In Jordan McGaughey’s American Government classes, students learn to be global citizens. McGaughey stresses the value of diversity, debate and critical thinking as students create presentations and videos, write to legislators, and simulate the legislative process with mock Congressional sessions. In one lesson, students developed, presented, discussed and voted on new Constitutional amendments. McGaughey keeps his own political leanings under wraps, encouraging students to explore all sides of each issue as they connect historical events to the current political climate. His students consistently perform above district and state averages on year-end assessments: last year, 92% scored Advanced or Proficient. Students work hard for McGaughey because they know he respects them and will always treat them fairly and equally. Citing his influence, students have gone on to careers in government, legislation and education.
McGaughey varies his teaching style, rotating among cooperative learning activities, collaborative inquiry-based learning and traditional lectures. A Google Certified Educator, he incorporates technology like Google Classroom, Socrative and Kahoot into his curriculum. Social media plays an important part in McGaughey’s teaching: he leads Twitter chats in which students engage in live debates during important events like the State of the Union addresses and election nights. He hosted a national Twitter chat on teaching media literacy for government teachers, and has presented professional development for the district on using Twitter to engage students and enhance professional learning networks.
Committed to supporting fellow educators, McGaughey serves on his district’s professional development and American Government curriculum committees, mentors student teachers, and acts as an instructional coach. He is a member of the Missouri Council for Social Studies and the St. Louis Teacher Academy, a year-long professional learning program focused on teacher growth. Last year McGaughey presented at a back-to-school meeting for the district’s 1,650 staff members; his message, about creating a masterpiece through service, love, care, and putting students first, inspired all who heard it.
McGaughey earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 2007 and a master’s in education in 2008 from Truman State University.
Press release: There's no debating this decision: Jordan McGaughey is Missouri’s only Milken Educator Award recipient for 2017
"If students are passionate about what they are learning,..." (read more)
Coordinator of K-12 Social Studies
