Teaching Philosophy

My goal in teaching a 9th-12th grade English class is to introduce the students to the world of literature and personal expression through writing and the language arts, including theater. I identify with Peter Elbow’s Expressivist school of thought, in which personal growth and reflection are explored through written responses to things that we read in class. As a part of expressing their own views, we will work on argumentative and persuasive writing. The students will learn the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning, and what logical fallacies are, and how to make their own writing stronger through this knowledge.

I strongly believe that students learn best when they have a personal connection to the literature chosen for the class. The best way to foster that connection, in my opinion, is through reflection on each part of the work after it is read. Through directed questions in their Reading Response Journals, the students will have the opportunity to analyze their own thoughts, feelings, and reactions to the text. It is my hope that they will surprise themselves with how much they can identify with a seemingly contrary character.

When I ask the students to create arguments based on what we’ve read, I’m also asking them to delve more deeply into their own opinions about the characters and plot. Developing a thesis statement takes close reading and good critical thinking skills, which are essential in the English classroom. This relates to the Expressivist philosophy because the persuasive essay is based on what the student feels is correct. They will need to analyze their opinions and find sources to prove their points. This will not only help them to understand why they think a certain way, but also give them the ability to express their opinions and eloquently prove a point.

Following the theme of self-expression, we will be reading at least one play in class (Romeo & Juliet). The main focus for the play will be character development, which will be especially relevant to the students as they are of similar ages to the characters and are also in a time of great personal character development. I hope that they will see the similarities and differences between themselves and Shakespeare’s teenagers, and be able to identify turning points in the plot that occurred because of a character’s actions. Being able to identify these turning points in fiction may help them to evaluate their own actions and consider possible consequences in the real world. In their Reading Response Journals, they will have the opportunity to discuss hypothetical situations based on those in Romeo & Juliet, and plot out what they would do in those situations.

Overall, my students should leave my class with a better understand of themselves and the literary world. They will be familiar with introspective writing and how to transform that introspection into strongly persuasive essays. Through identification with fictional characters and self-reflection, the students will learn about their own personalities and how to reason through both real and literary situations.