Colby Hall

Major: History/Government
11/13/2015
Introduction
I have learned a great deal throughout my time here at Pittsburg State University, and
with the knowledge and experience I have gained in the teaching program I feel that I am ready
to further my pursuit in the field of education. My training in becoming a teacher has involved so
much more than simply understanding the content that I will be teaching, which is history and
social studies. While knowledge of content is critical in being a quality teacher, it has been the
experiences that I have had in placements and the lessons I learned in actual classrooms which
have prepared me the most. Simply getting to know my cooperating teachers and listening to
their experiences and learning from their actions has taught me how challenging and rewarding
the occupation is, and it has reinforced my desire to teach as well as given me the ability to do it
well.
Learners and Learning
Part of being a high quality teacher is having the understanding that each student learns
differently and at their own pace. Because of this, it is important for a teacher to differentiate
instruction. I certainly believe that all students need to be treated equally and fairly but when it
comes to learning sometimes certain students need a little extra attention in order for them to
fully grasp the concept being taught. I think that a good mix of teaching styles can help in
making all students understand the topic because some students will learn best through
PowerPoint presentations, media clips, and lectures, while others will learn more effectively in
group work or through writing. The key is to use different modes to teach a subject so that each

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possibility for the greatest outcome is attempted. In some cases, differentiating instruction means
one on one time with the teacher, which I have found takes some of the distractions out of the
learning equation, and force the student to focus on the lesson better. A good teacher takes time
to make sure that he is trying all possible outlets to convey a lesson to each and every student so
that they get it, saying the student is just incapable is not an option.
In addition, I believe that the root factor in all student learning is motivation. From my
own educational experience and from observing the learning habits of others, I have found that
students who show signs of motivation, like cooperation, question asking, interest, and a general
sense of involvement, have been far more likely to understand the lesson than someone who
seems unmotivated. In order to motivate students in the field of history, it is imperative that as a
teacher I show my students how history applies to them. I have found that the primary cause of
unmotivated behavior in history students is that they do not believe that history is important. I
can explain to them how studying history shows us where we are heading as a people and how
past mistakes can be learned from, but I think the best way to show students that history is
important is by using current events. Showing students how events of the day compare with
those of the past makes history come alive, it makes it real, and greatly increases the chance that
they will be excited, and even motivated, to learn. I also believe that a way to motivate students
in history is to move past the dates and names that we so often get entangled in and engage in the
deep and challenging questions that history leaves us to answer. Obviously such things as names
and dates are important, but to really inspire students it is important that I make them question
the past and make them put themselves in the situations of history and ask themselves what they
would have done. Every student has an opinion, I want to encourage them to share their

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opinions, respectfully of course, and learn by experiencing history for themselves instead of just
reading about it.
During the professional semester, finding how to motivate students and differentiate
instruction will be a main goal of mine. It is easy to say that motivation is important but to
implement it is a completely different thing. I hope to learn new strategies to help every one of
my students be successful and learn in my class. My cooperating teacher can be very helpful
with this because she can teach me what ways of motivating and differentiating instruction are
most effective. I plan on sitting down with her as often as possible to go over how I need to
improve my instructional skills. She may see signs in students that they are not learning the
material that I may not. I also think I can check for student learning by having them do bell work
each day at the beginning of class and turning it in, this way I can check daily if the students are
keeping up with my lessons. If not, maybe I need to go over some things again or find a different
way for them to understand better.
It is important to start on a good note by involving each student and showing them that
learning history is beneficial and important. I also want them to feel like they can and will
succeed in my class, that they don't have to know every date, place, and name throughout history
to be successful in the class. Too often students get scared off by big assignments and tests and
that kills their motivation level, and I certainly do not want that, but at the same time I want them
to feel challenged and that the challenge of education can be overcome.
Content
I believe that content knowledge is my strongest suit as a potential teacher. I have always
loved history and wanted to learn more, and across many different areas of the field. I am far
from knowing everything though, and that is what is fun about history, there are always new

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things to discover from the past . As a student I always had a lot of respect for teachers that
presented new and interesting information about a subject instead of just what was required to be
taught, I hope that I can do the same for my students. It is extremely important for teachers to be
constantly learning, and in the field of history there are always new discoveries and new theories
that need to be conveyed to the next generations, so it is important to stay a student as well as a
teacher. Content knowledge also means knowing how your subject can apply to other areas as
well. I learned just how important history is when I began studying law. It showed me that law
has changed throughout our nation's history as a result of societal changes and governmental
changes as well. That is just one example, history is a vital component of economics, philosophy,
art and culture, science, and so many other things that will drastically impact the futures of all
students. To be a good teacher it is just as important to know how the information is beneficial as
it is to know what the information is.
Another component of content knowledge is the ability to make students think critically
by using your mastery of the content. There is more to history than simple facts, history is full of
life lessons, lessons that a good teacher should instill in his or her students. I want my students to
know when and why the great depression happened, but teaching them the everyday impact it
had along with the economic policies we have today because of it are even more vital when
trying to get them to understand history. I want my students to ask what can we learn from
history not just why and when did something happen.
As I teach in my professional semester I want to be able to offer my students more than
what the text book does, if that is as deep as my knowledge is then I might as well just check out
textbooks to them and take the rest of the semester off. I want to give them information that I
have researched and learned for myself as well, that will lead to a better understanding of the

