Teaching Philosophy and Goals
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My philosophy is that every student is able to learn and grow in both an academic and an intellectual way.
Students come into my classroom from such different places in life. I have students who have come from broken homes, moved every few months with the military, have babies, are homeless, eat breakfast in my class because school is the only place they have food, and so many more scenarios- It is my job to not only teach every one of them the subject matter necessary to master the course, but also to be able to think critically about any situation or subject matter they face.
I am to take them where they are and move them one step closer to being a productive member of society. I realize I cannot make their personal life better or to make each student equal in intellect and ability, but I can meet students where they are and work together with a team of collogues, parents, counselors, and of course the student themselves to reach that student’s potential for that year.
I try to take the whole student into account when planning lessons and assessing knowledge. I cannot judge the class as a whole. I must look at the individual student in order to accurately gage understanding. I use a variety of activities in order to hit every learning style possible as well as grouping students heterogeneously in skill level in hopes of the higher level being able to not only understand the material but to be able to explain it as well. I also hope the lower level students would be able to better understand the material if a peer reteaches the information.
It is my fervent hope that each student leaves my class better for having been here. That they emerge with a knowledge of not only history, but also as critical thinkers ready to face the world before them.
Students come into my classroom from such different places in life. I have students who have come from broken homes, moved every few months with the military, have babies, are homeless, eat breakfast in my class because school is the only place they have food, and so many more scenarios- It is my job to not only teach every one of them the subject matter necessary to master the course, but also to be able to think critically about any situation or subject matter they face.
I am to take them where they are and move them one step closer to being a productive member of society. I realize I cannot make their personal life better or to make each student equal in intellect and ability, but I can meet students where they are and work together with a team of collogues, parents, counselors, and of course the student themselves to reach that student’s potential for that year.
I try to take the whole student into account when planning lessons and assessing knowledge. I cannot judge the class as a whole. I must look at the individual student in order to accurately gage understanding. I use a variety of activities in order to hit every learning style possible as well as grouping students heterogeneously in skill level in hopes of the higher level being able to not only understand the material but to be able to explain it as well. I also hope the lower level students would be able to better understand the material if a peer reteaches the information.
It is my fervent hope that each student leaves my class better for having been here. That they emerge with a knowledge of not only history, but also as critical thinkers ready to face the world before them.
Teaching Responsibilities
Courses Taught :
This year I teach regular and inclusion geography courses, as well as AP Psychology. My students were a mix of ability levels and personalities. While I hit every state mandated TEK, I focused much of our course on regional geography and cultural characteristics of each place as well as Human and Environment interaction. Each unit I tried to vary my activities while still providing a high standard of education to every student.
Adapting and Modifying
It is my job to modify and adapt my lesson plans and assessments for each student depending on their ability level or the legal accommodations for students with disabilities (i.e- 504).
I use preferential seating, visual cues, constant repetition of goals/steps, and allow the use of supplementary materials on a regular basis in every class. Some students receive modified tests or shortened assignments depending on their ability level. I allow all students access to teacher generated notes and assignments with the condition that they show me an attempt to copy/complete the work. I also post all my assignments and notes on this site.
For the students who need more help, I am available before and after school as well as by email or comment on this site.
Working as a Team
I feel the geography teachers we have at this campus do a great job of this. We often collaborate on assignments, assessments, and daily classroom issues. We utilize our common conference period to plan for the week and discuss what techniques we utilized in the classroom that worked and which missed the mark. We give suggestions and input ideas for ways to improve lessons and what we can do for re-teaching/reviewing.
We also have worked as a department to get the kids up and moving between the classrooms. We did an immersion lesson last year for "walk a mile" day where each classroom was a unique country. Each student and their parent had to identify the government system and economic system in each country and analyze the push and pull factors for each. It was highly successful and the students still mention it. We also did a department wide water walk this year. I think these outside the box lessons, while time consuming from a planning perspective, are highly beneficial to the students.
I am glad that I am an important contributing member of this team.
This year I teach regular and inclusion geography courses, as well as AP Psychology. My students were a mix of ability levels and personalities. While I hit every state mandated TEK, I focused much of our course on regional geography and cultural characteristics of each place as well as Human and Environment interaction. Each unit I tried to vary my activities while still providing a high standard of education to every student.
Adapting and Modifying
It is my job to modify and adapt my lesson plans and assessments for each student depending on their ability level or the legal accommodations for students with disabilities (i.e- 504).
I use preferential seating, visual cues, constant repetition of goals/steps, and allow the use of supplementary materials on a regular basis in every class. Some students receive modified tests or shortened assignments depending on their ability level. I allow all students access to teacher generated notes and assignments with the condition that they show me an attempt to copy/complete the work. I also post all my assignments and notes on this site.
For the students who need more help, I am available before and after school as well as by email or comment on this site.
Working as a Team
I feel the geography teachers we have at this campus do a great job of this. We often collaborate on assignments, assessments, and daily classroom issues. We utilize our common conference period to plan for the week and discuss what techniques we utilized in the classroom that worked and which missed the mark. We give suggestions and input ideas for ways to improve lessons and what we can do for re-teaching/reviewing.
We also have worked as a department to get the kids up and moving between the classrooms. We did an immersion lesson last year for "walk a mile" day where each classroom was a unique country. Each student and their parent had to identify the government system and economic system in each country and analyze the push and pull factors for each. It was highly successful and the students still mention it. We also did a department wide water walk this year. I think these outside the box lessons, while time consuming from a planning perspective, are highly beneficial to the students.
I am glad that I am an important contributing member of this team.
Use of Technology
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I try to utilize the technology available as much as possible. I believe that i order for students to learn well they must be able to work with the material themselves. I try to get students to research and create as muss as the course and campus permit. I have a website and remind101 to keep in contact with the students and I create projects and class assignments that permit hands on learning.
Student use of Technology:
Student Websites for SW Asia/N Africa Project:
Student use of Technology:
- played with GIS and Google Maps
- used cell phone and electronic devices to research and do scavenger hunts
- Used Mimio technology to make notes more interactive.
- write opinions and answer questions during notes on iPad
- research and create projects
- ABC culture book- students researched special topics within a Latin American country and created a child's ABC book with the details.
- European Immigration Project- students had to create 3 questions they still had about European Immigration after reading selected news articles and research the answers. Student's also had to create a poster with the information and a T chart over positive and negative effects of immigration
- Russia Trip- Students had to pretend they were taking a trip on the Trans Siberian Railroad and tell me how they got there, what they saw and what they did on each stop. They had to create a brochure detailing their trip.
- SouthWest Asia/ North Africa Country- students had to complete a country profile sheet and then transform the information into a website.
- Ethnic Groups in Sub-Saharan Africa- Students used technology to create a 'snapshot' of culture about various ethnic groups in Subsaharan Africa.
- Country Travel Posters of South Asia- Students used technology to research and complete a country profile and create a travel poster about a country in South Asia
- Agriculture in East Asia- Students will look up traditional recipes from a country in East Asia.
Student Websites for SW Asia/N Africa Project: