1. The Big Interview Erica Rosa Ashford University EDU650 Instructor Kyger 2/15/2016

2. Brief self- Introduction I am currently working as a Head teacher in a toddler classroom in a non- profit college campus based early childhood center, where I have been employed at for the last 7 years. I would like to interview for the position of the Kindergarten classroom lead teacher. During my employment at this center I have completed my associates degree in Early Childhood Education, my bachelors degree in Psychology and now I am venturing on completing my Masters degree in Early Childhood Education. I am very passionate in teaching young children in Early Childhood Education, and I believe I would make a great asset to your team of educators. I feel the skills young children are learning are really paving the way of their future in their academic careers. Now a little bit of my educational background; I have attended public schools all of my life and I have seen the disadvantages that can come from attending schools that are located in low income neighborhoods. I have also witnessed first hand the difference that one teacher can make in the lives of their students and hope to one day be a teacher who will make a difference in her students lives. With the guidance and support of my English teacher I was able to finish all of my required courses for graduation and all of my assignments that were required for me to graduate on time with the rest of my class. Since this experience I have realized that with hard work and determination I can accomplish anything and everything I set my mind to. The following quote is one that I feel very strongly about because I feel it describes how important play is to young children and how much of a role play actually has in their learning “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” -Fred Rogers

3. Philosophy of Education I expect myself to continually learn everyday from the students, as I would like them to be learning from me every day. I expect to be flexible in my teaching and yes have my set goals that I want the children to learn from the lesson but also always remember that the students will learn best when they are interested in the topics being taught and that not all students learn the same way as others do therefore they need alternate ways of learning. According to Newman 2013, Gardners theory of Multiple Intelligences demonstrates that intelligences are distinct from one another and that people have different types of intelligences and learning styles; (Linguistic intelligence, logical/ mathematical intelligence, musical rhythmic intelligence, bodily/ kinesthetic intelligence, spatial intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, and intrapersonal intelligence, and the most recently added; naturalist intelligence. Because of this idea that students have different learning styles it is important to implement different methods in your teaching. As a teacher I would like to think the students that come into my classroom will learn valuable knowledge and skills not just to help them academically but also will help them collaborate with others on many different situations. My goals are for my students to learn to collaborate and work together on the majority of tasks and projects in the classroom, students should expect to develop their self- help skills, learn how to socialize with their peers, develop critical thinking skills, they will be exposed to technology while learning, they will be nurtured when needed, they will be praised and rewarded when appropriate, to have every single one of their produced works appreciated. My students should expect me to challenge them within their limits in their learning

4. Classroom Management Plan From my experience in the classroom I have seen that the students respond much more positively to a classroom that is structured. By having an effective classroom management plan that also promotes positive behaviors in the students they seem to have an easier transition into their new classroom. It is very important to remember that as an educator working with young students the start of the school year can be a very overwhelming experience for them and because of this it is very critical to have a well structured classroom with consistent and clear classroom rules and routines that the students will be able to follow In order to create a set of rules that students will want to follow and comply with I would discuss classroom rules in the beginning of the school year and have the students agree on five- six classroom rules that we should keep for the school year. According to Schibsted, 2009, it is suggested by educators that by “engaging students actively in the process of determining a set of class rules” you will be creating a positive tone from the start in the classroom and letting the students know that they have a say in building the classroom together. Effective classroom management is the key to providing an environment where students can be encouraged to learn, promote their eagerness to learn, and a classroom where students will be comfortable sharing their ideas and will want to encourage each other and lift each other’s spirits up and not knock each other down.

