THE EVOLUTION OF MY IDENTITY AS A LITERACY EDUCATOR THROUGHOUT MY ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS METHODS COURSE

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and explore the evolution of my identity as a literacy educator throughout the course of my English Language Arts (ELA) Instruction Methods course. This study was conducted as self-study research with the mentorship and guidance of a critical friend. The goal of this study was to better understand my personal beliefs and values in regard to literacy education practices and how I can and will implement them into my future classroom. To further understand my personal identity as a literacy educator and to answer this question, research was completed using data from multiple sources including coursework from the ELA Instruction Methods course, weekly journal entries, and recorded conversations with said critical friend. The results of this research represent my identity and feelings about literacy education, my experiences with literacy education, as well as new understandings I came to gain regarding literacy education and its approaches.