West Virginia State University College of Professional Studies Department of Education Professional Development (PD) Reflection Outline Name:

Jonathan Brown PD Topic/Title: Black History Month Convocation Major Content Area: Language Arts- Social Studies PD Date: 2-5-2014 Circle one: FR SOPH JR SR PD Units: 3

Please respond to the following prompts: 1. Summarize the key points you learned from this Professional Development experience. The Speaker, Dr. Boyce D. Watkins; spoke about his life growing up in Chicago. He pointed out that Jails were a form of slavery, that there were more black men imprisoned now than during apartheid. He mentioned that education was a form of power, and begged the question of what is greatness in reference to figures like Martin Luther King. He ended with a formula that related to change; that change required force, and that force is equal to mass times acceleration.

2. Discuss how these key points connect to your content area. Black people are ethnic group within this society who have struggled and continue to struggle; many of the chapters in history books contain many of these struggles.

3. Share how you might use this new information in your future classroom. I intend to discuss issues pertaining to African Americans not only in reference to the past, but how they still face these struggles today. I also intend to relate that to the struggles that many Americans are facing today; that there are changes that need to made, and that these changes will require individuals to become great; that greatness comes from sacrifice and change through force.