Practitioner Interview Reflection
Desiree Cook October 21, 2018 Warner University
The interviewer conducted an interview with a first-grade teacher. The interviewer’s goal was to find out how the teacher handles a typical class throughout the year. The teacher gave insights on how to plan curriculum with well defined examples of the lessons. The Teacher also gave opinions on how much control they have over the classroom material, what they would like to change about the current teaching requirements, and the best part of their day.
The teacher made it clear how important lesson planning is. If a teacher is not well prepared for each day, the class will not run smoothly. The teacher suggested planning for the year, one unit at a time. The teacher creates one generalized unit a month with the capabilities to teach all subjects from that one unit. Each day of the week is dedicated to a specific subject conforming to the standards required. For example, Monday is math, and Tuesday is social studies. The interviewer asked the teacher to expand on planning each day from the unit. The teacher used their Earth Day unit as an example. The teacher starts planning by researching how each subject can be taught from the unit. The teacher breaks each subject into four lessons to expand the unit throughout the month. The teacher assigns a standard to each lesson plan and then begins mapping out what is to be taught. The interviewer asked the teacher to describe the planning of one instructional lesson. The teacher pointed out that only after the standards for the lessons are planned, can the very specific instructional measures be planned. Everything from what materials are needed to the specific dialogue between the teacher and class needs to be written out. All worksheets and assessments need to be attached to the lesson plan and the unit. The teacher mentioned that organization is an extreme necessity. The interviewer asked the teacher about the procedures used for one instructional session. The teacher shared that one instructional session should be brief and entertaining. Each student needs to be engaged. The teacher mentioned that each session should be include one of the following; group work, whole class instruction or independent work. The teacher emphasized the need of each student to have the capability to learn the content. ...