5. Different School Models Recently I had the privilege of visiting two different school models and this is what I found from my visits. From conducting these visits and comparing these two school models I feel I will be a perfect fit in your privately owned institution. Non profit community based schoolPrivately owned Childcare Center 120 students in total are currently enrolled in the school from a variety of different backgrounds. 1:5, 1:7, & 1:8 (Student to teacher ratio in different age groups) Providing accommodating access to services for students in need. (Biggest issues the teacher said she was dealing with) 150 students in totals are currently enrolled from a variety of different backgrounds. 1:4, 1:5,1:7, & 1:8 (Student to teacher ratio in different age groups) Preparing children to move up to older classrooms (Biggest issues the teacher said she was dealing with)

6. Effective Lesson Planning and Design It is important to implement the students interest in your lessons. The most important elements of effective lesson design are; Research. “Research is one of the most important components in effective teaching and learning, this the best place to start”. It is always critical and beneficial to gather information from as many different sources as you can, not just by combining your required coursework. “Ask other teachers questions; talk to colleagues or experienced teachers; use the power of the internet to connect with other teachers in chat rooms, websites, and through social media. Ask lots of questions and read copious amounts on how to effectively plan lessons. A good lesson plan begins with writing good learning objectives. It is important to clearly develop and state your learning objectives; this can also help develop conceptual understanding for cognition. The ideal is to challenge your students with higher- level learning objectives, questions, and assessments, as well as prepare them for the growing amount of higher-level questions and problems provided in testing situations. In 1995, Benjamin Bloom with collaborators Max Englehart, Edward Furst, Walter Hill, and David Krathwohl published a framework for categorizing educational goals. This is familiarly known as Bloom’s Taxonomy and this framework has been applied by generations of k-12 teachers and college instructors in their teaching.

7. Bloom’s Taxonomy

8. Assessment Matters “Assessment refers to the process used to determine, in measurable terms, the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and beliefs of the learner” (Newman, 2013). Assessments are essentially a tool used in evaluating the effectiveness of the lesson design. They should be used as a way to evaluate whether or not the lesson was effective in providing the students with the proper knowledge, and skills that they were intended to gain from this lesson. Assessments can also be used in identifying a students weaknesses and strengths. By identifying these qualities you can design your lessons specifically around these issues in order to ensure that these students do not get lost during the lesson. Personally speaking from my experience as being an early childhood educator I have not always found the time to conduct these assessments properly in my classroom, but have recently dedicated daily time to conduct these assessments on the students therefore I will continue to use these assessments and will continue to keep record of the students progress in the classroom. I believe I will be implementing mostly formative assessments into my curriculum in order to ensure that any issues the students may be having will be followed up on and clarified.

9. Types of Assessments The two most common types of assessments that are used in the classroom are formative assessments and summative assessments. These two assessments both have one thing in common: “they provide a mechanism for the teacher to measure the level of mastery of a subject or skill”. According to Newman, 2013, formative assessments are used to inform future practice. The goal of formative assessments are to improve teaching from the instructor and learning on behalf of the student. Information is given during the instructional process and that information is use to construct new learning for the student. This type of assessment is thought to be the most significant type of assessment because it is used to inform the instructors and the learners about the progress students are making and about the next steps in the learning process. Formative assessments can be presented in a variety of ways including the following; quiz, anecdotal notes written by teachers or students, reflective journals, short exams, homework, and assignments. Summative assessments are used to determine a student’s achievement level in a specific area of learning at a specific time. Summative assessments are state assessments, end- of-term or semester exams, and scores that are used for accountability in schools and students. Summative assessments are described as tools used to help evaluate the overall effectiveness of programs, school improvement goals, alignment of curriculum, or student placement in specific programs. Summative assessments provide a summary of the information that students know, understand, or can do. Summative assessments can take the form of examinations, final exams, term papers, course projects, portfolios, or even final performances.

10. References Lopez, D. (2013). NO EXCUSES UNIVERSITY How Six Exceptional Systems Are Revolutionizing Our Schools. TurnAround Schools Publications. Newman, R. (2013). Teaching and learning in the 21st Century: Connecting the dots. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Schibsted, E. (2009). How to Develop Positive Classroom Management. Retrieved from [http://www.edutopia.org/classroom-management- relationships-strategies-tips ]