KEM2 - KEM2 Task 2 (1)

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Western Governors University *

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KEM2

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English

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Apr 3, 2024

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KEM2 – KEM2 Task 2: Teacher Interview A. https://www.floridaeducationfoundation.org/first-grade-standards , I chose the first-grade standards as the teacher I interviewed has taught first-grade for a while now. B1. Attached, interview was completed over the phone. C1. Application of Content Standards In most classrooms, including Mrs. Corr’s, the standards are written on the board and updated daily. These standards are clear for students to see and before lessons are started, the standards are addressed to the students, and they will repeat them back to the teacher. There are many ways to see if a student has mastered a standard, Mrs. Corr uses quizzes and exit tickets. Mrs. Corr said that having standards “are extremely helpful because teachers have a guideline to follow.” Internal and External Influences Mrs. Corr is reading endorsed, meaning she will receive students lower than their peers and those in the ESE program but will also be balanced out by also having gifted students. This is an internal influence because Mrs. Corr must make sure that both sets of students receive the same help but are also getting the rigor or help that they need to continue to grow. For instance, students who qualify for the gifted program will do 2 nd grade level work while students who do not fully understand are pulled to Mrs. Corrs back table for that extra assistance. One external influence Mrs. Corr touched on was the extra work given by the district. One of these is the quarterly test for math, science, and ELA (English Language Arts). These are supposed to be given once a semester and they include at least 30 questions each. This might sound like it is not that bad. But, with 20 first graders all with different attention spans, various levels of understanding, some students who still cannot read properly, this can be difficult to implement and reduce instruction time with how long it can take, sometimes it would take three days to finish each test. Teacher Identity Mrs. Corr has been teaching for a long while, she has taught in private schools in California and now teaches at a public school here in Florida. Compared to when she first started teaching, Mrs. Corr has grown more confident in her teaching skills. Mrs. Corr also understands the importance of trial and error. She understands that certain strategies will work for some students, but they will not work for other students. Earlier during the interview, Mrs. Corr also stated that the data she sees from the standards, helps her decide what her class needs the most or what

students do not understand like the other students, this mindset aligns with Hattie’s midframe number two, “I see assessment as informing my impact and next steps.” Professional Growth Mrs. Corr acknowledges that continuous growth is something needed in most careers; one way Mrs. Corr continues to grow is talking to other teachers or by observing them. This way Mrs. Corr can make sure she is not stuck doing the same thing each year. During the summer, Mrs. Corr also takes time to catch up on new curriculum and complete self-paced classes so she can be better prepared for the next school year. C2. Before the interview, I was a little nervous. Although I have worked with this amazing teacher, asking them these types of questions felt very formal for our working relationship. During the interview, I realized there was nothing to worry about. Gina Corr is an experienced teacher and loves to help other teachers by giving advice that they can use, including myself. After the interview, I felt happy that I had successfully conducted an interview with little to no mishaps. I also felt like I understood Mrs. Corr more, which is always a good thing, to get to know coworkers more than you already do. C3a. The questions I had ready for Mrs. Corr may have been too vague. Some questions needed some follow-up questions which did make me a little flustered as I did not want to prolong the interview too much. However, I did expect Mrs. Corr to be exactly as she was, Mrs. Corr is always so willing to help me out whether it is in the classroom or if it is for me to better my experience, like completing my masters. C3b. One thing that went well with the interview is how easily it flowed. It felt like two people just having a very professional conversation. It was not just me asking questions and Mrs. Corr answering, it was a conversation that answered what I needed to know for this task. C3c. This interview was one of the first interviews I have done where I am not the one answering questions. One thing I would have done different is have backup questions ready to go just in case my initial question was too vague, like stated earlier, not having these backup questions caused me to get flustered, Mrs. Corr understood and waited patiently while I produced the follow-up questions. C4.

