The document provides an overview of the author's philosophy on teaching and learning based on their experience in a CTE marketing education program. It covers several topics including lesson planning, integrating CTSOs (such as DECA), addressing state standards, facilitating higher-order thinking, classroom management, program design/management, student leadership development through CTSOs, community partnerships, experiential learning approaches, the importance of professional development, and curriculum planning. Examples are provided for many of these topics.

1. Philosophy

2. Teaching and Learning

3. Planning – I have learned throughout the course of my time at Virginia Tech the importance of planning both long-term and short-term. For example, my first lesson plan attempt I worked on the day before for six straight hours, and I was completely exhausted by the end of the session. For example, my first lesson plan, I started the night before, worked 6 straight hours and was completely exhausted by the end of the session. I was confident in the work that I had done early in the work session, but the work towards the end was dwindling in quality. This was the last time that I did not try to work on my lesson plan a little bit throughout each day the week prior. I would keep my eye out for marketing related materials in the news and other media sources that I could incorporate into my lesson. For long-term goals, it is imperative that I set short-term goals for myself. I feel that this strategy can be extended to my students in the classroom in teaching about long term assignments. I do not feel as overwhelmed by a large assignment or project when I am able to extend the project into many smaller segments.

4. Integration of CTSO – (The marketing CTSO (DECA) is a simple one to incorporate into the daily lesson plans of any marketing classroom. There are a number of resources, including the official DECA website, that list(s) the DECA competition events and how to work them into your lesson. The events are all marketing related items, and many of them can be turned into long-term projects for my students. For example, if a lesson wraps up faster than anticipated, I can have the students work on their business plans for their end of year project. It is important for the students to understand the importance of DECA and the opportunities that it opens to them. From here, the students can become engaged in the assignments and projects to a much fuller extent.

5. Integration of academics (SOLs) – Virginia teachers are fortunate to have all of the related SOLs for their units listed on the CTE Resource Center website. While developing lesson plans, I can go through the related SOLs, and insure that I am touching upon each one of these subject areas. For the lesson plans that I have worked on, many of the SOLs listed will present themselves through the activities that are correlated to the unit. I look forward to being able to work with academic teachers on incorporating marketing-related academics into my classroom.

6. Higher levels of learning – Facilitating students movement through higher levels of learning is accomplished by moving them through the six categories of cognitive domain. This starts with knowledge questions that ask the student to recall data or information. The next level is comprehension that tests the student’s understanding of the meaning, translation and interpretation of the problem. Following that is the application level that has the student use the concept in a new situation or abstract way. The next step is analysis that has the student separate the singular parts of a topic into a larger organization so it can be understood. Following this is the synthesis level that has students build a structure out of these separate parts to create a new meaning. The final level is evaluation that has the students making judgements about the new values or ideas.

7. Classroom management – My classroom management principles revolve around fostering a mutual respect and motivation between the students and myself. I need to develop a professional rapport with the students that will allow me to persuade their actions without the use of form discipline. The foremost instigator of poor behavior is for a teacher to not motivate the students to work and succeed. This starts from the minute that they walk into the classroom. I can not stress enough the importance of using bell ringer exercises to set the tone at the beginning of the class period. Students need to understand that we can enjoy the class period together, but we are here to work.

8. Program Design and Management

9. Mission Statement – My marketing management program is developed around the philosophy that I am preparing students for further education or the work force through competency-based teaching strategies.

10. Operational Policies – The program will be based around the idea of incorporating a community approach into my teaching style. I need to be able to incorporate my CTSO, SOLs, advisory board, administration, fellow teachers, parents, and local businesses into my curriculum. These resources will give the program real-world application, and allow my students to engage themselves in meaningful learning experiences.

11. Program promotion- At the end of the day, it is important for any CTE teacher to be able to promote their program. Program promotion will always take a back seat to my teaching, so I will use word of mouth as my first line of promotional offense. If I am able to motivate, educate, and enjoy the class with my students, then they will inform their peers of the opportunities available through this elective. Beyond that, it is important for me to use my CTSO as a vessel for promotion of the program. This is facilitated through the amount of field trips, in-school activities and entertaining programs that DECA is involved with. I will also work with my fellow teachers to promote their programs to students that I feel would be a better fit there (i.e. Agriculture or Business). This kind of mutual respect between elective teachers will hopefully allow us to have the best student body possible in each classroom.

