Teacher Interview

My Teacher Interview    <----- Click the hyperlink to see the Interview!

My Response

I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing a teacher that I currently work with in summer school. Mrs. Ciocci is a teacher in my own school building during the regular school year, but I was not her program assistant in her classroom.

Working with her currently right now in the summer, I have learned so much from her in terms of classroom management. I believe she does a great job working with her students on a routine for them in school. Our students are brand new into the school world, and Mrs. Ciocci, I believe does an excellent job in helping our students understand and get the hang of the idea of school and that new world for them.

When re-watching the interview again I did hear some answers she talked about that correlate with the chapters assigned for this week. In chapter thirteen, in particular, page 512 talked about management means relationships. Mrs. Ciocci talked about having the students feel comfortable with her and in the classroom. When students feel caring and support from their teachers, they are more likely to cooperate with classroom activities. I have seen her in action with her students and many of our students trust a teacher they are familiar with and will only go with them. For example, Mrs. Ciccoi talked about students and their routines and if something were to not be in the order of a regular routine like picture day, most students would not enjoy it because it is something new to them. However, if a student trusts you enough, they will hold your hand and go along with it, but you have to try. I see this a lot working with the younger students. Another point she brought up was the routine inside of a classroom. In chapter thirteen page 514 in routine and procedures, efficient procedures and routines reduce confusion and opportunities for misbehavior, and they save tune that can be devoted to learning tasks. She explained what a typical day in her classroom look like by first starting off having breakfast in the classroom followed by circle time that has many academics built into it than large group activity, then  centers, gross motor time (gym), come back inside the classroom for story time/mini-lesson then if there is time, they will have a snack for communication purposes. This is a typical routine that I saw works best for her type of classroom where the structure is very important especially for the students she has. Though I am not going for special education, I did see how it can relate to me when going into general education because my future students will need a routine to follow as well. We see how students start off their morning with breakfast if the school provides that then putting away coats and turning in homework in a bin or whatnot. It is good to have a routine like that built in for students for them to reduce any confusion. I did not notice how much it can impact a student until there is a substitute teacher who may not know their routine and students tend to “correct them”. Last key point she mentioned was planning spaces for learning. “Spaces for learning should invite and support the activities you plan for your classes, and they should respect the inhabitant of the space.” This is important because classroom space does have an effect on student behavior and learning. “Setting up the classroom to make sure kids can figure things out it will make their life 100% easier because once they know the expectations and things are labeled and they know where to go, it will make your life easier” (Mrs. Ciocci). I felt she was spot on about the environment in the classroom and how that is very important to her because it could help prevent a lot of behavior and how it should be well thought out in terms of the classroom space.

As a future teacher, I am glad to have interviewed Mrs. Ciocci because I felt better about what is classroom management and the role it plays inside a real classroom. It is one thing to read about, but it different viewing it in action and having the teacher explain to you why she has her classroom in a certain way or why it is important for her to take this table over here and not over there. Each teacher will have their own personal way on how they manage a classroom and it all depends on the students. I know Mrs. Ciocci has thought it out each school year how she sets her rules and who will need more attention with a certain task or how to transition a student from inside the classroom or outside the classroom. It all comes with experience and she has learned throughout the years and is still learning. I found that to be genuine and I look forward to having this information about how I will deal with classroom management.

Module 3: Chapter 7 & 13

In chapter 7 it explained the early views of learning through contiguity, classical conditioning and described their implications for teaching. It also summed up the differences and similarities between positive and negative reinforcement and how reinforcement schedules affect learning. It also explained functional behavioral assessment, positive behavioral supports, and self-management techniques. All of this dive into the behavioral views of learning. While reading this chapter it did make me think of the current classroom that I am in right now for summer school. However, Chapter 13 really had me going because of the experience I have had inside a classroom and working with students and understanding their learning environment within the classroom. Chapter 13 examineed the ways that teachers can communicate with their students in many situations. Chapter 13 identifies strategies for preventing and addressing student misbehaviors and research on the roles of producers, physical space in classroom management.

There is more to classroom management than keeping the students in order and quiet. Each classroom has its own system and set up. In my school building, there are two types of classrooms: blended and self-contained. Both of these classrooms have their own classroom management, but what I did find interesting was how different a blended classroom was to another blended classroom and so on. Each teacher figures out a way to give the students the best access to learning. I noticed when I subbed in a blended classroom and noticed how their set-up, routine, and environment was different in the classroom I am originally at. “Spaces for learning should invite and support the activities you plan for your classes, and they should respect the inhabitants of the space” (pg. 518). I saw inside a blended classroom in the back of a small corner there was a set up for quiet space. I asked the teacher what was the purpose and who can only be in there. She said she keeps that spot open in case she notices that a student may need some alone time away from other students. That would be considered as a personal territory because although many can use that space, it’s purpose will be for someone own needs that personal spot. I have seen students respect that space and not use it without having a reason to.

I also noticed how there were some students in the blended classroom that needed more attention to awareness than others. “Some students, particularly those with behavioral and emotional challenges, may require direct teaching and practicing of important behaviors (pg. 511) I had a student in one of the classrooms who had a behavioral chart (Token reinforcement system) where he was given a star for each time be behaved in an activity. This is what was talked about in chapter 7 page 278. “Depending on the age of the student, the rewards could be small toys, school supplies, free time, special class jobs, positive notes sent home, time to listen to music or play computer games, etc.” This student wanted to play with a Batman Lego in the principal’s office during the last 15 minutes of school. The teacher agreed to it including the principal because this benefits the student for behavioral problems and responded well with the direct nature of token reinforcement.

I found both of these chapters to be very insightful and useful when I have my own classroom. There are ideas and many theories viewpoints to look at and learn from them. I have gained a new understanding of managing a classroom and the importance of space inside of it and its effectiveness on students and what I want to create in the future.

Module 2: Chapters 4, 5,6, and 8

This week we were assigned to read chapters four, five, six and eight. These chapters went hand in hand with my personal life and school life working as a program assistant. Chapter four had a particular section that I was very interested in because I deal with students who are labeled (pg. 122). Chapter five covered an important topic that I can relate to in my own personal life working with my own daughter on her speech (pg. 179). Chapter six was interesting to know the relationship between SES and school achievement (pg. 226). Chapter eight had me focused on attention and the role it plays when it comes to teaching.

In chapter four, it started off with “Labeling students is a controversial issue” (pg. 122). I do agree with that statement because no parent wants their child with a “bad” label. Parents do not like knowing their children is being defined by a label especially at an early age of three years old. We have had many parents ignore the issue because they do not want their child to have a “label” so soon or feel they may grow out of with, which makes it a controversial issue. From a parent point of view, I get that because I am a parent myself and I know I wouldn’t want a “label” to define my daughter at an early age either. The future teacher in me, I can also agree that it is a controversial issue, but sometimes it is necessary for some students so they can get more help for their education and school district. When we get a new student in our class who has a label (for example autistic), it does not fully tell us educators which methods to use for that student until we fully get to know that student ourselves. We use to read the child’s IEP to see what was written by the diagnostic team and it got to a point where we stopped looking at it before the students started school because we felt it not the reflect the student as a whole. We usually only look at the IEP for the goals that they need to meet. In our classroom, we have a couple students who are diagnosed and labeled with autism. We do not assume right away what kind of student he or she will be because I personally never met two autistic students alike. I do not like to assume students who are autistic have all of the same characteristics and learn the same way because that is not true at all. All our students are different in their own way with different academic goals, strength, and weaknesses. For me, as an educator, it is important to get to know them on a deeper level and to connect with them in order for them to succeed in life skills and in their academic skills as well.

