Kyla Morgan Young
M.A. African & African American Studies, The Ohio State University
Ph.D. History, Princeton University
Teaching Philosophy
Important skills I want to teach my students
While I believe the study of history can impart a myriad of valuable skills, perhaps the most important skill I hope students take away from my class is the ability to ask good questions and approach the world around them with curiosity. The ability to ask good questions provides students with endless space to explore and learn for a lifetime.
Teaching methods to reach these goals
I believe that the classroom is a dialogic space where students and teachers create knowledge together, so I have assignments, like daily admission tickets, where students let their curiosities lead and open the direction of our classroom discussions. Likewise, we take space each quarter to dive into challenging material with conflicting viewpoints as a way to encourage more questions than answers.
My favorite projects
In all of my history classes, I run an activity where students get to facilitate a classroom discussion and design a classroom activity based on their reading. Each year these sessions push students’ critical thinking, creativity, and compassion. I love watching students walking out still buzzing about the ideas they and their peers generated together!
What I like best about teaching at Seven Hills
Above all, Seven Hills is a place full of wonderful individuals, from its families and students to its faculty and staff. It truly is a special place!