- Conferences & Workshops
- Independent Development
Attended:
Teaching American History - D.C. and the Surrounding Area Travel Experience
Sites visited included -
The Museum of the Confederacy and the home of Jefferson Davis
Colonial Williamsburg
Gettysburg Battlefield
Antietam Battlefield
Harper's Ferry
Monticello
Mount Vernon
D.C. Memorials
The Spy Museum
The U.S. Holocaust Museum
The Newseum
Ford's Theatre
Lincoln's Cottage and
The U.S. Capitol
Teaching American History - World War I: The American Experience
Reflection -
Attending the professional development seminar focusing on the American experience of WWI reinforced the importance of teachers being life-long learners. Not only was the content presented at the session valuable, I was also introduced to some new teaching methods as well. The seminar also allowed me to work collaboratively with other teachers and learn from their experience and different teaching approaches.
The most valuable content I learned from the seminar focused on local history. Often lessons focusing on wars are taught from an international political perspective, which overlooks the affects of conflicts on society and locally. Introducing students to the ways the war affected local societies should make the topic more interesting and pertinent to the student’s life. It is easy for students often feel detached from history because the events they study are often distant when considering both time and place. Introducing students to local history makes the study of a topic more relevant and accessible because you can talk about places students are familiar with and have seen themselves. Using the primary source documents presented at the seminar from the National Archives at Chicago would be ways to incorporate the study of local history. Arranging for the local historical society to bring historical artifact into the classroom would also enhance student interest.
The most valuable content I learned from the seminar focused on local history. Often lessons focusing on wars are taught from an international political perspective, which overlooks the affects of conflicts on society and locally. Introducing students to the ways the war affected local societies should make the topic more interesting and pertinent to the student’s life. It is easy for students often feel detached from history because the events they study are often distant when considering both time and place. Introducing students to local history makes the study of a topic more relevant and accessible because you can talk about places students are familiar with and have seen themselves. Using the primary source documents presented at the seminar from the National Archives at Chicago would be ways to incorporate the study of local history. Arranging for the local historical society to bring historical artifact into the classroom would also enhance student interest.
At the seminar I was also introduced to a couple of valuable teaching methods. The approach to teaching primary sources that I believe was most beneficial required students to read a primary source using the acronym SOAP as a guide to evaluating not only the content of the primary source but also the subtext. This approach required student to identify the speaker, occasion, audience, and purpose of a primary source. This method would help students understand that to analyze a primary source they must look beyond the face value.
The other teaching method I was introduced to, that I will most definitely use in my classroom, was the four corners activity demonstrated when discussing the balance between security and freedom of expression. Allowing students to choose what they feel is the best description of an issue and then having them move in the classroom to form groups that will then discuss their perspective and share it with the class would be engaging. The activity is also beneficial because it would help students conceptualize difficult ideas and conflicting perspectives. This activity is also very adaptable. It could be used for a variety of topics and positions.
Overall, the professional development seminar was quite helpful in introducing me to new content about WWI and different teaching methods that could be utilized when teaching a variety of topics.
DuPage Valley Social Studies Conference - February 26, 2010
Session 1: Pericles and Democratic Athens
Session 2: Politics, Words, and Purpose: Whose Lexicon Do We Use?
Session 3: The Partition of India
Teaching American History - Teachers Fall Workshop - September 25, 2011
A Historical View of Two Presidents - L.B.J. and J.F.K.
I plan on enrolling in an online gifted education certification course in the fall as well as attending two AP history teaching seminars and finishing my Master's thesis.
Independent Professional Development -
Technology:
I am a member of the SMART Board Revolution website, and use this resource as a reference when developing SMART Board activities and assessments.
Adolescent Development:
I am currently reviewing the online course offered through Tufts University for the following courses:
Promoting Positive Development Among Youth
Intellectual Development
Teaching:
I am currently reading and working through the companion workbook for:
Teach Like a Champion - by Doug Lemov
At the end of the summer I plan on posting blog updates about my reactions and reflections ti this highly informative book.
