Probing Questions

Teacher: Judy Robinson

Interview

Overview

Principles of Learning

Information Processing

Content Standards

Tenets of Democracy

Questions

Interview: Previewing Questions

1. Do you feel parental involvement is important for student learning? Why or why not? Should teachers regularly communicate with parents/guardians about what their children are learning? How would you approach parents who refuse to get involved? Explain.

2. As a teacher, how will you encourage your students to experiment with new concepts and ideas? Explain what methods and techniques you will use. Is experimentation important in the learning process? Why or why not?

3. Besides language, what are some obstacles you will face as a teacher when working with children who primarily speak a different language? How will you compensate for these so that their learning is not adversely affected?

Interview: Post-viewing Questions

1. Robinson explains that her class is an Extended Kindergarten class. Briefly explain the characteristics of the students in the class. What adaptations and modifications would she need to make for this class, based on the student characteristics? What special techniques and methods should she use to adapt to their special needs? 

2. Explain how Robinson assesses her students in this activity. Then, develop a rubric with at least 3-4 components for her to assess the students on. Be sure to include all aspects of the project, especially participation and her goals for the project.

3. How does Robinson involve the students' parents in this activity? How might it affect the students' learning? Why is this type of involvement more effective than just a "paper going home"?

Overview: Previewing Questions

1. What are the challenges of working with students who have a limited knowledge of English? What strategies can you use to get all the students involved in the activities?

2. While in kindergarten, did you have the chance to work with technological equipment? Give examples.

3. Is it important for students to see the final product of their work? Explain, giving examples from your own experience.

Overview: Post-viewing Questions

1. What is the role of choral reading? Why did the teacher start the lesson 
   with a choral reading?
   
   
2. How did the teacher organize the information about various vehicles the students have come up with? Can you give reasons for her choice? How would you have organized the information resulting from a brainstorming session?
   
   
3. What kind of feedback does the teacher provide to the students during the activity? How does her feedback influence the students’ work?

Principles of  Learning: Previewing Questions

1. Ewell (1997b, p. 10) states: "An enjoyable learning setting is a cultural and interpersonal context that provides interactions, considerable levels of individual personal support, and creates learning opportunities." As a teacher, how will you establish an enjoyable learning setting for your students? How will the setting be adapted for students from different cultures?

2. How is Frequent Feedback related to Content Management? How does a teacher's feedback affect one's management of the classroom?

3. Reflect on your school experiences. How did your teachers encourage you to be actively involved in your learning? How did this impact you and your learning experience? Explain how a student's learning is impacted when he/she is not actively involved.

Principles of  Learning: Post-viewing Questions

1. How is the students' use of Patterns and Connections evident in the video? How did this impact their learning? 

2. In your own words, describe Frequent Feedback. How does Robinson display frequent feedback in the video?

3. Explain why Robinson had her students close their eyes while thinking during the lesson. How is this related to their Active Involvement? What are some other techniques she used to get them involved in the lesson?

Information Processing: Previewing Questions

1. How does the use of technology enable students to progress through the different stages of Information Processing? Develop a Social Studies lesson in which you incorporate technology with the use of at least three stages of Information Processing. 

2. In your own words, describe the Appreciation stage of Information Processing. As a teacher, how would you approach a situation in which a child was not personally interested in the subject matter, and refused to get involved in the lesson? How would a lack of involvement affect the student's learning?

3. How are the stages of Information Processing related to a Teacher's Knowledge of Student Characteristics? How is a student's progression through the stages of Information Processing affected by his/her learning style(s)?

Information Processing: Post-viewing Questions

1. In the project, how does technology aid the students in progressing through the Communication stage of Information Processing? Give specific examples from the video. How did this impact the students' learning?

2. Describe the Presearch stage of Information Processing. How does Robinson encourage the Kindergarteners to progress through this stage?

3. Review the checklist of observable behaviors for the Interpretation stage of Information Processing. How does Robinson assist the students in progressing through this stage? Explain how the students' learning is impacted because of this stage.

Content  Standards: Previewing Questions

1. In your own words, describe the purpose of Content Standards. How would the educational system be affected if teachers did not follow content standards?