Chapter five covered a topic that I have going on in my personal life with my own daughter. My daughter works with a speech therapist once a week and it has been the best decision I have made for her. Currently, she is almost at her one-year mark working with her therapist. She went from have two words (mom, more) to having 300+ words and can use short sentences, knows all her colors, alphabets, and body parts. Seeing how my daughter’s speech therapist work with her on building her language skills and finding her voice is a feeling that I do not take for granted. In my school, we have two speech therapist that works with all our students and also work with some individually. Majority of our student's ages 3-6 years old are being serviced at our pre-k building for free because they qualified under speech. On page 180 the table 5.1 shown is a good milestone chart to follow for early childhood language, but it does not mean if your child does not have 450 words by 2 that there may be something completely wrong. It is just a guide to help if your child is on the right track. Many of our parents come in worried because they read somewhere that if their child does not have this or that something automatically believes there is something wrong. We always remind our parents that while yes, your child should be doing this or that it does not mean it will happen right away.

Chapter six highlighted the relationship between SES and school achievement. “Families in poverty seldom do not have access to high-quality preschool care for their you children-the kind of care that enhances cognitive and social development (pg. 227). Not all low-income families lack resources. In my town, in particular, we have many programs for soon to be mothers and children ages 3-5 to attend or have services provided for them if they qualify. Most of the families qualify because they are low-income according to the number of people in the household. There are resources out there for families to receive access for their children to receive some sort of education. It goes back to show how poor students are also at risk of being stigmatized by their teachers and peers (pg. 226). Many students from low SES backgrounds refuse to adopt the behaviors and attitudes of the majority culture that is around them and that proves a lot of suggesting that all students who come from low-income household will be viewed as low expectations (pg. 227).

In chapter eight, I found how the role of attention works when it comes to teaching. I was interested in this chapter because it touched on attention and how much of a role it plays and how it impacts information. Some students have attention problems, but teachers must work at gaining and holding everyone’s attention for learning (Pg. 306). This reminds me of when I am working with the students in our blended classrooms. Though our students are very young, the teacher has to make sure all students are looking at her and making sure her lessons are short and to the point. It is very easy for our students to lose attention because their attention span is not long lasting compared to a 10-year-old. Another thing I found interesting in attention is students cannot process information that they do not recognize or perceive (pg. 307). It does depend on how successful information is processed and that can be because of several things not only on attention.

These four chapters have helped me understand better on concepts that I will be facing when I have my own classroom. There were certain aspects that I learned and now view a little more differently. These chapters showed more to what a student can offer without having a label defining them. Language is such an important factor because it really builds off of that especially when it comes time to show a student how to read. Having students coming from low-incoming household does not mean that I have to expect less from them and how grabbing students’ attention is crucial for them to retain memory.   

Module 1 Chapters 1-3

For week 1, we were assigned to read three chapters from Educational Psychology. Chapter 1 covered Learning, Teaching, and Educational Psychology, Chapter 2 covered Cognitive Development, and Chapter 3 covered the self, Social, and Moral Development. Each chapter focused on the critical thinking about the essential features of effective teaching and what makes a good teacher (pg. 7), the implications of Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories for teaching (pg. 63), and the development through childhood and adolescences (pg. 74).

In chapter 1, it was important to note how classrooms look like today. I found these statistics remarkable because it is completely different from when I was in elementary school. I found interested where it states “By 2044, there will be no majority race or ethnic group in the United States; every American will be a member of a minority group” (Colby & Ortman, 2015, pg4.) That statistics stood out for me because I am part of a minority group and to know that in the next 24 years it will be a difference, it makes me hopefull to see how it will all evolve. It is also important to note how the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) dominated education (pg. 6). This was important as I attended a school that was penalized for not performing as it should be. Many teachers were worried about their jobs because it was part of their evaluations if their students performed well on a standardized test or not.

Currently, I work in my school districts Early Childhood Center where we serve students from my town from age 3-6 years old. Our building is dedicated to those students who qualify for free services such as speech, OT, PT, and social work by our district. One thing I saw from chapter 1 that I did not know was how Every Student Succeeds Act (Essa) also emphasized increased access to preschool by including new funding for early childhood education (pg. 7). January of this year, our blended classrooms (we have 4 currently in our building) who are government funded for our district were each given $10,000 to spend on anything they may need for their classrooms. This could include new chairs, carpets, educational toys, technology, playground equipment, etc.