12. Facility Management – I will make sure that my students have a facility to work and learn in that they are proud of. I have created posters of different marketing essentials to be placed around the room. I will allow the students to create DECA Diamonds that they can place around the room, so they can be engaged in the classroom and further learning. The best way for a facility to facilitate learning is for it to be student-centered. Within reason, I will allow the students to have a say of what they want to be placed around the facility, and what sort of equipment they would like to see purchased from the budget.

13. Student Leadership

14. Local CTSO – The marketing CTSO (DECA), is the perfect opportunity for student leadership. DECA allows students to gain leadership positions in many different divisions of marketing and management. They can be elected to a number of positions from administrative assistant to president of DECA. I will be incorporating DECA into my curriculum, so I will allow these student leaders to motivate their peers in the classroom in addition to during DECA events.

15. Chapter Management – I will be overseeing the management of the local DECA chapter, but the true leadership of the group will be left up to the chapter president. I will be a guide for any problems that may arise, but it is imperative that these students get a chance to truly lead and develop our chapter of DECA. I will train each of the chapter leaders to be able to manage our local DECA during our summer workshop period.

16. Student Leadership Development – I am going to set the tone of my student leadership development with a summer leadership workshop. I will have my DECA chapter elect leaders for the upcoming year in May, so that we can plan on meeting before school starts in August. According to my budget, I will plan a two to three day trip that will include an opening ceremony with a keynote speaker, workshops with guest speakers and plenty of teambuilding exercises. It is important to create a bond between the student leaders that will allow them to work smoothly together throughout the coming year. The leadership development will not be constrained to this summer session; moreover, I will plan bi-monthly weekend events to refresh on any leadership items that I find lacking.

17. Community partnerships – I need to make sure that I incorporate resources in the community into my program. There are plenty of volunteers and businesses that are willing to work with DECA and DECA student leaders. I will talk to businesses while I am interacting with them through our co-op program. These partnerships will be able to create exponentially larger networks for the students to use for their future endeavors. All of this goes hand-in-hand with my desire to give students resources to continue their education or join the work force.

18. Experiential Learning

19. Personal Definition – Experiential learning is a method of teaching that involves students learning by practicing in a real-world (or similar) setting. This is seen in marketing education through the co-op program.

20. Cooperative method of instruction – The Co-op method of instruction is an optional additional credit that many advanced level marketing students have the option to take. The concept is that students will join the work force to exhibit and master the work-related skills that are taught in the classroom. I will be in contact with the management of the business to insure that my students are incorporating what I have taught into their work. Their grade is based on their merit at the job and their ability to improve over time.

21. Professional Development

22. Need for life-long learning – The students between my classes will not be the same, and the students from year to year will not be static and similar. I need to be able to improve my teaching ability if I want to be the best teacher possible for my students and for myself. There are plenty of conferences and workshops that school districts and colleges will sponsor for teachers. I have experience reading nonfiction, motivation books for teachers, and I feel that they are refreshing and helpful. It is nice to know that teachers who have been working for decades still get nervous when going into a new classroom, but they do not let that dominate their teaching ability.

23. Technical skills - Marketing is an ever-changing field, and I need to stay on top of my subject area in order to be a competent teacher. I thoroughly enjoy all aspects of marketing, so it is a pleasure for me to be able to research marketing trends as part of my career. I hope that I can share this passion with my students. If I work to be technically certified in marketing education, I can have my students earn college credits by taking my course. This will not only help my current students, but it will promote my program to the next generation of learners.

24. Pedagogical skills – There are countless graduate students developing, researching and perfecting educational theory, and it is up to me to find the newest sets of research. I want to set an example of being a life-long learner to my students, and I need to do research into new pedagogical skills in order stay up to date. These research reports will not find their way to my door, I need to put forward the effort to perfect my trade.

