Professional Documents
Culture Documents
teaching, learning, and curriculum is influenced by a variety of literary theories and practices. By
reflecting upon my own teaching practice and classroom environment, I realize my students
often learn through meaningful hands-on activities that encourage collaboration and socialization
amongst their peers. I realize that my instructional activities are determined and planned based
necessary and implemented into my practice. I also realize my frequent use of positive and
blends itself into the way I teach and manage my kindergarteners. The foundation of my teaching
philosophy connects to theorists such as Lev Vygotsky, Jean Piaget, and B.F. Skinner.
students are learning through socially meaningful activities. My students love when it is time for
literacy stations, math stations, or science centers. Many of the activities are hands-on and
require students to interact and collaborate with one another in order to accomplish the task.
Rather than sitting at a desk and completing an assignment via pencil and paper, my students
move to various stations set up around the room and engage in learning with one another. The
idea of exposing learners to meaningful hands-on activities relate to Lev Vygotskys socially
meaningful activity theory where learning is directly related to social interactions that occur
within the learning environment (Cobb & Kallus, 2011, p.168). According to Cobb and Kallus
(2011), Vygotskys theory emphasizes that children who are actively constructing knowledge in a
social setting become active and engaged learners. Collaborating and working with others
encourages students to drive their own learning and become active learners. Since children are
naturally curious and seek to make sense of information, collaboration and social interaction is
Cognitive Development
When planning instructional activities and lessons, I often have to ask myself, Are my
students ready for this concept? By understanding my students cognitive abilities I am able to
appropriately design tasks and activities to best meet students needs in growth and development.
This idea stems from Jean Piagets theory of early learning and child development. According to
Ormrod (2008), Piaget determined that the cognitive ability of children evolve in four distinct
stages: sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concrete operational stage, and formal
operational stage. Since I teach kindergarten, my students are in the preoperational stage of
cognitive development. This begins at the early stages of talking to about age seven. It is when
the child can think of things not immediate or from the past, can use symbols to represent
objects, and can physically examine the world around them (Cobb & Kallus, 2011). By
understanding what my students are cognitively able to understand and do, I am able to provide
activities that are grade level appropriate while helping them slowly develop their thought
Scaffolding Instruction
Additionally, I believe students learn at their zone of proximal development (ZPD). This
stems from Vygotskys most well-known and influential educational philosophy. According to
Tompkins (2010), students learn very little when performing tasks they can already do
development level and their potential development. By providing challenging tasks with teacher
scaffolding, more effective learning can take place. As students learn, teacher support will
gradually decrease until students can perform tasks independently. This concept is called
scaffolding. By providing intellectual scaffolding, students are able to learn and progress through
the different stages of development (Borich, 2011). As I scaffold instruction, I ensure that my
students are building upon their experiences while learning through moderately challenging
tasks. By doing so with literacy instruction, I hope for my students to be able to read and write
affects childrens interest and motivation, and without either learning tends not to take place.
According to Burke (2000), psychologists named John Watson and Burrhus Frederic Skinner
(B.F. Skinner) introduced behaviorist theories in the 1950s and 1960s that attempted to modify
behavior with reinforcers. Therefore, classroom management strategies such as positive and
when a child accomplishes a task, encourages children to attempt the task again. While negative
from attempting bad behavior again. Cobb and Kallus (2011) explain how this behavior approach
is based on B.F. Skinners theory of operant conditioning where the response follows a stimulus
responsible and respectful. I also utilize negative reinforcements such as time-outs, which I call
reflection time, where the student is required to sit and reflect on their behavior, what they did
wrong, and how to behave appropriately in the future. Personally, I think the use of positive and
negative reinforcers have helped me manage my classroom behavior effectively these past five
years.
Conclusion
As I complete and leave the masters program, I see myself continue educating young
students in the classroom. It has always been my dream to become a teacher and influence future
generations to become literate and useful people of society. Similar to educators needing to
understand the foundations of literacy through theories and philosophies in order to support their
teaching methods and practices, I plan to continue teaching young children the basics and begin
setting the foundations to literacy for their academic success. As of right now, I do not see my
own educational philosophy changing in the near future. I believe that by incorporating a variety
of research-based and theory related practices, my students will show growth in learning and
demonstrate achievement in literacy. That does not mean I wont eventually change my teaching
philosophy. As times change and with research continuously happening, new theories may
develop or be adapted. Being an educator means to continue learning and making instructional
decisions based on these changes. Only time will tell where I go from here.
References
Education.
Burke, K. (2000). What to do with the kid whoDeveloping cooperation, self-discipline, and
Cobb, J., & Kallus, M. (2011). Historical, theoretical, and sociological foundations of reading in
Ormrod, J. (2008). Educational psychology developing learners. Upper Saddle River: Pearson
Education.
Tompkins, G. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century a balanced approach. Boston: Pearson
Education.