Final+Portfolio+Reflection

Final Portfolio Reflection Dear Reader,

As a future English Language Arts Teacher, I have been fortunate enough to have had multiple interactions with various groups of students. From substitute teaching to professional development conferences, these pre-service experiences have given me the __tools__ that I will later need later in my classroom. Most importantly, however, they have played an important role in the development of my philosophies of teaching, and have greatly contributed towards the general plan that I attend to establish during my first year of practice.

With that being said, my general planned approach to teaching the subject of English Language Arts follows a curriculum that is diverse and multicultural. With the global economy today, I truly believe that any student could benefit from a curriculum that is rich in diversity. Cultural inclusion is now completely saturated within the United States's political and economic __agenda__, and it even continues to gain momentum as our nation approaches the 2012 Presidential Elections. Without the teaching of multiculturalism in schools, students' potential for failure certainly increases too. For instance, as a student, I am expected to know major authors, important details from literary works, and significant historical events from various cultural groups. In fact, I was directly tested on this information when I took the the state of Michigan's MTTC, standardized exam for teacher __certification__. In essence, the philosophical teachings of multiculturalism will enhance students' lives both inside and outside the classroom, and it certainly will give them a deeper understanding as to how they can help, understand, and appreciate different communities of people. This practice will then help students become more empathetic towards others, while enabling them to make better decisions as to how they can become an active citizen of the United States.

From //Tales of Uncle Remus// to Laurie Anderson’s young adult novel //Wintergirls//, my final portfolio fully demonstrates my appreciation towards multicultural literature, language, and writing. I do not disregard "the canon" in any way, but I do feel that multicultural literature is vital for successful academic __achievement__ in today's society. My main objective for this portfolio is to illustrate my awareness and understanding of multiculturalism, while simultaneously incorporating the basic skills that English students will need for academic success. Before specific artifacts from the portfolio are addressed, however, it is important for readers to know how I began reflecting upon my philosophical beliefs in teaching.

My __educational__ experience as acollege student began at Western Michigan University, where I studied French and English. After I graduated from Western, my academic studies continued at Eastern Michigan University, where I chose to focus my studies on language, literature, and writing for English Teachers. It was during my time at Eastern where also I developed a deeper appreciation for reading and writing. Eastern Michigan University's English and teaching program guided my understanding as to what it meant to be a “good” and __active__ learner. Additionally, it was here where I became more familiar with major authors from diverse cultural backgrounds. My courses in Native American, Adolescent, Working Class, and Multicultural Children's literature gave me the necessary literary content that I will later incorporate into my classroom.

My final, and perhaps most important, course as an undergraduate English student was English Methodology, taught by Professor Bill Tucker. Through the development of two unit plans, Professor Tucker enabled my fellow classmates and I to reflect upon everything that we learned in previous our English classes. During the first assignment, we were asked to collaboratively design a unit. My group members, Amanda Parks and Kristine Trickey, and I __focused__ upon the young adult novel, //Wintergirls//. The second unit plan I __completed__ myself; and it is here where I chose to develop twenty lessons that focused on the Holocaust, as told from a child's point of view.

Throughout the course, Professor Tucker would incorporate various discussions and assignments that would stimulate our philosophical beliefs about teaching. The course's primary reading source was Randy Bomer's recent text, titled //Building Adolescent Literacy in Today's English Classrooms.// With this text, Professor Tucker would propose various discussion questions, all focusing on philosophic approaches in teaching English Language Arts. For instance, Professor Tucker writes,

"In Chapter 1, Bomer argues against multitasking: 'People like to talk about their powers of multitasking, but in actual fact, they are just describing rapid switching and refocusing of attention, and each switch is costly in the time it takes to complete a task, the degree of engagement possible, and the number of thoughts they can develop as contributions to what they are doing' (p. 4). What do you think about multitasking as it relates to the literacy tasks of reading, writing, speaking, listening and viewing?"

My response to his question was as follows:

"Personally, I feel that multitasking, especially in the field of English, is a difficult task to accomplish. When I am reading, writing, listening, or viewing, I prefer being in a location that allows me to give my undivided attention to whatever it is I'm supposed to be doing. Often times, I will read or write while listening to classical music, but this is the only 'distraction' that I can have around me while I am trying to finish a specific literary task."

