Meggie Berning

Phone: (815) 541-5461

Email: berningmeggie@gmail.com
Educator Profile
PDP term: 3 years
Month/Year PDP Submitted for Goal Approval: N/A
Month/Year Plan Submitted for PDP Verification: N/A
Years of Educational Experience: None
License File Number: N/A
License Expiration Date: N/A
School District:
Current Educational Assignment: Platteville Schools
Years in Current Assignment: N/A
Present Licensure Stage: Student-Teaching
Licensure Stage Sought: Initial
Professional Licensure Categories: Teacher

Professional Development Plan

Step I: Self-Reflection
I have been a student for seventeen years. That has been my main job for most of my life. Its
all I really knew how to be until this point in my life. So, where does the transformation from
student to teacher happen? How does it happen? Well, for me, it was a slow and gradual
process. It happened over time and I didnt really know that it had transpired. Over time I
realized that I was thinking of ways to help children learn things. This was mostly in my camp
counselor experience, but I grew to realize that I wanted to be even more involved in the learning
process. I wanted to teach. The next question was, What kind of teacher am I going to be?
That is a huge question to ask. It is also the right question to ask. What do I think teaching does
for students? What kind of teaching? What would my role be? How I think about the questions,
and how I answer them will determine what kind of teacher I want to be.
What is the purpose of education?

For me, the most important thing about education is that you help the students learn what
they will need to succeed in their future. No matter what subject is being taught, relating
it to the real world will help them understand the subject better and possibly help them
reason through real life situations.

I think another important factor of education is to help them mold their own ideas about
how the world should be. If students have an idea, they can help to better the world they
live in.

Guiding students morally is also an important aspect of teaching. This will help them
further their social skills. These skills will be vital in order to build relationships and aid
them in future employment opportunities.

As a social studies teacher, I think it is important that students know their history and
where they came from. Also, to show them the world as it was and how it has developed
into what it is.

I think making the subject being taught as interesting as possible is important. This gives
the students the opportunity to explore and see if that subject is something they want to
pursue.

The role of the student in the education system is to be the recipient of knowledge. It is up to
each student to decide what he or she is going to do with the knowledge presented to him or her.
They are the main focus in education. It isnt about the teacher; it is 100% about the student. I
think it is the students job to get involved and be engaged in what is going on. The student
plays the most important role, to take what is given and turn it into something useful for himself
or herself.
The teachers role is to give the student information. How a teacher presents the information is
situational, but it must be in a way that students can gain knowledge from it. The teacher should
make the information interesting to give the students the opportunity to learn everything they
can. If the lessons are boring to the students, they are not going to want to learn. The word I like
to use is Guide." I think the teacher should be hands-on, but let the students learn in their way.
It is important that the teacher modify his or her teaching to help all of the students learn. Every
student learns differently, so it is important that the teacher recognize that and act accordingly.
The teacher should be involved in the community. Doing so, shows that he or she cares. This is
very important in building a relationship with the student. Being involved in the same
community the student is involved, in helps to build relationships with people in contact with
that student. This allows more relationships to be built. This helps the students world to
become more complex and interactive. The teacher should remain professional when extending
his or her relationship with members of the students community. This will solidify the
communitys relationship with the teacher as a part of the students life.
I decided to become a teacher because I want to help students love what I love. I love the history
of this world, and I think everyone should know something about it. I want to inspire change.
Students should learn from past mistakes, and I want to be able to help them to create a better
future for themselves. I want to see students learn in every way possible. I want them to become
engaged and want to learn. As a teacher, the wants that I have are for the students. I use the
phrase I want, a lot. But the wants arent for me; theyre for the people that make up the
future. The wants are for the students to have what I had and maybe just a little more. The

wants are for them to realize their dreams and stop at nothing to attain them. I have decided to
become a teacher because I want to better the world through creating intelligent, charismatic,
engaging youth who are the future of this country, and possibly the world.
My philosophy aligns with Progressivism. I think hands-on learning is one of the most effective
ways a student learns. I think it is up to the students to apply their knowledge and skills to what
they want to do with his or her life. I also think social interaction is extremely important. With
this idea, students can bounce thoughts off of one another and find out other perspectives on an
issue. If they think critically about a topic, they can gain an understanding of it rather than just
learning bits and pieces of facts. My philosophy also aligns with Social Reconstructionism. As
a future Social Studies teacher, I think that society drives what we do and why we do it. I think
that it is important to tie lessons in to what is happening in the world. I think that teaching
students the idea of creating a better society is a way to further their education because it is
something that they care about. The society we live in develops the type of person we become. I
think it is vital to show students how that is so and how it can affect every aspect of a persons
life.
I think that my philosophy of education will be the back bone of the way I teach. I think it has to
be malleable in order to change with the times and to keep students interested. I understand that
there is no one right way of teaching, but I think that the way I hope to teach will work for me. It
is how Ive learned for the past fifteen years, so the evidence seems to point towards success.
Having not been in the field as a teacher, I think my philosophy will change over time. From
what Ive seen and experienced, how a teacher teaches causes how much a student learns. I
think what I want to teach and how I want to teach it will help students to learn as much as they
can in my classroom.

