Let the adventure begin!

 Preparing to teach social studies during the ongoing COVID19 pandemic has added a relatively new dimension to the education discipline by necessity. That higher dimension is technology. Platforms such as Canva, Moodle, Blogger, Zoom and Google Classroom is how the pedagogy of instruction has adapted to our rapidly changing world and enables educators to reach more student’s minds and change more lives than ever before. Since these platforms lengthen the arms of educators, it is reasonable to conclude that many of these online instructional platforms will occupy a place in a post COVID world and during my career as an educator.

Intimidation, fear, frustration and confusion accurately illustrate my first class as a budding social studies instructor. On the first day of virtual class during my second semester of graduate school, my fears of technology were realized. I felt overwhelmed because I never had an open mind to learning technology until now. Before my first class, I viewed technology as just another obstruction, or another thing that would cause problems. I thought it was custom made for individuals who simply enjoy tinkering and fixing things. It is reasonable to hypothesize that the reason behind my abrupt change of heart is primarily because, by taking a class, I am surrounded by people and resources that will make learning technology comfortable and fulfilling. Once I got my feet wet, I educated myself on the basic functions of the many online teaching platforms, I discovered that I enjoy using these tools. Click here to find out how I learned the ins and outs of Blogger. My first day of my second semester of graduate school effectively broke the ice and melted down the barrier between me and technology.

My lifelong struggle with technology was the primary reason I made it a goal to finally become comfortable with it by embracing it rather than fighting it. Another goal I declared for myself is the mastery of designing effective lesson plans. I have always been aware that the education profession requires an expert ability to design relevant and effective lessons for students. At this point in my career as an educator in training, I have had limited practice with written lesson plans. My wish is to achieve this mastery through intense practice and accepting constructive critique of my work. I have long accepted that the learning process never ends and that no one will ever know it all especially since our discipline is constantly changing. I will accept the guidance of my colleagues knowing they have the ability to see flaws in my work that I could not or refuse to acknowledge. I have learned that others can review my work from an objective point of view and are likely to be more comfortable offering critiques about my work than their own. Therefore, it is my belief that seeking the critique of others enables me to bypass the bias of my own pride to see where and how I must improve.

With regard to lesson concepts and design, the syllabus to my social studies class was distinct and different from any course outline I have ever worked with. My professor demonstrated an interactive learning strategy by embedding an Easter Egg hunt within the syllabus. I feel that this scavenger hunt helped me review the course outline actively rather than passively. The tasks spread though out the liquid document engaged me and made me think about what I want to take away from the class. Many of the tasks uncovered surprising revelations about myself. For example, I discovered how deficient my knowledge is with economics. Another unnerving discovery unveiled my lack of knowledge of learning to teach social studies. I found this revelation particularly uncomfortable because I conducted research and attended the few online courses I could find about social studies instruction. The purpose for my research extends beyond my innate desire to perform well in class but also be an outstanding educator who teaches with competence. As I completed the scavenger hunt, I discovered that my definition of social studies does not encompass the fields outside of history and civics. I define social studies as the study of our origins which is a very narrow lens to view it through. I would hypothesize that my definition of social studies stems from how I remember learning it as a child and a young adult. As a young elementary student, I remember learning that social studies was all about history. My social studies notebooks were full of assignments and worksheets about Native American history, the French and Indian War and the occasional map. After workshopping the definition of social studies with my colleagues during class, I learned that the scope of social studies encompasses so much more than history. It includes psychology, sociology, economics, geography and civics. In addition to workshopping the definition of social studies, I my colleagues stipulated the qualities which a memorable social studies instructor possesses. I believe that enthusiasm is the most important quality primarily because it is contagious. In other words, a teacher who clearly enjoys social studies will pass that enthusiasm down to the students. Having fun and falling in love with learning eliminates the attitude that school is a chore. An enthusiastic teacher is like a rock star performing live. I think we can all agree that the energy of the music makes people in the audience feel good. To simplify, the energy the teacher projects is what the students will reflect.

I have learned so much in just a few weeks and I look forward to accomplishing my goals for the semester and the future. After much thought about my intentions and visions as a teacher, I am far too excited to quit now. I can’t wait to be the teacher that every student wants to learn from. Each day of my graduate study I think of my students and every day I succeed for them.

APA Citations

Surfside PPC. (2019, October 11). Step-By-Step Blogger Tutorial For Beginners - How to Create a Blogger Blog with a Custom Domain Name [Video file]. Retrieved February 13, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n-ZpBo7cHI&t=201s

Free Working Tricks. (2016, September 3). Did You Know (Officially updated for 2020). [Video file] Retrieved February 13, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u06BXgWbGvA&t=190s