Parent+Outreach

=PARENT OUTREACH=

The way I teach social studies might be a bit different than the way you were taught as a student. I rarely lecture and have students take notes. Research shows that very few students learn effectively that way. Instead, I plan assignments that get students involved in their own learning.

In history I believe that history is NOT rote memorization of facts, contrary to popular belief. Rather, history is a process that helps us understand the past. Historians look at sources to reach conclusions about what has happened. In this course we will take a similar approach. A big question that students will always need to ask is “Why?” as students look at sources, reach conclusions, and challenge the conclusions of others. This method of historical thinking is what helps students become better critical thinkers and is valued by history teachers in higher education. We will be exploring history, asking questions, and reaching conclusions in a variety of ways in hopes of not only learning a great deal about our nation’s past, but also having a little bit of fun along the way.

I try to bring in real-world relevance to the study of economics. Economics is about more than just money, it is instead the study of how people allocate scarce resources. It has a lot to do with decision making. Therefore, I strive to design student experiences that involve solving a problem. I have them make decisions, justify them, explain them using economic ideas and concepts. Many of those problems we solve are real problems in today's economy.

In all of my classes, I act as facilitator to help students reach the learning goals and develop the skills they need to succeed. I like to focus on transferable skills that are useful in numerous situations. Four specific skills I like to focus on are information literacy, inventive thinking, effective communication, and collaboration. I think that these skills help students succeed in the future, no matter what their path may be.

Technology use is another major component of my class. If I want to prepare my students for the future, learning how to use new technology is paramount to their success. Many of the assignments and lessons integrate technology use to research, collaborate and create.

To delve a little further into my teaching philosophy, feel free to visit the links below:

http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/ http://ushistoryeducatorblog.blogspot.com/ http://www.p21.org/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv7p7BaJom4