The Big Interview Chanel Simpkins EDU 650: Teaching, Learning and Leading in the 21 st Century Dr. Reason Week 6 Final Project

Who I Am  My name is Chanel Simpkins and I currently reside in the Bronx, New York.  I have over eight years of teaching experience in a variety of settings including early childhood education, special education, after school instruction, and tutoring.  I currently hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology, which I achieved in 2010, and am pursuing a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education.  I am applying for the Lead Teacher position for the Kindergarten Class.

My Philosophy of Education  According to Lopez (2013) in his work No Excuses University: How Six Exceptional Systems Are Revolutionizing Our Schools ”for some children, the only hope to escape a life of poverty is found through the front gates of a school that cares” (p. 6). A child’s first point of contact once they enter those “gates” is their teacher.No Excuses University: How Six Exceptional Systems Are Revolutionizing Our Schools  My future students should expect no less of me than I expect of them which translates to a true dedication to their future and education as well as a partnership enriched with trust, honesty and open communication. I want my students to learn and acquire all of the skills that are necessary for them to be positively contributing members of 21 st century society. I want them to learn all of the things necessary to ensure that they will have a stable and secure future. While my students will only be with me for a relatively short amount of time, the impact that I could potentially have on their life is astronomical.  My goal, as a teacher, is to ease a worried parent’s mind as much as possible with thoughtful and informed conversation, by showing a genuine interest in their child and his or her learning, and to form a meaningful relationship with them so they understand that we are ultimately working towards the same goal: a stellar education for their child. It is also very important to keep the lines of communication open between myself and the parents of my students.

My Philosophy of Education ctd.  I will work to ensure that my students have a secure, caring and intellectually stimulating environment to grow and learn in. I will always work as hard as I can to be the highest quality teacher for my students in order to secure their futures. I will also adequately prepare my students with the 21 st century skills they will need to compete in a technologically advancing and globally competitive economy.  Throughout the course of my teaching career, I have relied heavily on the student-centered approach to learning. While I remain an authority figure in the classroom, I believe that both my students and I must collaborate in the learning process and that I must remain actively involved with my students for true learning to exist. I try to make all topics relevant for my students through the use of literature, hands-on exploration and real-life experience. In order for students to truly learn, education must be meaningful and relevant to them.

Classroom Management Plan  Establishing a set of rules for this particular age group will be centered on respect for others, respect for self and maintaining a safe classroom environment. The rules will be very simple and easy for the students to understand. They will be written out and hung up for the children to see on an everyday basis, and will be verbally discussed across different classroom scenarios. The expectation for students to consistently follow this particular set of rules will be established at the beginning of the school year.  The children will be expected to adhere to this particular set of rules consistently with the help of verbal and non-verbal cues on the part of the teaching team. Positive reinforcement is to be used consistently to promote appropriate behavior as well as the appropriate level of redirection when necessary. My assistant teacher and I will work in collaboration to reinforce the rules and ensure the students are getting the most from the school day. There is also a daily schedule that will be implemented allotting a certain block of time for particular activities but is subject to change based on the needs of the students.

Different School Models  According to Lopez (2013), schools must not only create systems that work to educate students diligently, but must also create exceptional systems that guarantee student success. There are several steps that can be taken to create exceptional school systems which include schools, both nationally and abroad, creating a culture of universal achievement, high levels of collaboration, aligning the standards of education, proper assessment of student needs and learning styles, proper management of the data collected from both formal and informal assessments and providing the proper interventions when necessary (Lopez, 2013). Creating exceptional school systems is something that should be at the forefront of the minds of educators currently in the field and those that are in pursuit of a career in the teaching profession.  My goal, as a member of the staff at the school, would be to aid in the creation of an exceptional, public school that will continuously raise the standard of education set for it’s students.  According to the ISTE Standards for Teachers (2008), teachers have a professional responsibility to continuously engage in professional growth and must also consistently work to promote a greater sense of digital citizenship amongst students. This means, essentially, that teachers must now instruct students on how to use the vast resource that is the Internet to aid in their pursuit of knowledge while also teaching them to use it as a valuable resource for their own learning.

Effective Lesson Planning and Design  The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) provide an objective framework for learning objectives and have been deemed necessary for the success of students as 21 st century learners.  CCSS are essential to designing effective lesson and instruction because they are the standards that must be followed according to national educational regulations. (Common Core State Standards, 2015)  Backward design is a three step process in which teachers focus their lesson planning on the learning outcome desired, develop an assessment to ensure that the learning outcome was achieved and conclude with activities that will actively engage the students in learning. In other words, the backwards design model allows children and teachers to become partners in learning. The focus of backward design is enduring understandings or concepts that the children will be able to use over and over again across different settings and learning scenarios. Enduring understandings, as these concepts are formally known, are the essentials skills that students should possess and demonstrate once a lesson is complete.  The backward design model for lesson planning is the one that I would follow when planning instruction and set the learning goals based on the Common Core State Standards. (Newman, 2013)

Assessment Matters  Formative assessment is assessment for learning while summative assessment is the assessment of learning. Formative assessments take place over time, serve the purpose of gauging student progress, provide teachers and students with immediate feedback that can be used to help students achieve their learning goals and provide teachers with windows of opportunity to shift instructional methods or move forward with curriculum (JCheeks, 2008)  Formative assessments will provide me with multiple opportunities determine whether or not students have mastered or gained the enduring understandings that are required based on curriculum and can take many different forms including journal entries, anecdotal notes, quizzes or KWL charts. My consistent use of formative assessments will allow me to properly prepare my students for the high stakes summative assessment that will come at the end of the academic year.

Building a Professional Learning Community  The education of students is not just the sole responsibility of a teacher, but the responsibility of the school system as a whole including student support staff, administrators, education policy makers and stakeholders.  It is the responsibility of all of the aforementioned individuals to ensure that students receive the highest quality education possible.  This can only be done through the effective and active collaboration of all those involved in the education of students.  When I enter a Professional Learning Community centered classroom, I expect to see teachers, support staff and administrators providing support for each other in myriad ways. In other words, the goal of all the staff is aligned to ensuring the academic and future success of all students that enter the school building.

References  Text:  Lopez, D. (2013). No excuses university: How six exceptional systems are revolutionizing our schools (2nd ed.). Turnaround Schools Publications.No excuses university: How six exceptional systems are revolutionizing our schools  Newman, R. (2013). Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century: Connecting the Dots. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century: Connecting the Dots  Multimedia:  JCheek. (n.d.). Formative assessment versus summative assessment [Presentation slides]. Retrieved from assessment versus summative assessment  Website:  Common Core State Standards Initiative ( Common Core State Standards Initiativehttp://  Article:  International Society for Technology in Education. ISTE Standards Teachers. Retrieved from 14_ISTE_Standards-T_PDF.pdfISTE Standards Teachershttp:// 14_ISTE_Standards-T_PDF.pdf