1. Interview for Lead Teacher Position at Bear Creek School Hello my name is Lisa Ramirez I am interviewing today for Lead Teacher at Beer Creek School in Walnut Shade, MO. I have eight years teaching experience and another eight years in business management experience. The Lead Teacher position requires a person with experience in teaching and communication with peers and the public, and with personal management skills, and experience in building those in others. Using research, and continual learning will help build a community of learners who can think outside the traditional classroom model and accept and use new models of teaching to reach the students on new innovative levels. Bringing this school together as a community of learners not only of students, but the faculty as well is essential to the continuation of our school in helping to build a strong community for our future. Students need the opportunity to build 21 st century skills to compete in future jobs and the global economy. By learning to model those skills as a group, teachers can improve the success of our students and our school.

2. Philosophy of Education My philosophy of education includes the model of a flipped classroom, connecting with students at grade level and reaching goals of core standards using digital media to communicate with parents as well as students. Connecting with students on subject matter between what they already know, what they are learning and what they are expected to learn, is an important aspect of teaching. Using digital media in the form of videos and online resources like the Kahn Academy can keep the lessons exciting and relevant to their own lives. This is a sure way of getting students to internalize the lessons which makes them more meaningful and memorable. This allows students to be “active users of information… as well as taking ownership of their own learning” (Newman, 2013, Ch. 1.2.). Keeping abreast of new innovative techniques is also a must for teaching today. Learning about recent research of the best ways to connect with students at their level will ensure that all students are being reached and given the chance to understand the lessons and complete the assignments and assessments to show that they are working on their grade levels according to the core standards in education. By using digital media such as e-mail to communicate to students and parents about classwork/homework expectations will keep costs down and the lines of communication open for everyone. This will also allow for timely coordination of assignments and homework between home and school while giving parents the opportunity to keep track of how well their children are doing.

3. Classroom Management Plan Teaching ninth grade world history is an involving experience. Conducting the students throughout the class to reach the final goal of meeting common core standards on the range of subject matter covered is one of the goals for my class. The other is to bring history alive for the students by using a variety of digital materials including video, audio, and pictorial evidence as well as our text to enliven the lessons and bring living history into the classroom. By the end of each unit the students should be able to fully explain in a presentation and on an assessment the important points of subject matter covered and the historical importance to our country and their own lives today. By allowing students to pick and choose which media to use in their assignments gives them the opportunity take ownership over their learning in ways that are meaningful to them. Whether it is making a presentation using PowerPoint and verbally explaining the slides, or making up a short skit with other students covering a particular subject. Either way students are allowed to reach the goal of more fully understanding the lessons guided by the teacher. Teacher guidance is of vital importance, keeping the learning on track and making sure you are reaching students on their level while covering the required material is a must for teachers today. Finding new and innovative ways to instruct the class is also be very important. Following the ISTE standards for teachers as a model for learning can be helpful. One of the standards I would choose is. “Model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools” and “Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations”(StandardsT. 2008, pp 2.d, and 3.a).

4. Different school models I have interviewed teachers using two differing school models. The first model is of a mixed classroom which depends heavily on textbook reading, but accommodates using digital technology in the form of the students’ personal iPhone or iPad with which to read the material via a Blackboard program. If the student does not have access to this technology they are provided a paper form of the text. This keeps textbook costs down and allows students to access these materials whenever they choose in a digital form. The other model was a more traditional form of instruction which made use of a formal textbook and added to the learning with building experimental projects in class and using digital video such as YouTube to supplement the classroom instruction, as well as give a more modern view of its application. Personally I would suggest the use of a totally flipped classroom using digital media such as Kahn Academy videos for instruction, and classroom time for question and answer sessions with the teacher before an assessment to cover what was learned.

5. Effective lesson planning and design to include the Student’s Role in the learning process. The backward planning design is the best working model for designing lessons. It starts with the goal in mind and is structured backward from goal to include activities and text as well as classroom instruction. By designing lessons in this way the teacher keeps the final goal of what is expected for student learning in mind and allows for a “big picture” view of the overall effectiveness of each lesson. It also allows for scaffolding of lessons to build on student’s prior knowledge and make learning more meaningful as well as memorable. Student roles in this design include knowing exactly what is expected of them throughout the course and what they are expected to know at the end of the lessons. This allows for student ownership of their own learning and making sure they are staying on track with what they are learning. It also helps them plan projects according to the classroom expectations so they know when projects are due and how involved they should be. This planning method of already having set goals allows for differentiated instruction. This allows the teacher to tailor the class to the student’ needs and skill sets by changing plans mid-class to accommodate a new idea or discussion direction for the class.

6. Assessment Matters Following the Common Core State Standards for each class it is imperative that we as a school are able not only to meet but exceed the standards set by our state. This is the reason our school is in the dire circumstances it faces this year. To become a school which surpasses these summative standards we must form a new mentality as a group if we want to see our students succeed on these high stakes tests.. Formative assessments “Provide a mechanism…, to measure the level of mastery” (Newman, 2013, ch,11.3 p. 1), these chapter tests or quizzes are a way for teachers to measure just how much information the student is retaining and whether the student is prepared to use that information in context of classroom scaffolding for the next lessons. Rick Wormeli explains that formative assessment is happening when in his words, “students are allowed to revise their work based on the feedback” (Stenhousepublishers, November 30, 2010, Video file).

7. Professional Learning Communities (PLC) Setting personal professional goals which align with Common Core Standards is a must for our school. To do this each teacher should be required to become part of a PLC, or a Professional Learning Community. Such a community within our school which would involve the School Board, Principals, Teachers and prominent business leaders in our area could ensure we are setting manageable goals for each class which are aligned with the CCSS’s for our state and improving our schools high stakes scores. At the classroom level we could use the, “teacher inquiry and knowledge building cycle” (Newman, 2013, Ch. 14.2. pp. 5). The three levels of this cycle include having a clear picture of the goals for the students, and finding ways to reach those goals. Personal reflection on the set of skills for both the teacher and students to meet those set goals. Using the PLC and networking with other teachers will help with assessing personal skill levels and learning new skills if needed to reach your goals. Finally reassess your results of the class to see if the initial goals were reached or what may have to be done in order to make them a reality

8. References Newman, R. (2013) Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century: Connecting the Dots. Chapter 1.2., Chapter 11.3., Chapter 14.2. pp. 5 Bridgepoint Education, Inc. StandardsT. (2008) Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments. Model digital age work and learning. International Society for Technology in Education. Retrieved from, http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-T_PDF.pdf http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-T_PDF.pdf corestandards.org (2014) Common Core State Standards Initiative. English Language Arts/Literacy Standards. History/Social Studies, Grades 9-10. CCSS.ELA- LITERACY.RH.9-10.2 (Retrieved from www.corestandards.org/ELA -Literacy/RH/9-10 www.corestandards.org/ELA -Literacy/RH/9-10 Stenhousepublishers. (November 30, 2010) Rick Wormeli: Formative and summative assessment [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJxFXjfB_B4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJxFXjfB_B4