Core Values Reflection

The Connecticut Common Core of Learning (CCCL) guides state-mandated standards

that describe, in summarized form, what a graduate of a secondary public school system is

expected to have acquired in the form of skills and knowledge from prior studies. This document

also indicates that high school graduates should develop a strong sense of character to become

ethical, effective, and productive members of society upon graduation. The goals are

subsequently categorized by content area, though it is prefaced by expected foundational skills

and competencies, in addition to understandings and applications that students need to acquire

intellectually during their primary and secondary educational experiences. Beyond content area

recommendations, the document concludes with an outline of school-to-career guidelines for

graduates, in which their respective education can be applied in employment endeavors. The

document follows with a description of how graduates should be prepared for life beyond high

school with respect for and understanding of lifetime learning. Finally, the document stresses the

importance of developing character during the educational process that is then applied in life

after graduation.

I have chosen a section of focus that is content-specific, and is within the realm of social

studies. The section offers key goals of understanding that the State Board of Education expects

all high school graduates to meet at the end of their senior year. The goals are broad in scope in

that they expect high school graduates to attain knowledge and understanding of several social

science disciplines, including history, political science (identified as civics and government),

geography, and economics. The goals stress the interrelatedness of the aforementioned

disciplines with the humanities.

The State Board of Education breaks down the content standards into an outline format

that serves as a framework for curricular development. Thus, under the realm of history, it is

1
expected that students attain acumen in historical thinking, for example, under the realm of civics

and government. Students should understand their rights and responsibilities, and additionally

understand political systems, the United States Constitution and government, as well as

international relations. This framework is established for geography and economics as well, but

in all cases, there is no defined manner in which these concepts need to be applied. The

document suggests that these various themes may be employed in an interdisciplinary approach

within the social studies curriculum.

Within the content section of the document, I specifically will focus on Geography, which

is divided into several sections: Places and Regions, Physical Systems, Human Systems, and

Human and Environmental Interaction. I will be student teaching a 7th Grade “World Cultures”

course (with several sections) during the fall 2010 semester, and with the curriculum

emphasizing cultural geography, it is imperative to focus on the key themes of geography as far

as curriculum and instruction are concerned.

The framework created by the State Board of Education recommends that indeed students

learn the major themes of the discipline of geography, and one of the most important sections (at

least at the 7th Grade level) is the one encompassing place and regions. By studying place and

regions, students will be able to identify and develop knowledge of various physical and human

phenomena over space. Students will attain spatial skills that they can use as a scaffold for

further geographic inquiry throughout the course and via subsequent social studies classes, and

this broadly based focus is an excellent starting point for developing or enhancing spatial skills.

In addition, by studying human systems specifically, students will develop and apply spatial

skills of human patterns, including differences in economics, politics, and migration within

Connecticut, the United States, and the world overall. The aforementioned foci should dovetail

into the human and environmental interaction realm; as such study fosters an understanding of

2
how the natural environment shapes human activities, and conversely, how said activities

influence and impact natural processes and landscapes. This last theme combines acquired skills

and knowledge of physical and human geographical processes.

During the time in which student teaching will occur, I can incorporate the study of

places and regions by introducing students to maps, concepts, and ideas that describe landscapes.

Therefore, an inventorying of facts about places that include identifying geographic features is

crucial for developing understanding in this particular discipline. Incorporating ample visual

representations in the classroom and for independent study will build upon the skill set and

knowledge base pertaining to places and regions on a broad scale.

With respect to human systems, it will be important to discuss and to engage in dialogue

with students to extrapolate their understandings, misunderstandings and misconceptions, and

incorporate their interests in learning in order to tailor lesson plans that facilitate the learning

process by including the interests of students into the lesson units. Human systems will be

identified, described, and illustrated via visuals and maps shown in the classroom environment.

Similar to studying places and regions, independent study amongst the students will entail

examining features and descriptions on maps. This will be conducted in order for students to

mentally process the location of various phenomena over space and the interconnections that

result from various interactions.

Lastly, human and environmental interaction can be demonstrated through various media,

including visuals depicted in the classroom, which can illustrate spatial phenomena of human

and environmental systems. These results can also be demonstrated through classroom

discussions, as well as via multimedia presentations of facts and issues. Moreover, applying

spatial skills toward understanding culture, economics, politics, and history can also illustrate

such results. Therefore, incorporating lectures, asking probing questions of students on a regular

3
basis, and incorporating dialogue and feedback by students to enhance the learning process

should offer tangible examples of how I will accomplish the ideals as put forth in the CCCL.

Geographic knowledge and understanding are invaluable assets that transcend disciplinary

studies.

Reference

State of Connecticut. State Board of Education. (1998). Connecticut’s common core of

learning. Retrieved June 8, 2009, from

http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2618&q=320858