Pedagogy
Literacy Statement
Introduction: It is the language and literacy that indeed make learning possible. Increased opportunities for oral and written literacy engagements advances and enhances content learning enterprises. Advancing student literacy for improved communicative competence can never be overemphasized. Literacy skills add both depth and breadth to the learning experience. Learning must be felt to be both enjoyable and empowering.
Philosophy: Literacy, in general, might be defined as the knowledge, understanding, and comprehension of particular subject matter(s) as measured by those of similar content-cultural norms. Expressions of content competence (evidence of expertise) can be demonstrated through preferred mediums of expression; those being typically oral and written venues. Today’s technological advances add any number of options to share our particular worlds with others quite literally around the world. The real, powerful, valued and rewarding enterprises are those where multiple contents come together to construct an infinite set of interchangeable contexts; an enterprise only humans would envision as being worthwhile. Why? Because we can.
Content: Social studies education, the generic heading for many other disciplines has, therefore, not only its internal content connections but some obviously broader connections among and between a wide range of other content constructs as well. Not a single other defined content area has the contexts of social studies embedded in its substance and purposes. History is, for an example, inseparable from government, culture and geography, and all influencing of science, math and technology. Social studies educators must see it as possible and of necessity to bring reality to their instruction and discourse if students are to become informed, reflective, critical and responsible students and citizens.
Pedagogy: Because active engagement, independent learning and responsible collaborations have been shown to exponentially improve on student attitude and enhance confidence, instructional decisions would do well to include and promote collaborative, peer-based, and student directed inquiry learning enterprises. Providing students with some content choices and instructional options generates a sense of trust and in turn a sense of responsibility.
Management: Learning can and will never become limited to the school or the classroom. Events both announced and otherwise will also influence students schooling choices and decisions. Thus to purposefully complement and add congruency to the classroom, one needs to be invitational to parents, extended family members and other agents and agencies to join in learning collaborations that authentically reflect the larger community’s realities as they might be successfully addressed through academic, vocational and social discourse and research.
Diversity: School populations are becoming increasingly more diverse. Classrooms are recognizably richer in multi-cultural and ethnic perspectives. Gender equity also remains an important social issue. Knowledge of and sensitivities to cultural mediums must be addressed. Literacy explorations inclusive of those which explore ethnicity and gender issues are essential.
Assessment: Student learning can be most effectively evaluated using literacy-based alternative assessments prompting of broader audiences, audiences beyond the teacher, and beyond the classroom. Relevant, authentic, and applicable assessments best demonstrate real student learning. Assessment formats engaging of parents, extended family and the larger community of professions, avocations, and businesses can also serve as a student link to the real world of and reasoning for valuing life-long learning.
Summary: Learning nor literacy can be left to chance nor made optional. Both must be made implicit and complementary to student’s learning encounters. Both are always and forever. Both are essential to being happy and successful. I am committed to making language, literacy, and learning the central theme of my classroom endeavors to reach those I am privileged to teach.
-Michael K. Hincker
540 230-9977
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