Grading Rubric for Philosophy Paper ~ Portfolio II bt sone “1 Ie lL, vate: Ifa) 7 ‘You will write a 5-pagé paper using APA style, re-examining your philosophy. The philosophy paper for Portfolio. ‘the one that was written for Portfolio I, and should describe how your personal philosophy has evolved since submission of Portfolio I. Your evolving philosophy should be based on your experiences, textbooks, research, field observations, reflections, course readings, and discussions, as well as other resources. You should examine various philosophies of education, including constructivism, and discuss how these philosophies impact your personal philosophy. ‘The Portfolio TT paper should exemplify growth inthe understanding And articulation of your philosophy of education. One of the essential questions is: “How does my personal philosophy reflect the tenets ofthe Education Department's Conceptual Framework?” EXTEGORY i 2 3 z Tenth of | Tas Tan Ties | Thee duties | Far obeyed | Five oo doe Paper double-spaced pages | spaced pages pages pest pages a Imeson tthe [ante prs wt| Genpact et fresttc peer | Soststqaly | po eye, | kn me sb te earcre porn esate | pee ese | coda palsy. a Grepwcrandas | Sean | tase tml tirewe. 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Date: Grading Rubric for Philosophy Paper — Portfolio II i ‘Sequencing? Many points are not in logical order. The paper lacks organization. ‘The transitions between paragraphs andéor ideas ‘are unclear or nonexistent ‘Some paints are not in logical order; the way they are presented ‘makes the writing difficult to follow and less interesting, Some transitions work well; but connections among ideas are fuzzy. Points are made in a Togical order; the way they are presented sometimes makes the writing difficult 0 follow ot less interesting for the reader. Transitions show how ideas are connested, but there is little variet Points are made in a logical ‘order; the smooth flow effectively maintains the Interest of the reader and increases the ease of reading. A variety of clear transitions are used. They cleaely tow how ideas are oo ‘Conclusions There is no clear conclusion; the paper ends with no summary statement, It simply ends “The conclusion is recognizable; but docs not te up several loose ends, "The conclusion fs recognizable; ties up almost al loose ends inasummary statement. The conclusion is srong and leaves the reader with an undfrstanding of the quote, cites a unique experience, ete. ‘Mechanical Errors Many grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors; errors intermupt the flow, Several grammatical, capitalization, spelling, or punctuation errors; the errors interrupt the flow. ‘Ore oF Bo errors in grammar, capitalizationgindlor punctuation; paper is easYf0 read, ‘No grammatical, capitalization, spelling, or punctuation errors; the paper is exceptionally easy toread. Y Atleast oper ie of Passe manbro? | Att Ssomes Atha esares | Fnac in Citations | sours orthe sarees | Gnfermaton an infomation and | graphs) are secratey Citations are not accurately graphics) are graphics) are documented in APA format documented seouately documented, but many are notin APA = format Tvidence of — | Tndoaos tat Cites one car and | Cites a Teast wo Cites at east tre ear and Continued | philosophy has evolved, | concrete exampes of | clear and concrete | coneree examples of ways Bvolution of | butciesocxamples | way philosophy has | examples of ways py bas evolved Peas valved philosophy has . Pana valved 30/40 score with no ‘t's Baiq0 Page 2 of 2Hoey 1 Personal Philosophy of Education: Portfolio IT | Taylor Hoey September 30, 2017 Portfolio IHoey 2 Introduction A teacher's philosophy, while having core values, should always be growing, modifying, and keeping the students as the central focus. Since writing my first philosophy paper, my ence in classes, personal principles of teaching have shifted and grown based on further exp field and lab experience, research, and coming to find my personal style of teaching. Looking back on my original paper, I still agree and strive for the things I wrote. However, I eafi now see where my thinking has matured and adjusted as I have become more competent in my field. ‘The points of my first philosophy paper that] would like to expand on are love and support ‘community, high expectations, and ie play. From my time in the Education Department at Wesleyan College, I have found these four components to be important and the foundation of my personal attitude and view of teaching. o) Classroom Management Classroom management might be one of the most important aspects of a classroom’s environment, and what a teacher chooses or bases his or her classroom management off of can make or break a suecessful classroom. Of course, I still believe in all that | wrote in my first paper, such as using “brain bres” but there are specific strategies and techniques that I plan to implement in my classroom. In my EDU 402 Classroom Management class that I took last year, wwe discussed two different types of classroom management strategies that have been tried, tested, and proven to be effective by many teachers across the nation. The two that appealed to a “ me most were Love and Logis by Jim Fay and Whole Brain Teaching by Chris Biffle. { instantly imple yet effective means of operating a classroom. m iA was drawn to theseHoey 3 believe that Love and Logie is hands-down one of the best set of techniques to use when facing discipline issues in the elassroom, Love and Logie calls for teachers to encourage their students towards positive behavior, teach students to problem solve for themselves, and to humiliate or wrongly punish their