1. Running head: PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION 1
Philosophy of Education
Courtney Jackson
Cabrini College

2. PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION 2
My name is Courtney Jackson and I am a Literacy Specialist at Edward Hand Middle
School in the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I teach an intensive reading intervention called
Read 180 to struggling readers in grades 6 through 8. I have always had a strong interest in
literacy and strived to work with urban students. Luckily I was able to return to and teach in the
school district I grew up in; every day I aspire to implement my philosophy of education, driven
by theories and best practices in teaching and learning, so that I can provide a rich character and
whole language literacy education to my students like I received here in this district. My overall
philosophy leans more towards constructivism and literacy development theories of Don
Holdaway. I agree that language and the ability to read is learned through social interactions and
it is directly related to social functioning; thus my inclusion of meaningful, real life lessons
within my social and literacy skills instruction.
Teaching and Learning Processes
I believe that teaching and learning go hand in hand and that both students and teachers
are constantly learning from and teaching others. Learning, especially learning to read, is not a
linear process. In the modern world we are multi-taskers, constantly pulling from multiple
sources to engage in multiple processes at once; this simultaneous process is what I believe
students use in while learning. Specifically, their learning is interactive and compensatory. With
that said, I try to instill my students to be flexible readers and pull from a variety of strategies
when problem solving in real life and in the reading process.
Some best practices I use while teaching to support my students in the learning process
include explicit teaching of metacognitive skills, discussion of word families and using context
clues, rereading and close reading of texts through shared reading and read alouds. I utilize
modeling and other strategies like sentence starters for verbal and written expression to get my

3. PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION 3
students to pull from multiple sources in their schema in order to construct and internalize
information. Lesson plans with before, during, and after reading activities are most effective to
engage students in the learning process. I also include meaningful writing exercises as a way to
wrap up in order to extend learning beyond the reading and help students apply their knowledge
to real-life.
In my own teaching process I practice reflexive inquiry and try to empathize with
students while simultaneously taking care of myself as a person and a professional. I have grown
as a person through teaching and I intend to grow more by creating a strong and safe classroom
community where students practice respect, responsibility and safety. Since I have established
my sense of self as a teacher, I want to instill that same sense within my students through rich
discussions of literature, authentic activities, and procedures and critical thinking that will
prepare them for anything they encounter in life whether it be in their career or beyond. Every
week or so I analyze the quantitative data I have on my students to inform my instruction, but I
also use personal reflection and feedback from students to create and test out new ideas. I love
teaching and I love learning. Above all, I want my students to recognize that I care about them as
people and as learners. By attending to the way they process information, I am able to help
students grow and hence help myself grow.
Literacy Assessment
Aside from the learning process, assessment is integral to teaching and learning and is
essential to education and its goals for each and every one of our students. It is what we use as
educators to ensure our students are actually learning. I believe that assessments should be much
more than multiple choice questions. I prefer more authentic assessments like multi-genre
writing projects and oral presentations. I agree with Frank Serafini’s basic principles that

4. PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION 4
assessment must aid the teaching and learning process and be efficient and effective for both the
teacher and students. Again, reflection is crucial in the teaching process when developing
assessments for students. I have come to believe that students need to do much reflection as well
through self-evaluation, keeping of a portfolio, and engaging in conferences and discussions with
the teacher as well as with their parents or guardians.
Though standardized assessments are more present than ever in schools, I intend to use
more authentic assessments with my students while still practicing the higher-order thinking
necessary for those exams. Time can be an issue. It can be difficult for me to make conferencing
efficient because there is so much I want to discuss with students to get to know them better and
help them as readers and people; however, this is one thing I plan to fine-tune in the future so
that my qualitative assessments of students are more efficient and relevant to them. Goal-setting
is present in my classroom, though I want students to take more ownership and responsibility of
those goals. I typically have students keep track of the process they are engaged in, whether it be
for writing or their independent reading. They can check each accomplishment off next to their
name on the board; we do this to add a little competition and help students encourage others and
celebrate successes on a consistent basis.
Curricular Design
Considering my beliefs on assessment and how time is not always on my side, curricular
design is pertinent in ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in the teaching and learning process. I
apply the schema theory as a basis for beginning a lesson as I always strive to activate and build
students’ background knowledge. The next step in my curriculum design is to pace and chunk
reading appropriately based on my students’ reading levels. Including plenty opportunities to
write and assess students informally is a given. The way I prefer to implement my curriculum is

5. PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION 5
through thematic units that focus on a specific strategy. Small group direct instruction, partner
work and independent practice is involved through the use of graphic organizers and think-pair-
share to accomplish the goals of the unit and explicitly teach said strategy. As needed, I engage
in a shared reading of literature with think alouds to model for students how to integrate the
many strategies they have learned. It is important to chunk the text and engage in close reading
to continue to practice strategies and maintain students’ ability to be flexible readers. Through
reflection and various assessments, I am able to gauge when tweaks in curriculum are needed to
make teaching and learning most effective.
I believe that curriculum should be designed with the students’ development in mind as
well as current modern educational advances such as the use of technology and media literacy
techniques. Students should have some choice in the curriculum in terms of topics they read
about as this would most engage students in their own learning process. Again, being flexible is
key for both the teacher and student. Authenticity and real life activities such as engagement in
the community in and out of school are some values and strategies I strive for in my classroom,
school, community, and education in general.
Literate and Developmental Classroom Environment
Classroom environment and management is the first step in getting students to buy-in to
learning. Developmentally, clear rules and procedures are set and posted in the room for students
to reference at all times. Inspirational quotes and colorful posters and memes are present
throughout the room to create a warm and welcoming community. Over the years I have
inherited and bought many books to fill my classroom library. I have a variety of books that are
leveled, appropriate for, and of interest to my students. Sentence starters and reading strategy tips
are posted to assist in the many literacy activities that go on in my classroom on a daily basis.

6. PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION 6
My classroom is also compartmentalized to aid in the flow of the classroom. I have an attractive
reading area with plenty of comfortable chairs. I help it feel like a home with plants and pictures
(my favorite is the picture of the beach in the background). I also have an area of the room
specifically for laptop use for computer interventions. My small group area consists of a Smart
Board, white boards, and a kidney shaped table in which we congregate around to engage in
small group learning and discussions. I have a whole group area in which I alternate between
grouped seating and row seating depending on the whole group activities to be done.
In terms of the literacy environment, since I believe in the whole language theory, my
students are always practicing literacy skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing –
sometimes simultaneously – at the various zones in my classroom. Overall, students walk in each
day knowing they will have to engage in literacy. They also walk in knowing that they are still
novice readers and that they have a lot to learn, but also that they can learn from each other. I use
humor in my classroom as well as positive encouragement to keep my students smiling and
laughing while still expanding their knowledge and challenging themselves at the same time. A
safe and nurturing environment is what students need to that they can take advantage of the rich
literacy environment provided for them to thrive within my classroom domain.
The Role of Community in Literacy Learning
Families and community partners need to be involved in a student’s education. By
hosting Literacy Nights and informational sessions for parents on how to reinforce reading at
home, I am able to foster two-way communication with parents and the community about what
goes on in my classroom. I agree with Don Holdaway in that the first attempts at reading need to
be provided by parents and maintained throughout the child’s life. I help maintain a home
literacy environment for my students by allowing them to take home their work and even take

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home books to keep and read outside of school. Through communication with parents I am able
to keep them updated on their child’s progress and give them tips on how to support their child at
home. Learning does not just take place at school; it occurs in the home and the community.
Public libraries and events such as book drives, read alouds, and poetry slams are wonderful
literacy-based venues and events that foster literacy throughout the community.
Future Goals as Literacy Educator and Leader
Through further reflexive inquiry and continued professional development opportunities,
I strive to grow as a teacher. All teachers are teachers of literacy and my goal is support my
colleagues in enhancing literacy in their classrooms. In the past I have provided resources like
audiobooks, graphic novels, and graphic organizers to help teachers meet their goals in literacy. I
want to plan and run events in the community and my school that engages all types of people in
literacy so they understand the power of reading in daily life. I will continue to have literacy
nights twice a year to get parents into the school and involved more deeply in literacy with their
children. Giving dress down passes to attendees and providing food is a great way to hook
people and get them to attend; however, the ultimate goal is to intrinsically motivate my
students, their parents, and the community to value literacy and its potential benefits for our
community and generation.
Just within my classroom, I plan to implement ideas from colleagues and team up with
teachers to create lessons and authentic assessments that help our students understand that
reading is important; that just because they are in a class for struggling readers does not mean
they are less than the other students in the school or that they will always be poor readers. I plan
to continue to show my students who I am as a person and a reader and I hope to instill character
and motivation into my students as readers, writers, and leaders in their own world and ours.