Digital Primary Sources

I think that digital primary sources are very important. They allow students and the teacher to access a wide variety of documents and material that they would not otherwise be able to access. The internet is a great place to get started. It has such an incredible wealth of material out there.

I will try and incorporate digital primary sources in a variety of ways. First, I may use the sources to simply boost the content of my lectures, perhaps drawing on diaries or letters for quotes. Next, I will use them to enhance lecture. Pictures and other images, such as maps, are excellent resources to help ‘spice things up’. I was especially impressed by the video of the Civil War battles in four minutes. That is a tool which will help all students understand the course of the war, but especially diverse learners. I will also use digital primary sources as a resource for my students to use for in class projects. Taking the students to the computer lab and allowing them to access the primary sources online themselves is an excellent way to not only introduce them to the sources and research methods but will also allow them to learn in a different and interesting way. Finally, I will direct the students to the sources for projects outside of class.

Digital primary sources are an excellent resource for a social studies teacher. As a teacher, I could spend hours exploring the various cites, and hopefully by sharing the sources with my students, I will be able to encourage them to do the same.

the tolerant classroom

The answer to the question of whether or not one’s classroom should be a tolerant one is very simple. Yes! Diversity is a key to education. If students do not learn to appreciate diversity in school, it is unlikely that they will ever learn to appreciate it in life. Diversity is essential in the global society we live in. You can try to teach an appreciation for diversity, but kids must actually experience an environment that is tolerant and open-minded before they really learn to value diversity.
I want for my classroom to be a place where students feel comfortable and relaxed. At the same time, I want them to understand that it is a place where they need to get their work done. To establish this atmosphere, I will make several things clear during the first days of school. First, I will lay out groundwork for rules that the students must follow. There will not be an excessive amount of rules, I do not want the students to feel like they are in a prison, but they need to know what is expected of them. One of the main rules which I will have, and which I will try to enforce perhaps the most diligently, is that students must be respectful of one another. If students respect each other and learn to listen to what other people have to say, then they will begin to learn to appreciate tolerance and diversity. It will also help to create a more relaxed atmosphere if students feel like they can speak their minds and say whatever it is that they believe without worrying about ridicule. This easily leads into another objective which I will want to convey to the students early: it is ok to disagree with me. Undoubtedly there will be times throughout the year when students will disagree with ideas I have. As long as these opinions are expressed in a respectful and well thought out manner, then I will encourage the students to disagree with me. While disagreeing, they will be learning higher thinking skills while again also learning to be tolerant of dissenting views and diversity. To help to ensure that students feel comfortable with each other and with me, I will attempt to get to know each student as best as I can to make sure that we all get along as best as possible. At the same time, I will not try and be the “cool” teacher who lets students walk all over him. I will conduct myself with a professional attitude and will make sure that when it is time to do work, we will indeed do just that. But, it is important that students have a bit of fun at school.
Tolerance is imperative in education. Not only does it help to facilitate learning, but it is a necessary trait that all students should have before they enter the ‘real’ globalized world.

Autobiography

I suppose that the best place to start for writing about what will influence my teaching of social studies is a brief look at why I am going into teaching. I planned for several years to work in a Museum setting, but after an internship I realized that this was not my calling. My job was not meaningful. I realized that for me to be happy after college I needed to work in a profession that I found significant and that I felt made a difference. A few days spent working with the Museum’s Education Department allowed me to experience work that did feel meaningful. This is why I chose to teach. This will also influence my teaching. I will approach teaching in a way that not only allows me to teach students the content but will also allow me to impact their lives in a meaningful way. This means teaching higher level thinking skills and the importance of being good citizen.
The second aspect of who I am that will influence my teaching is my love of History. Clearly as someone who majored in history I have a passion for history. I love the topic and enjoy learning myself. In my spare time I enjoy reading books that deal with history, whether fact or historical based fiction. I will attempt to share this passion with my students as I enter the classroom. The best teachers that I have had have loved history and their passion is contagious. I hope to continue my own learning from both new studies and books and also from my students.
Next, I firmly believe in the value of discussion. Discussion in the classroom is important for several reasons. Most importantly, I believe that the importance of studying history and social studies is not just to learn the facts and information but also to promote higher level thinking. Students need to know how to think critically and write well. These are the skills that will really help students do well once they are out of school. Discussion is also important because it allows students to express their own thoughts and realize what is important to them. Furthermore, it allows students to learn more about their classmates. Finally, discussion breaks up the monotony of lecture and makes class more interesting and fun.
A final factor that will influence my teaching is my desire to respect everyone. I believe that, regardless of backgrounds, every student deserves to be respected. Some of the worst teachers I have had did not respect students, while the best respected everyone. The best teachers were interested in our lives. I will try to learn as much about my students as possible.
Teaching will hopefully be an exciting and rewarding career. It will be a lot of work, but it will be worth it!