Jodie Winchester

November 2, 2016
ED 312
Journal Three: Teacher Interview
During the course of the interview, some of my assumptions about the corroborating
teacher have changed since meeting her. Based on first impression, my initial conclusions were
centered on her behavior towards the students. At first, I thought she was engaging due to her
sense of humor. As I observed more classes, I noticed the students being negatively affected by
the teachers humor and shutting down to her teaching. During the interview, the corroborating
teacher described her teaching style as Active, entertaining, filled with content, humorous, and
rigorous. However, some of her teaching style negatively impacts some of the students.
Additionally, the interview highlighted on engaging students and ways to maintain the
students focus. The teachers answer on the subject of engagement was very interesting and I
would like to integrate it into my future classroom. Personally, I wouldnt want to be in a class
with the same up everyday. The students lose focus and the teacher isnt able to teach effectively.
I really liked the corroborating teachers comment on lessons reflecting the saying variety is the
spice of life. By having variety in the classroom, the students may participate in the lesson and
learn the material for future classes.
Also, the teachers perceptive on structure being essential to keeping students engaged
and essentially helping with classroom management was very enlightening. Before the semester,
I didnt have any knowledge on classroom management and how to utilize it in the classroom. In
my School and Society Class, a group presented on classroom management and touched on NC
State not effectively teaching students how to manage a classroom. At the end of the
presentation, the group posed the question, Should NC State require education majors to take a
class centered around class management? Everyone in the class raised their hands for having a
class discussing classroom management. The teacher commented on having a set routine to start

the class, an agenda on the board, and maintain consistent rules.

Personally, I believe structure and having the students respect is essential to classroom
management. In Dave Foleys article on classroom management tips, he touches on taking charge
of your class and the corroborating teacher reflects his idea by having a set routine to start the
class with so she can gain the students attention for the lesson ahead (Foley). Generally, I am not
a person who thrives on organization or structure. For myself, the observations have shown
structure can be helpful in keeping students engaged and I need to adapt structure into my
teaching style.
When researching the assessment cycle, an article titled The Importance of the
Assessment Cycle in the Creative Curriculum for Preschool caught my interest. The assessment
cycle has four steps: observing and collecting facts (Step One), analyzing and responding (Step
Two), evaluating (Step Three), and summarizing, planning, and communicating (Step Four). In
the article, each step is was detailed and the reader can gain information about the assessment
cycle. Even though the article is centered on preschool, the teacher, instructor, or professor can
apply the information in the article to any level of education.
Personally, the fieldwork experience has been very beneficial to my view on the type of
learning environment I want to establish in my future classroom. In my ED 204 observations, the
teacher created an atmosphere that allows students to voice answers even if they maybe wrong,
has a sense of respect, and focus on developing math skills. I want to establish an environment
where students arent afraid to be wrong, are excited to be in class, and internalize information
instead of knowing it for the test. Overall, I want students to be able to say they were taught the
material and had fun while learning.

References
Foley, D. (n.d.). 6 Classroom Management Tips Every Teacher Can Use. Retrieved from
http://www.nea.org/tools/51721.htm
The Importance of Assessment Cycle in The Creative Curriculum for Preschool. (n.d.). Retrieved
November 01, 2016, from http://teachingstrategies.com/content/pageDocs/Theory-PaperAssessment-Creative-Curriculum-Preschool-10-2012.pdf

Teacher Interview
1. Do you agree with the statement "Assessments are not the end of the teaching and learning
process, but should be the starting point"? Explain.
a. Yes, students learn and process information in a variety of ways - See Howard
Gardner's Multiple Intelligences
2. What tips would you like to share for keeping students engaged in your classroom?
a. Maintain the old adage "Variety is the Spice of Life" when writing and planning daily,
weekly, and unit lessons.
3. Do you have suggestions for classroom configuration/layout for summative and/or formative
assessment activities?
a. CC --> 2 - 4 desks together
b. LS & FA --> games, timed activities, multiple choice mixed with free response
questions
4. Keeping students engaged definitely helps with classroom management, but do you have
additional advice for managing a classroom? (This might include advice for those situations
that have nothing to do with your lesson plan or level of preparation.)
a. STRUCTURE - have a set routine to start the class, have an agenda on the board, and
maintain consistent rules.
5. How would you describe your teaching style?
a. Active, entertaining, filled with content, and humorous, and rigorous
6. What do you do to address the diverse learning styles in your classroom/How do you change
instruction for individuals?
a. repeat processes, provide a variety of activities to capture the diverse student's
attention
7. What are the key components of your grading system?
a. Foundations of Math 2
i. Unit Test 50% (spiraled problems from previous units)
ii. Quiz 20%
iii. Projects 20% (supplementary extensions of each unit)
iv. Homework 10% (daily & periodically taking up HW for an accuracy grade)
b. AP Calculus AB & BC
i. Unit Test 70%
ii. Quiz 20%
iii. Homework 10%