BA#1 MS Templates

I am a firm believer in active learning and can employ a variety of methods to encourage self-directed learning as well as safe and open discussion. One way to accomplish this would be to organize a debate between students in the classroom to support or disagree with a major decision made by a key figure in history. This requires students to actively research facts to gain evidence for their stance and sufficiently explain their opinions. The debate also requires the students to consider facts and opinions that they may not necessarily agree with, with the hope of leading them to the understanding that things in history – and indeed in life – are rarely one-sided or have simple either-or choices. Guided discussion using a computer-based platform is another great tool for fostering in-depth discussion. This method allows the teacher to moderate the discussion without directly interfering and ensures that every student is actively engaged by requiring a minimum number of responses from each person.

I am also a proponent of writing exercises. These can come in the form of one or more required formal essays, but I would also require students to keep a daily writing log. The formal essays require that a student be able to think and organize logically, not only on the essay itself but also while conducting research and compiling information. The research phase also encourages the student to be self-advocates in their education by requiring them to think independently about what sources of information they want to incorporate, where to find them, and why it is pertinent. While the formal essay teaches necessary structured writing techniques, the daily writing log is much less restrictive, allowing students the freedom to express their instinctual thoughts, reactions, and emotions about a given topic. This allows students to think critically and respond honestly without the fear of their responses being criticized; the writing log will only ever be viewed by myself, and only to ensure that the task was completed and adequate thought given to the prompt – never to judge the response itself.

In summary, I am committed to the ideal that students perform best when allowed the opportunity to think for themselves and have an investment in their own education. I believe in inspiring students to not only learn, but inspiring them to be people of great character. Each student is a unique individual and has unique learning styles that should be cultivated and valued. Indeed, I value each student and strive to inspire them to continue learning, never being satisfied with the crop they have, but using the tools they’ve learned in my class to irrigate the next desert in their lives.