Probing Questions

Teacher: Jean Kunath

Interview

Overview

Principles of Learning

Information Processing

Content Standards

Tenets of Democracy

Questions

Interview: Previewing Questions

1.      Interview a photography teacher.  Ask about his/her lessons and ask how she incorporates the Principles of Learning, Tenets of Democracy, and Information Processing into his/her lessons.

2.      In her lesson plan, Kunath describes how her photography lessons are “hands on”.  Reflect on your high school experiences.  How did your teachers use “hands on” learning to help you learn more effectively?

3.      Reflect on your school experiences.  Were there ever instances when you were a public relations resource for your school?  Describe them.

Interview: Post-viewing Questions

1.      How does Kunath assess her students?  Include her steps and rationale for each aspect of assessment.  Describe how this relates to Teacher’s In-depth Content Knowledge.

2.      Describe the goals of this activity.  How do these goals enable student learning to be enhanced?  Would you add any goals to this lesson?

3.      Kunath states that Communication is the most important thing that the students are doing in this project.  How do the students learn communication through this lesson?  How do they communicate with others?

Overview: Previewing Questions

1.      Have you ever taken a photography class?  How was it different from other classes you have taken?  What did your photography teacher do to enhance your learning with regard to photography?

2.      Review the website for Microsoft Image Composer.  What functions does this program serve?  Explain how this product could be used to enhance student learning.

3.      Review your high school’s (or another high school’s) website.  What does the website include?  Does this website show evidence of students’ work or accomplishments?  How does including students on their high school’s website impact their learning?

Overview: Post-viewing Questions

1.      Review Kunath’s lesson plan.  Would you add or remove anything from the lesson?  How do her objectives enhance student learning?

2.      Ms. Kunath and Ms. Gee explain that proper safety precautions need to be taken to ensure that students are not harmed.  When working with the Internet, what precautions need to be taken to make sure that students are safe?

3.      Kunath explains that the “absolute best experiences” are when parents and other relatives get excited about seeing their children’s pictures on the Internet.  How does getting parents involved enhance their children’s learning?

Principles of  Learning: Previewing Questions

1.      In your own words, describe supportive feedback.  Describe how you plan to use this type of feedback or how you already use it in your classroom.  Do you feel that supportive feedback is necessary?  Why or why not?

2.      Describe the role a teacher should play in working to promote the Principles of Learning.  How does a teacher’s Knowledge of Student Characteristics affect a principle such as Frequent Feedback?  Explain.

3.      Reflect back on your school experiences when you were a student.  How did your teachers encourage you to learn?  Did their advice and support affect your learning?  How?

Principles of  Learning: Post-viewing Questions

1.      Review the checklist of observable behaviors for Frequent Feedback as found in the model.  How does Kunath use corrective and supportive feedback in her lesson?

2.      In the video, Kunath encourages her students to construct their own knowledge.  How does this relate to Active Involvement?

3.      Although the video clip does not highlight Kunath’s incorporation of Direct Experience, how does the lesson include this principle?

Information Processing: Previewing Questions

1.      The model’s definition of Presearch states that this component is “an important and often neglected stage…”  Describe some reasons you feel the Presearch stage is neglected.  Why is it important to the learning process?

2.      How are the Search and Interpretation stages of Information Processing related?  How does the Search stage affect the Interpretation stage?

3.      Describe an instance in your school experiences when your teacher directed you through the Communication stage of Information Processing.  How did this impact your learning?

Information Processing: Post-viewing Questions

1.      Review the checklist of observable behaviors for the Interpretation stage of Information Processing.  Describe how Kunath encourages the students to engage in at least 3 of these behaviors.

2.      In the video, how do the students incorporate the use of Communication?  How does this impact their learning?

3.      Describe how Kunath guides her students through the Evaluation stage of Information Processing.  As a teacher, would you have done anything differently?  Explain.

Content  Standards: Previewing Questions

1.      Review the Kennedy Center’s National Standards for Arts Education.  What is the difference between “Proficient” and “Advanced” Achievement Standards?  What do you feel is their purpose in organizing these standards in this fashion?

