Oghenekome Odu
Washington,DC
Summary
Dedicated and passionate English Language Arts educator with extensive experience developing engaging curriculum, and teaching students with varying needs and abilities. Committed to enhancing student success using effective instructional practices, as highlighted below, and by maintaining productive relationships with students, parents, teachers and administrators.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
English Language Instructor
E.l. Haynes Public Charter School
08.2022 - Current
- Lead instructor to approximately 70 students in the 10th and 11th grades, in English II and AP English Literature and Composition courses respectively.
- Assisted in revamping the 10th grade curriculum to ensure it was strongly and better aligned to the CCSS standards; developed and introduced the first nonfiction unit ever taught in the grade; increased the amount of writing, analyses and peer/self review students complete and partake in; this led to 44% of students earning a 4 or 5 on PARCC at the end of the SY 2022-2023 - the highest in the school's history, and one of the highest in the District for that year, as well as the greatest increase in performance among students with disabilities.
- Develop a strong skills aligned and diverse curriculum for AP English Literature and Composition; expanded the curriculum to include texts beyond the Canon in order to increase student engagement and success; utilize a variety of collaborative, reading and writing strategies to ensure students grasp the content and are prepared for the exam.
- Ensure that ALL students, regardless of ability - receive differentiated grade level content.
- Collaborate daily and weekly with special education co-teacher and instructional coach to ensure that students with disabilities receive the specific accommodations and modifications they need; implement innovative teaching approaches for students with disabilities to support mastery of IEP goals, particularly writing goals.
- Routinely analyze student data to determine mastery of standards (10th grade) and skills (11th grade); reteach as necessary to improve student mastery of content.
- Build relationships with students to understand obstacles and challenges to learning including but not limited to difficult home situations, illness, or social hurdles; support students inside class and outside of class, and through referrals to the Wellness Team.
- Establish a student centered, safe and nurturing classroom environment where students are collaborative and persistent, unafraid to make mistakes, and take ownership over their own learning.
- Coach and support new teachers with unit and lesson planning, as well as with delivery and differentiation of lessons.
- Identify students struggling content and make arrangements to meet one-on-one during study hall or after school to provide additional instruction.
- Communicate with parents in person, by email and by telephone to apprise them of student progress, challenges and behavior issues.
English Language Arts Instructor
Thurgood Marshall Academy PCHS
08.2012 - 06.2022
- Lead instructor to approximately 60 ninth and twelfth grade students in English I, Honors English I and AP Language and Composition courses.
- Lead creator of rigorous, culturally relevant CCSS aligned unit and lesson plans, and assessments, for use by the 9th grade ELA team; ensure that lesson plans incorporate the use of digital tools and differentiated instructional strategies, to support students with special needs and learning difficulties.
- Analyze student data to determine students’ mastery of CCSS and AP Language and Composition skills; develop and implement reteach lessons to improve student mastery.
- Maintain a safe, nurturing classroom environment to encourage high levels of individual and group engagement, and maximize student achievement; provide targeted one-on-one and small group instructional support to students, during class and office hours.
- Facilitate and moderate in-depth whole group and small group classroom discussions of literary texts.
- Assign complex texts (fiction and nonfiction) to broaden students’ outside knowledge, and to strengthen their argumentative and rhetorical analysis skills.
- Coach student teachers on: delivering instruction, classroom management, data collection and analysis, unit and lesson planning, and providing meaningful feedback to students.
- Collaborate effectively with parents, teachers and administrators, to ensure students reach their individual learning objectives.
English Language Arts/Special Education Instructor
Fairmont Heights High School
08.2008 - 07.2012
- Created and implemented rigorous lesson plans in both self-contained and inclusion settings, for students with a range of disabilities in grades 9-12.
- Modified and differentiated instruction for students, by incorporating hands-on activities, cooperative learning groups, technology, a variety of performance assessment methods, and research-based reading and writing interventions into all lessons.
- Developed IEPs and BIPs for students with disabilities; organized and facilitated IEP meetings; ensured that students' IEPs were implemented daily by both general and special educators; supported other special education teachers with writing IEPs and planning IEP meetings.
- Led and participated in English and special education department meetings, and worked cooperatively with both general education and special education teachers to improve classroom instruction.
- Provided additional instructional support to students after school, one-on-one and in small groups; supported 12th grade students with disabilities, in completing alternative, modified assessments and transition plans, to ensure their graduation.
- Collaborated daily with parents, teachers and administrators, to effectively address student needs and concerns.
Education
Master of Arts - International And Comparative Education
The George Washington University
Washington06.2008
Bachelor of Arts - English
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA05.2005
Skills
- Curriculum development
- Student-centered learning
- Classroom management
- Differentiated instruction
- Data collection and analysis
- Organization
- Effective communication
- Relationship building
- Team work and collaboration
- Problem-solving
- Multimedia integration
- Cultural sensitivity
- Instructional planning
- Group instruction
Certification
OSSE Standard Teacher Credential in English, Grades 7-12 | 2021-2025
Modern Classrooms Project Virtual Mentorship Program | 2021
National Board Certification | 2022-2025
Timeline
English Language Instructor
E.l. Haynes Public Charter School
08.2022 - Current
English Language Arts Instructor
Thurgood Marshall Academy PCHS
08.2012 - 06.2022
English Language Arts/Special Education Instructor
Fairmont Heights High School
08.2008 - 07.2012
OSSE Standard Teacher Credential in English, Grades 7-12 | 2021-2025
Modern Classrooms Project Virtual Mentorship Program | 2021
National Board Certification | 2022-2025
Master of Arts - International And Comparative Education
The George Washington University
Bachelor of Arts - English
University of Virginia
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