Lisa Holm

Philosophy of Literacy Education Statement

Reading is my passion, and I firmly believe that literacy is a crucial component in a childs
journey to becoming an effective, fully participating member of society. During the past ten
years, I have focused on becoming a more knowledgeable and skillful literacy practitioner and
strengthening my ability to provide strategic reading and writing instruction. My students, along
with the students of every other teacher, must possess strong literacy skills if they are to be
successful, contributing participants in !
st
century life.
"ll children need access to highly effective literacy teachers who believe that they are capable
of achieving high standards. #ohn Dewey said, $%hat the best and wisest parent wants for his
own child, that must the community want for all of its children. "ny other ideal for our schools
is narrow and unlovely& acted upon, it destroys our democracy.' Regardless of the circumstances
in which our students find themselves, we have to believe in them and provide them with the
highest (uality of literacy instruction. If an instructional practice would not be $good enough'
for my child, I should not accept it as $good enough' for someone elses child.
)iteracy learning occurs most effectively in a language*rich, socially interactive environment.
"s educators, we must provide our students with developmentally appropriate activities and
ongoing opportunities for rich oral language e+periences. Many years ago, Rousseau indicated
that $,ature wants children to be children before they are men . . . -hildhood has ways of seeing,
thinking, and feeling, peculiar to itself, nothing can be more foolish tan to substitute our ways for
them.' %e need to let our students be children, while nurturing their growth.
)ev .ygotsky, Russian psychologist, conceptuali/ed the idea of the 0one of 1ro+imal
Development 201D3, a foundational theory in literacy instruction. .ygotsky theori/ed that a
child has two levels of attainment4that which he can do independently and that which he could
potentially do with the help of others. 5he gap between the two levels of attainment is referred
to as the /one of pro+imal development. %ith the help of a More 6nowledgeable 7ther 2M673,
it is possible for the child to gain knowledge held by that individual. 5he knowledge must be
within the childs level of comprehension. If the task is too complicated, the child cannot learn it
until there is a shift in his 01D. 7nce a child reaches his potential, he is capable of taking on
new and more comple+ learning. In working with our students, we are the More 6nowledgeable
7ther. "s M67s assisting children in becoming accomplished readers, writers, listeners,
speakers, and thinkers, we must scaffold learning. %e must take our cues from our students and
be proficient in adjusting the amount of support we provide. 7ur work involves fle+ible
partnerships, and we must remember that the $teacher is not in the school to impose certain ideas
or to form certain habits in the child, but is there as a member of the community to select the
influences which shall affect the child and to assist him in properly responding to these. 5hus
the teacher becomes a partner in the learning process, guiding students to independently discover
meaning within the subject area' 2Dewey3. 8ach literacy educator must ask him9herself, $"m I a
partner in the learning process:' or $"m I a taskmaster:'
%hen a child struggles with reading and9or writing, it does not mean that the child cannot
learn. Rather than attempting to assign blame, Marie -lay admonishes us to e+amine our
teaching when a student doesnt learn. If my student struggles with literacy learning, it is
because I have not yet found the way to teach him9her.