25. Teaching and Learning

26. Home

27. Curriculum Planning

28. Definition - I will work with local teachers who have taught marketing education to help develop my own curriculum planning guide. In most school districts, the head of marketing will develop the curriculum. I look forward to being able to put forward my input into what I feel is most relevant for the students in the current field of marketing to develop a strong curriculum. The curriculum is not a static object; moreover, it is going to be changing and shifting throughout the year to the different factors presented to us. We need to work within the confines of the state specified curriculum, but from there we are allowed to be creative and flexible. There is no reason that marketing should be drab and dull. Marketing is a fast-paced, exciting subject, and I want to be able to show that to my students.

29. Example – Curriculum Planning Guide

30. Student Teaching Internship – to be completed in the Spring

31. Lesson Plans

32. Definition - It is imperative that I come into each classroom prepared to teach, and that can only be accomplished through the use of complete lesson plans. This program at Virginia Tech has taught me a number of methods to create lesson plans, and I have used these methods to create my own style that suits my needs. The lesson plan will include necessary resources, scripted outline, assessment materials, handouts, powerpoints and any modifications.

33. Example – Promotion Lesson Plan

34. Experiential Learning

35. Definition - Experiential learning is a method of teaching that involves students learning by practicing in a real-world (or similar) setting. This is seen in marketing education through the co-op program.

36. Examples – Co-op paperwork from online

37. Student Leadership

38. Home

39. CTSO Program of Work

40. Definition - The marketing CTSO (DECA), is the perfect opportunity for student leadership. DECA is a co-curricular program that is culminated in student’s experience and competitive events. Preparation for both of these items takes place both inside and outside of the classroom. A successful DECA program requires a large amount of time and preparation to be successful.

41. Example – NPK pdf

42. CTSO activities

43. Definition – Students need to be engaged and involved in the learning process in order to comprehend the material. DECA allows for the students to learn through in-class activities and competitive events. The will be honest with my students about the use of competitive event training in the curriculum. I believe that they will be excited to combine the training and the curriculum together, instead of taking the time to complete both separately.

44. Example – competitive events pdf

45. CTSO Integration Activities

46. Definition - There are a number of resources, including the official DECA website, that list the DECA competition events and how to work them into your lesson. The events are all marketing related items, and many of them can be turned into long-term projects for my students.

47. Example – Integrating as Series pdf

48. Connecting Community

49. Home

50. Advisory Board

51. Definition – No CTSO can succeed without the help of an established and trained advisory board. The mission of DECA is to train students for work in the real world, and this advisory board communes in order to make sure this goal is accomplished. The advisory board will be made up of different members of the community and local businesses.

52. Example – Advisory Board pdf

53. Adult Training and Development

54. Definition – As a marketing educator, I have the opportunity to lead adult training and development sessions. These can be for-profit or nonprofit sessions offered to the community. I foresee some of the funds from these sessions to go back into my DECA program.

55. Example – NOVA adult training pdf

56. Field Trips

57. Definition – I will incorporate DECA and personal field trips into my curriculum to engage my students in what I am teaching. These trips allow for students to build on the foundation of knowledge that is created in the classroom, and experience new businesses and historic landmarks. It is imperative that my students are motivated and engaged in the subject of marketing, and field trips can be a strong motivator for any high school student.

58. Example – DC photo

59. External Program Resources

60. Definition – There are numerous resources available in the community to extend what is taught in the classroom. I will tap into these resources to give my students real-world experience and engage them in the curriculum.

61. Example – Merchants Loudoun pdf

62. About Me

63. Home

64. Personal Interests

65. Definition – All of my interests and passions seem to stem from my love of music. I came into college looking for a group of friends with similar interest, and I found myself gravitating towards the local radio station. I started out as a DJ for the station, and quickly moved up to promotions director and eventually leading the stations as General Manager. As General Manager, I had a chance to lead over 150 staff members and DJs. I got to oversee the marketing and business decisions on a day-to-day basis, while being surrounding with a near limitless supply of music. At times it was stressful, but it was a blissful stress. These days I find myself writing music and talking music shop with everyone within earshot. I love music, and I look forward to incorporating it into my program.

