I believe that being knowledgeable about the content that one is teaching is one of the most important parts of the teaching profession. It is plain and simple: if you do not know the material that you are covering then you probably will not be an effective teacher in that subject. For example, I could have all of the aid and resources at my disposal and I would probably make a horrible math teacher. This is because I know very little about math and it is not my strongest subject. However, because I have a broad knowledge of the subjects of world history, US history, geography, anthropology, political science, and economics I believe that I would make an excellent social studies teacher. I have recently completed student teaching Civics and Economics and because I had a very basic knowledge of economics I was able to make it through. I did not do as well as I would have liked because I was not as well-versed in economics as I am in US or world history. However, because I had a basic understanding I was able to teach the students and hopefully make a lasting impact on their lives.Therefore, having a good comprehension of the content that one is teaching is crucial to becoming a good educator.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaroslav_the_Wise
Below are several papers and other assignments that I believe display my greatest strengths as far as content is concerned. Because I feel that it is so important I felt inclined to attach several.
- Here is a paper that illustrates the similarities and differences of Kievan Rus and Muscovite Russia.
- Here is a paper that describes the Norman invasions that plagued Europe in the 11th and 12th centuries.
- This paper examines the effectiveness of the Confederate Congress throughout the War Between the States.
- This paper looks at how slavery impacted the creation of America.
- Here is a paper from my political science course that examines how globalization and nationalism interact with each other.
- Finally, this paper argues that the de Soto Expedition was the chief cause of the decline of the Mississippian chiefdoms that covered the Southeast at that time
Here are some lesson plans of mine that are very content heavy.
- This lesson focuses on the causes of World War One.
- This is a lesson on budgeting.
- Here is one on Colonial North Carolina.
I have also done a variety of other things that demonstrate my ability to use knowledge of content in the classroom.
- Click here to listen to a Podcast I created on nationalism in Europe during the 19th century.
- Also, here is a Podcast I created on the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation.
- Here is a flickr site where several of my classmates and I have compiled useful and relevant photos. Each has a Standard Course of Study objective attached to it and could be easily used in a classroom to illustrate a relevant topic. A second one can be seen here. (You will need a flickr account to access these.)
