Reflection

                                                                            In my thirteen years experience of teaching social studies, I would

                                                                            say that a small percentage of teenagers are initially interested in

                                                                            history or social studies. Fifty years ago seems ancient to

                                                                            teenagers, which makes anything from hundreds if not thousands                                                                              of years ago seem too distant and unrelated to anything they are                                                                                experiencing in their current lives. The power of a strong social                                                                                  studies education lies in the ability to connect these past events to                                                                              individual student’s lives. Their personal stories, their family’s                                                                                      stories and their experiences are all part of history and impacted                                                                                by current situations the world is facing today, but if I only focus                                                                                  on content standards, my students will not take much value in what they are learning. Simon Sinek created a diagram he calls the golden circle and explains that the essential element of an inspired leader is to, “think, act and communicate from the inside out” (Sinek, 2009, 03:19). 

As a teacher, this means that my purpose for teaching and my students’ purpose for learning all starts inside the golden circle with our why. I truly believe that the students sitting in my classroom

can and will solve the problems we are facing today, and my job is to make

them see their purpose and power. The world and this country are facing a

variety of problems that especially affect our young people, and there is a

strong desire amongst young people to be a part of the solutions.

Whether or not students follow current events or the news coming from

the federal government, there are issues in their neighborhood and

communities that impact each of them, and by connecting the study of

history to their hearts and personal lives, students will become more engaged

with a new sense of purpose and meaning. 

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John Kotter explains that a sense of urgency is a crucial component when making changes (Kotter, 2013). My WHY belief has a sense of urgency because these problems are affecting the lives of my students and without their contributions and influence, these problems will grow and go unsolved for several more decades. The cost of college tuition, the price of buying a home, and increased extreme weather due to climate change are all things that are and will affect young people, and while they did not create these problems, they will have to be part of the

solution. 

 

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Part of the complacency that Kotter speaks about is due to a lack of faith that our actions can actually have an impact on any of these very big, very complex issues (Kotter, 2013). This is why my HOW statement is focused on building the critical thinking skills and experiences in young people that will give them the confidence to be actively involved in making change. The blended learning environment I am creating will give students opportunities to have choice, ownership and voice through authentic learning experiences (Harapnuik, 2018). 

This not only gives the classwork more purpose, but it gives students valuable experiences and skills that can                                                                      translate into their adult life. Young people need hands-on experiences in                                                                  order to be confident sharing their voices on issues that matter to them,                                                                      and a blended learning environment with project based learning can                                                                          provide exactly that. I designed a 9 week course as my Reconstruction                                                                      Unit where students are given an opportunity to create proposed                                                                                legislation over an issue that is important to them and then create an action                                                                plan to engage and educate the public. My hope is that my students not                                                                    only understand the process of writing and passing legislation, but that                                                                      they get a real sense of the ability to affect change in the system. 

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An effective civics education is not about creating a false sense of patriotism

in young people who will blindly follow the path set by others. Its purpose is to

create informed, critical thinking, and engaged people who will contribute

their own thoughts and talents to their communities and government. My

students are the hope for the future, and I can best support and inspire them

by creating a learning environment that continuously wins over their hearts as

well as their minds (Kotter, 2011).