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subject for them. Before the professional semester, I plan to obtain an overview of what I will be
teaching. I will research and study for each subject and create unit plans over the break so that I
will be well prepared, at least somewhat, to teach each lesson. I have a lot of saved up notes and
books that I have accumulated throughout my college career, it is in my best interest to
familiarize myself with all of it again. And as a teacher I plan to stay well read in historical texts
and keep up to date on new information, because in 20 years or so history could become
completely different from what we think we know today.
Instructional Practice
I think this is the area where I need to improve the most during my professional semester,
and with plenty of practice I should. Throughout my experiences in the education program I have
learned just how much planning is required to teach just one lesson, it is not something that you
can just make up on the fly. During my last semester before student teaching I have had a great
opportunity to practice lesson planning, new activities I wanted to try, assignment making, and
even teaching in my teaching secondary social studies class. It has been a real eye opener
because I am finally understanding how vital planning is to the teaching process. I learned in my
placements that even teachers who have been doing it for decades still lesson plan and change up
their activities and assignments to make classes go smoothly and make teaching easier on
themselves. We have also discovered a wide variety of teaching techniques and strategies,
whether it be music, interactive maps, political cartoons, group activities, or any number of other
things that will differentiate instruction and keep students intrigued. The best lessons I have
learned in teaching have been from actual practice in the classroom, and by practicing teaching I
have learned how to speak in front of groups with confidence, convey a lesson in a clear way,
and what types of teaching strategies work and which ones do not. Teaching is a trial and error

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profession, and through my placements and the HIST 479 course I have been able to work out a
few kinks as well as get stronger in some areas like planning, speaking, and differentiating
instruction.
During the professional semester I hope to improve at connecting instruction with results
from assessment. A good teacher does not simply teach the test and say that he/she has done a
good job because the test scores were good. We want to build well rounded students with a full
grasp of the subjects and memorizing answers is not an effective teaching strategy. That being
said, assessment is still very important, and as a teacher I need to figure out how to assess student
progress in both summative and formative ways. I have had some practice making tests and
graded assignments, and through that experience I have found that I need to get better at
checking for student learning with the questions that I ask on summative assessments. I think I
am good at checking for student understanding through daily activities and discussions, but the
grades need to reflect student progress better. I will have plenty of practice at this over the
professional semester.
Through bell work assignments, quizzes, and tests throughout the next semester I will
find out what kind of graded assignments work best. I will also have the opportunity to speak
with the students to let them know how they are progressing in the class. I think it is important
for students to know where their grades stand in the class because it can motivate them to do
better and try harder in their work, and it is always good for them to know that the good work
they have done is reflected as good work in their grade. I will write tests, quizzes, and bell work
during my lesson planning before the semester, and that should direct my teaching during each
unit. Just like I plan to use different teaching strategies to help the students learn, I will use these

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strategies, like essays, political cartoons, current events, and critical thinking in the tests because
I believe that assessment should reflect what the students have been taught.

Professional Responsibility
Professionalism, as in any career, is extremely important in education. I will be teaching
at the high school level hopefully and it is important that I have control of the classroom and
create an environment conducive to learning. Students need to feel that the classroom is safe and
focused on learning, I have been in classrooms where the teacher was not in control and that is a
horrible situation for everyone. I am not a big rule guy, but I believe that respect for fellow
students and the teacher, along with what rules I do put in place, need to be established on the
first day and must be enforced throughout the year with minimal exceptions, otherwise the
students will not pay any attention to my leadership. I understand that common sense is not
always so common among teachers these days, but I will continue a stance as a teacher and not a
friend, and the silly mistakes that other teachers make will not be part of my teaching career.
Students learn so much more and really have far more respect for someone who is in
control of their classroom instead of someone who does not seem to care either way. There is
more learning that goes on and the students are more motivated to seek out new knowledge
within the classroom. I think it is vital to be firm but understanding, there is no need to try to
insult someone or lose my temper, because that only makes the situation worse and it never
solves anything. A key component of maintaining control in the classroom is enforcing the rules
in place very strictly early in the semester. If I am strict with the rules then there is less of a
chance that they will try to break them later. Students want someone who is professional, and
when they see that I am only there to teach during the class period, then they will be ready to

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learn instead of do other distracting things. All of the cooperating teachers I have been with thus
far have told me this exact approach, and students loved them. I hope to be as in control of my
classroom and as professional as they are.
At the beginning of next semester I should take at least a good portion of one class period
to go over my classroom expectations and procedures. This includes expected behavior, rules,
procedures for turning in work and doing assignments, and the consequences for not following
these procedures and expectations. It is important to nail down the expectations of the class early
and specifically so that if a problem arises later I can be certain that I warned the students and
that the consequence is fair. During the professional semester I will follow what my cooperating
teachers procedures and expectations are most likely, but it would be good practice to explain it
to the students as well. I think that classrooms operate more smoothly when everyone is on the
same page, and as a teacher I hope to take care of that early so that the rest of the year can be
spent on learning instead of doling out punishment and consequence, there is no fun in that.
Conclusion
I am very much looking forward to student teaching. I feel that I have been equipped with
enough experiences to start my career. Now I fully understand that there will be some rough
patches along the way, in fact most teachers I have dealt with have told me the first year is by far
the toughest, but I think that with a professional approach and a focus on student learning before
anything else, I could be successful in the profession. I think I need to improve on my
organizational skills, and to do so I think I just need to be over organized in my professional
semester so that I can determine what exactly I need to do to prepare for a school day. I can still
improve on my content knowledge as I have found myself needing to refresh my memory
sometimes when I practice teaching, and it is imperative that I offer more to the students content

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wise than just what is in the textbook. I understand that this will be a lot of work but I am more
than willing to do it because I believe that teaching is a very honorable occupation and one that is
vital to the betterment of future generations. It is something that I will take very seriously and
plan on getting good at.