Probing Questions

Teacher: Julie Carter

Interview

Overview

Tenets of Democracy

Principles of Learning

Information Processing

Content Standards

Questions

Interview: Previewing Questions 

1.      How comfortable do you feel taking risks?  Name some instances in the classroom and/or in everyday life that you have taken a chance with something.  How did your teachers encourage you to take risks when you were in school?

2.      It has been said that American curriculum is “A mile wide but an inch deep.”  Describe what you think that this means.  Give examples.  Do you agree/disagree?

3.      Carter discusses that the Avid Cinema program is beneficial because the students are able to share their work with a larger audience—not only her.  How can this facilitate student learning?

Interview: Post-viewing Questions

1.      In the video, Carter discusses that this strategy that she uses integrates all aspects of the Language Arts.  Explain how she does this.  Do you feel that it is important that lessons cover all of these at one time, or should lessons focus on one facet at a time?  Which do you feel is more effective for student learning?

2.      Carter discusses the concept of “spin-off learning”.  Describe this.  Give examples.

3.      In the video, Carter discusses the importance of teachers and students taking risks.  How did she take a risk?  How did she encourage her students to take risks? 

Overview: Previewing Questions

1.      In the video you will watch, Carter uses Haiku poetry in the English Language Arts lesson.  Think back when you were in high school.  Did you make poems?  How did your teachers facilitate your learning of this concept?

2.      Review Carter’s lesson plan. Describe the lesson in detail.  Would you add or remove anything from the lesson?  Explain.

3.      When you were in school, did your teachers enable you to help them develop the rubric for assessment?  What would be a teacher’s purpose in doing this?  Assume the role of the student.  Would this enable you to learn more effectively, and/or get more out of the project?

Overview: Post-viewing Questions 

1.      Carter’s purpose for this lesson was to use spoken, written and visual language to communicate effectively. Do you think she accomplished her aim with the Avid Cinema Project?  Explain your answer.

2.      In the video, Carter gives the students a handout to follow along with while she explains the lesson.  What is her intention in doing this? How might this facilitate student learning?

3.      For this activity, Carter begins the project in a large group, and then separates them into smaller groups later.  Assume the role of the teacher.  Describe her motivation in doing this. Would you do this if you were the teacher? Why or why not?

4.      Review the class’ rubric for assessment.  Is there anything you would add to the rubric?  What would you delete? Explain. 

Tenets of Democracy: Previewing Questions 

1.      Assume the role of the teacher.  You are encountering some common problems in critical thinking that Callahan describes in the model.  A student says that another student is a “jerk…and I’m not paying attention to any of his ideas…” What do you think is the best way to handle this? Explain.

2.      Describe the process of dialoguing as found in the model.  How can teachers encourage this process? Why is it important?

3.      Review the checklist of observable behaviors for Individual Responsibility and Civil Involvement with Others.  Describe how your teachers encouraged this process when you were in school.  Did this help facilitate your learning? Why or why not? 

Tenets of Democracy: Post-viewing Questions 

1.      In the video, the students think together and make meaning.  How do they do this?  Use specific examples.  Refer to the summary of Thinking Together and Making Meaning in the Tenets of Democracy.

2.      Review the checklist of observable behaviors for Critical Thinking and Decision Making as found in the Technology as Facilitator of Quality Education Model. How do the students demonstrate this?

3.      Review the Inquiry Skills Used in Critical Thinking. How do the students use each of these in the project?  Explain. 

Technology: Previewing Questions 

1.      Review Technology Competency Number 11, and devise a lesson plan in which a teacher incorporates this into her classroom.

2.      Which of the Technology Competencies would you enjoy learning more about?  Which ones are you not interested in?  How could you go about learning more about these?

3.      Read the National educational technology standards:  Guiding the development of new learning environments for today’s classrooms and state some main ideas of the website.

Technology: Post-viewing Questions 

1.      Summarize the definition for Technology Competency Number 1 in your own words. How does Carter implement this competency into her lesson? How does it improve student learning?

2.      Review the Performance Indicators for Technology-Literate students in grades 9-12.  Explain three indicators that Carter uses in the project.

