General Instructional Approach

I focus on supporting students' growth toward becoming independent, life-long learners by building strong habits of mind and critical thinking skills and creating compelling whys that drive engagement with the English curriculum. As such, I prioritize generalizeable strategies for reading and writing that students can apply to analyze texts in a variety of media and genres ranging from the complex academic and literary texts they will encounter in the professional and collegiate world to the movies and comic books they currently consume. Among my previous students, I am particularly known for textual annotation strategies that facilitate meaning-making and in-depth analysis through the use of standards-based questions that students ask themselves as they read. I was also widely recognized as the "Queen of Room Escapes" because I enjoy designing them and find that they serve as an effective and engaging method for teaching not only problem-solving, critical thinking, and textual analysis strategies but also "soft skills" like collaboration and resilience in the face of challenging tasks.

Since current research supports teaching grammar and vocabulary in-context, I use each text my students encounter as a mentor for specific skills related to diction, mechanics, syntax, and related skills. This ensures students gain authentic, application-based skills in these areas rather than simple rote memorization. It also fosters engagement as students see from the start of the unit the impact of learning these key skills on their ability to communicate effectively.

Although multiple-choice assessments are a fact of life for students today, my classroom assessments are based on two key factors: validity and authenticity. I want students to show me what they know about the specific target standards and skills, not what minor details they can remember about a text. For that reason, I strive to provide multiple ways for students to demonstrate mastery. I also emphasize authenticity in my assesment design since it not only supports student engagement but also demonstrates the relevance of the English curriculum to everyday life. In my classroom, students create documentary podcasts, deliver TED Talks and campaign speeches, hold mock trials, write resumes, curate exhibits, and apply the lessons of literature to what they learn across the curriculum and see in their communities.

As a teacher who has looped English I and English II, teaching them to the same students in consecutive semesters or years, I have unique expertise in vertical alignment. Teaching 9th and 10th grade students has also instilled in me a passion for social-emotional learning as I support their transition from adolescence to young adulthood and into the world of higher learning. This was especially true in my most recent teaching position at Cumberland Polytechnic High School, a Collaborative Innovative High School (Early College) in Fayetteville, NC. There, students begin taking college classes in the first semester of their 9th-grade year and must adjust quickly to a rigorous, accelerated high school curriculum. My Course Reflection Surveys and SMARTER Goals Check-Ins represent just part of how this manifests in my classroom.

To see examples of my instructional materials or student work, please contact me at leighanne.does@gmail.com!