From Examination to Execution
While content knowledge is indispensable, teachers must be able to express, communicate, and transfer this knowledge to students to be successful in cultivating student growth in the subject. Teachers should be able to use knowledge to connect ideas and concepts that are meaningful to help students grasp necessary comprehension and skills. Teachers should understand how to cultivate critical thinking and creative problem solving by applying their expertise. Furthermore, teachers create and develop multi-leveled comprehension by incorporating varying perspectives, disciplines, and interpretations of subjects and content. Through proper application, teachers expand content areas beyond the classroom to real-world applications and lasting, life-long learning.
I believe that being able to clearly and articulately express and disseminate knowledge are essential to becoming a successful teacher. Obtaining and knowing content knowledge can only go so far, if you lack the skills to transfer this knowledge to students. I think one of the most useful skills I acquired in my educational pursuits is the ability to create coherent ideas with a variety of information and knowledge. I harnessed and refined this skills through my research and writing and I think the culmination is apparent in my Master’s thesis on military culture and the effects of the Vietnam War. Working for over a year, I collected a vast amount of research data which I synthesized into an argumentative essay. I strongly believe these skills are necessary in transferring knowledge from the teacher to the students.
The skill of synthesizing information should be thoughtfully applied to lesson plans everyday. Rather than stating or rehashing information, teachers should use a variety of methods to instruct and allow students to learn and adsorb content. A great way of achieving this is through differentiating learning. By creating opportunities for students to engage with content and lessons in a variety of ways, teachers are incorporating higher levels of student learning. In my lesson plans, I often incorporate activities, which allow students to interact with content and dig deeper into specific content areas. It also helps to find an engaging and fun activities to keep students relating to the content. Above is a student meme about the 5th Amendment created for a Bill of Rights project and presentation for AP Government.
I believe that in the social studies field, teachers must apply content to real-world situations as often as possible. The days of remembering dates and events are behind us. As a social studies teacher, I need to assure that students are able to discern factual information and work to create real-life solutions. In my student teaching experience, I continually attempted to construct assignments and projects incorporating real-world information and decision-making. In one activity for World Geography, students analyzed recent news articles to understand historical conflicts throughout Asia.
For more detailed information on my ideas regarding application of content, please see my essay on Virginia Professional Practice Standard (PPS) #1: Professional Knowledge.