2. Donnisha A. Young  My name is Donnisha Akiah Young.  I am a 2014 graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi.  At USM I obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary education with an endorsement in Science.  I am applying for the positon of lead teacher.

3. Philosophy of Education  As a teacher I feel that it is very important to know your students as learners and thinkers. Teachers are given the challenge of teaching students so that they understand and comprehend information. In order for students to be successful they need to show up to class actively engaged and ready to learn. Students need to give their best effort to be attentive and receptive to information. Teachers need to do their best presenting information to children in an interesting and exciting way. Lesson should be taught in interactive ways.

4. Philosophy of Education  Children should be able to actively participate in the lessons. In order for children to learn, lessons need to be taught in a variety of ways to accommodate the different types of learning styles. Each student has his or her very own learning needs. It is very important that the teacher differentiates instruction in order to accommodate all of the different learning styles. In order for the teacher to monitor the progress of her students she must give quality instruction followed by plenty of opportunities to check for understanding. It is important for the teacher to give students independent practice to check for understanding throughout the lesson.

5. Philosophy of Education  However, for example, a teacher should not give student thirty problems to check for understanding when a student could complete five or ten problems and accomplish the same. Independent practice should not turn into busy work. It should be used as an informal assessment of student progress on the particular lesson. My philosophy of education is a combination of my thoughts on instruction, parent, student, and colleague interactions, students as learners and thinkers, as well as discipline, and self-examination.

6. Classroom Management Plan  I feel that I believe in and really relate to B.F Skinner’s philosophy theory the most. I believe that children’s behavior can be modified when the proper tools are in place and are used.

7. Classroom Management  Skinner’s theory states that educators use positive and negative reinforcement along with rewards and punishment to modify student’s behavior. I believe that student’s do need to be disciplined. I feel that discipline keeps the classroom structured and in order. I feel that self-discipline is also good for students. For example, when students have to go move their color on the behavior chart it really seems to make them think about what they did wrong as they walk up to the chart and move their color themselves rather than the teacher moving the color for them.

8. Classroom Management  I believe that certain aspects of the classroom should be democratic. Students should be able to make some choices, but the teacher should not allow students to take over the classroom and lose control. I feel that I am an assertive teacher. I believe in rewards and punishment. I think that the class should be structured where all time is accounted for throughout the day.

9. Different School Models  For this project I chose to interview two schools in the Pike county area of Mississippi. I interviewed the JPAC School and McComb School District. Both of these schools are elementary schools with about a 1:20 teacher/student ratio.

10. Different School Models  The McComb School district School currently has a grade of a D, and the JPAC School currently has a grade of a C. Both of these schools have little technology. Some teachers are still using overhead projectors and transparencies. Some teachers do have projectors and Smart Pad technology. The McComb School District’s focus is different from that of the JPACS focus. JPAC is a private school that focusses more on the arts.

11. Different School Models  After interviewing both of these teachers I was able to see some similarities of problems that occur from school to school. Many school teachers still feel that there is just not enough time in the school day. Therefore, students tend to lose out on fun engaging projects and activities. According to Sir Ken, schools are killing creativity. I think this statement is very accurate. Teachers feel the pressure to grow students from year to year so there is little time for creativity. Both of these classes seem to function as a traditional class would.

12. Different School Models  South Pike does utilize technology more in their classes. My observations have also led me to question Seth Godwin. I am now curious as an educator if there is really even any reason to force students to memorize information? According to A Different Model for School Success, Teachers should avoid insularity. The article says,” Teacher choices are influenced by students, parents, youth culture, and technology trends. Teachers are less influenced by leaders in business, higher education, unions, and school districts, which often form barriers to innovation (35).”

13. Different School Models  Basically teachers tend to do the best they can with what they have. According to Moving Beyond the College-Preparatory High School Model to a College-Going Culture in Urban Catholic High Schools, “Generally, the U.S. educational system fails poor students of color, but males of color are at greater risk to suffer at the hands of under resourced and underperforming schools.(131)” Perhaps this why the McComb school district is battling so many behavior problems. The school is predominantly black with more males in each class.

14. Effective Lesson Planning and Design  Know you end goal. Design with the end in mind.  Have clear concise learning objectives.  Determine meaningful questions and assessments.  Make sure your lesson has completeness and specificity.

15. Effective Lesson Plan Design  According to our textbook, a good lesson begins with writing good learning objectives.  State standards and Bloom’s taxonomy should be used when creating objectives.  The objectives should describe what the student will do. Ex: The student will…

16. Backwards Design  Identify desired results  Determine acceptable evidence  Plan learning experiences and instruction

17. The Student’s Role  It is the role of the student to become independent learners and thinkers.  Teachers must find activities that play off of the students’ natural curiosity.

18. Assessment Matters  Assessments are used as a tool to measure the information that students have learned and obtained. They can also be described as a means of accountability. Teachers can use assessments to hold students accountable for information they were supposed to learn.

19. Assessment Matters  Administrators can use assessments to hold teachers accountable for teaching information that students are required to master. As a teacher, it is important to be knowledgeable of the different types of assessments and how they can be used. The information or data that comes from assessing students are also important. It’s important to use the data to figure out how the quality of instruction can be improved as well as see overall and individual areas or error that can be targeted and fixed.

20. Professional Learning Communities  Professional learning communities are important for both teachers and students.  Teachers need to continue their education in order to stay fresh on current strategies.  Students may need learning communities to refresh themselves on lessons they may have learned about in previous years.

21. References  Newman, R. (2013). Teaching and learning in the 21st century: Connecting the dots. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, IncTeaching and learning in the 21st century: Connecting the dots  YOUNG, K., & LUTTENEGGER, K. (2014). Planning "Lessons For Everybody" In Secondary Classrooms. American Secondary Education, 43(1), 25-32.

22. References  Dahlstrand, F. (1996). Alcott, Amos Bronson. In Philosophy of education: An encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://search.credoreference.com.proxy- library.ashford.edu/content/entry/routpe/ alcott_amos_bronson/0Alcott, Amos Bronson http://search.credoreference.com.proxy- library.ashford.edu/content/entry/routpe/ alcott_amos_bronson/0 

23. References  Newman, R. (2013). Teaching and learning in the 21st century: Connecting the dots. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, IncTeaching and learning in the 21st century: Connecting the dots  Sayeski, K., & Brown, M. (2014). Teaching Exceptional Children (Vol. 42, pp. 119- 127).   Anderson, J. (2002). Interventions in school and clinics (Vol. 37, p. 168).