Laura Deren
Laura.Deren@gmail.com
716•725•1655
Current Address
5452 Bradford Court
Apartment 1305452 Bradford Court
Alexandria, VA 22311
Certification
Virginia State Postgraduate Professional License, History and Social Sciences, July 2012
Education
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
Master in Education, Secondary Social Studies, May 2012
Buffalo, New York GPA 3.8
Buffalo, New York GPA 3.8
Bachelor of Arts, History, May 2010
Minor: Teacher Education
GPA 4.0 Suma Cum Laude
GPA 4.0 Suma Cum Laude
Study Abroad: Florence, Italy- Spring 2009
Study Abroad: Florence, Italy- Spring 2009
Professional Experience
CloseUp Foundation, Alexandria, VA
Program Instructor, January 2013 – Present
• Instructed units on Civics, Government and American History for students in grades 6-12.
• Managed student behavior by facilitating the creation of student led learning communities
• Fostered student critical thinking skills through on site analysis of monuments and memorials in Washington D.C.
Prince William County Public
Schools, Manassas,
VA
Substitute
Teacher, October 2012 – December 2012
Cheektowaga Central School
District, Cheektowaga,
NY
Substitute
Teacher, March 2012 – June 2012
Willowridge Elementary School, Amherst, NY
Long-Term Substitute Teacher, November 2011 – March 2012
• Instructed units on cultural holidays and celebrations as well as other areas of study which corresponded to New York State Learning Standards
• Differentiated instruction to foster success and appropriately challenge students
• Collaborated with special education teachers to develop classroom procedures and activities that were beneficial for students with special needs
• Created a classroom management system to successfully address student behavior issues
• Maintained a record of each student’s academic development and communicated their strengths and weaknesses with parents
Lockport City High School, Lockport, NY
Student Teacher, March 2011 – May 2011
• Developed and taught units on the Cold War, Middle East and Globalization for three Global II classes
• Planned and implemented units on Advertising, Business Organizations, Credit and Budgets for two Economics classes
• Integrated technology effectively into the classroom through online simulations, online research projects, interactive maps and webquests
• Managed student behavior by creating and implementing an effective classroom management plan
• Created interactive student projects that promoted student learning through direct application of content knowledge.
• Incorporated a variety of texts into the classroom to enrich student learning
Hamburg Middle School, Hamburg, NY
Student Teacher, January 2011- March 2011
• Planned and implemented units on United States Imperialism, WWI and the 1920's for five eighth grade United States History classes
• Instructed two blended Social Studies classes containing students with special learning needs
• Co-taught two classes with a Special Education Teacher
• Created an interactive learning environment for students through creating plays and constructing models of historical situations
• Effectively implemented a classroom management plan
• Participated in IEP meetings with the Special Education Teachers as well as Parent/Teacher Conferences
• Incorporated primary source documents and multimedia elements frequently into the classroom
Happyland Day Camp, Amherst, NY
Head Camp Counselor and Bus Counselor, June 2007 - August 2009
• Planned daily activities for children that were developed around a camp theme every week
• Collaborated with other counselors to develop theme days that incorporated art, music and physical activity
• Effectively implemented a behavior management plan for the children under my supervision
• Interacted with parents on a daily basis, and dealt with any specific concerns they had for their children or with the camp
Research Experience
Effective and Engaging Instruction in Social Studies
Research completed January 2012 to May 2012• Collected and analyzed scholarly articles to identify best instructional practices within the social studies classroom.
• Reflected and revised past work to showcase best practices in use, focusing primarily on incorporating digital literacy skills and developing instruction to benefit students with special needs
Differentiated Instruction in Social Studies Classroom
Research completed October 2010 to December 2010
• Collected research which dealt with how Differentiated Instruction was being used within Social Studies classrooms, as well as how it could be effectively implemented in the future
• Findings showed that many educators were not incorporating differentiated instruction into daily lesson plans; however extensive research showed that differentiated instruction can be effectively implemented into the classroom in a variety of ways
Leadership Experience
Community Service Chair, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Epsilon Upsilon Chapter, 2007
• Organized Community Service Events for the Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority
Girl Scout Gold Award, Spring 2005
• Built a Library in an inner-city Church within the City of Buffalo
• Planned and implemented a weekly reading program to promote literacy within the community
• Organized two book drives to provide books to the library
Community Service
Volunteer, Habitat for Humanity, September 2006- October 2009
Volunteer, Western New York Food Bank, September 2009
Memberships / Affiliations
Member, Sigma Sigma Sigma National Sorority, 2006 to present
Member, Golden Key Honor Society, 2008 to present
Member, Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity, 2008 to present
Member, Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society, 2008 to present
Special Interests
• Photography
• Dance
• Skiing
• Reading
• Community Service
• Graphic Design
• Yearbook
• Performing Arts
