The National Council for the Social Studies named Ron Hustvedt Jr., a sixth- and seventh-grade teacher at Salk Middle School STEM Magnet Program at Salk Middle School, Outstanding Middle Level Social Studies Teacher of the Year.
Hustvedt was honored at the National Council for the Social Studies’ 96th annual conference Dec. 2-4, in Washington, D.C., and received a commemorative gift and a cash award from award co-sponsor Discovery Education at the NCSS President’s Breakfast on Friday, Dec. 2.
Established in 1983, this annual award recognizes social studies teachers demonstrating exceptional teaching abilities. For more information, visit http://www.socialstudies.org/awards/teaching.
A teacher for the past 19 years, Hustvedt’s teaching is based on a spirit of student-centered inquiry where students regularly engage in asking meaningful questions and then acquiring, organizing, processing and coordinating appropriate information to take meaningful action.
Through teamwork, Hustvedt and his social studies teacher colleagues take a thematic approach to teaching throughout the middle grades that provide students with common threads that support this College, Career and Civic Life, or C3, Framework inquiry-based learning process. This process is meant to is ensure students understand that their active participation is an essential part of being a citizen of this nation and that they have a role in shaping the public good.
At the national convention in D.C., Hustvedt participated in the Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year Panel: How the Outstanding Teachers of the Year Address Social Studies Education in Age-Appropriate Ways and Make a Difference in the Classroom.
The panel provided an opportunity for those outstanding educators to share how they bring their instruction to the next level and engage students in meaningful learning. Hustvedt was also part of an expert panel titled Teacher Leaders Taking Informed Action for C3 with his co-worker Scott Glew.
Hustvedt earned a Master of Education at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Applied Arts from the University of Minnesota, Duluth. He is an adjunct professor at St. Cloud State University’s Teaching Social Studies program and has made numerous professional contributions over the years through his presentations and publications. His other affiliations include: Magnet Schools of America, Minnesota Council for History Education, Minnesota Department of Education Social Studies Standards Implementation Team, National Council for the Social Studies, Minnesota Council for the Social Studies, and the Minnesota Historical Society.
This is not the first time Hustvedt has been a nationally recognized teacher of the year. In 2014, he was named the Magnet Schools of America Teacher of the Year. Hustvedt has also been the recipient of the Social Studies Teacher Team of Merit from the Minnesota Historical Society; the Outstanding Educator Award from the WEM Foundation/Synergy & Leadership Exchange; and, the Minnesota Middle School Social Studies Teacher of the Year from the Minnesota Council for the Social Studies.