______________________________________________________________________________
My main goal is to develop a community of learners that encourages students to find personal relevance in the social sciences, engages student interest, fosters a desire for lifelong learning, incorporates authentic educational situations, and inspires individuals to meet their own academic goals. I firmly believe that social studies is a hands-on learning discipline, and aim to provide as many opportunities as possible for my students to do so. Below you will see a gallery of examples of this active, student-driven learning taking place in my classroom, as well as a list of my most deeply held teaching pedagogies.
______________________________________________________________________________
My main goal is to develop a community of learners that encourages students to find personal relevance in the social sciences, engages student interest, fosters a desire for lifelong learning, incorporates authentic educational situations, and inspires individuals to meet their own academic goals. I firmly believe that social studies is a hands-on learning discipline, and aim to provide as many opportunities as possible for my students to do so. Below you will see a gallery of examples of this active, student-driven learning taking place in my classroom, as well as a list of my most deeply held teaching pedagogies.
______________________________________________________________________________
(Students creating, playing, and interacting with various social studies lesson topics)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
As a high school teacher, I consistently strive to:
1. Create a classroom environment that inspires students to learn and is welcoming, positive, and fair.
2. Teach students about the value of others’ opinions—including their own—and to be sure that the utmost respect is maintained within the classroom.
3. Demonstrate enthusiasm and optimistic thinking.
4. Believe in the ability of each student as an individual and expect all students to learn.
5. Establish high, yet not unreachable, standards and provide support to students to reach those goals.
6. Ensure that students’ learning needs are the primary focus of attention at all times.
7. Foster the movement of knowledge into deeper student understanding.
8. Incorporate technology tools in ways that are both interactive and meaningful for students’academic and personal goals.
9. Remember that “knowledge” is relative.
10. Expose students to alternate viewpoints.
11. Facilitate learning by being actively involved in each student’s learning process.
12. Promote the development of interactive communication skills by having students work successfully with group members.
13. Actively engage students in their learning experiences.
14. Ensure that the social sciences apply to students' personal lives and are meaningful--especially by relating to other curricular domains.
15. Utilize assessments that are as authentic as possible--not only to foster deeper understanding, but to adequately prepare students for future endeavors.
16. Acknowledge that individual learning outcomes may vary.
17. Provide specific and meaningful positive feedback and encouragement to my students in order to foster intrinsic motivation.
18. Monitor each student’s learning progress and plan lessons according to the needs of individuals, groups, and/or the whole class.
19.Foster independent learning and expect students to take responsibility for their learning.
20. Model the behavior that is expected of all students.
21. Create a learning environment that is thoughtful, while making connections with students to generate a sense of community.
22. Learn from students, be prepared, and enhance my own understanding regarding content.
23. Collaborate with my colleagues to both vertically and horizontally align school curriculum.
24. Continually reflect on my practice and demonstrate my commitment to lifelong learning by furthering my own professional development.
25. Hold myself accountable to high standards of performance and continually seek improvement.
_______________________________________________________________________________
~Back to Top~
~Back to Top~