EDU645: LEARNING & ASSESSMENT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY WEEK 1- INTRODUCTION DANIELLE TINKER 1/26/16

HI, I AM DANIELLE - I AM FROM A SMALL TOWN IN UPSTATE NY. - I AM 29 YEARS OLD, A FIRST TIME MOTHER TO A NOW 8 MONTH OLD BABY GIRL. - I RECEIVED MY BACHELORS DEGREE IN 2010 FROM SUNY FREDONIA. - IN THE LAST 5 YEARS I HAVE LIVED IN 3 STATES. - I HAVE OWNED AND OPERATED AN IN-HOME DAYCARE FOR THE LAST 4 YEARS, AND CURRENTLY AM WORKING AS A SUBSTITUTE IN A DAYCARE FACILITY AS I AM CURRENTLY FOCUSING ON SCHOOL AND BEING A MOM. I AM ATTEMPTING TO GET MY STUFF TOGETHER TO RECERTIFY MYSELF AND BECOME A TEACHER IN THE STATE OF NY.  Our newest addition to the family My Husband and I 

MAED PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOME “EMPLOY DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES ALIGNED WITH LEARNER STRENGTHS AND DIFFERENCES, DIVERSE CULTURES, AND DIVERSE COMMUNITIES TO PROMOTE STUDENT LEARNING IN A SAFE, COLLABORATIVE, ENGAGING, INCLUSIVE, 21ST CENTURY LEARNING ENVIRONMENT” INTRIGUES ME THE MOST BECAUSE I FEEL THAT IT IS SOMETHING THAT WILL CONTINUOUSLY CHANGE, AS WILL LEARNING THROUGH THE 21 ST CENTURY AND BEYOND. LEARNING IS ALWAYS CHANGING, JUST LIKE YOUR CLASSROOMS ARE ALWAYS CHANGING, WHICH CHALLENGES YOU TO KEEP UP WITH YOURSELF, YOUR TEACHING STYLES AND YOUR VIEWS ON DIVERSITY AND WAYS TO MAKE YOU BETTER FOR YOUR STUDENTS. SIMILAR TO TEACHERS, STUDENTS HAVE NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS THAT MUST BE MET TO UNLOCK AN ENGAGING JOURNEY OF THEIR EDUCATIONAL CAREER. NO TWO JOURNEYS ARE THE SAME, JUST AS NO TWO STUDENTS ARE THE SAME. TO ME THIS IS A FUN PART OF TEACHING, THIS IS THE STEPPING STONES TO HOW YOUR YEAR IS GOING TO GO. THE MORE YOU GET TO KNOW YOUR STUDENTS, THEIR FAMILIES, BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THEM, THE MORE YOU ARE ABLE TO HELP THE STUDENTS. THE STRONGER THIS RELATIONSHIP BECOMES WITH YOU AND THE STUDENTS ARE THEIR FAMILIES THE MORE COMFORTABLE THEY WILL FEEL. THE MORE COMFORTABLE THEY FEEL THE MORE LEARNING WILL TAKE PLACE. I FEEL THAT THIS OUTCOME I HAVE SELECTED WILL CONTRIBUTE TO MY CAREER BECAUSE NOT ONLY DO I NEED TO FOCUS A VARIETY OF WAYS TO ENGAGE THE CHILDREN, TO MEET THEIR NEEDS AND MAXIMIZE THEIR SUCCESS.

WHAT IS ASSESSMENT AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? ASSESSMENT PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN CREATING A SUCCESSFUL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT. IT SERVES AS A CLASSROOM TOOL THAT CAN USED TO MEASURE LEARNING. ASSESSMENTS ARE NOT LIMITED TO MEASURE LEARNING WITHIN JUST STUDENTS, IT IS USED TO MEASURE CLASSROOMS, ENVIRONMENTS, TEACHERS, CONTENT AND MUCH MORE. THERE ARE A VARIETY OF ASSESSMENT TYPES THAT CAN BE USED TO ASSESS DIFFERENT TYPES OF INFORMATION. EACH ASSESSMENT HAS MULTIPLE WAYS OF IMPLEMENTING SO THAT IT MEETS THE NEEDS OF ALL STUDENTS WITHIN THE CLASSROOM SETTING. I FEEL THAT ASSESSMENTS ARE IMPORTANT IN THE CLASSROOM BECAUSE IT GIVES YOU THE TEACHER KNOWLEDGE ABOUT YOUR CHILDREN. IT INFORMS YOU OF HOW THEY ARE LEARNING, WHAT THEY HAVE LEARNED, IF THEY NEED HELP IN ANYWAY POSSIBLE AND WHAT AREAS THEY LIKED BASED ON HOW WELL THEY DO IN THAT PARTICULAR SUBJECT. YOU CAN LEARN A LOT ABOUT YOUR STUDENTS THROUGH ASSESSMENT. YOU LEARN HOW TO REACH THE CHILDREN, WHAT THINGS THEY LIKE, WHAT THEY NEED TO LEARN AND OTHER ASPECTS THAT WILL MAKE YOUR STUDENTS SUCCEED. ASSESSMENTS PAINT A PICTURE ON WHAT YOU AS THE TEACHER CAN DO TO HELP STUDENTS SUCCEED!