As this example illustrates, Professor Tucker used Bomer's text as a vehicle for self-reflection and philosophical development. In fact, Bomer's commentary on multitasking triggered an important decision, which I later had to make while developing my summative unit plan for this course. As one will later see in my final portfolio, I decided //not// to have my students take notes, as they watch the film //The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas.// In essence, it was through the content provided by my English Methodology course where I developed my voice as a teacher. With the acquired knowledge that I obtained through this course and the others previously listed, I will be able to give my (future) students a better learning experience, while following a multicultural curriculum.

In addition to my life as a student, I have always had a deep passion for travel. As a child, I was fortunate enough to have had parents who exposed me to the process of traveling; and as I now grow into my years of adulthood, I try to travel as much as I am financially able. Every time I venture to a new place, I am amazed with what I see and who I meet. My traveling experiences in Paris, Montreal, Marquette, and Yellowstone are certainly ones that I hope to directly, or indirectly, incorporate into my lesson plans. Interpreting paintings from the Louvre, watching a movie about the Native American tribes of Yellowstone National Park, or reading an article about the history of Montreal are all specific ways that I could integrate my appreciation for traveling and humanities into my classroom.

Readers now will have a better sense as to how and why I chose each artifact in my final portfolio. The first section of my portfolio focuses on my development of literacy and writing. The first artifact is a book rationale for the young adult novel, //Wintergirls//. I used this rationale in order to persuade readers that this novel contains valuable content for adolescent aged students. During this rationale, I state that Anderson's novel is fundamentally essential to teach because it creates awareness and empathy towards adolescents who are suffering from eating disorders, divorce in the family, cutting, and mental health issues. Without the teaching of emotionally difficult books like //Wintergirls//, students, and even parents, are not challenged to develop their voice surrounding these social and emotional issues. Even though many would describe this book to be disturbing and emotionally difficult to read, I, as a future educator, believe this novel provides adolescence and parents with a deeper understanding as to what it is like to be in an absolute need of help.

The second artifact is a writing sample from a previous literature class. Titled // The Importance and Controversy behind the //// Tales of Uncle Remus ////, // this analytical essay focuses on the history of the //Tales of Uncle Remus//, as well as the controversy that surrounds Uncle Remus's character. This essay is vital to this portfolio because its subject matter is relevant to my philosophical beliefs surrounding multicultural literature. This essay also touches on issues surrounding representation of cultural authenticity in the media.

Finally, the last artifact in this section is titled //Teacher as Reader Journal Entries.// The purpose of these journal entries is similar to the Randy Bomer discussion questions from my English Methodology course, in that they are meant to stimulate self-reflection and philosophical thinking. The development of my abilities as a reader and writer are expanded upon through the following questions. // Should English teachers teach Standard English or dialects of English? What makes a good reader? & What have you discovered that has made you a better reader? //

Here, it is important to address a question this artifact directly asks, //should English teachers teach Standard English or dialects of English?// I felt it necessary to incorporate this journal entry into my reflection because this question is one that English teachers are asked on a regular basis. My philosophy in teaching language, prescriptive and descriptive grammar, Standard English, writing, and the assessment of students are as follows: Teachers should provide their students the tools that they will need in order to succeed in life. In regards to teaching grammar and Standard English, I definitely feel that both should be taught and acknowledged in the classroom. This isn't to say however, that dialects of English are not important. In my future classroom, I ideally will have created a diverse curriculum that fairly incorporates several varieties of English. All varieties will be taught with the same worth; however, their differences will be analyzed and compared to one another. This will, in turn, will put into place my approach to multiculturalism and language diversity within my curriculum. I believe this method of teaching will reflect the same reality that is illustrated in the media and literature.

In regards to teaching writing: I believe that writing is an acquired skill that takes a tremendous amount of practice to perfect. I believe that writing should be taught as a process, and it should be incorporated into a classroom’s curriculum as much as possible. The use of digital writing portfolios is especially beneficial for students and teachers today, and I intend to use technology in my classroom. In essence, I will try to find a balance between assessing my students’ writing and allowing them to write freely without grammatical penalties. I believe that it is my job to teach students how to enjoy the art of writing. While this may not be an easy task to accomplish, I certainly will try to do so.

