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The primary goal I had at the beginning of this semester was to learn how to teach history. Most of my education so far has been focused around historical events, themes, and sources. I felt there was a wall standing between the knowledge I had gained throughout my career and the presentation of this knowledge to students. I feel comfortable teaching and I feel comfortable in the knowledge I have on the social sciences, but I was not comfortable combining these traits to become a successful teacher.
The work I have completed this term has helped me bridge this gap. I’m no where near perfect, but I feel much more confident in the classroom because I have learned strategies for teaching history in a way that is accessible and enjoyable for my students.
At the start of this term, I reflected on my past experiences as a student. By doing this, I was able to identify strategies that my past teachers had used that helped me be successful in learning history and grow to love the subject.
This term, I have deepened my own exploration of history by focusing on primary documents. By reviewing the analysis of primary sources and historical thinking skills, I was able to reevaluate what is important for my students to learn.
I furthered my development as an educator by using what I learned about historical thinking to create lessons for my classes.
Lastly, I compiled the resources and strategies I had obtained to create a lesson for students about revolutions. This lesson explores an essential question that moves students toward an understanding not just of historical events but of themes in humanity.