2.      Review and summarize Visual Arts Standard 3.  How does this standard impact student learning?

3.      Review the Arts Education Standards.  Knowing that students might come into an art class with different abilities and levels of proficiency, how would you (as a teacher) address this issue?

Content  Standards: Post-viewing Questions

1.      Describe how Kunath utilizes technology in this lesson in order to fulfill the Visual Arts Content Standards for grades 9-12. 

2.      Describe how Kunath incorporates Visual Arts Standard 2 for grades 9-12 into this lesson. 

3.      The Kennedy Center National Standards for Arts Education state that the standards give a “framework” for the study of visual arts “…that promotes the maturing students’ thinking, working, communicating, reasoning, and investigating skills.”  Explain specific instances in Kunath’s lesson when she encourages these skills using Visual Arts Content Standards.

Tenets of Democracy: Previewing Questions

1.      As a teacher, how do you plan to encourage Individual Responsibility and Civil Involvement with Others in your students?

2.      Reflect on your school experience.  How did a specific teacher encourage you to demonstrate Tolerance?

3.      How does a teacher’s incorporation of the Tenets of Democracy relate to his/her Knowledge of Student Characteristics?  Explain.

Tenets of Democracy: Post-viewing Questions

1.      Although it was not highlighted in the video, how might Kunath have incorporated Tolerance into her lesson?

2.      How does Kunath encourage her students to demonstrate Individual Responsibility and Civil Involvement with Others?

3.      In the video, Kunath prompts her students to use Critical Thinking and Decision Making.  How does she do this?  How does this impact student learning?

Technology: Previewing Questions

1. How can a teacher effectively help students to learn and gain an awareness of the impact of technology in society?  Explain. 
2. When you were a student, how did your teachers help you to gain an understanding of the ethics issues involved with technology?  If they didn’t, describe some ways they could have.
3. Review the web page for the Microsoft Image Composer.  Describe some other activities for which this program could be used.

Technology: Post-viewing Questions

1. Describe how Kunath demonstrates Technology Competency Number 20 into her classroom.  How does this facilitate student learning?
2. In the video, Kunath warns her students not to use their full names when they are publishing their collages on the Internet.  What other safety issues might come into play when students are using technology? 
3. Explain how Kunath integrates the National Technology Foundation for Students Standards 1, 2, 3, and 4. 

Teacher Knowledge : Previewing Questions

1. Reflect on your school experience.  How did your teachers model new concepts and ideas for you?  Did this help you learn more effectively?  Why or why not?
2. Review Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences.  Which intelligences do you feel you possess?  Which ones would you like to develop to a stronger degree?
3. How important do you feel that teacher/student interaction is to the learning process?  How would lessons be different if there was no interaction between students and teachers?

Teacher Knowledge : Post-viewing Questions

1. In this video, Kunath addresses her students’ Visual/Spatial Intelligence.  What other intelligences has she addressed throughout the course of this lesson?
2. Kunath displays her In-Depth Content Knowledge by modeling for the students.  How does this impact their learning experience?
3. Review the checklist of observable behaviors for Teacher’s In-Depth Content Knowledge.  Explain how Kunath incorporates these into her teaching.

Teacher Behavior: Previewing Questions

1. Reflect on your school experiences, and on one teacher in particular.  Did that teacher show you that he/she was committed to your learning?  How did he/she do this?  If that teacher did not, what could a teacher do to show that he/she cares about you and your learning experience?
2. What are some actions teachers can display to help maintain group focus?  How will you as a teacher maintain focus when you are teaching to a large group?
3. Review the Five Propositions of Accomplished Teaching.  How will you as a teacher work to develop these attributes?  What necessary steps will you take?

Teacher Behavior: Post-viewing Questions

1. How does Kunath display effective Content Management in this video?  Give concrete examples.  How does this help improve student learning?
2. In the video, it is stated that Kunath “demonstrates an element of pedagogy in her selection of instructional resources.”  Explain this statement.  How does a teacher’s knowledge and use of instructional resources help students learn more effectively?
3. Kunath displays effective pedagogy by engaging in assessment, evaluation, and reflection of students’ work.  Give examples of how she does this.  How does this enable her to manage her classroom more effectively?