Main Responsibilities Of A History Teacher And Adjunct Professor At UCLA
Truth's main responsibilities as a History Teacher and Adjunct Professor center around student engagement, incorporating UCLA Core teaching practices such as "80 percent of the time the students should be discussing content and interacting with each other," and utilizing innovative methods like podcast creation and restorative justice circles to connect historical learning with their lived experiences. The focus is clearly on active learning and student participation.
Teaching Methods, Student Engagement, Primary Source Analysis, Curriculum Development, Classroom Management
Advizer Information
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Truth Akins
History Teacher and Adjunct Professor
SAGE Magnet & Cerro Coso Community College
San Diego State University
UCI Criminology and UCLA Urban Education
Criminal Justice
Education
Education
Disabled, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Veteran, Transfer Student, Student Athlete, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Student engagement is key: 80% of class time involves student discussion, interaction, and project work.
2. Use of primary sources: Students learn to research and utilize primary sources to support historical claims.
3. Incorporating lived experiences: Teachers use techniques like KWL charts to connect students' prior knowledge to the learning material, making learning more engaging and relevant.
Transcript
What are your main responsibilities within your current role?
My main responsibilities are teaching methods at UCLA. Core teaching practices include student engagement. So, 80 percent of the time, students should be discussing content and interacting with each other, working on projects or something similar.
The other 20 percent of the time, they are working individually. They are also finding primary sources and evidence through research to support historical claims.
Opening and closing routines are very important. Students know what to expect when they come in and when they leave. Drawing on their lived experiences is also key, like starting off with practices like KWL.
For example, "What do you know?" Students get to say what they know about making a podcast, or if they've ever heard one before. Then, "Okay, we're going to make our own History Podcast about this one topic." Their background knowledge of a podcast is pulled in to engage them.
This involves something critical, media-related, that has them talking and working on something with each other. Restorative justice circles are also part of it, with one circle once a week.