66. Example – picture of guitar

67. Reflections

68. Definition – I have learned through my CTE program at Virginia Tech the importance of reflection journals on the learning process. Reflections have kept me from repeating the same mistake twice, and they give me an opportunity to look back to change my previous assumptions about a subject.

69. Example – reflective lesson plan assignment

70. Action Research – Will be included in the Spring

71. Related Work Experience

72. Definition – I mentioned in the personal interests section about running the radio station at Virginia Tech. For more information click on the personal interests link to the left. I have also worked as the head of graphic design in education and outreach for multi-million dollar Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech. I coordinated all of the graphics behind the promotion for the team, and I helped to decide what steps would be taken to carry about the promotion.

73. Example – BBSI Poster from VBI

74. Tech Standards

75. Attached form

76. INTASC

77. Principle 1

78. Reflection – I have created a lesson plan based around different promotional plans for specific target markets. The lesson plan incorporates marketing terms and ideas that the students should already be accustomed to, and I have created activities based around these ideas to make the lesson engaging and educational for the students.

79. Artifact – Promoting Lesson Plan

80. Principle 2

81. Reflection – I understand that there is an important social aspect that goes hand-in-hand with intellectual and personal development in students. This lesson plan gives students an opportunity to develop all three of these categories.

82. Artifact – Characteristics Lesson Plan

83. Principle 3

84. Reflection – The lesson plan attached gives students a chance to learn through different teaching approaches that are adapted to their individual needs.

85. Artifact – Promoting Lesson Plan

86. Principle 4

87. Reflection – Teachers must use a variety of instructional strategies to encourage student’s development of critical thinking, problem solving and performance. This is facilitated through higher-level questions from the students.

88. Artifact - Higher levels of learning – Facilitating student’s movement through higher levels of learning is accomplished by moving them through the six categories of cognitive domain. This starts with knowledge questions that ask the student to recall data or information. The next level is comprehension that tests the students understanding of the meaning, translation and interpretation of the problem. Following that is the application level that has the student use the concept in a new situation or abstract way. The next step is analysis that has the student separate the singular parts of a topic into a larger organization so it can be understood. Following this is the synthesis level that has students build a structure out of these separate parts to create a new meaning. The final level is evaluation that has the students making judgements about the new values or ideas.

89. Principle 5

90. Reflection – I have included one of the handouts from my characteristics of a successful employee lesson plan. The item to take note of on the handout is the ‘Handshake Wars’. In this activity, students split into group and compete to see who can perform the best handshake according to what I have taught previously in the lesson.

91. Artifact – Handshake wars handout sheet from lesson

92. Principle 6

93. Reflection – This lesson plan ends with giving the students an opportunity to actively learn about different social media marketing techniques. I will adapt this lesson plan each semester to the emerging trends in the market in order to keep students engaged.

94. Artifact – Social Media Lesson Plan

95. Principle 7

96. Reflection – It is imperative that I create short and long-term plans in order to succeed as a teacher. This artifact shows my planning process for my CTSO over the coming year.

97. Artifact – NPK pdf

98. Principle 8

99. Reflection – This artifact shows an example of an assessment from my promotional lesson plan. This assessment gives students a chance to evaluate their understanding of the lesson through a formal medium.

100. Artifact – Take Home Quiz

101. Principle 9

102. Reflection – I understand the importance of being a life-long learner. This semester we have read five different educational journals a week, and we have outlined the most important points of all of the journals. It has been useful to be able to go back to my previous journals and reflect on how I have used or need to use the teaching strategies outlined in each of them.

103. Artifact – Final Literature Review

104. Principle 10

105. Reflection – There is a strong correlation between teachers that succeed and those that use the resources that their communities provide to them. I will try my best to incorporate these local resources into my teaching and CTSO in order to provide the best learning experience for my students. The artifact that I have attached shows off two different resources that are available in Loudoun County (Chamber of Commerce and DECA Advisory Board websites).

106. Artifact – Loudoun County Commerce & DECA advisory board