Finally, my philosophies surrounding students’ assessments parallel the same ideas that I carry when teaching literature and writing. Like the writing process, I believe that learning is a continuous process. Even though summative assessments are necessary, I do believe in giving students the opportunity for growth, self-reflection and academic success. My assessment strategies will be completely dependent upon my students’ needs, and will ideally be structured in a way that enables them to succeed in my classroom. The use of formative assessments, like the //Reflection Essay// from Oprah Winfrey's Holocaust documentary and //Journal Writing Project// found in my summative unit plan, will serve this purpose. When formally assessing my students, I want my practice of teaching to follow a balanced testing program, which may include the following summative assessments: impromptu essays, collaborative group projects, multiple choice/true and false/fill in the blank/and short answer exams, creative projects, research assignments, and PowerPoint presentations. The //Final Essay// from my unit plan on the Holocaust serves as an example of a summative assessment for this portfolio.

My philosophies behind teaching multicultural literature, Standard English, the writing process, and assessments are certainly demonstrated in the second portion of my final portfolio. Specific examples will be forced upon later in this document.

This second section, //My Students' Literacy,// focuses on students' development of reading and writing skills. The first artifact is a collaborative unit plan rationale that I completed with Amanda Parks and Kristine Trickey. Together, we expanded upon my ideas presented in my book rationale for //Wintergirls//. After doing so, we created a unit that aims to address the social issues surrounding “solitude and society.”

The second artifact is a one hour lesson plan, which I taught in a high school classroom. This lesson was also completed for a course that was strictly dedicated to methods in teaching reading at the middle and high school level. In this lesson, I asked students to first fill out a questionnaire, and then complete a compare and contrast activity. The questionnaire aimed to define the students' characterizations of art and poetry. (Poems from this lesson include William Blake's “The Chimney Sweeper” and William Carlos Williams' “The Great Figure” and “The Red Wheelbarrow.”)

After completing the lesson with students, I opened up a class discussion, which focused upon the content from the compare/contrast exercise and the questionnaire. This discussion was vital to my one hour lesson plan because it enabled students to make connections between my lesson's content and the interests in their lives. As students participated in class, they shared their thoughts and feelings about the experimental art and poetry being produced today's society. For instance, several students talked about their interests with rap and hip hop. As they shared their interests, they reflected upon their experiences with those who did not share their same tastes in art or music. As they concluded their thoughts, many made reference to Williams' work, stating that they now understand the initial shock it must have had on the public.

I share this example and artifact with readers because it fully demonstrates my philosophical beliefs surrounding the definition of art, literature, and poetry. Through this compare/contrast exercise and questionnaire, students were able to reflect upon their beliefs surrounding this idea too. The concluding discussion, however, was most important to this lesson, in that it allowed students to make connections between their lives and the content material that was presented. Without this process, students may have missed the purpose behind this lesson, thus missing an opportunity to further develop an appreciation for literary diversity.

The third, and largest, artifact from this section is my summative unit plan from my English Methodology course. The primary reading source for students during this unit plan is John Boyne's young adult novel, //The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas//. I chose to incorporate this artifact for many different reasons, the most obvious being that it reflects my desire to teach multicultural literature. It is important to note, however, that this unit plan integrates several language lessons, my idealized writing process, and examples of formative and summative assessments, all of which I created. All of these examples reflect the philosophies in the teaching that I stated above, regarding the teaching of Standard English and grammar. (Please refer to lessons 8, 13, 14, and 15 for specific details and examples of lessons in figurative language. Worksheets for formative and summative assessments have been incorporated into the final portfolio as well).

The concluding section of this portfolio is titled //My Professional Development//. Although the title may be self-explanatory, it is important to note that this section reflects my efforts as a professional student. The first artifact, the //Teacher Research Project//, is an inquiry project, where I aimed to answer the question //what are the most effective ways that a high school English teacher can assess his/her students’ abilities in literacy and writing?// While researching this question, I interviewed Kristina Pittman from Farmington High School. Details from our interview have been incorporated into this artifact.

The second piece is a review from two conferences that I attended at Eastern Michigan University. The topics of these conferences included teaching for social justice and the importance of portfolios for writing development. I found both conferences to be beneficial in my professional development because they allowed me to hear practicing teachers talk about their students in positive ways. Most importantly, however, their discussions definitely sparked moments of self-reflection and creativity among listeners, and were an inspiration to pre-service teachers.

The final artifact of this portfolio is titled //The Annotated Bibliography.// This bibliography is essential to this portfolio because it demonstrates my respect for proper citation. Proper citation within any field of study is extremely important in today’s global economy, and without it, there will be serious consequences.

It is my hope that readers now have a better understanding as to what direction I wish to take my practice of teaching. This portfolio is a direct reflection in my philosophical ideas behind the teaching of literature, reading, and writing, and I intend to put these ideas into practice during my first year of teaching.