Probing Questions

Teacher: Kathleen Alexander

Interview

Overview

Principles of Learning

Information Processing

Content Standards

Tenets of Democracy

Questions

Interview: Previewing Questions

1. How can one bring in multicultural diversity in a mathematics class? Make predictions about the way this teacher integrated a multicultural dimension into her graphing unit.

2. How can a teacher keep students on the task? What are some of the strategies you used as a student teacher? Were they effective?

3. Brainstorm examples of graphs that could have practical applicability. Are they relevant for elementary education?

Interview: Post-viewing Questions

1. What should the students’ predictions be based on? What are generalizations?

2. According to the interview, how does the presence of a second teacher in the classroom influence the education process? What is your opinion in this matter?

3. The teacher in this video states that by placing the students in pairs they accomplish more than in a group. What is your opinion about this?

Overview: Previewing Questions

1. Think back about your mathematics classes in Elementary School. What was it that you liked/disliked about them? 

2. How can we create independent learners in a mathematics class? What skills do we have to teach them?

3. What is the role of predictions in mathematics? Why should students be able to make predictions? What are the long-term effects?

Overview: Post-viewing Questions

1. How does the teacher introduce the new activity? How does she activate her students’ previous knowledge? Is she making herself clear? Give arguments.

2. How does the teacher relate the new information to a real life context? What motivates students in this video to learn?

3. What is the role of teacher modeling? What would happen if a teacher gave a task without offering examples first?

Principles of  Learning: Previewing Questions

1. How can we teach students to use Patterns and Connections? Give an example of a pattern/connection that students can establish in this mathematics unit.

2. What is the connection between enjoyable setting and the size of the groups students work in?

3. How can teachers encourage students to reflect in order to interpret information?

Principles of  Learning: Post-viewing Questions

1. How do students collect their data? How does this influence their learning?

2. How do students engage in the construction of knowledge?

3. What are the critical thinking skills students use to formulate statements about their data?

4. How does the teacher illustrate frequent feedback? Describe other types of feedback.

Information Processing: Previewing Questions

1. The Pathways to Knowledge Model has identified 6 stages for Information Processing. Do you think they could be refined? Bring your own examples.

2. Why is it important to have Information Processing skills in the learning process? What happens if we neglect these skills?

3. It is very important that the teacher have the students’ attention. How does she make them focus?

Information Processing: Post-viewing Questions

1. The Appreciation stage of Information Processing is not present in this video. 
   Have a look at the lesson plan, then at the Checklist of Observable behaviors for Appreciation. How could this stage look like?

2. What is the role of generalization in the Interpretation stage of Information Processing?

3. Name some of the students’ behaviors that illustrate Communication. Can you think of other behaviors that could go under the label “Communication” ?

Content  Standards: Previewing Questions

1. Look at the standards for grades 3-5 for school mathematics. When do you think it would be appropriate to become familiar with the mathematics standards? Why?

2. How does the teacher integrate English Language Arts 4,7,11, and 12 into the lesson?

3. Mathematics Standard Number 5 for Grades 3-5 requires that students formulate questions that can be addressed with data. Why is it important that students should address questions?

Content  Standards: Post-viewing Questions

1. Read the performance indicators for technology literate students for grades 3-5 present in the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS). How does the teacher integrate standards 1,4,8 and 9 into her lesson?

2. How does the teacher address generalizations? Why does she ask students to back up their statements?

3. Justify the teacher’s choice of examples. Do you think it’s appropriate for the content taught?

Tenets of Democracy: Previewing Questions

1. How can a teacher maintain a democratic environment in a classroom?  Why is it important to have a democratic classroom?

2. What are the characteristics of a democratic setting? How can we teach democracy?

3. How does the power structure of the class influence the outcomes of learning? 

Tenets of Democracy: Post-viewing Questions

1. How do we make students individually responsible? What happens if one of the students in a pair is not displaying responsibility?

2. What skills do the students need in order to make meaning?

3. What is your definition of critical thinking? How do the students in this video display critical thinking? How does the teacher promote critical thinking? 

Technology: Previewing Questions

1. How can we assess the students’ computer skills? Do you consider this assessment important? Give reasons.

2. It is possible that students have different computer skills. How can the teacher accommodate them?

3. What guides you in choosing the hardware and software for a lesson ?

Technology: Post-viewing Questions

1. How does the teacher demonstrate knowledge of technology? How does the teacher demonstrate technology competency no. 18 (the use of spreadsheets)?

2. What are the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) Performance Indicators present in this lesson? How does the teacher integrate them? Give specific examples.

3. How does the teacher integrate English Language Arts Standards into her mathematics class? Look at the lesson plan. 

Teacher Knowledge : Previewing Questions

1. What are some of the students’ characteristics that a teacher should be aware of? Give an example of a teacher from your past experience who knew his/her students characteristics.

2. How does the teacher’s knowledge of students’ characteristics influence learning? 

3. How does a teacher acquire knowledge of students’ characteristics? Give examples from your own experience.

Teacher Knowledge : Post-viewing Questions

1. Which types of students’ intelligence does the teacher address in this video? Do you think she could have addressed more types?

2. What is intrapersonal intelligence? Describe instances in the video showing the teacher addressing her students’ intrapersonal intelligence. 

3. How do students interact with their physical environment? Why would a teacher want his/her students to have this kind of interaction?

Teacher Behavior: Previewing Questions

1. What is classroom management? Give your own definition.

2. How can we evaluate our own content management? 

3. How can we tell if a teacher possesses an in-depth knowledge of content? What are some of the consequences of a teacher not having an in-depth knowledge of the content? 

Teacher Behavior: Post-viewing Questions

1. How does the teacher relate the new content to the students’ previous knowledge? Give specific examples.

2. Is a daily review session necessary? Why? In which circumstances does it become a must ? Do you think there are specific content areas that demand more reviewing sessions than others? 

3. What is the art of teaching? What aspect of the lesson illustrates this concept?