students; always handle situations in an empathetic manner. Love and Logie reprimands teachers that instead, they recapmend that teachers should always be empathetic towards their students (Fay, 2012). Empathy is at the core of the Love and Logic reasoning, and this emphasis is what | admire most about the philosophy. | believe that empathy | should always be the means of addressing every student in the classroom. It makes students feel 1, and appreciated, even if they do not realize it in the moment. There are some loved, cared favorites of mine from Love and Logie, such as going “Brain Dead” or using a Recovery area in your classroom to separate a disruptive student from the class, but I intend to use most of the concepts of the ideology in my classroom along with another discipline and management principle called Whole Brain Teaching. “The second approach to classroom management that I will be implementing in my classroom is Whole Brain Teaching by Chris Biffle. This concept uses research and is designed to target different parts of children’s brain, such as the motor cortex or the Nucleus Acumbens ae Y (which plays into pleasure activated by an uncertain reward), in order to increase engagement and focus in the classroom (Biffle, 2017). Strategies from this inelude fun call-and-responses, ‘games, and point systems. Whole brain teaching, besides keeping children engaged and interested, allows them to talk and think aloud to their peers. This is especially important in schools whete many teachers expect students to be silent and still all day. Whole Brain Teaching allows for that movement and expression that children need, while still keeping it in a controlled environment where the teacher can call the class back to order and not lose instructional time. THoey 4 Jook forward to having my own classroom so that I can carry out this phenomenal management style. Classroom Dynamies Ina similar light to classroom management, how a teacher creates and maintains a classroom’s dynamics and environment is extremely important for the success and comfort of the . community, cultivating fove and support, and having high expectations and standards of my cae students. To start, ereating a classroom community is ineredi ly important to me. I believe that a teacher must establish rapport with and produce a level of trust between the students. Shaping community in the classroom, by doing things such as having routines, classroom trak students, The classroom dynamics that I would like to foster in my classroom are building ions, or : spending time with and getting to know your students, provides stability, structure, and a sense of classroom pride in the students and teacher. In my classroom placement this semester, I have witnessed why having the chance to build community is so crucial. I am ina 4th grade classroom that is departmentalized, meaning there are teachers for each subject and the students rotate »//” through the classes during the day, much like middle and high school. When speaking to my host teacher about it, she admitted that it is extremely difficult creating that classroom community and rapport with stucents that can come naturally in a self-contained classroom. I can observe this myself when | enter the room, by noticing more discipline issues and a chaotic feeling that comes from the sense that the students are always in motion, changing from one class to the next. | believe that this is an inappropriate method in schools because children this young still need the gee 10% support and structure from a self-contained classroom. Not only does this set-up create an poor environment for students to learn, it also creates a negative environment for teachers to teach.Hoey 5 Having community in the classroom is beneficial fo all those involved and essential to a successful classroom. A stvong sense of community in the classroom alone will not grant children with the full backing they need; love and support also have to have large roles, When visiting the Ron Clark jos i Academy last year, I witnessed a strong dose of that between the faculty and the students. Not only do the teachers give their all in providing the best education to their students at the Ron Clark Academy, they also strive to be there emotionally for the students, to truly show them that they love them and will help them through any situation, In Ron Clark's book, The End of ‘Molasses Classes (2012), he states that “it's our job to inspire students to dream big and then to : we _Stow them that we believe their dream i possible” (p, 1). Reading about the love and support he TY sand his teachers give, and then being able to see it in person really opened my eyes. I believe that in a nurturing environment, children will thrive, And these children at the Ron Clark Academy \were thriving, I want to love, support, and encourage every single student in all chat they do, not only because that is who I am as a person, but because I have seen the positive outcome myself. As teachers, we do not fully know what a student’s family life is like and what happens behind ives that believes in them or even smiles closed door; a teacher could be the only person in their ‘at them, This is what all teachers should do, and I know it is what I will give to my students. “The final part of classroom dynamics that I believe is critical to leaming is setting high v expectations and goals, As a teacher, | never want my students to think that I believe them to be incompetent or unable to reach their goals. I wish to instill high standards and expectations of excellence, Once again, Ron Clark and his school are the sh g beacons that teachers should look to. The