These are pictures that sum up our work at the Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club this

past Iall
(2011). With the students we worked on a project entitled 'Our History. The project entailed us working
with the students at the Club to help them discover their personal histories. They interviewed Iamily
members and reIlected upon themselves. Over the course oI Iour weeks the students each created a page
in a book Ior themselves talking about their Iamily history, their Iavorite things, and their dreams Ior the
Iuture. The idea oI the project was to get students thinking about history and how it relates to them on a
day to day basis and how their pasts and their Iamilies pasts are important. The students enjoyed getting
to reIlect on where they came Irom and how that had shaped them as people. We also made a video to
accompany the book that we made Ior the Boys and Girls Club to have documentation and memories oI
some oI the children that came through the club.
This book and the video that were made help to prove that as a teacher, I understand the processes
oI inquiry central to the discipline (1B). Students did inquiry based research to gain an understanding oI
their personal history. The video and book also show and understanding oI cultural and community
diversity through a well-grounded Iramework and understands how to learn about and incorporate
students` experiences, cultures, and community resources into instruction (3E). The idea behind the
project was Ior each student to embrace their history and realize that no two people are alike or come
Irom the exact same place. We did a lot oI both group and individual work with the students to make the
video and book that shows an understanding oI how to help students work cooperatively and productively
in groups (5C). By the end oI the Iour weeks, students were starting their projects on their own without us
having to tell them which shows standard 5D 'understands Iactors that inIluence motivation and
engagement and how to help students become selI-motivated. This project also greatly encouraged most
points Irom Standard 6 'The competent teacher understands and uses a variety oI instructional strategies
to encourage students` development oI critical thinking, problem-solving, and perIormance skills. This
project also helped me to learn about standard 7B (understands how cultural and gender diIIerences can
aIIect communication in the classroom.) as the girls and boys reacted to the project diIIerently and had to
be handled diIIerently. Since I worked in a group on this project I also demonstrated standard 9S-
demonstrates the ability to co-teach and co-plan.
This video and the book show how I have developed as a teaching proIessional. To me, history is
not just a series oI events that happened in the past. It is something that we all have and that can be highly
personal and interesting. I have moved on Irom just appreciating this Iact Ior myselI to sharing this view
with others and encouraging them to embrace their history. I have learned how students learn and express
themselves diIIerently and how as teachers, we need to Iigure out which students learn what ways and
how to best Iacilitate learning in the classroom. This also taught me time management and classroom
management as we were not one on one with the students, sometimes having several students to Iocus on
at one time. All oI these things will help my Iuture development as an educator.