assignment that can be completed online will also come with the opportunity to complete in a more traditional way. I. myself, come from such a situation when I was younger , and although I believe in the opportunity technology offers us, I also do not desire to put any family under and undue stress.

If students do wish to participate in this virtual classroom, I will need them to request permission to contribute to the blog. In the interest of internet safety, I HIGHLY SUGGEST that students create a new, free gmail account that does not indicate their name. When they ask for permission to contribute, only I will know who they are. My hope is that this promotes honesty and lets students feel free to express their opinions amongst each other. PARENTS may also request access, but I ask that if you have any questions/concerns that you would direct them to my EMAIL address: jereharr@indiana.edu, and not on the blog itself. This is just in the interest of privacy and discretion.


Well, I meant to be brief, but this post has gotten rather long. Students will receive instructions on a case by case basis as far as assignments go, but I will make effort to post those instructions on this site. Finally, I will always try my best, but I am not perfect. If there are mistakes on this page or if you do have any issues with a book we're reading, ANYTHING at all, please, I ask that you email me your concerns right away. I will do everything I can to address those concerns in timely fashion. I look forward to an amazing school-year! Let's make this work! Go Pirates!


--- 11/29/12 Please take a minute to peruse the site! You may find something interesting!