energy level at the school is always at one hundred percent and there are never excuses for not doing their work or for bad behavior. The tone that is set at the Ron ClarkHoey 6 Academy says to students that they know these children are intelligent and are capable of whatever they put their minds to. There are no excuses at the Ron Clark Academy, and the | expectations are the same for everyone no matter what their background is, Ron Clark (2012) \writes in his book that teachers need to “believe that every child can learn, regardless of jes, emotional or behavioral problems, or the economic situation of ethnicity, learning disabi the family” (p. 168). Tis mindset and accountability strongly appeal to me and I will strive to reoreate that level of energy, intensity, and expectation in my future classroom, Nature and Play From the beginning of my journey in the Education Department, I knew that involving. nature and the outdoors would become a cornerstone piece of my personal philosophy. A aia that | am currently taking called Children, Nature, and Society, has helped fine-tune and reiterate how meaningful itis to me. Students are losing touch with nature and the natural world, becoming more and more interested in their digital devices and the comforts of the indoors. Because of this, they are developing what is known as Nature-Deficit Disorder, a term coined by Richard Louv in his book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder (2008). Nature is all around us and yet it seems that we as a society have made it impossible for children to go outside, Nature, however, can help with a plethora of children’s issues such as obesity and ADHD. Louy (2008) explains in his book that research has shown, “nature may be useful asa therapy for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder used with or, when appropriate, even replacing medications or behavioral therapies” (p. 100). Nature has restorative properties that cannot exaetlbe explained, but are nonetheless present. I do not want to ignore these findings, nor do I wish to further deprive children of nature. These facts about hature mirror research that has been done about play, and how the lack of play causes socialHoey 7 anxiety, physical health issues, and neurological disadvantages, as stated by Frost, Wortham, and Reifel (2012, p. 78-80). In my classroom, I will work to provide many opportunities for children to be outside, whether that be for teaching lessons, having independent reading time, or allowing for extra recess. Children are innately drawn to nature and they should not have to sacrifice that to have an education. Constructivism In my original philosophy paper, I leaned heavily towards the educational theory of Progressivism, Now, with my additional classes, experience, and knowledge, I see that lam also eal inclined toward Conszuovlen. have always been a firm believer in hands-on experience and learning from these experiences, whether they are successes or failures. This plays well into the definition of Constructivist theory stated by Catherine Twomey Fosnot and Randall Stewart Perry (2005) in their book Constructivism: Theory, Perspectives, and Practice, Fosnot and Perry articulate that Constructivism is a theory that “construes learning as an interpretive, recursive, nonlinear building process by active learners interacting with their surroundings” (p. 15). Learning in the Constructivist theory commends making mistakes or having failure because they are just as beneficial learning events as successes are. I agree wholeheartedly with this theory because the teacher needs to provide opportunities where the students can explore, experiment, ~~ and find solutions themselves or with the gentle guide of the teacher. Answers should never just v be given to students, and so teaching with a Constructivist theory in mind will help combat that. Constructivist theory, along with Progressivism, ate now at the forefront of my personal teack values, and | can only imagine that my philosophies and theories will keep expanding as I Jearn different approaches and new research has been done.Hoey 8 Conelusion | ‘A teacher's philosophy, while its core makeup might stay the same, will be evolving, developing, and morphing to fit the students’ needs and keep up with the times. | am truly ‘grateful for my Wesleyan education and the Education Department for helping and guiding me to shape and realize my own personal outlook of teaching. I feel confident going into the workforce with a clear understanding that my core ideology contains certain classroom management techniques, classroom dynamics goals, nature and play, and the Constructivist theory. I look forward to implementing my philosophy in the future to create a successful, engaging, and student-focused classroom. UsHoey 9 References Biffle, Chris (2017). Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids, Retrieved from http://wholebrainteaching.com/. Clark, Ron (2012). The End of Molasses Classes: Getting Our Kids Unstuck; 101 Extraordinary ‘Solutions for Parents and Teachers. New York, New York: Touchstone, A Division of Simon & Schuster, Ine. Fay, Jim, 9 Essential Skills for the Love and Logic Classroom: Low Stress Strategies for Highly ‘Successful Educators. United States of America: Love and Logic Institute, Ine. / Fosnot, C & Perry, R. S. (1996). Construetivi am: A psychological theory of learning, Constructivism: Theory, perspectives, and practice, 2, 8-33. / Frost, J. Le, Reifel $., Wortham S, C, (2012). Foundations of American Edueation, Sixth Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Ine, Louy, Richard (2008). Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.