The Big Interview April Howell EDU 650 Richard Newman September 22, 2015

I am April Howell, I have been with Ashford University for five years. In this time I have earned an Associates in Arts of business, a Bachelors in Entrepreneurship, and I am now working on my Masters in Early Childhood Education. I am presently working with the Head Start Program and plan to continue here. The position that I am applying for is teacher. I must start a teachers aide and build myself to a teacher, it is a two years. Introduction

I want to be able to enlighten and motivate my students to want to learn, so that when they move on to elementary school the required basics (reading, math, science, etc.) will not be such a forced challenge. I would like to develop an understanding for the children’s world, so that I can understand what they go through on a daily basis. I believe that this will help me to be a better teacher of this age group. I will also find a way to bring what is important to the children into my classroom to make them feel more comfortable. My Philosophy of Education

In order for the classroom to function productively the needs of the teacher and the students must be meet. To function and meet these needs rules must be set and followed. These rules will help to build positive behaviors and teach the children to sustain them. The classroom will operate on a daily routine. The routine will teach the children to be more prepared and ready for their day. As a teacher it is important to understand the students and build a relationship. “Students who feel that their teachers care for and support them are more engaged and involved in the classroom, which translates to academic success,” (Newman, 2015). Classroom Management Plan

Spencer 1Spencer2Differences/Similarities Type of SchoolHead StartPreschoolstand-alone site/ part of an elementary school Population/Demographic s22 per room19 per roomBoth sites are full Student to Teacher Ratio 1 teacher 1 aide to 20 kids 1teacher 1 aide to 17 kidsThe classrooms in spencer 2 are smaller Key Issues Facing Children can not expressNo controlToo controlling / needs work Role of Technologysame as the aideoccasionally usedIn Spencer2 not used as much 21st Century Skillstaught oftenneeds workNeeds to compare and research Flow of the classroomsover controlledfree flowingchildren needs guidance Different School Models

Making a good lesson plan requires good learning objectives. You must make sure that the objectives are clear, complete, and specific. The objectives should consist of what the teacher expects of the students. “Research is one of the most important components in effective teaching and learning, thus the best place to start.” (Newman, 2013.) The lesson plans should be written with the students objectives and goals in mind. Effect lesson Plans

As educators the success of our students is our success. In the individual classrooms the assessments should not be based on the scores, it should be used to find where the students need improvement. In the school the assessments are used for much more, the state uses the assessments to find which schools need improvements. The assessment plays a large part in the teaching, learning, shaping, and actively engaging students in their own learning. The teacher can not control the assessment, the students and parents are a part of the process. There are two types of assessments formative and summative. Formative assessment is used to improve a schools teaching and learning process. The summative assessment has a specific purpose to determine the overall achievement level in a certain area. Assessment Matter

West Virginia requires that a teacher become certified with a satisfactorily complete the Basic Skill Test requirement. I will also have to complete tests in my specific subject area in order to become certified. The texts needed are Basic Skills Test, Pre Professional Skills Test, Subject Area Competence, Subject Tests in your specialty, Principles of Learning and Teaching. West Virginia also requires a certification program; Teacher certification programs can be taken online or on- site. Professional Learning Community

Newman, R. (2013). Teaching and learning in the 21st century: Connecting the dots. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. ◦This text is a Constellation™ course digital materials (CDM) title. Lopez, D. (2013). No excuses university: How six exceptional systems are revolutionizing our schools (2nd ed.).Turnaround Schools Publications. TED. (2012, October 17). Stop stealing dreams: Seth Godin at [Video file]. Retrieved from DREAMS-Seth-Godin DREAMS-Seth-Godin References