Hello again loyal followers! It is finally that time of the semester....finals! Instead of having your typical paper-and-pencil final, my social studies class demonstrated our knowledge of course content by holding mock interviews.
Three other students and I volunteered
to be “administrators” for the interview experience, so we came into class this past Wednesday
prepared to lead an interview with our fellow classmates. In order to prepare for the experience, the
four of us wrote personal stories and created interview questions on various
topics: direct instruction, inquiry learning, cooperative learning, and the
concepts, generalizations, and elements of social studies. I was given the last topic and prepared my
interview as follows:
Hello. Welcome to
Citizen Elementary! I’m Miss Perrone and
I have been the principal here for the past eight years. Prior to becoming an administrator, I taught
second grade for five years. During that
time, I received my Master’s in Literacy, as well as a Master’s in
administration. I have been dedicated to
my students, faculty, and staff, and take pride in the success of this
school. Our goal here is to work
together, constantly creating new, engaging ways to teach our students to
become global citizens. Lessons should
be meaningful and powerful. During their years here, students not only learn
the basic academics, but also develop the life skills and build the foundations
they need to be successful in the real world.
We are creating responsible citizens who hold the democratic values and
principles that our great nation is built on.
They learn how to work together and respect diversity. I look for teachers that appreciate a
constructivist approach to learning and who set high expectations for their
students. Each member of our community
must be committed to helping students become self-directed, lifelong learners
who contribute to their society and lead passionate, purposeful lives. We are not just teaching the basic subjects;
we are instilling values that create overall successful citizens.
Now, it’s time to learn all about you! Good luck!
Warm-up: What adjectives come to mind when you think
about teaching?
1.
Which type of lesson design would you use to
help students construct meaning and learn generalizations? Why would you use this type? (should reply
with inquiry!)
2.
Once a generalization (big idea) is formed, it
can be used to make predictions of actions and events. Why is it important to teach students about
generalizing and predicting events and actions in their own lives?
3.
There are multiple ways to define social
studies. How would you define this
discipline and why is it important for students to learn?
4. At Citizen Elementary, we
believe social studies is a subject area that should be taught in meaningful,
value-based ways that allow students to work on social skills while delving
into hands-on experiences with social sciences (history). Give an example of a lesson topic and the
format you would use in the classroom to help students learn about the founding
of America.
Ending Question: In three sentences or less, sum up your own
personal philosophy. on teaching social studies.
Each administrator interviewed our classmates and asked the questions we created. We assessed each hiring prospect based on their answers, personality, and overall mannerisms throughout the interviews. I was impressed with many of the answers I received and happy to report that all of my classmates who were asked to define social studies replied with something along the lines of “social studies isn’t just about the past. It’s about the present and the future, and knowing about our history in order to help us in the future. It’s also about the people, cultures, and world around us.” The interviewees also impressed me with their teaching philosophies. Most of us agree that students must be given the chance to construct their own knowledge and have hands-on, meaningful experiences. Despite a majority of my classmates receiving high marks on my assessment, the four administrators decided to “hire” Susan and Julia.
Overall, this experience
was great to have! It allowed us to
review the course content while getting real-life practice for future job
interviews. We were able to prepare
ourselves and practice being in professional situations. Having this hands-on experience in a setting
as comfortable as our class and among our peers was a great first step in
building the confidence we need to be successful in future interviews.
(Pictures, courtesy of Dr. Smirnova, coming soon!)
Also, check out this short video on interview etiquette!
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