Zachary Morgis

Field 2
Assignment 1: Personal Theory of Learning
I have been a student for all my life. I have years of experience on the topic of learning. For
effective learning to take place, a few things need to occur. From past experience, I found that
when material forces students to actively work, they retain more information. It causes
multifaceted levels of brain activity which helps the brain remember more information. I still
remember from seventh grade Mozarts death conspiracy. That Mozart may have been poisoned
due to the fact that our music teacher made us research famous composers and act out a play.
(This is useful in the trivia crack app)
There are other things that create effective learning besides the hands on approach.
Repetition of information can also help students learn more effectively. Of course, memorization
can help you short term, but to review certain material later on for emphasis works wonders for
the brain. Repetition helped me cram high amounts of information in short periods of time in
college and high school.
What helps a lot of students grasp knowledge is the use of visual aids. Graphic organizers
are the bread and butter for people in the political science and history field. They are immensely
beneficial in teaching people about specific government functions, political philosophies, or
military movements and rankings. I may have never understood the inter relations between
governmental branches if it were not for the graphic organizer.
Visual aids are the most beneficial aid for effective teachers as well. Things like
powerpoint and prezi help keep lessons on task which is crucial for time. Videos can be a great

teaching tool if it is the proper type of video. I have taken multiple classes that were based on
watching and debating specific political documentaries and news media. I literally learned about
antebellum south through the use of movies in a class I took at the U. Birth of a Nation is a game
changer that I plan to show for a major part of how the southern society acted after the civil war.
Another critical part of being an effective teacher is enthusiasm. Kids will know if you
dont want to be there, or dont want to teach. If you take the right steps and come into the
classroom with a good attitude, the kids will notice and also feed off that energy, just like a
comedian working with his audience. I have been on the receiving end of both enthused teachers
and those I do this because I couldnt get into law school teachers. The latter teachers were
worse than some subs in honesty. They would sit at a desk and read verbatim from the book. My
lowest grades in my college career were from that teacher. I followed suit with other students
who took no interest in what the professor blabbed about. Instead, we tried passing time by
playing on our phones. On the other hand, I also had a teacher who never used any teaching aid
besides a piece of chalk and extra credit movies. They were the definition of old school. They
taught like the other professor, but the level of enthusiasm and energy they brought in the
classroom motivated the students and myself.

Unit Outline
The most influential decade of the modern era of United States History is the 60s. In a
three day Unit, students will understand the crucial civil rights movements, popular
culture/counter culture, and the politics behind the drastic era that lead to the elimination of
segregation, the rise of a New Left, and the Vietnam War.

Day One: Introduce the political science of the decade. Talk about John F. Kennedy and his term
in office, the Cold War, LBJ, communism, the bay of pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, Civil Rights
Laws

Day two: Pop culture and protest: Drug Culture/Counter Culture, The Beatles, Woodstock,
Jimmy Hendrix, Film: 2001 A Space Odyssesy, James Bond films, Cool Hand Luke, Alfred
Hitchocks Psycho, Night of the Living Dead,

Day three: Civil Rights movement: Racism, segration cases, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, MLKs
peaceful protests,
Aftermath