Student-Focused Relationships
Part of my pedagogy is developing strong relationships with the students to not only become a more effective teacher for them, but to also develop mutual respect and recognition of each other. I strive to have relationships where students feel comfortable to express their particular learning preferences while also providing space for students to conference one-on-one about particularly specific concerns or things that may affect their learning. I have found that I become a more empathetic and understanding teacher as a result of the relationships I have with my students.
Skills and Inquiry-Based Learning
When I was a high school student, the classes that I found the most engaging and ones that I continue to retain the most material were ones that focused on skills and inquiry-based learning. Similar to Freire’s “problem-posing” pedagogy, the curriculum focused on teaching students skills that were easily applicable for any content and giving students ownership over their learning. In my classrooms, I try and teach skills such as the Stanford History Education Group’s Historical Thinking Skills that enable students to develop foundations for analysis.
Multi-disciplinary work/Assessments
As someone who studied multiple disciplines such as International Relations, Theater and Economics, I believe that I’m a more well-rounded educator as a result. I love social studies, but I also love theater. My passion for the arts is easily evident in my classroom because I tend to create assessments that allow for students to showcase a creative side when possible. Multi-disciplinary work allows for students to connect their own passions into the work that we do and to develop skills that go beyond rote memorization and regurgitation of material. My hope is to blur the lines between disciplines and to allow for students to grow into well-rounded, holistic individuals.
Yeh Learned It Here 