Embedded Files
SPED Teacher Interview, Take 1
SPED Teacher Interview, Take 1
Today I had a fun filled morning at Heights Middle School. I arrived at the school at 8 AM, with the intention of talking to the assistant principle, Donny Ortiz, and completing my assignment. I was able to talk to Mr. Ortiz on my way in, so I headed to the classroom. My observation and interview was going to be completed with Mr. Jeff Tucker, who teaches special education math. I had about an hour to talk to Mr. Tucker and perform the interview. A few minutes before the bell was going to ring, the fire alarm went off. I headed outside with Mr. Tucker, and the rest of the school. While outside, I had the opportunity to meet several teachers, and interact with some of the students. Shortly after we went outside, all of the teachers and students were moved to the football field area. Again, I got to meet some really cool teachers, and interact with students.
After what seemed like a long time, we were allowed back into the building. The school made several announcements so that the students would know where they were going. When everyone was settled in their second hour class, the school announced that the reason for the alarm was smoke coming from a cooling vent in a classroom. The swamp cooler connected to that vent experienced a motor melt down, which caused the smoke.
The good news was that the problem was fixed, the bad new was that there was only about 15 minutes left of second hour. Instead of the activity that Mr. Tucker had prepared, the students spent the time working on multiplication and division facts. This allowed me to observe as Mr. Tucker filled out the required emergency paperwork. In the end, the morning was a great learning experience; but, I will be going back to Heights Middle School to perform a second observation on Monday.
SPED Teacher Interview, Take 2: Mr. Tucker
SPED Teacher Interview, Take 2: Mr. Tucker
Observation:
Observation:
1. What is the "feel" of instruction / learning in the classroom? Tense, active, relaxed, enjoyable, comfortable, etc. Why do you think this is the case, at least at this point in time?
This classroom feels active and enjoyable. Mr. Tucker speaks in a loud, engaging voice that draws attention to the activity. The students are encouraged to participate in class by participating in discussions and doing work on the board when they feel confident enough to do so. This results in students moving around the room in a meaningful way. Also, Mr. Tucker talks to the students like respected friends. He encourages their opinions, and is open to discussing issues that the students are facing outside the classroom. This allows the students to trust him as they work together.
2. What appears to be the relationship between the teacher and the students?
I would describe the relationship between the students and the teacher as a team. Mr. Tucker works with the students to ensure their understanding of the content covered. In this way, the entire class functions as a learning team.
3. How interested are the students in the content or learning materials? How do you know?
The students were engaged in the learning activity; even though working with integers is not the most interesting topic for students. All of the students assisted in solving problems by using oral reasoning. They then filled out their copy of the worksheet that was being used.
4. How is instruction related to students' real life experiences, interests, or needs?
While teaching, Mr. Tucker relates the material to previously covered concepts by asking students if they remember..., then having the students explain what that concept was. He then connects that knowledge to material that is being covered. Mr. Tucker explains material using examples and strategies that the students find engaging. For example, when working with integers Mr. Tucker talks about the negative numbers and the positive numbers getting into fights, or playing sports. This allows the students to remember to look for the bigger number, and keep that number's sign. Mr. Tucker also relates the material to popular books and movies, which really makes it more enjoyable for students.
5. In what ways does the teacher adapt instruction / materials to address students' needs and strengths?
While teaching, Mr. Tucker checks in with the students to make sure he is not moving through the material to quickly. He uses repetition to assist the students in remembering vocabulary terms. When a student states that they understand, Mr. Tucker invites the student to the board to share their understanding with their peers. He also uses enthusiasm when the students are successful. I think this shows the students that their success is important to him.
6. How would you describe the demographics of the students (age range, ethnic groups, gender, new or returning, primary language, etc.)?
Mr. Tucker's 7th grade class includes 5 boys. Two of the boys are Caucasian, and the other three appear to be Hispanic / Latino or Native American. The boys are all around the same age, within a year. There is a noticeable size difference in the students; one is quite a bit smaller than the others, and one is taller and heavier set than the others. The communication style and temperament of the students seems homogeneous.
Mr. Tucker and I discussed his overall demographics during our interview. He teaches three small classes, and helps another teacher in an inclusion classroom. The three classes that he teaches contain 14 students. His 7th grade class has 5 students, his 8th grade class has 5 students, and his 6th grade class has 4 students. Boys account for 12 of the 14 students. There are 5 Hispanic / Latino students, 5 Native American students, and 4 Caucasian students. All of the students speak English.
