Blog One

Introduction

            I am twenty-one year old, Sherrie Leonce, a current teacher in training at the Division of Teacher Education and Education Administration of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College. I hope to be an excellent teacher, who can identify and address the various issues individual students can encounter and to guide them gradually towards becoming independent thinkers and learners.

            I have chosen to minor in the Language Arts because I believe that in order for the students to progress in other subject areas, they must have a good foundation in the language in which most materials are written. Since a non-standard form of English is used by most of the Caribbean’s people, I believe it is necessary as a teacher to help the students differentiate between the standard and non-standard forms, while showing an appreciation for language and its beauty as a whole. Literature provides the perfect forum in which such an appreciation can be inculcated into the students.

            This portfolio is meant to show a progression of ideas as to how Language Arts skills, as well as an appreciation of Literature, can be developed among students in the secondary school classrooms. I hope to understand the best ways to help students accomplish these skills needed not only for the classroom, but for life. In order to do so, I will take into consideration the philosophy of learning.

            According to Knowles, Holton and Swanson (1998), the most effective learning occurs when the learner takes responsibility for his or her own learning, and are cooperative  and collaborative with, and supportive of each other. They continue by stating that the most effective learning occurs when classes are student- centred, which allows students to be active in the learning process. This encourages students to develop critical thinking skills and to identify their most effective learning styles as well as develop lifelong learning skills. According to Knowles et al (1998), there should also be carefully constructed learning activities to motivate students to learn and integrate their knowledge into ‘real life’ situations. They added that students should be provided opportunities to demonstrate their learning and mastery of course objectives.

            In order to effectively teach Language Arts, I believe that all of these aspects must be brought into the classroom, as they give the students an opportunity to achieve a holistic, in depth understanding of the Arts and an appreciation of Literature in all forms.

Source:
http://homepages.wmich.edu/~dhazel/HomePage/PhilosophyofLearning.html