Running head: PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING ELA 1

Philosophy of Teaching English Language Arts

Roxanne Loving

Gardner-Webb University
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Philosophy of Teaching English Language Arts

As Donald Murray (1972/2009) explains in Teach Writing as a Process Not Product, a

process-based approach to teaching English focuses on discovery through language and on

using language to learn about our world, to evaluate what we learn about our world, to

communicate what we learn about our world (p. 2). As the cornerstone of my teaching

philosophy, a process-based approach to learning encourages students to develop comprehensive

literacy skills, to embrace their own learning processes, and to collaborate and communicate

effectively.

The process of developing 21st-Century literacy skills begins with students reading,

writing, and thinking critically in authentic contexts. For example, after reading and analyzing

Arthur Millers The Crucible, a drama depicting the Salem Witch Trials, students read

informational texts and speeches concerning other historical instances of injustice, analyze the

rhetorical strategies of those speeches, and compare them to the rhetoric of modern-day social

media posts. Students are surprised to find that the rhetorical strategies used in social media

pages of local businesses are similar to the rhetorical strategies used by Martin Luther King Jr.,

Abraham Lincoln, and Susan B. Anthony. When students begin to develop their own persuasive

essays, they utilize the strategies gleaned from their reading to convey their ideas and arguments.

Because students have focused on the process of effective communication through reading,

writing, analysis, and application to real-world scenarios, their confidence in, and ability to

apply, these literacy skills is strengthened.

My process-based approach to teaching also embraces the varied learning styles of

students and encourages student ownership of the learning process. For example, students engage
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with reading and writing using low-stakes activities: journal entries, exit tickets, responses to

reflective reading questions, mock social media posts, discussion board posts, and annotations.

When given the freedom to evaluate these strategies to determine which ones best fit their

learning styles, students begin to make conscious decisions regarding how they wish to approach

and organize their learning. Modeling is also an integral part of my process-based approach;

when students are writing research papers, I ask them to watch as I conduct research, write

paragraphs, revise my writing, and edit mistakes. During the process of reading complex texts, I

model my thinking by asking students to engage with me in discussing, questioning, and

challenging the text. Observing my learning process gives students the confidence to develop

their own processes and to embrace the obstacles they face as they work to become mindful

readers and thoughtful writers.

Technology-enhanced collaboration is also an important element of the process-based

approach to learning in my classroom. When students analyze novels and poetry in literature

circles using online discussion boards and group wiki pages, they must communicate and

problem-solve to synthesize their ideas, and when students write collaboratively and give

feedback using Google Docs during writing workshops, they must exhibit digital communication

skills appropriate to their audience and purpose. In this way, technology-driven collaboration

enhances the process approach by emphasizing the importance of effective communication in a

variety of contexts. Students will apply these skills, along with the individualized literacy

processes developed through reading, writing, and critical thinking, to their future endeavors in

academics, careers, and community involvement.

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References

Murray, D. (2009). Teach Writing as a Process Not Product. In T. Newkirk & L. Miller (Eds.),

The Essential Don Murray: Lessons from Americas greatest writing teacher (pp. 1-5).

Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook. (Reprinted from Leaflet, pp.11-14, November 1972).

Retrieved from http://www.heinemann.com/shared/onlineresources/0600/web%20

sample_murray.pdf.