Philosophy

CHAMBERS MASTERS PORTFOLIO 1
Philosophy
My philosophy for teaching and learning has not changed drastically since I first
wrote it after my semester of student teaching. Since writing, I have been a classroom
teacher for a year and a half, teaching both kindergarten and second grade. My approach
to teaching and learning remains a blended one of cognitivism and constructivism. As my
teaching experience grows, I have added elements to my philosophy, namely that
instruction and content should be developmentally appropriate.
In their position statement on developmentally appropriate practices, the National
Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC] (2009) advocates for a wide
range of teaching strategies to be applied to meet the diverse needs of young learners and
for a balance of adult-guided and child-guided learning experiences: “children are active
constructors of their own understanding of the world around them; as such, they benefit
from initiating and regulating their own learning activities and interacting with peers” (p.
17). My tendency towards a blended theory of cognitivism and constructivism is most
evident in my literacy instruction in which I use a balanced approach that blends direct,
systemic phonics instruction with hands-on interaction with words, guided reading
groups and writing workshop. In my teaching experience with kindergarteners, I found
that implementing a variety of strategies including explicit phonics instruction,
kinesthetic and multi-sensory instruction and small-leveled groups in which students
practiced their skills was the most successful in turning my students into readers. My
second grade students interact with words, finding their patterns and becoming familiar
with sound spellings. Word study provides my students with a deeper understanding of
words and their meaning by allowing them hands-on opportunities to practice and apply
their sound spelling knowledge (Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton & Johnston, 2011). Not
only is the application of a variety of instructional strategies developmentally appropriate,
I found that my students’ off-task behaviors decreased significantly when they were
active participants in their learning.
I have found that student engagement is at its highest when my students are
involved in the construction of their own learning or when they are involved in
productive academic conversations with their peers. This has been especially true during
writing workshop for my second grade students and a post-office letter-writing unit with
my kindergarten students. I believe that students get better at writing through extensive
practice paired with modeling and guidance from me. When I provide the opportunity
for authentic purposes for writing and allow them the time to write, my students are more
excited about writing and they are eager to share their work with their peers. Fletcher and
Portalupi (2001) elaborate on this phenomenon: “Our students know best which topics
and purposes for writing matter most to each of them. Letting them choose their own
topics and set their own purposes makes it a lot more likely they’ll be engaged and
receptive” (p. 10).
As an educator, I believe that it is my job to prepare my students for life outside
the classroom. It is important to me that my students enjoy learning and that they leave
my classroom feeling good about themselves and their unique abilities. I believe that
there is a time and place for direct, explicit and systemic instruction but that the most
meaningful learning comes when students construct their own knowledge through
engaging hands-on learning.

References
Bear, D., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnston, F. (2011). Words their way: Word
study for phonics, vocabulary, and spelling instruction. New York, NY: Pearson
Education.
Fletcher, R. & Portalupi, J. (2001). Writing workshop: The essential guide. Portsmouth,
NH: Heinemann.
National Association for the Education of Young Children (2009). Developmentally
Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth
through Age 8 [Policy statement]. Retrieved from
https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-
shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/position-statements/PSDAP.pdf

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CHAMBERS MASTERS PORTFOLIO 1

to teaching and learning remains a blended one of cognitivism and constructivism. As my

teaching experience grows, I have added elements to my philosophy, namely that

instruction and content should be developmentally appropriate.

In their position statement on developmentally appropriate practices, the National

17). My tendency towards a blended theory of cognitivism and constructivism is most

groups and writing workshop. In my teaching experience with kindergarteners, I found

that implementing a variety of strategies including explicit phonics instruction,

kinesthetic and multi-sensory instruction and small-leveled groups in which students

only is the application of a variety of instructional strategies developmentally appropriate,

active participants in their learning.

receptive” (p. 10).

As an educator, I believe that it is my job to prepare my students for life outside

engaging hands-on learning.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (2009). Developmentally

Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth

through Age 8 [Policy statement]. Retrieved from

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