Preschool Lead Teacher Melissa Dinnerstein

My name is Melissa Dinnerstein, I am 29 years old. I have a BA in Early Childhood Education Administrations and currently attending Ashford University for a Master in Education. I have 2 years of experience in an ECE classroom as lead teacher and a assistant. The position that I am applying for is the Lead Teacher position in the preschool program. As a preschool teacher our responsibility is to prepare children for what they will be facing when they enter into Kindergarten. To prepare children we will introduce them to the New York State Common Core Curriculum with age modified activities. I will also encourage growth of developmental milestones that the children need to successfully meet at specific ages prior to leaving the classroom.

Education Philosophy Learning begins from birth and as teachers it is our responsibility to support that growth. Parents should be included in the education of their children. The classroom setting should be a rich and simulating learning environment. Collaboration between myself and other staff and networking outside of the school will not only benefit my own learning but give me resources to turn to correct errors in my own classroom. As a teach it is also my reasonability to continue my own education. By continually educating myself I am able to continue to increase my students development by using the best up to date materials.

Classroom Management Plan Classroom management is the procedures and systems that are put into place to create an environment that focuses on student teaching (Newman, 2013). I plan on building a strong simulating and rich environment. 5 classroom rules: Keep hands and feet to yourself, respect classmates and teacher, stay in our seats while at the tables, stay in the classroom, and use inside voices in the classroom. My role is to guide and support children as the learn and explore the materials shared. Implementation Plan: Before children come to the class I will have lesson plans and material ready, the classroom will be set up in a way that all areas are easily identifiable, and the rules of the classroom will be posted and prepared to be shared with the classroom. Once the children have come to class through daily routine and observations I am prepared to change the plan of the room to best fit my children.

Different School Models Day Care Center 106 Students 1:7 ratio Strong curriculum and support for each child, staffing, and funding Minimum technology usage Introduction to 21 st century skills Public Elementary School 15 to 20 students per classroom 1:15 or more Key issue is meeting each child’s needs on a daily bases Access to technology is supervised and used in the classroom and lab 21 st century skill are implemented in activities completed in the classroom.

Effective Lesson Planning Teachers need to design introductions that enable students to develop a deeper level of understanding. Teachers need to design a rich learning experience that allow students to take ownership over their own learning (Newman, 2013). A good learning objective for New York State Common Core Curriculum: L.P.1b: point to and name parts of the body (Core Knowledge Foundation, 2014) Objective: Children will be able to name and identify specific body parts. Beginning with ear, eye, finger, hand, mouth, tongue, and nose.

Lesson Plan Design Backwards Design Select standards to cover and learning outcome Develop learning experience and activities for students to engage in Teach Assess results using assessment develop in step 2 Give feedback Reteach topic or choose new topic (Newman, 2013

Lesson Plan Design Example for Preschool Classroom Learning objective: Children will be able to identify different parts of the body beginning with ear, eye, finger, hand, mouth, tongue, and nose. Day One Lesson Plan: Art: Children will complete a self portrait using multiple forms of medium such as crayons, googly eyes, and yarn. Music: Children will interact in the Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes song Small Group 1: Children will complete an activity work sheet where they practice identifying and writing the body parts listed in the standard. Small Group 2: Children work together to complete an our body puzzle, where they need to identify the body parts to be able to put the puzzle together. Assessment: Children should be able to name the body parts or locate them when asked. L.P.1b point to and name parts of the body: ear, eye, finger, hand, mouth, tongue, and nose. (Core Knowledge Foundation, 2014)

Assessments Formative Assessment They are ongoing assessments or check points along the way of education (Stenhousepublisher, 2010). Their goal is to improve teaching and learning, they also supply feedback into system that allow students and teacher to improve performance in one way or another (Newman, 2013). Summative Assessment They determine a student’s overall achievement level in a specific area of learning at a particular time (Newman,2013). Summative assessments can be turned into formative assessment by going back and relearning the material and then testing it again.

PLC: Professional Learning Communities Professional learning communities that I will use to continue my education and knowledge gaining are listed below. OCFS e-learning program Staff Networking (mentoring, grade level groups) Ashford University Research through scholarly resources Networking with others in the same professional field

References Center For Teaching (2015). Lesson Planning. Retrieved From Core Knowledge Foundation (2013). All About Me Teachers Guide. ELA & Literacy Curriculum. Retrieved from Newman, R. (2013). Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century: Connecting the Dots. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, IncTeaching and Learning in the 21st Century: Connecting the Dots Stenhousepublishers. (2010, November 30). Rick Wormeli: Formative and summative assessment [Video file]. Retrieved from Wormeli: Formative and summative assessment