I find that teacher-student relationships are one of the most important relationships to have and to build (pg. 8). This reminded me of a lot of teachers who had an interest in me and not just looking at me for my academics. With my current students, I try to found out as much information I can about them. Majority of my students require speech therapy and a few of them have behavioral issues, so for them to communicate with me is very limited. I try to find other ways around to understand them and I’m also sensitive to their needs, so I try my best for them to show that I do care and want to want out what their interests are. That is important for me to have that teacher-student relationship because students have a good sense of who cares for them.

Chapter 2 covered cognitive development and how the physical development of the brain has possible implications for teaching and Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories are on teaching. As I mentioned before, I work in with pre-k and kindergarten students. Most of the time, I am in a self-contained classroom and the word that gets thrown around a lot is the students’ cognitive development. Our diagnostic team in the building screen children and one of the elements that are part of the screening process is the students’ cognitive development. “There

One thing that I could not agree more with from this chapter was on timing, critical versus sensitive periods (pg. 33). “There are windows of opportunity- times when a person is especially ready for or responsive to certain experiences” (Scalise & Felds, 2017). I agree with this quote because of the students that I work with now and those I have had in the past. I believe that students develop at their own rate regardless of when things are supposed to be done such as walking, potty training, talking, etc. I believe this because I have had a student who is five years old and could not walk. He was wheelchair bound for his entire life, up until my teacher decided that he may be ready to start walking because he was showing signs of trying to walk (holding on to a table by the edges and moving along) and it may be that time that he is ready. Though most children start walking by 12 months, he took longer. Currently, students are walking with the help of an adult holding his hand. This is where I believe in a sensitive period because when a person is ready to learn a certain thing then that person will be ready (pg. 33). People develop at certain rates and that is something we will see as future educators in our classrooms.

We can learn much from Piaget’s work. He believed that “the main goal of education should be to help children learn how to learn, and that education should form not furnish the minds of students (pg. 63). This is true because of the matter of working with the youngest children in the school. We pay close attention to what they are telling us and how in their mind they see how to solve certain problems. With our students, we have to understand the way they think and why a student may do something a certain way. That helps the teachers figure out how to create their instructions for their students and classroom. From Vygotsky, we can take away that “the main goal of education was the development of higher mental functions, not simply filling students’ memories with facts (pg. 64). When I was in school, I felt like this is how I was learning. Teachers would fill my brain up with facts, but I would just remember them because I need to know that for a test then once that test was over, I would have no idea what I just learned so it never stuck around in my brain.

In chapter 3, it covered the development of self, social and moral through childhood and adolescence. The first paragraph in the chapter had me thinking a lot about my students and my daughter who is at the stage where she’s learning and growing so much just by her environment around her. I can see changes with my students from their first year at school (age 3) to the next year when they are a year older. We do not see these changes instantly, but we do notice when we did something new that they have just discovered on their own that they can do. Though I do see how my students’ family affect them when it comes to school. We always say parents are the first teachers in a child’s life. So, it is important to note how parenting styles affect children (pg. 82). What I liked that this chapter covered was the eight stages of Erikson’s psychosocial development. The emphasis on the relationship between society and the individual is a psychosocial theory of development a theory that connects personal development (psycho) to the social environment (social) pg. 96. In our early childhood building, we see how students avoid a feeling of guilt (third stage).  

Module 1: Field Experience Form Context for Learning Description of School and Students

Trinity Christian College Field Experience Form

Context for Learning Description of School and Students

About the School Where You Are Observing or doing Field Experience

School Name and City: District 99: Early Childhood Center

Type of School: Elementary school, Middle School, High School, or Other: Elementary

Setting: Urban, Suburban, or Rural: Suburban

Write your responses to the three questions below in paragraph form.

1. List any special features of the school or classroom setting (e.g., themed magnet, classroom aide, bilingual, co-taught with a special education teacher, pull-out program).