3.      Carter expresses how technology can be useful outside of a classroom setting.  What do you think her motivation was in doing this?

Principles of  Learning: Previewing Questions

1.      Describe an experience when you were in school when your teacher motivated you to learn by engaging you in a compelling situation.  How did this improve your learning?

2.      Read “How people learn:  Bridging research and practice”.  Read the summary and discuss what implications this research has for teachers and students.

3.      Name strategies that a 9^th grade English teacher could use to encourage the students to make and use Patterns and Connections?

Principles of  Learning: Post-viewing Questions 

1.      Review the checklist of observable behaviors for Compelling Situation as found in the model.  How does Carter incorporate this principle into her lesson?

2.      Refer to the eight Principles of Learning.  Discuss how Carter could have incorporated two other principles that were not mentioned in the video.

3.      Discuss how Carter incorporates Active Involvement into the lesson.   How do the students respond?  How does Active Involvement facilitate student learning? 

Information Processing: Previewing Questions 

1.      Describe the role of creativity in the Communication Stage of Information Processing.

2.      Reflect on your school experiences.  Give concrete examples of ways your teachers encouraged you to use the Communication Stage of Information Processing. 

3.      Review the Evaluation Stage of Information Processing.  When you were in school, did your teachers encourage you to use this process in groups, or individually?  How did this affect your learning?  

Information Processing: Post-viewing Questions 

1.      Describe the Communication Stage of Information Processing. Describe how Carter encourages her students to enter into this stage, and explain how this facilitates student learning.

2.      Review and explain the Checklist of Observable Behaviors for the Evaluation Stage of Information Processing.  Describe how this stage could have been incorporated into the lesson.

3.      In this video, each student’s presentation is a unique interpretation of one’s individual poems.  Explain how the stages of Information Processing encourage students’ individuality. 

Content  Standards: Previewing Questions 

1.      Review the English Language Arts Standards.  Develop your own lesson that incorporates three of these Content Standards.

2.      Read the San Jose Unified School District’s article, “All students can learn—All students can succeed”.  Summarize the Language Arts Standards, and compare the 9-12 benchmarks with the List of Standards for English Language Arts by the National Council of Teachers of English.

3.      Review the three goals of Content Standards as found in the model.  What other goals might Content Standards accomplish? 

Content  Standards: Post-viewing Questions 

1.      Explain two ways in which Carter implements English Language Arts Standard Number 11 into the lesson.

2.      Choose two other Content Standards that Carter did not highlight in her lesson, and explain how she could have incorporated them.  How would these improve student learning in the activity?

3.      Think of ways that Carter could have integrated Arts Standards into this lesson.  Refer to this.

Teachers Knowledge : Previewing Questions 

1.      Explain the concept of Learning Styles.  Do you feel that it is beneficial for teachers to become aware of their own learning styles in order to help students?  Is it important for teachers to become aware of student learning styles? How might this affect the students’ self-esteem?

2.      In the video you will see, Carter addresses her students’ naturalistic intelligence (refer to a summary of Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences).  Explain this concept in your own words.  Do you feel that it is necessary to develop this kind of intelligence in the school setting?

3.      Devise your own lesson in which you creatively address students’ naturalistic intelligences.  Refer to a summary of Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences in the model. 

Teachers Knowledge : Post-viewing Questions 

1.      In the video, Carter addresses her students’ emotionality.  Explain what this means, and give examples of how she does this.  How does this affect one’s learning style?  For reference, refer to the summary of Knowledge of Student Characteristics in the Technology as Facilitator of Quality Education Model.

2.      Carter has a strong Knowledge of Student Characteristics. Give concrete examples of how she incorporates her knowledge into the lesson.  How does this facilitate quality student learning?

3.      What is transformation?  Refer to the summary of Teacher’s In-Depth Content Knowledge in the Technology as Facilitator of Quality Education Model.  How does Carter use this in her lesson?  Assume the role of the student.  How might this help you learn more effectively?

4.      In the video, Carter addresses her students’ visual-spatial and naturalistic intelligences.  Can you think of any intelligences that she addresses that are not described in the video?  Refer to the summary of Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences in the model. 

Teachers Behavior: Previewing Questions

Teachers Behavior: Post-viewing Questions