Step II A: Description of School and Teaching, Administrative, or

Pupil Services Situation
Demographics
There are currently 1,532 students enrolled in the Platteville School District. 89.4% are White,
2.2% are Hispanic, 5.2% are Black, 2.9% are Asian/Pacific Islander, and 0.5% are American
Indian/Native Alaskan. 13.9% of students enrolled in the district have a disability. 35.0% of
students qualified for subsidized lunch. 1.7% of students are English Language Learners.

Step II B: Description of Goal to be Addressed

Goal:
I will learn, understand, and master the concepts that foster environmental literacy so that I will
be able to design and implement quality lesson plans that improve and expand student
comprehension and skill development regarding this topic area.

Step II C: Rationale for the Goal: Links to Professional Situation

and Wisconsin Educator Standards
Goal:
I will learn, understand, and master the concepts that foster environmental literacy so that I will
be able to design and implement quality lesson plans that improve and expand student
comprehension and skill development regarding this topic area.
Rationale for the Goal:
The school district now requires all staff to incorporate the environment into their g=curriculum.
As I reflect on my first two years of teaching and look ahead to next year, I recognize the
challenge of fulfilling this district-wide goal. After discussing things with our business education
department, I realized my own limited knowledge of environmental concepts and how to
incorporate them into our daily curriculum. I have begun to research environmental literacy
concepts and resources throughout Wisconsin in which I can gain valuable professional
development experiences and materials regarding this topic.
Incorporating environmental concepts into my curriculum is not only a district and state
mandate, but also relates to our districts mission/goal through preparing these students as
citizens who can learn from the past, achieve in the present, and envision the future.
Licensure standards addressed in the plan:

Teacher: (1) The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and
structures of the disciplines he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that
make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for pupils.
Teacher: (4) The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies,
including the use of technology to encourage childrens development of critical thinking,
problem solving, and performance skills.
Teacher: (7) The teacher organizes and plans systematic instruction based upon
knowledge of subject matter, pupil, and the community and curriculum goals.
Teacher: (9) The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effect
of his or her choices and actions and pupils, parents, professionals in the learning
community and others and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.

Step II D: Plan for Assessing and Documenting the Goal

Goal:
I will learn, understand, and master the concepts that foster environmental literacy so that I will
be able to design and implement quality lesson plans that improve and expand student
comprehension and skill development regarding this topic area.

I will attend courses, workshops, conferences and meetings regarding environmental education
and environmental literacy. My credentials earned, completed lesson plans, and other practical
projects will reflect my participation in professional development opportunities.
Student learning will be assessed through formative and summative assessments, self-reflection,
and evaluations. I will then use the student data to assess my professional growth and improve
my variety of teaching strategies so that each year I am better able to help my students exceed.

Step II E: Plan to Meet the Goal: Objectives, Activities, Timeline,

and Plan for Collaboration
Goal:
I will learn, understand, and master the concepts that foster environmental literacy so that I will
be able to design and implement quality lesson plans that improve and expand student
comprehension and skill development regarding this topic area.
Objective:
I will participate in coursework and professional development activities that enhance my learning
and comprehension of the various components of environmental literacy.
Activities
Timelines
Meet with a representative of the
2014-2018
Wisconsin Center for Environmental
Education at UW- Stevens Point to
discuss what options are available to
enhance my environmental literacy.
Participate in a LEAF (K-12
2014-2018
Forestry Education) Workshop

Participate in a KEEP (K-12 Energy

Education) Workshop

2014-2018

Collaboration
I will work with other
professionals in the
environmental education
community.

Completed

I will work with other

teachers as we learn new
curriculum and teaching
Strategies
I will work with other
teachers as we learn new
curriculum and teaching
strategies

Objective:
I will use what I learned and observed to create engaging lessons that will enhance my students
environmental literacy.

Activities
I will use a variety of resources that
I receive from my professional
development opportunities

Timelines
2014-2018

I will infuse the environmental

concepts into my curriculum by
incorporating various activities that
support this subject

2014-2018

I will incorporate multiple learning

strategies to enhance my students
knowledge and comprehension of
environmental literacy.

2014-2018

Collaboration
I will share these
resources with the other
teachers in my
department
I will discuss these
activities with other
teachers in my
department and business
education community
I will discuss these
strategies with my
supervisor.

Completed

Objective:
Students will exceed literacy standards set by the state.
Activities
Students will complete pre and post
literacy assessments.
Students will complete reading
logs/journals
Students will use self-reflection
sheets to review what they are
reading

Timelines
2014-2018

Collaboration
Students

2014-2018

Students

2014-2018

Students

Completed

Documentation of the Plan

Step III: Annual Review of the PDP
Goal:
I will learn, understand, and master the concepts that foster environmental literacy so that I will
be able to design and implement quality lesson plans that improve and expand student
comprehension and skill development regarding this topic area.

Step IV A: Evidence of Professional Growth and the Impact of

Professional Growth on Student Learning
Goal:
I will learn, understand, and master the concepts that foster environmental literacy so that I will
be able to design and implement quality lesson plans that improve and expand student
comprehension and skill development regarding this topic area.

Step IV B: Reflection and Summary

Goal:
I will learn, understand, and master the concepts that foster environmental literacy so that I will
be able to design and implement quality lesson plans that improve and expand student
comprehension and skill development regarding this topic area.