CYNTHIA SPENCER THE BIG INTERVIEW

DESCRIBE YOUR PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION. Becoming a teacher is satisfying to many people for different reasons, but the educational philosophy of a teacher is what actually fully represents who the teacher is and how their techniques are effective. A teacher’s philosophy of education is important to correctly manage a structured classroom and create activities and lesson plans that are developmentally and age appropriate for the children. In my opinion, it is also necessary to state your expectations to families, students, and other staff members to be able to introduce the basis of your teaching philosophy. In my student-centered classroom, children will have the opportunity to learn through play by choosing a center in the classroom for exploration. It is common to see a writing center, art center, library, math and manipulative center, science and sensory center, and dramatic play center in the early childhood classroom. These learning centers will be filled with activities that correlate with the theme that we are currently reviewing. This type of classroom arrangement allows children to freely choose their area while using their curiosity and staying with the theme or objective. The characteristics of a strong early childhood education model include the insights and theories of Jean Piaget. My philosophy of education is closely related to Piaget’s in the sense that children learn best through play and should voluntarily be susceptible to an optimal learning environment.

BRIEFLY SHARE YOUR IDEA OF A SUCCESSFUL CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN. A successful classroom management plan includes daily routines, easy transitions, engaging activities, behavioral plan, a structured environment with growth and development. A teacher that develops an effective classroom management plan is able to express her expectations, goals, and objectives, in which children will learn to adhere and follow. A well-managed classroom would highlight the main components that make up Kindergarten readiness, support of social and emotional growth, organized transitions, daily routines, and behavior management. Children in my classroom will be able to develop communication skills and use different ways to express their thoughts and opinions. It is extremely important to allow children to say what they are feeling, so giving each child time to speak and encouraging them to do so is a big part of learning in an early childhood classroom. For Kindergarten readiness, our goal will include recognizing shapes, colors, letters, and numbers. Children will be exposed to writing and learning the sounds of the letter, as well as, other learning centers.. A daily routine will be adopted so children will be able to know what to expect when an activity is over and how to easily transition from one lesson to another. As an example, after morning circle time children will be asked to grab their name from the classroom management board and place it on a learning center tag that they would like to play at. This gives the children the opportunity to freely choose where they would like to play and they know when there are no spots left on the center tag, to find somewhere else until they can have a turn. arrange the classroom into learning centers to allow the children to make the choice where to play and complete activities. Through different themes and lesson plans, the teachers can enhance the learning centers to help better understand the different aspects of the topic.

EXPLAIN WHICH MODEL OF TEACHING YOU BELIEVE THE SCHOOL SHOULD IMPLEMENT AND WHY YOU ARE MAKING THIS RECOMMENDATION. I believe that a combination of the traditional school/classroom model and the use of a flipped classroom would be great for this school. The district should adopt the use of technology in their classroom and allow students and families at home access lessons to practice, use for review, or as a resource for homework. The traditional method is important for elementary education.

IDENTIFY THE ROLE YOU BELIEVE STUDENTS PLAY IN THE LEARNING PROCESS. I believe any students role in the learning process is responsibility. They have to know what is expected of them and how to go about doing it by reading directions and participating in group discussions. Students should become motivated in wanting to learn new topics and skills and often utilize 21 st century learning skills. Students should be able to take the information and know how to apply it.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHAT BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY MEANS Creating a community resource board to parents and families. Formulating newsletters to keep families of students informed. Learning about community service Proper training and professional development for teachers and staff Making sure teachers have access to resources for their classroom and lesson plans Both students and teachers obtaining necessary 21 st century skills.

DESCRIBE WHAT ONE COULD EXPECT TO SEE IF HE OR SHE ENTERED YOUR CLASSROOM DURING THE SCHOOL DAY. Children focused on play or particular activities Classroom management system which allows children to freely explore the classroom A healthy and safe environment for children to experience Open-ended questions and discussions about weekly themes or current events Experiments in science and the Arts Learning centers that are enhanced to match the theme