The school that I work/completed field experience it is part of District’s 99 16 elementary schools serving students from early childhood through kindergarten. For children who meet the criteria for the preschool for all grant, they are placed in a pre-K school classroom that ranges from 15- 20 students. Students in the general kindergarten classrooms range between 15-20 as well. The majority of the students in this classroom are considered within the typical range of development or are such with a minor speech delay. Many of the children in the Early Childhood and pre-K- kindergarten programs receive their services in the blended programs. For students needing more support the Early Childhood, Pre-K, and Kindergarten Classrooms, they offer a variety of special education support in self-contained classrooms.

Many students in early childhood and pre-k classrooms have an IEP, 504, or both in place.

Each blended classroom has one teacher and one classroom aide. In the self-contained classrooms, there is one teacher and two classroom aides. Only 4 students in the building require a 1:1 aide.

2. Describe any district, school, or cooperating teacher requirements or expectations that affects the planning or delivery of instruction, such as required curricula, pacing plan, use of specific instructional strategies, or standardized tests.

Students who are eligible to receive physical therapy are pulled out of the classroom once a week to fulfill their minutes per their IEP. Students who are in kindergarten are administered the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) test three times per year: Fall, Winter, and Spring. This test is required by District 99 and is used for measuring student growth, guiding instruction, and for teacher and administrator evaluations.

3. For special education only: List any educators with specialized expertise in the school/district (e.g., specific disabilities, subject-specific pedagogy, English language development, speech therapists). Speech therapists, Physical therapists, Occupational therapists, and Social workers.

About the Students in this Class [Give a brief or one-word response]

1. Estimated percentage of students eligible for free/reduced lunch: 100%

2. Grade level(s): Pre-k-K

3. Number of

a. students in the class: 14

b. males: 13

females: 1

c. English language learners: 0

d. students identified as gifted and talented: 0

e. students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans: 14

4. Complete the chart below to summarize required accommodations or modifications for students receiving special education services and/or students who are gifted and talented as they will affect instruction. As needed, consult with your cooperating teacher to complete the chart. The first row has been completed in italics as an example. Use as many rows as you need.

Special Education Category	Number of Students	Accommodations, Modifications, and/or Pertinent IEP Goals
Example: Learning Disability	Example: 4	Example: Close monitoring, follow up, and Resource Room
IEP	14	Support auditory presentations with visuals, Extra visual and verbal cues and prompts, Varied reinforcement procedures, 1:1 Aide

About the Class You Observed

1. How much time is devoted each day to instruction in the classroom? Describe the class periods (if applicable)? Choose a content area of your specialty or major. How much time is devoted to teaching that subject?

4 hours of classroom instruction takes place daily. The 2.5 hours are for specials that include gym, art, and library. Each subject is broken down to 40 minutes.

2. Is there any ability grouping or tracking? If so, please describe how it affects your class.

Tracking is done via Hero on the computer for all subjects. Teachers the only ones that have access to the students tracking progress. Students are group based on the screening of the diagnostic team and with that teachers group the students accordingly.

3.  Identify any textbook or instructional program you primarily use for instruction. If a textbook, please provide the title, publisher, and date of publication.

Students are giving the curriculum of Unique Learning. No textbook are provided in kindergarten self-contained classrooms.

4. List other resources (e.g., SMARTBoard, manipulatives, online resources) used for instruction in this class.

SMARTboard, iPads, whiteboards, classroom library, and speech devices.

5. What do you know about what your students know, what can they do, and what are they learning to do? What do you know about your students’ everyday experiences, cultural backgrounds and practices, and interests?

All my students are not in grade level standards and are from income-low backgrounds. The student population in the classroom are 98% Hispanic and 2% African American. My students are interested in books, music, movies, and video games.

6. Describe one teaching event. What best practices in teaching were used?

One teaching event that I participated in was for a math period. We had 5 centers all dedicated to a math concept based on their goals and skills that they are able to do. I was in charge for one section where students have to roll a dice and tell me the number (with or without prompts based on each student level) and based on that number the student had to put on ‘ice cream scoops’ on top of their cone. Students were grouped on math level and student behavioral. What I found interesting and fun to do was see them improved on their math. I saw how in each group teachers and paraprofessionals were assessing the students in different ways for them to understand concept and discipline as well.