Adrian French, Mt Doug Secondary

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:36:05 +0000

Adrian grew up in Metchosin, B.C. After graduating from Spectrum Community School in 1983, Adrian moved to Los Angeles and completed an apprenticeship in tile setting. In 1992 Adrian began studying Kinesiology at The University of British Columbia. Educational Philosophy Graduating with majors in Human Kinetics and Geography, and completing a Bachelors of Education, Adrian was hired by the Victoria School district in 1998 as a Teacher-on-Call and promptly began work at Mount Douglas Secondary teaching senior Social Studies, History, and Physical Education. After a short stint teaching International Baccalaureate Geography at Glenlyon Norfolk School in Fairfield, Adrian returned to Mount Douglas to coordinate The Challenge program for gifted and talented learners. In 2008 Adrian complete his Master thesis focusing on project based learning in Social Studies.-- My educational philosophy evolved out of the idea that for learning to be authentic it must build historical relationships, create a rigorous learning environment, and develop individual relevance for each student within the curriculum. I translate this philosophy into the classroom by encouraging each student to personalize history and by developing a unique understanding of Canadian and global historical contexts. Students regularly bring family artifacts such as letters, medals, and photographs to class excited about the links they have made between their personal histories and the lore and history of our nation. At the core of an authentic historical education is awareness that history is a reflection of the context from whence it arose. Canadians should constantly reevaluate past decisions while assessing current events. Where would we be without understanding Canada’s early quest for national autonomy, for instance, while looking to understand contemporary national and international politics? To help address this instructional challenge I have adopted a project based methodology when planning for Social Studies 11. Project-based teaching allows me to stimulate intellectual curiosity while enabling students to develop the knowledge and skills needed to find value, not only within history as a discipline, but also beyond the classroom. Throughout the course students are able to present unique, focused, and personal responses to historical issues, while working within the provincial curriculum. As a teacher I am aware that our education system is a dynamic paradigm. I constantly re-evaluate my professional standards and instructional practices in order to meet the constant changes being made in education and society. While planning lessons I ask questions such as, “Why is this important in my discipline?”, “Why is this important to kids?” In short, “How can I consistently make Canadian history inherently meaningful to my students?” I believe that through the project-based approach to teaching Social Studies 11 my students gain a strong understanding of 20th century Canadian history, our nation’s quest for autonomy and their place in Canada, the world, and ultimately an awareness of their unlimited potential as Canadians.

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Adrian French, Mt Doug Secondary