2. Review the U.S. Department of Education's Improving America's school: A newsletter on issues in school reform (1996) (available on-line). What is your opinion on applying state standards for students with disabilities? Do content standards really apply to all children? Why or why not? Should they?

3. What is the difference between Academic Content Standards and Performance Standards? How do these affect student learning?

Content  Standards: Post-viewing Questions

1. Review the Performance Indicators for Technology-Literate Students, Pre-Kindergarten-2nd grade. What standards does Robinson address through this lesson? How might this lesson have been different without the use of technology? Explain how student learning would have been impacted.

2. Describe English Language Arts Standard 3 for Grades PreK-2. How does Robinson incorporate this standard into her lesson? What is the purpose of this standard?

3. Review the English Language Arts Standards for Grades PreK-2. Besides standards 3 and 6, which standards does Robinson integrate in this lesson?

Tenets of Democracy: Previewing Questions

1. Explain how the inclusion of the Tenets of Democracy in a classroom is affected by Teacher Behavior. 

2. Brainstorm ways that a Kindergarten teacher can teach students Power Sharing and Empowerment. What specific issues might arise when working with young children on Power Sharing and Empowerment?

3. Do you think it is important for young children (i.e., Kindergarten) to learn Tolerance in the classroom? Why or why not?

Tenets of Democracy: Post-viewing Questions

1. Describe how Robinson encourages Critical Thinking and Decision Making with her students. How does this impact their learning?

2. How does this activity allow students to feel a sense of Empowerment? How does this impact their learning?

3. How does Robinson model Tolerance in her classroom? How does this affect student learning? How could she have included direct instruction of Tolerance in this activity?

Technology: Previewing Questions

1. How should technology be incorporated into a Kindergarten classroom? Do you think it is important for young students to learn about technology? Explain.

2. The Technology as Facilitator of Quality Education Model states that technology is the "powerful tools that learners can use to facilitate their own learning process." Brainstorm a list of various tools that can be used in a Kindergarten classroom and explain how each can facilitate student learning.

3. Look at the Performance Indicators for Technology-Literate Students, Grades PreK-2. Pick three and describe various ways in which teachers could address these standards. 

Technology: Post-viewing Questions

1. How does this project implement National Education Technology Standards Performance Indicators? How does student use of technology impact their learning?

2. How does Robinson display her knowledge of Teacher Technology Competencies? How does this improve student learning?

3. What else could Robinson have done to incorporate technology into this activity? Do you think the increased use of technology could improve student learning?

Teacher Knowledge : Previewing Questions

1. Invent a learning activity for young children that addresses students' verbal/linguistic and visual/spatial intelligences. These are described in the summary of Knowledge of Student Characteristics. 

2. How does Teacher's In-Depth Content Knowledge affect the extent to which the Principles of Learning are applied in the classroom? Explain.

3. How can a teacher failing to complete the 6 activities of Shulman's Model of Pedagogical Reasoning negatively impact student learning?

Teacher Knowledge : Post-viewing Questions

1. How does Robinson demonstrate her Knowledge of Student Characteristics? How does this improve student learning?

2. How does Robinson demonstrate In-Depth Content Knowledge? 

3. Describe how Robinson completes the teacher activities of Comprehension and Transformation (as described in Shulman's Model of Pedagogical Reasoning). How do these activities improve student learning?

Teacher Behavior: Previewing Questions

1. Describe and evaluate your own Pedagogy (ideas and methods of instruction) as a teacher. 

2. What specific issues should Kindergarten teachers be aware of when developing their own Classroom Management skills?

3. Look at the checklist of observable behaviors for Conduct Management. Describe a time when you have seen improper Conduct Management by a teacher. It can be a colleague, one of your own teachers, or yourself. If you cannot think of a time when you've seen improper Conduct Management, describe what it might look like. How does this impact student learning?

Teacher Behavior: Post-viewing Questions

1. Describe and evaluate Robinson's Pedagogy (ideas and methods of instruction).

2. How does Robinson's Pedagogy (ideas and methods of instruction) affect student learning?

3. Look at the checklist of observable behaviors for Content Management. Describe how Robinson displays effective Content Management.