Teacher Interview
4th grade
March 11, 2013
Woodrow Wilson Elementary School
Cabarrus County Schools
How do you write a typical lesson plan?
I start off with my standards, underline the important parts of the standards, research the meaning, then plan for literacy first. Whole group lessons, then from there I plan my reading groups. (5 of them) From there I plan my spelling, then go into math. But writing is always the last thing I plan.
In what ways do you plan to accommodate individual differences in the classroom?
Small group instruction, one-on-one instruction. I give some students get earphones to block the noise out, sometimes I fold their worksheets to focus on 1 instead of 10 questions at a time. I also use seating arrangements, I talk slowly and clearly. Let's see, what else.. I Make a lot of models, pictures, hang them up so they can refer back to them.
What are some of your instructional challenges as a teacher?
Too many kids, not enough time. Too much to teach, not enough time to teach it in.
What do you consider essential characteristics for successful teaching?
Knowing your kids, and being “with it”. Hear what this kid is doing, and watching the other kid, and knowing how to react quickly with certain situations so that the class is not chaotic. Pinpoint behavior problems, and ones (students) who are struggling. Most of all, KNOW YOUR KIDS and their backgrounds.
How often do your students receive social studies/science instruction?
Twice a week for science (Tuesdays and Thursdays), and everyday for social studies.
Are you satisfied with the amount of time that you currently allot for social studies/science instruction?
NO! There is not enough time!
What does reading instruction look like in your classroom (e.g. readers workshop, basals, etc.)?
We use basals, reader's workshop, articles, magazines, and the internet. Oh, I do all of it. (genres) Sometimes
they’ll read an article from the internet and answer questions. I try to make it well rounded.
What motivation tactics do you use to ensure a desire to learn?
One thing I do for kids who don’t like to learn is show them their grades. I also give a lot of praise. We have salsa parties, ice cream parties, I give extrinsic gifts. They love competitions too. I do my best, but it's hard sometimes because students don’t have support at home.
What are the class rules? Tell me about the consequences for negative behavior.
The students create the classroom rules, and sign it like a constitution. Some of the rules are to respect each other, work hard, and don’t interrupt. If a student is behaving badly or acting out of line, I'll tell them to "Step outside and pull yourself together". There aren’t any real behavioral problems in my classroom though. Luckily. But if something were to get out of hand, the school does have a "time out" room. This would resemble in school suspension in high school.
Tell me about the pacing of lessons and interaction in the classroom- use of time- and other aspects of time…wait time, and time using teacher talk and student talk. What works well with your students?
We run out of time constantly. Mostly because of the student interaction. They are so inquisitive and talkative. They have big debates and good discussion with use of great vocabulary. Whenever that happens, I allow it. I hate to end it, because its good for my ESL students to learn language. During these discussions, they come out of their shells. It's always positive. Such a good energy is created. The kids are proud of speaking up. They are excited to share their thoughts and ideas. One big thing to remember is to always give them time to answer. Give them time to figure it out. Don’t jump in there and do it for them. As a teacher you want to help them and save them, but the best way to do that is to let them wait. 30 seconds minimum. It's rewarding for both of you when they find the answer themselves.
teacher_interview_imb.docx | |
File Size: | 15 kb |
File Type: | docx |