Pedagogy

According to the Wake Forest University Department of Education's Conceptual Framework, pedagogy means that "Teachers know the ways learning takes place, use a variety of methods, are expert communicators, have strong technology skills, plan instruction that is appropriate, use a variety of tools, teach critical thinking and problem solving skills, help students develop skills of teamwork, leadership, and cooperation, and instill a love of learning."

To me, pedagogy addresses the idea that teachers understand how learning takes place. It is important that I use various methods to reach my students as they all learn differently. Through an understanding of a variety of methods, technology applications, and enthusiasm, I will plan appropriate and meaningful instruction. Our methods classes have demonstrated to me the various teaching styles that are applicable and helpful to students. It is important to me that the teacher truly knows each student as an individual in order to know how he or she learns best and thus choose the correct model for the student. The concept of Universal Design Learning, too, will govern my teaching methods as I seek to make each and every lesson accessible for any and all exceptionalities. I also understand that there are various learning theories—be it constructivist or cognitive—that can assist me as I search for the right approach for my classroom. Through knowledge of various models of learning, I will use all the tools available to my classroom to ensure that students not only are learning the given material, but also are developing a lifelong love of learning. Below are a some of my work samples from my time in the Education Department at Wake Forest University.

Here is a PowerPoint presentation completed in my Educational Psychology Class. It is about Memory and Retention.

Social Studies:

This is an Instructional Design Project that focuses on Early Settlements in North Carolina. The IDP is a structured Web activity that corresponds with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.

Check out my Virtual Travel Plan, a structured Web activity combining North Carolina Social Studies and Computer Skills Competancy Goals. The Virtual Travel Plan also is included in the Instructional Design Project. The VTP was presented at the North Carolina Educational Technology Conference, Greensboro, NC, December 4, 2008

Check out my PowerPoint Assessment Project that can be used to assess student knowledge of North Carolina Tourism. This is in conjunction with my Instructional Design Project. This is best viewed in Internet Explorer!

Here are my KWL Charts that were used to see what I know, want to know, and learned through not only our own Instructional Design Project (IDP) but also our fellow class members’ IDPs. KWL charts are oftentimes used in the classroom across all content areas. In this project, we, as future educators, experience the benefits of organizing our knowledge through KWL charts.

This is a Social Studies Micro-Teaching lesson designed for a second grade class in Winston-Salem. This lesson is called There's a Map on My Lap and called upon the students to use a problem given in a video as an impetus for creating a map of their classroom.

During my student teaching, I taught an Eleciton/Voting Unit that included a class president election. Here are some of the materials I created and used.
Election/Voting Unit Plan
This was designed and planned with a fellow student teacher in the Wake Forest Education program through collaboration and cooperation.
Voting Vocabulary PowerPoint
How Do I Know to Vote? PowerPoint

Science:

Here are two science lessons: Introduction to Sound (this was an adapted lesson from a Science Kit) and Hungry Stomachs, Hungry Minds (Solids and Liquids) PowerPoint presentation for the lesson.

Language Arts:

Here is a reading lesson using Making Words from the Four Blocks Literacy Approach.

This is a writing lesson that integrated science. The lesson is based on the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Math:

This is a math lessson introducing how we can find geometric shapes within other shapes, particularly in the real world.
This is the PowerPoint that goes along with the above math lesson.

Site last updated December 6, 2008