BY: WINONA DICKENS EDU 650 TEACHING, LEARNING AND LEADING IN THE 21 ST CENTURY DR. MAUREEN LIENAU

Hello. My name is Winona Dickens. I am a 38 year old mother of two wonderful children, Eddie (14) and Ariana (13). My hobbies include hiking, listening to music, spending time with friends and family, and plus whatever sports and activities my children are participating in at the time. I am apply for the head kindergarten teaching position here at Central Elementary School in my hometown of Logan, Ohio.

I graduated from Logan High School in It was then I pursued an Associates of Business at Hocking College. I finished that degree in I worked in the legal field for many years following that until 2008 when a move out of state took me into the financial industry. While I enjoyed working in business and finance, that is not where my passion lies. In 2012, I decided to go back to school for my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology in the hopes of working with children in the school system. I received by degree from Ashford University in 2014 with a GPA of I am currently pursuing my Master of Arts in Education. My ultimate goal is to work with children in this community and make a positive difference in their lives.

When thinking of my philosophy on education, many questions come to mind. The biggest one being why. Why do I want to work in the education field and what is my goal in doing so? I’m going to go into debt, work long hours and many times will not be appreciated. My answer is this… It is not about me, it is all about the children. Children are the most vulnerable members of our society and they are depending on us as adults to lead and guide them in the right direction. Now that I know why I am doing this, the question is how I accomplish this goal. What does it take to be a positive role model and educator? I think the way to accomplish this goal can be based to the old adage, “you get what you give”. As an educator, you have to give one hundred percent. If you are not completely invested, it will show and you will not get the students best efforts either. I want to give students the educational and life skills they need to be happy and successful. My wish is that they leave my classroom knowing that they are valued, not just what they know, but for who they are.

The first step in an effective classroom management plan is to let the students know the rules and expectations. The acronym that I will use to describe these expectations and that is PRIDE. This is not an original program, but it is one I have seen successful in other classrooms. The P stands for positive. This means come to class with a positive attitude with a smile on your face and ready to learn. The R stands for respect. Have respect for yourself, your classmates and your teachers. The I stands for integrity. Be honest and truthful. Do your own work, do not copy off another student or ask another student to help you cheat. The D is for disciplined. Come to school prepared with all homework complete and all classroom materials ready (pencil, pen, and paper). Last but not least is the E for engaged. Come to class well-rested and ready. Pay attention, participate in the class and ask questions. Once these rules are laid out, I will let the students know the consequences for breaking the rules. A list of the classroom rules and consequences for breaking these rules will be given to the students and parents at the beginning of the school year. These will be signed off on by myself, the parent and the student so that all parties know the expectations for a student. When students do not follow the rules or expectations of them, then there will be enforcement of the consequences. Each student will receive fair and equal treatment when being disciplined. I would like a student-centered classroom. This type of classroom focuses on the needs of the students and makes sure they are active participants and have a level of ownership in their own learning (Newman, 2013). This means no rows of desks facing a chalkboard. There are stations where children can work in groups, with desks facing each other.

There are many school models from the traditional public schools and private schools to the alternative such as charter schools, magnet schools and innovation schools. Each school model has their advantages and disadvantages. Central Elementary School is a public school in the Logan- Hocking School District which means it is must admit all students who live within the district, it is held to a high level of state and federal accountability and requires students to be tested each year to determine their level of academic proficiency (Newman, 2013). Central Elementary School has an enrollment of around 300 students in grades K-4. The ratio of student to teacher is 22 students to 1 teacher with one teacher’s aid.

There are a few elements in creating and designing an effective lesson plan. These are:  Research – Gather information from as many sources as you can. Course materials, internet, other teachers, etc.  Develop clear learning objectives for the lesson – This should be what you want the student to learn from the lesson not what the student is doing. (Newman, 2013). The outcome should drive the activity. Is the activity I’m giving the student helping them meet the learning objective?  Clarity, completeness, and specificity are also important elements. Make sure your lesson is clear, complete and specific. Let the students know what the objective of the lesson is and what you expect from them. I feel the backwards design is the best design in lesson planning. This type of planning is a 3 stage process that begins with the end in mind. Once the teacher decides on what the learning objective is, they work their way backwards to figure out the best way to achieve that outcome (Newman, 2013). 1 st stage – What teachers want students to learn 2 nd stage - developing a plan to assess when the outcome has been met. 3 rd stage – plan the learning activities in which students will engage.

There are two types of assessments that are used in the classroom, formative and summative. Peterson says formative assessments “could reveal the levels of conceptual understanding in a timely manner allowing for continuous readjustment of teaching and learning strategies, thus improving student academic achievement” (2009, Pg. 92). Peterson also says that “an increase in frequency of formative assessment will provide better results on summative assessment” (2009, Pg. 92). Rick Wormeli discusses the roles of both in his video Formative and Summative Assessment. He is more of a fan of formative assessment and says that “summative assessment is anti-climatic. It is post-learning” (2010). I completely agree with this statement. After the summative assessment, there is no going back and giving the student another chance. But, through formative assessment it is possible. Both formative and summative assessments play a vital role in the classroom and when used together can vastly improve a student’s learning.

Teachers can continually learn through seminars, continued education courses, connecting with professional organizations and professional learning communities (PLCs). A PLC is “a group of educators who collaborate in such processes as collective inquiry and action research in order to achieve better results for students” (Newman, 2013, Sec. 13.3). The teachers involved in a PLC believe that it is just as important for them to continue learning as it is their students.

 Newman, R. (2013). Teaching and learning in the 21 st century: connecting the dots. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.  Peterson, E., & Siadat, M. V. (2009). Combination of formative and summative assessment instruments in elementary algebra classes: A prescription for success. Journal of Applied Research in the Community College, 16(2), Retrieved from: accountid=  Stenhousepublishers. (2010, November 30). Rick Wormeli: Formative and summative Assessment [Video file]. Retrieved from: