1. Renee E. Grant EDU 650: Teaching Learning and Leading in the 21 st Century Instructor: Dr. Joyce Frazier April 23rd, 2016

2. About Renee.. Hello my name is Renee Grant. I live in Norfolk, Virginia with my daughter Ashley and my puppy named Coco. I have been working for the Norfolk Naval Shipyard as the Child and Youth Oversight Director for 23 years. The position I am applying for is the Regional Child and Youth Program Director. As the Regional Child and Youth Program Director, I will be responsible for 14 Child Development Centers and 9 Youth Centers. The major role of the positon is to ensure all programs are in compliance with the Command Naval guidelines in safety, fire, health and sanitation. Our number one focus is to provide the military families with a safe environment for their children so they can focus on their mission.

3. Renee’s Education Philosophy As an educator I feel it is my responsibility to ensure each child reaches his or her full potential. All children are different, so they should be taught according to their individual needs. Another major responsibility I own as a teacher is to create a safe learning environment where I can help foster the growth and the development of each child. I believe it is my responsibility to create learning environments that is conducive to each child. I will create learning environments that are fun and those that will leave an everlasting impression for that child.

4. Classroom Management I believe it is my responsibility to create learning environments that is beneficial to each child. I will create learning environments that are fun and those that will leave an everlasting impression. It is a known fact that children learn better when an environment is fun and positive. With creating learning environment I will also recognize the learning style that is needed to ensure the success of my students. No two children are alike and they all may learn differently, as an educator it is key that I reach each child’s need. I will engage in my students and help them learn and develop the skills they may need. I will also conduct a self-evaluation of myself and make necessary changes.

5. School Models School A School B Differences/Similarities identified between schools. Points to consider. Type of School Navy Child Development Center Private Child Development Center Quality Childcare, curriculum oriented, family friendly/lack parent participation, supplies Total Population/ Demographics Classroom size 24, open to military families Classroom size 20, open to all The Navy CDC School A, is based 100% Military families, School B is 75 % Navy families because of its location (largest Naval Base area). Student to Teacher Ratio1:141:20 The student to teacher ratio is similar the difference in overall size. Key Issues Facing Abundance of supplies and materials for the children. Lack of technology Lack of dedicated teachers Lack of parent support Lack of supplies Both express frustrating issues though very different. School A families are engaged and readily participating and helping with their children’s success while the School B teachers are saying the opposite. School A has abundance of supplies, school B little to no supplies. Role of Technology Technology is not used in the learning environment Technology is a large part of the program School B is in heavy use of technology. 21 st Century SkillsMediumPresentSchool B has a large variety of 21 st century skills and even has a website for 21 st century learning. School A lot of hands on.

6. Good learning objective are critical to planning effective instruction: According to Newman, (2013) A good lesson plan begins with good learning objective. Developing clear learning objectives can also help develop conceptual understanding for cognition. Overall, learning objectives should be specific enough to be measurable. They are also the means by which learning is evaluated during a lesson, class period, or even one activity".

7. Role of the Students: C3B4ME This concept will teach your students to be independent thinkers and look for ways to solve their questions before asking the teacher. This research skill is vital to 21 st century learning.

8. Example of a good learning objective aligned with the Common Core State Standards and why?  Objective: Students will be able to name the five senses and body structures related with each sense by sorting items by which senses we use.  Common Core State Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.K.5.a Sort common objects into categories (e.g., shapes, foods) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent. (CCSS.n.d)CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.K.5.a  Why: To challenge the students with higher-level learning objectives, assessments, and problem solving.

9. Assessment is not about you as a teacher; it is about your students” (Lopez, 2013). The goal is to know if students are learning as expected so that the teacher can improve or change teaching styles or strategies. Assessment is not about how well a teacher taught the lesson but more how much the students gained from it.

10. Professional Learning Communities I would love to see more community involvement. We are located in base housing area, where we provide services to a large group of children that reside in the housing area. I am sure we have children that live within the housing area that share some common challenges. If the community involvement was in place, I am sure the military families can share some of their experiences and even some of their solutions. By networking together they can help each other. Some other interventions I would like to see would be, Social Workers, Speech Pathologist and Counselors.

11. References Common Core State Standards Initiative. Retrieved from http://www/corestandards.org Lopez, D. (2013). No excuses university: How six exceptional systems are revolutionizing our schools (2 nd ed.). Turnaround Schools Publications. Newman, R. (2013). Teaching and learning in the 21st century: Connecting the dots. Teaching and learning in the 21st century: Connecting the dots San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. What Parents should know? Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/what-parents-should-know