7. What is the overall management style (organization of time, space, resources, expectations of students' responsibility and behavior)? What works well, why?
Mr. Tucker presents a learning agenda to the students at the beginning of the class period. This agenda includes the learning outcome, a place for students to define vocabulary terms, and a breakdown of the activities that will be used to meet the learning outcome. The students know what they are expected to accomplish for the day, because it is all spelled out for them on the agenda. He uses technology effectively to assist in the days lesson. This technology included his laptop, the students laptops, the document camera, and the projector. This use of technology helps to keep the student's engaged in the learning activities.
8. Describe or sketch the physical environment of the classroom (seating, supplies, equipment, work areas, lighting, etc.).
The classroom is located at the back corner of Heights Middle School. Which makes it a quiet room, with limited distractions coming from students walking in the hallways. The room is very open and clean. The desks are arranged in a manner to allow students to work together in pairs. Textbooks are located on a shelf next to the door of the classroom, which is not far from the student seating. There is a large supply cabinet at the back of the room, which is neatly closed. There are limited supplies or equipment out in the classroom, this includes a projector on the front table and Mr. Tucker’s laptop on his desk. At the front of the room, the class period schedule is written on the board. The days learning goal is also on the board (was added after the picture was taken). There is a good selection of dry erase markers at the board. There are several colors available and they all work great. I was surprised to see this; dry erase markers seem to be a precious commodity in most classrooms. Next to the white board is a window, the view is boring but the lighting is nice (not pictured). There is another white board on the left side of the classroom. This board is the home of a word bank containing color coded vocabulary terms. This is one of the strategies, listed in the textbook, for teaching math to English language learners. This strategy also seems to be effective in special education classrooms where all the students speak English. Mr. Tucker’s desk is on the right side of the room. His desk has papers and other items on it, but it appears organized. On the wall behind the desk is a cute poster of a raccoon with a joke on it, and a student made poster of the four-step problem solving process; which is another strategy that is presented in the textbook. The lighting in the room is adequate, but is much better with the blinds open. The only things that seem to be missing from the room are examples of student work and personal touches. I believe that displaying student work shows the students that you value their work, and that they should too.
Interview:
Interview:
1. How would you describe your SPED program model?
Mr. Tucker teaches small group mathematics to special education students who are one or more years behind their peers. The current model utilizes small group math courses for special education students. However, the principal is considering changing this model to one similar to that of Mesa View or Hermosa Middle School. In these schools, students participate in a small group math class as well as having math instruction in an inclusive classroom.
In his classroom, Mr. Tucker works to help his students reach grade level proficiency in math. He is also charged with teaching the curriculum according to the Common Core State Standards. He works with 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students.
2. What is your philosophy of teaching? What is your philosophy of classroom management?
Mr. Tucker believes in educating students at their current level of mastery. He believes that students should be taught in their Zone of Proximal Development, which has been presented by the educational theorist Vygotsky. He also believes that students do not learn from people that they do not connect with or like. He keeps this in mind and strives to be kind, professional, and most of all caring to his students. He believes that treating students with respect helps to make classroom management easier, for himself and for the students. While teaching, Mr. Tucker keeps the focus on teaching and learning math, with the goal of preparing students for their bright and happy futures.
3. What are issues facing you as a SPED teacher?
Mr. Tucker believes the biggest issue that he faces as a teacher is the curriculum. The state of New Mexico, and the school district expects his students to be learning the standards associated with the grade they are in. He feels this is a great challenge as a math teacher, because many of the students do not have the prerequisite skills necessary to be successful learning in the grade level they are in. The challenge is to scaffold the curriculum so the students can access it at the level they are at, and then try to bring them up to the grade level they are placed in. Many of the students do not know what it feels like to have consistent success in mathematics, so Mr. Tucker tries to provide them with that experience. Frequently, there is not enough time to master skills and concepts the students are supposed to have. Mr. Tucker believes a better system would allow teachers to differentiate instruction to teach students at the level they are at, and to assess students at that level. The student should move up to the next level when they can consistently show that they have mastered the content necessary. This would allow the students to have consistent success working at the appropriate level.
Mr. Tucker has also had troubles with some of the programs that the school district would like him to use. He has attended several trainings for the program Agile Mind, but feels that these training sessions fail to teach educators how to use the program. The training sessions are focused on explaining the benefits of using the program, and not how to use it. This makes it difficult for Mr. Tucker to use the supplemental tools that are provided to him. These tools are created with the purpose of helping educators teach students, they are not effective if no one knows how to use them.