Application of Content Standards I agree with the way that Mrs. Corr applies content standards in her classroom. In my classroom, one way I have the students acknowledge the standard for that lesson is like Mrs. Corr, Mrs. Corr was the one who told me about it when I asked her at the start of the previous school year. At the start of the day, I erase the old standard and write an essential question that is provided by the district which is aligned with that lesson's standard. Before we start the lesson, the students are brought to the carpet for the introduction and reading of the standard. This helps the students understand that the lesson correlates with the standard that we are supposed to be learning and eventually mastering. Internal and External Influences I agree with how Mrs. Corr organizes her classroom given the internal influences within her classroom. Having both sides of students, gifted and students who need extra help, Mrs. Corr does an excellent job at making sure that the students meet their needs and master the standard as well as work well together. Sometimes Mrs. Corr will mix the groups so the gifted students might be able to help the struggling students more, this is something I learned to do my first year as a teacher. I also agree with Mrs. Corr’s statements about external influences. There is a lot of paperwork that teacher are expected to complete within a small timeline. My class from the previous year had a lot of students who were struggling with undiagnosed learning disabilities. This meant giving the entire class a test that contained 30 questions was close to impossible. Some students who had those learning disabilities would also sometimes be absent for most days during these tests. I think having the expectation for first graders to sit through, and do well, on a 30 questions test is an unrealistic expectation. Being a new teacher, I didn’t want to struggle with all of the paperwork, this was one external impact that really affected my instruct Teacher Identity I also agree with Mrs. Corr’s views on teacher identity. It is important to understand that who we are as teachers will correspond with how we teach. Mrs. Corr and I both understand that the best way to learn from most things is trial and error. For instance, a difficult lesson could end up with students completing failing the exit ticket and not understanding the standard, this is when Hattie’s midframe number two comes into play. Using the data from the failed exit ticket you can see there is a misconception, using this data we can then change how we do the reteaching of this lesson, trial, and error. Professional Growth Professional growth as a teacher is something that is critical to being a great teacher. Things are constantly changing within every district. This means that going to training is vital to improving yourself and helping students reach their true potential because you went above and continued to learn yourself. I agree with Mrs. Corr about asking other teachers, this is something as a new teacher that I am constantly doing. When I first started, I was nervous to ask questions, but most teachers are so willing to help new teachers out and give them pointers. A lot of my

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success within the classroom is due to me asking those questions and implementing them in the classroom that day or the next. C5a. Recently I felt like there are a lot of teachers who are leaving the profession, I can understand that with everything that is thrown at them. The biggest thing I learned from Mrs. Corr is her love of teaching. No matter what is thrown at her, the extra unpaid hours she works for the school, the extra work she is given to complete, the difficult parents, Mrs. Corr genuinely loves teaching and does it for the students. I also learned that having both sides of students, gifted and struggling, can be something that really helps the classroom run smoothly. Most teachers look like they have it together, since their first year, I learned from Mrs. Corr that it is okay not to know everything yet and still ask questions twenty-plus years later. C5ai. I understand that being a teacher takes heart and patience. There is a lot teachers are expected to do outside of the classroom and inside the classroom, something that you would not expect. If you continue to grow teaching becomes clearer cut, things can go easier if you implement strategies from strong teachers. I love teaching and interviewing Mrs. Corr, a teacher who is also a great teacher, just shows me more of the joys of teaching. Mrs. Corry did not say a negative thing about teaching. This just shows that there are still teachers out there where teaching is still their passion but are also actively working on making it a better profession for future teachers, like me. C5b. If I were to conduct the interview again, I would make sure I had a backup list of questions that are not as vague. Some of the questions I had to either repeat a different way, or just scrap because they were too vague. I would have asked more questions relating to both the teacher's identity, and the internal and external influences with the classroom as I felt like I needed more information for these two parts. C6a. Number four of Hattie’s mindframes is, “I am a change agent and believe all students can improve.” This is something all teachers should really think, teaching is about helping students improve. As a teacher, it is important to be able to acknowledge that if something is not working, the way you thought it would, it is time to change and ensure students are getting the help they need to improve. C6b. One weakness related to Hattie’s number four mindframe is sometimes I have spent so much time and money on something that other teachers have done, but it does not work in my classroom. One strength is that I will realize that though I have spent time and money on

something, it does not mean it will not work for next year’s class, just for the current class a change is needed for the students to improve their skills. C6c My SMART goal is “By December 15 th , of 2023, I will implement new and engaging strategies to help ELL (English Language Learner) students improve their English reading skills C6ci. One training that is available within my district that will help me achieve my goal is the Professional Development course “Methods of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.” This course is provided often and is completed all online. This training will help keep updated on the best strategies and activities used to help ELL students with their English reading skills, References Gassenheimer, C. (2018, December 14). 10 Mindframes for Visible Learning: Hattie’s Most accessible book! A+ Alabama Best Practices Center. https://aplusala.org/best-practices- center/2018/02/15/10-mindframes-for-visible-learning-hatties-most-accessible-book/

KEM2 - KEM2 Task 2 (1)

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