JORGE SANCHEZ
[email protected]
http://www.geocities.com/jorge_sanchez_montelongo

As an educator, I understand that the field of teaching is always evolving so I strive to maintain myself updated on the latest pedagogical methods. To this end, institutions like CSUMB have provided a model of learning standards that has enabled me to prvide quality education. Adhering to these principles can be challenging, but the rewards obtained to see disenfranchised students master the subject matter while becoming exemplary citizens are insurmountable. This is particularly important to me because I too had to overcome similar social, economic, cultural and political hurdles that bilingual and bicultural students face continuously; therefore, institutions like CSUMB's commitment to provide access to quality education to sectors of the population historically underrepresented brings much satisfaction to me for it is something I also try to accomplish.

In order to be an effective role model, I cater to the students by incorporating first-hand experiences directly related to the subject matter being addressed by encouraging them to participate in their community developing group projects. After providing my students with the course content, I then expect each group to engage in a learning experience that empowers them in the learning process. For example, during a couple of my cultural anthropology class discussions on political systems two of my colleagues, Simon Salinas and Juan Oliverez, were running for political offices. So, my students designed their projects to correlate with their campaigns. During the process of going from door to door and attending rallies, they self-reflected by comparing our system of government to those discussed in class. Their experiences helped them understand this basic principle of a democracy while enabling them to analyze first-hand the power relations existing in their community. In short, more than simple volunteerism, this experience allowed them to see the political philosophy at work.

Providing specific guidelines for the project development generates a body of work that represents an effective outcome-based assessment tool. But for this procedure to be effective, both the students and the teacher must maintain a constant dialogue and a portfolio containing a progress report with entries of their discussions and constructive criticism, providing a system of evaluation that permeates beyond individual accomplishments. Their expereinces are then presented to the class in a well structured format that includes a multimedia component illustrating the main points of analysis. The ideal is that it fosters further discussion of the subject matter so that their classmates' comments are included in a final written report.

As you can see, the technological tools and support system at our disposal represent heuristic devices that allow us to perform activities that until recently were logistic nightmares, such as interacting with students on a need be basis from any location. The Internet also provides them with an ability to see how social phenomena manifests itself in particular ways in the global arena, enabling them to analyze the dynamics of human interaction and thus generate models of human behavior relevant to them. As such, students in the Central Coast are able to self-reflect to comprehend that their very presence represents of a social phenomena with deep roots in some social, economic or political system. Indeed, in order to understand this principle one must view it from varied academic angles, which is precisely the interdisciplinary approach expressed in the academic philosophy of departments like CSUMB's Social and Behavioral Science Center.