Social studies education for grades 7-12

¶ … Tracking Progress

As a social studies teacher, one of my proudest accomplishments is when students take a real and meaningful interest in history. I love hearing students talk about how they enjoyed a historical movie or television series with their family and can identify things we studied in class on the 'silver screen.' I also delight when we have discussions about current events and students can make comparisons between 'then' and 'now.' I was very proud when the class had a group discussion to 'debrief' us all regarding the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The students were able to discuss the situation so compassionately and with such insight. They were able to use the critical thinking tools I have tried to give them as a teacher very well.

Because I have to meet state standards as part of my requirements as a teacher, I try to strike a balance between teaching the core, basic information students must learn and allowing students some creative leeway. Although I use tests and examinations to prepare my students for taking the standardized tests necessary to graduate, I also try to assign fun activities as well to encourage children to feel that the information they are learning is not something they only need to know for a test.

I track student progress using a variety of methods. I do use grades on tests and quizzes to monitor how well students comprehend the material and how hard they are working. I also use these methods of assessments to tell how well I am doing as an educator, to see if I am making the material sufficiently clear to students. However, as well as objective methods to determine student achievement, I also have students compile a portfolio of work that they feel represents their work over the course of a semester. This enables me to take into consideration the trajectory of student improvement as well as measure students against the ideal.

Question 2: Email feedback

Dear Principal X:

Thank you so much for taking the time to observe my class. I appreciate having a second pair of eyes to critique my performance in the classroom. As you observed, this class has been exciting as well as challenging for me to teach. Although the majority of the class is eager to learn, a number of students face personal challenges regarding their attentiveness in class. I have revised the seating assignments accordingly, to ensure that these students do not 'hang to the back' of the classroom and socialize. One of the disadvantages of the size of my classroom is that it is very difficult to monitor students in the back. I will also make more of an effort to meet with students individually who are struggling or who have disciplinary problems. I am pleased that I have instilled in all of the children the importance of writing down homework assignments and going to the next class in an orderly fashion, but performance during class time remains a work in progress for some students. By the end of the year, I am confident that they will have mastered these skills.

I was concerned to read that some of the ESL students appeared not to be listening to the lecture, which indicates to me that they may have difficulty in comprehending some of the assignments. I already try to modify my assignments when necessary for these students by giving these students reading passages with simpler vocabulary until their skills are more on parity with the rest of the class and I define difficult words when teaching the class as a whole. Teaching ESL students with different comprehension levels of English requires a very individualized program for each student. Based upon your concerns and the underperforming of several ESL students on recent quizzes, I have spoken with the director of the school's resource room and asked her to spend additional time with my students. Thank you once again for your comments, and I look forward to another visit from you in the future.

Question 3: Instructional expectations

Instructional expectations are established both in a literal and in an implied fashion. On a very literal level, I am careful to tell students exactly what they need for each assignment. I write down the homework for the day on a white board or chalkboard, so the students cannot forget or claim they did not know that something was due. For long-term projects, I periodically remind students about the future due date, and I also try to break such projects down into manageable chunks. My belief in the importance of goal-setting is inherent in the way I design lectures and assignments. I will write down the intended purpose of the assignment before the lecture in words students can understand, and when students receive assignments they also receive grading rubrics, defining the standards by which their work will be measured.

At the beginning of the year, I make a short speech talking about the expectations for both students and teachers in the classroom: they have the responsibility to pay attention; to come to class on time; to try their best; and to do their work. I have a responsibility to prepare for class; to listen to them; to preserve order and to see that they learn. I reinforce these expectations by 'signposting' my lectures so students know why they are learning something; enforcing discipline in a consistent and fair manner (I am not unreasonably strict, but I do not make many exceptions about infractions of classroom rules), and above all treating students as if they want to learn. Rather than viewing the class as 'the enemy' like some teachers do, I approach teaching even difficult students with the expectation that they can learn, even if they may need additional assistance to accomplish the goals I have for them.

Question 4: Objective of my lesson plan

The objective of my lesson plan on "The Progressives" was for students to specifically be able to understand the reasons behind President Roosevelt's plan to end the coal miners' strike of 1901 and to more generally understand the Progressive Movement in the United States. The Progressive Movement is an extremely important part of American history because many of the reforms we take for granted in terms of how workers are treated began as the result of Progressive concerns. Also, the issues important to the Progressives, including women's rights; labor rights; food safety; and the problems that are inherent to industrialization in America, are concerns of many reformers in America today. The problems the Progressives wished to address have not vanished, even though they accomplished many meaningful, concrete objectives.