IMB Teacher Interview

Question: How do you write a typical lesson plan?

Teacher Response: You have to look at the pacing guide and objectives. You also
have to look at the format of the test to ask them questions similar to those so they
can do well. Also, you have to figure out what you are wanting to accomplish and
making that a plan.

Question: What type of materials do you need available when you plan lessons?
Teacher Response: Computer. I dont really use and teaching materials like
teacher manual, textbooks, or guides. It is really about meeting the standards and
objective, but now that is all online.

Question: In what ways do you plan to accommodate individual differences in the

classroom?
Teacher Response: You have to look at the end game and what you need to
accomplish. Its all about figuring out their needs. Will it be a one-on-one
instruction, small groups? A lot of this is reflection on who got what information.
Even though you plan for the week it may not turn out like what you expected. Like
my past principal always said, Your lesson plans are a working document.
Basically, you have to ask yourself what do I need to reteach and what went well for
students.

Question: What are some of your instructional challenges as a teacher?

Teacher Response: Getting all of the kids to be enthusiastic. If the willingness isnt
there-it wont work. Getting someone who is low to get to do something.

Question: What have been some of your instructional successes as a teacher?

Teacher Response: Inspiring the kidswhen they feel good about accomplishing
something about themselves. Last week with the math tests they took, one of my
lowest students improved from 30% to 72%--I really enjoyed seeing how proud she
was of herself. For me, seeing a student succeed makes all the challenges worth it.

Question: What do you consider essential characteristics for successful teaching?

Teacher Response: You have to have passion and patience. You also have to
believe that every child is capable of learning. But sometimes, patience is key. At
the end of a hard dayremember what youre here for.

Question: How often do your students receive social studies/science instruction?

Teacher Response: We teach science daily, sometimes it can happen twice a day.
As for social studies, one a week on itself. Usually, it is integrated into reading.

Question: Are you satisfied with the amount of time that you currently allot for
social studies/science instruction? Explain.
Teacher Response: Yes! For science, we have a lot of time for it. I dont really like
social studies to be honest. I would love for the school to departmentalize so I could
teach math and not science. With social studies, I am not a fanatic or anything, but I
could teach it too if needed.

Question: What social studies and science topics/units will be studied during the
second week of my clinical experience? What are possible goals/objectives I could
address for my lessons? Do you have any instructional resources that would support
these goals/objectives?
Teacher Response: For science, we will be doing something about ecosystems. So
it would be about producers and consumers. Basically, if something were to be
taken out of the chain, how would it affect the population? For social studies, we
have not done anything with the Holocaust yet. Some of the other classrooms are
reading books like Night for it. I think it would be interesting for them.

Questions: What does reading instruction look like in your classroom? What are
reading topics that will be studied during the 2 nd week of my clinical experience?
What are possible goals/objectives I could address for my reading lesson? Do you
have any instructional resources that would support these goals/objectives?
Teacher Response: We do something called balanced literacy. We are trying to
stick to that. Basically a 15 minute mini lesson with the, I do, we do, you do
approach. Usually, we do questions stems. Some topics that we do are main idea,
things with the text structure, and inferencing. It would be great if you could do
something with the main idea because these kinds of questions show up a lot on the
EOGs.

Question: What motivation tactics do you use to ensure a desire to learn?

Teacher Response: My classroom management is not the same like the other
teachers. Some of my students are stern when they come in. I rather build that
relationship so they feel safe, so they want to do well. I use stem bucks. Students
earn them through doing their homework and acting appropriately. At the end of
every month, they can use their stem bucks and buy whatever they want at the
stem store.

Questions: Tell me about the classroom community. What are the class rules? How
is student behavior monitored? In what ways is positive behavior reinforced? In
what ways are negative behaviors prevented? Tell me about the consequences for
negative behavior.
Teacher Response: I make the kids hold themselves accountable. We do class
points and Classroom Dojo. Really, I have to pick and choose my battles. One of my
students is not on medication for his ADHD and I understand that he constantly
needs to be moving around so I cant be yelling at him all day for that. I use
infractions as punishment. If they break a rule, the infraction paper gets sent home
to their parents. If they get two infractions, they have silent lunch. If they get five
infractions by Friday, they have silent lunch and have their time with the computer
taken away.

Question: Tell me about the pacing of lessons and interaction in the classroom-use
of time-and other aspects of time (wait time, time using teacher talk, and student
talk). What works well for your students?
Teacher Response: I have a lot of students who want to call out the answers. I do
have to give them a chance to talk. They really like to work together. I sometimes
allow them to choose their own partners, but I tell them clearly that it has to be
someone from your group since I have them seated by ability.