The Big Interview Danielle Tinker Edu 650 Teaching Learning and Leading in the 21 st Century 10/19/15

About Me: Hello, My name is Danielle Tinker and I am interviewing for the Lead teacher position in the Kindergarten Classroom at your school. Here is a little background knowledge about myself before we begin: I have my Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education I am currently attaining my Master’s Degree at Ashford University in education, with a concentration on Curriculum and Instruction. I have 8 years of experience in teaching, inspiring, and guiding children. I have owned and operated an In-home daycare for the past 4 years developing lesson plans, creating engaging activities, implementing various types of assessments.

Philosophy of Education “ To be effective, educators need to develop a classroom setting that accepts and respects students for their individuality and uniqueness” (Newman, 2013) Creating a student centered classroom in which students need to be involved in their learning. Age and developmentally appropriate activities are the first steps in building the basis for students success

Classroom Management My classroom management plan is a specific plan that my classroom will follow to ensure a positive learning environment. This plan explains my expectations of the children, their expectations of me, my role and their role within the classroom, down to specific details about the physical layout of the room. When you walk into my classroom you will see a student-centered learning environment. Two rules that will be created in my classroom will be :1. Be respectful of yourself, your friends, your belongings their belongings and the schools belongings. 2. Put forth your best effort and strive to be all that you can be! We will work together to come up with 3 more rules the students deem necessary in our room.. The role of technology in the classroom is to advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to- face and virtual environments This plan also implements a behavioral plan that serves as a positive reinforcement method. This will include a variety of incentives to choose from if students maintain a positive environment that is engaging

Different School Models Because your school is in a public school, I know it has to follow certain criteria regarding the state standards but I feel that an approach to teaching that would be most beneficial for your school following the flipped classroom model. Flipping the classroom allows for a use of technology that will greatly impact students in their learning, allowing students to build and develop skills that will allow them to succeed in the 21 st century.

Effective lesson planning and design to include the Student’s Role in the learning process In my classroom students will take ownership in their learning. They will be involved in their education by making instructional decisions, setting goals, and taking leadership in their assessments and activities. The design of each one of my lesson plans will be developed around the common core standards, have clear complete and specific learning objectives, I will be researching various methods to enhance the learning of my students by using other teachers, internet as well as other resources. The importance of Common Core Standards within the curriculum serve as a guide for student learning.

Assessment Matters Purpose of Assessment is everything- to collect data and encourage learning. “If we cannot measure things then they don’t matter.” (Stecher, B. 2011) Using data and records from assessment models allows for thriving schools and successful, thriving students. Hiding behind the data as an embarrassment, will hinder the students chances of thriving. Two main types of assessment : Formative Vs. Summative. Both of which are needed equally in an effective learning environment.

Professional Learning Communities The best way to build a professional learning community within your school system is to develop teams within the school, the programs, or even grade levels to devise plans, set goals, reach out to other resources, and implement and revise. Interventions are plans to “take action in order to improve a situation” (Lopez, 2013) These plans can happen inside or outside of the classroom environment or the school setting but are such a valuable resource for us as educators.

References: Newman, R., Fielstein, L., Phelps, P. (2013) "Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century Connecting the Dots" 1.1. Retrieved from: Lopez, D. (2013). No excuses university: How six exceptional systems are revolutionizing our schools (2nd ed.). Turnaround Schools Publications. Retrieved from TEDxSoCal. ( 2011, August 14) Dr. Brian Stecher – Cultivating thriving schools [Video file]. Retrieved from ISTE Standards Teachers. (2008). Retrieved September 17, 2015, from