There are also some problems surrounding the newly purchased textbooks. Getting new books is always exciting, however, the books that were purchased for the classroom do not align with the curriculum. When Mr. Tucker uses the textbooks, he has to cherry pick information out of them. This means that one concept may be covered in pieces in several different chapters of the book. This does not make the books easy for teachers to use. The textbook also presents information at a lower level than is required by the Common Core State Standards. This makes the textbook useless for pulling homework questions out of.
4. What are issues facing students in your program?
Students in the program are challenged with learning a curriculum that is too high for them. They also have learning disabilities, which requires them to have specialized instruction and more learning opportunities than the average student in their peer group. The students learn at a slower pace, and most do not have the background or base knowledge that they need; but they are able to think at a deep level and understand difficult concepts. The students also have difficulty with remembering procedural knowledge, for example, they have trouble memorizing the steps related to traditional long division.
5. How could SPED programs be more effective for your students?
Mr. Tucker believes that special education programs could be more effective if the system were redesigned to meet students at their level of math understanding. Placing the students in levels would allow Mr. Tucker to teach and assess his students at the appropriate level. He believes we should create a smarter system, which monitors and promotes math students to the next level only when they have learned the necessary amount of mathematics to be successful at the level they are being moved to. When we promote students to the next level of mathematics before they are ready, we set them up for failure, and many of the students do fail on a consistent basis. He believes students who are promoted to the next level when they are not ready learn that they do not need to try to get promoted to the next level. When these students reach the next level, and this level is too difficult for them they quit trying. When these students reach the high school level, all the sudden they have to master the material or they fail. Now you have students who do not have the base knowledge that they need, and they do not know how to try. This is a downward spiral that leads to students dropping out.
6. Share a little background information about yourself (schooling, teaching experiences, achievements, degrees, etc.).
Mr. Tucker was born in central Michigan in 1962. After graduating from high school, he served four years in the United States Navy as a deck seaman and a damage control-man. When he left the Navy, he attended college in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He worked full time while attending college and graduated from Western Michigan University with a degree in elementary education. He began teaching in Sanders, Arizona; which is on the Navajo Reservation. He has taught elementary school and middle school math in New Mexico since that time. This is his tenth-year teaching middle school math in the Farmington area. He is currently working on his last semester of college to earn his credential as a special education teacher. He plans to continue his education by pursuing a masters degree in counseling. Mr. Tucker lives in Farmington, New Mexico with his wife and two children.
This is the third opportunity that I have had to work with Mr. Tucker. I first volunteered with him as part of the requirement for the Math for Elementary Teachers courses. This included over 100 hours of working with him in the classroom. At that time, he was teaching 6th grade math at Hermosa Middle School. He has since moved into teaching special education math at Heights Middle School.
SPED Teacher Interview, Take 3: Mrs. McLeland
SPED Teacher Interview, Take 3: Mrs. McLeland
Observation:
Observation:
1. what is the "feel" of instruction / learning in the classroom? Tense, active, relaxed, enjoyable, comfortable, etc.? Why do you think this is the case, at least at this point in time?
This classroom feels relaxed and comfortable. The room is quiet throughout the class period. Mrs. McLeland talks in a quiet, soothing voice. This helps the room feel more comfortable, and decreases the stress level in the room. The students know what is expected of them and what comes next. Mrs. McLeland and the students use please and thank you when talking to each other. Mrs. McLeland is very organized; which helps the feel of the room because she never has to stop and look for anything, or stress because she cannot find anything. I am convinced Mrs. McLeland has eyes in the back of her head, because she sees everything. When there is a problem she addresses it immediately and calmly.
2. What appears to be the relationship between the teacher and the students?
The students and Mrs. McLeland treat each other with respect. If a student forgets their manners, they are reminded gently. The students clearly know what is expected of them, and work to meet those expectations. This is especially clear when Mrs. McLeland has to step into the doorway to answer a question for another teacher. As she does so, all of the students remain working like nothing has changed. This is not the case in most classrooms that I have observed. When the students fail to meet the expectation, they are reminded of what the expectation is. This is done quickly, then the class moves on.
