The Big Interview Melissa Davis Dr. Kyger Edu 650 August 23, 2015

Introduction: My name is Melissa Davis I am 38 years old and I have been teaching for 2 years. I hold an Associate in Arts, a Bachelors in Early Childhood Education. I am currently pursuing my Masters Degree in Higher Education. I am currently seeking employment with your company as an elementary curriculum coach who supports the staff of teachers with understanding the curriculum in place. I will also assist and offer resources to enhance the method of teaching the standards.

My Philosophy Of Education “By learning you will teach, by teaching you will learn,” Latin Proverb. Educating the student means supporting the families as well, in order to build a solid foundation of understanding and learning. Connecting those families with the resource which will allow them to support their child’s education is one of my many ways of controlling the uncontrollable. My students can and should expect the best from me as I will expect the best from them.

Alberto and Troutman (2006), believes that if you create a Classroom Management and Discipline Plan before the first day of school, you set yourself and your students up to be able to meet your expectations and to be able to deal with behaviors both positive and negative. The first day of school is the first impression of you to your students. I believe that your class should be a homelike atmosphere where the students can be comfortable and the learning will be optimized. All plans will not look the same because what works in one class may not work in another. The key to every good plan is remembering the flexibility of changing the plan to meet the needs of all students. The plan acts as a framework that supports other factors to meet the needs of every student. Classroom Management Plan

Different School Models Suwannee ElementaryDinsmore Elementary Differences/Similarities identified between schools. Points to consider. Type of School Rural Title I Elementary - only 2 nd and 3 rd Grade Urban Title I Magnet School K – 5 th Grade Both Schools are Teacher oriented. A traditional classroom is present in both schools. The difference is the focus of the grade levels in each school. Total Population/ Demographics 729 Students American Indian 0.7% Black 15.8% Asian 0.4% Hispanic 11.0% White 69.7% 518 American Indian 0.4% Black 40.7% Asian 0.6% Hispanic 2.9% White 53.9% School A: Not much diversity. Larger student population School B: Smaller student population More diversity

Effective Lesson Planning and The Student’s Role Important Elements of Effective Lesson Design Develop clear learning objectives – Communicates clearly the learning goals. Activating Strategy – Engages your students to connect prior knowledge with the new concepts. Lesson Instruction – Actively engages students using different strategies and practices. Assignment - Must communicate the Learning Goals, the advance learning. And provide you evidence that the learning is happening for both the student and the teacher. Summarizing Strategy – This requires the students to summarize what they have learned, checks for evidence of learning, and provides data to determine what happens next.

Assessment Matters The role of assessment and evaluation plays a key role in providing information in a school improvement plan. According to David Conley the role of the assessment must move towards encouraging and supporting the learning that prepares our students for college and their careers. Dr. Brian Stetcher said we must go past judging schools by the three things and broaden our assessments to where our students can “describe things, can do things, and they can measure things.” He went on to say that we need to create students who can “play well together, are resilient to pressure both negative and positive, and lastly be good citizens.” The role of the assessment must get past the normal statistics and focus the data on how to prepare the students for the 21 st century. We must remember that the data is for the students benefit not the teachers.

Professional Learning Communities The definition according to Danielson is "a set of skills demonstrated by teachers who continue to teach students but also have an influence that extends beyond their own classrooms to others within their own school and elsewhere. It entails mobilizing and energizing others with the goal of improving the school's performance of its critical responsibilities related to teaching and learning“(Danielson, 2006, p. 12). Being an educator requires you to constantly continue your education inside and outside of the class to improve the quality of education that you can deliver to your students.

References Kelly, M. (2009). Why Become a Teacher. Retrieved from ftp://ftp.avidcenter.org/Consultants/PreviousMaterials/Spring2010/Collaboration- Betty/Reasons to Become a Teacher HO for Workshop.pdf ftp://ftp.avidcenter.org/Consultants/PreviousMaterials/Spring2010/Collaboration- Newman, R. (2013). Teaching and learning in the 21st century: Connecting the dots. Retrieved from Magnesio, S. & B. Davis. (2010) A Teacher Fosters Social Competence With Cooperative Learning. Retrieved from

References Continued Alberto, P., & Troutman, A. (2006). Applied behavior analysis for teachers (7 th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Merrill/Prentice Hall. Reeves, A. (2011). Where great teaching begins planning for student thinking and learning. Alexandria, Va.: ASCD TEDxSoCal - Dr. Brian Stecher - Cultivating Thriving Schools. (n.d.). Retrieved August 16, 2015, from Conley, D. (2015). English. Epaa Education Policy Analysis Archives. Retrieved August 17, 2015, from