C o n t a c t I n f or m a t io n S t ev en E .

K l e in

Steven E. Klein
1 Pine Brook Drive
Cranberry Township, PA 16066

Phone: 724.538.3639
Cell: 724.561.7583
E-mail: steven.e.klein@gmail.com

Sample educational website creation:

www.mrklein-wwii.weebly.com

Waynesburg University
MAT 2011
Secondary Social Studies
 Education/Experience
Education:
Canisius College (Buffalo, NY)
B.A. Psychology/Pre-Med (1999)
Magna Cum Laude
Minors: Classics
Cognitive Sciences
University of Notre Dame Law School (South Bend, IN)
Juris Doctorate (2002)
Cum Laude
Waynesburg University (Waynesburg, PA)
M.A.T. (2011)
Secondary Social Studies Focus
Experience:
 Practicing Attorney from 2002 to 2009
specializing in class action litigation and labor
and employment litigation.
 Office Pro Bono coordinator with Jackson Lewis
LLP from 2007-2009 where chartered firm
involvement in custody conciliation matters to
protect children from contentious divorce
proceedings.
 Teaching Assistant for Anatomy and Physiology
at Canisius College.
 Instructed “Street Law” class at Thomas
Jefferson High School in South Bend, IN which
taught basic constitutional law to high school
seniors.
 Volunteer public defender in St. Joseph County,
IN Juvenile Justice Center defending minors
charged with criminal offenses.
 Adult ESL instructor at South Bend neighborhood
community center.
Philosophy of Education
I view education as being an interactive process
that necessitates input and participation by both students and
teachers. True learning in the field of social studies extends
beyond the mere memorization of dates, locations, and
events. Rather, I view the goal of social studies education as
being to provide students with the tools necessary to analyze
the societal forces giving rise to events or phenomena that
have occurred throughout history and the ability to apply the
concepts involved to circumstances existing in their worlds
today.
While a core knowledge of specific facts and
occurrences are required for students to form well-reasoned
opinions and conclusions, it is equally important for students
to understand the dynamic forces of culture and attitudes that
gave rise to the societal decisions that have significantly
shaped our world. To this end, social studies education must
provide students with the skills to achieve competency in
intercultural communication and understanding so that they
can have effective interactions within our ever-diversifying
society both nationally and globally. In this way, students will
be equipped to make their own judgments regarding the
values reflected by the persons and societies taking part in
historical occurrences. I do not believe it is the place of an
educator to impart his or her own judgments regarding the
propriety of events to students. Rather, it is the job of an
educator to give students the necessary tools to make
judgments for themselves. By creating a more complete
understanding of cultures and attitudes different from their
own, this facet of social studies education will provide a
foundation for students to fairly and objectively judge for
themselves the propriety of the attitudes and actions that
gave rise to both historical and current events.
It is therefore imperative for an effective social
studies educator to ensure that lessons are made relevant to
today’s students. This means providing students with the
opportunities to relate historical themes to current events.
Achieving this goal also requires that lessons be taught that
target the differing learning styles of all students in the
classroom. For social studies to truly come alive in the minds
of students, a broad set of experiences must be made
available. This includes exposure to both the cultures of both
the United States and foreign lands and the expression of
these cultures through the arts, philosophy and literature. It
is also imperative that students be given the opportunity to
learn from each other, as the students found in today’s
classrooms represent a wide variety of cultures, traditions and
backgrounds. Student interaction, discussion, and group
learning, therefore, represent a powerful educational tool that
must be harnessed and utilized by today’s effective educator.
Educational Technology
I believe effective integration of technology into
the classroom is an imperative in 21st century
education. The following are just some
examples of classroom technology with which I
am proficient and will seek to incorporate into
my lessons:
 Microsoft Powerpoint:
I can create fully animated slide
presentations including insertion of all
types of multimedia files including
instructor narration to engage students
in material via digital projection or
Promethean Board technology.
 Weebly Website Construction:
Capable of creating fully functioning
websites for classroom use via free
online host that allows for assignments
to be posted and enrichment materials
to be made available for students.
 Blogging:
Proficient in blog hosting/moderating
which extends the classroom by
allowing for virtual class discussions
from home computers.
 Slide.com:
Experienced with this free online
application allowing students to easily
create photo-essays to enrich subject
matter learning.
 Prezi:
Familiar with this online application that
allows students to create presentations
in a more user-friendly environment
than that provided by Powerpoint.
 Glogster:
Expert in use of this free online
application that allows students to
create digital posters complete with
images, text and video clips.