3. How interested are the students in the content or learning materials? How do you know?
The students are not interested in the reading time that begins the class period. This time is supposed to be spent reading a book of the students choosing and then journaling about what was read. During this time the students were observed physically dragging their feet, switching books, or sitting with a book open but staring out the window. One student spent 8 minutes tying his shoes. When the students started the journal part of the activity the same interest level was observed. Students were physically dragging their feet, sharpening pencils repeatedly, and just staring at their journal. The interest level of the students improved when the days official lesson began. This was a mixed class of 7th and 8th graders, so the group was split in two for the primary lesson. One group was working on supporting details, the other group was working on main idea. While Mrs. McLeland worked with one group, the other was working using online software. The first group contained two students. One was really engaged with the material. This was evident because he was following along the page with his finger, and responded to questions posed by Mrs. McLeland. The other student was not as interested in the material. This was evident because he kept playing with his hands in his lap, then when asked to pay attention, he puts his head on his desk. The second small group was comprised of three students. Of this group only one displayed disinterest in the material. This could be seen in the way he would find anything to look at other than the book. He spent a few minutes putting away his laptop cord, cleaned his glasses, and looked around the room.
4. How is instruction relate to students' real life experiences, interests, or needs?
Mrs. McLeland uses the students background knowledge when introducing new information. I have included a few examples, but there were to many instances similar to these examples to write down. When working with a group of students, Mrs. McLeland points to a picture in the work book and asks the students what the picture was taken of, and if they had ever seen the items before. The students respond that the picture is of musical instruments, and label the ones that they know. Mrs. McLeland helps the students identify the instruments that they had not seen before. When asking the students about the features of informational text, Mrs. McLeland encourages the students to compare the informational text to the fiction books they are used to reading. When Mrs. McLeland uses the word inference she asks the students if they remember what it means from a previous lesson. The student is able to give a great definition of inference, so Mrs. McLeland praises the student then moves on.
5. In what ways does the teacher adapt instruction / materials to address students' needs and strengths?
Mrs. McLeland adapts her instruction in a variety of ways. The first thing I noticed was her use of wait time. After asking a question, she would give the students a few minutes to compose their thinking before requiring a response. If the students were not able to come up with an answer, she would restate the question in simpler terms. At one point, the students were going to be required to answer a series of questions after reading a passage. Instead of reading the passage first, Mrs. McLeland read the questions first. She explained to the students that reading the questions first allowed them to read for a purpose. While she is conducting the lesson she uses examples and non-examples, so that the students are able to form a complete picture. Mrs. McLeland also uses her voice tone as a tool to help students. One student was really struggling with the concept; when he got a question correct, Mrs. McLeland used an excited voice to tell him that he was correct. This seemed to help motivate the student to keep trying even though he was struggling. The online program that the students were asked to use was also beneficial. This program did not just ask students to come up with the right word. Sometimes the program would say the word and the student was tasked to write it. Sometimes the program would give the word in written form and the student was tasked with saying the word into a microphone. The program was set up like a game so the students were asked to play to learn. This seemed to increase their interest a little, but as one student said "its a game, but its not like a fun game." Mrs. McLeland also used cold calls when she noticed a student not paying attention.
6. How would you describe the demographics of the students (age range, ethnic groups, gender, new or returning, primary language, etc.)?
The students in this class were not very diverse. There were six students in the group. Of the six, five were male and one was female. The five male students appeared to be of Hispanic or Native American decent. The female was Caucasian. All of the students in the class spoke English with a degree of proficiency that seemed natural.
I did observe that the female did not participate in class activities, but stayed focused independently. After class ended I discussed this with Mrs. McLeland. As it turns out, the female student is a class helper and not part of the actual class. This means that there are only males in the class.
7. What is the overall management style (organization of time / space / resources, expectations of students' responsibility and behavior)? What works well, why?
Mrs. McLeland uses class time efficiently. Splitting the group in half also worked well. The half of the group that was using the software was expected to work on the computer independently. Before starting they were told the score that they were expected to receive. Mrs. McLeland explained to the students that this expected score meant that they could not or should not just guess. While she is working with the other half of the group, she has her laptop to the side. This allows here to monitor what the students are seeing on their laptops. I think the students knowing what is expected of them allows them to monitor their own behavior. It also allows the class to run smoothly because there is not many behavioral interruptions.
8. Describe or sketch the physical environment of the classroom below (searing, supplies, and equipment, work areas, lighting, etc.)
The desks were arranged so that the students were already seated in the groups that they would be working on. The workbooks were on a shelf next to the classroom door. There was also a shelf with a wide selection of books available. The room is very clean and organized. There is a list of words on the board that the group commonly misspells. There room also has some really nice personal touches that makes the room feel more homely and comfortable.
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