Probing Questions

Teacher: Amy Griffin

Interview

Overview

Principles of Learning

Information Processing

Content Standards

Tenets of Democracy

Questions

Interview: Previewing Questions

1. Did you use technology in kindergarten? If yes, do you remember what kind of technology? How did the presence (or lack of) technology influence your learning in kindergarten?

2. While in kindergarten, did the seasons influence the content of the activities? Explain.

3. Do you believe that your class activities can meet the needs of all your students? How do you plan to adjust them to achieve this goal?

Interview: Post-viewing Questions

1. Why do you think the teacher in this video uses informal assessment? Describe some instances when you used informal assessment. Do you think informal assessment is more preferable for kindergarten activities? Why?

2. What curriculum areas did this lesson integrate? What is your opinion about integrated activities? Name some of the advantages/disadvantages of designing integrated activities.

3. The teacher used a paper beehive with the students’ names as bees as a classroom management strategy. Give examples of other strategies designed to ensure discipline in the kindergarten classroom.

Overview: Previewing Questions

1. What is the role of choral reading in class? What grade level would you use it for? What curriculum areas would you use choral reading in?

2. While in kindergarten did your class get in touch with other kindergarten classes? Can you remember the activities? Do you think that communication between different classes is important? Explain.

3. Why do you think young students should learn about the natural world? 

Overview: Post-viewing Questions

1. The teacher collects pictures of spiders in Virginia with the purpose of sending them to another class in Missouri. How do you think this influences the students’ attitude towards the whole unit? Do you think it is important to have a real, practical purpose for an activity?

2. The teacher writes down on paper the students’ answers. What impact does this have on students’ involvement in the activity?

3. How does the teacher approach the disciplinary problems that appear during the lesson? Can you think of more ways?

Principles of  Learning: Previewing Questions

1. Do you think there is a relation between the teacher’s modeling of an activity and the students’ involvement? 

2. How often did you have the opportunity to apply newly acquired knowledge in a classroom activity? Do you think teacher should design activities so that students get to have this opportunity? Explain.

3. What is learning in context? Recommended reading Learning in Context, by Laura Martin is available at: http://www.astc.org/resource/
   learning/martin.htm. Could you give examples when you learned in context?

Principles of  Learning: Post-viewing Questions

1. Is there a relation between Direct Experience and Informal Learning? How do students in this video react when they get direct experience?

2. What factors may contribute to the student’s lack of involvement in an activity?

3. How did the students illustrate the Reflection component of their learning? Can you think of other activities they could have been involved into?

Information Processing: Previewing Questions

1. When a book has been turned into a film, how do you prefer teaching it? Do you tell your students about the film and then have them read the book? Give examples from your teaching experience.

2. How can the teacher arise students’ curiosity while introducing a new subject?

3. How can the teacher involve students in the Interpretation of information? Name some activities.

Information Processing: Post-viewing Questions

1. During the presearch stage, the students make their own spiders out of construction paper using their previous knowledge of the subject. Can you think of other activities that could have been included in this stage?

2. When talking about spiders, the teacher takes into consideration the students’ feelings about the subject. Do you think it is important to integrate students’ feelings into the process of learning? Why?

3. During the Search stage the teacher reads students non-fiction information about spiders. What difference would it make if she let students do the reading themselves?

Content  Standards: Previewing Questions

1. What is the role of standards? Why are there different standards for different curriculum areas? How do the state standards differ from the national standards?

2. Some states have standards for every grade level. Ideally, all students have to meet these standards before they pass in another grade level. What happens if students do not meet them?

3. Who is involved in the design of standards? Who else do you think should be involved? For more information, check this page by the U.S. Department of Education.

4. Do you think teachers should discuss standards with parents? Look at this website http://www.publicengagement.com/
   tools/standards/engaging/en_openhouse.htm.  Do you think such an activity could help parents understand how standards work?

Content  Standards: Post-viewing Questions

1. In this lesson the teacher integrates Fine Arts, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies standards. Do you usually integrate different standards in your activities? How do you decide on the standards you include?

2. How does the teacher integrate Language Arts standards? How would have integrated these standards?

3. The teacher in this video integrates Social Studies standards in her activities.  Can you think of other ways of integrating these standards?

Tenets of Democracy: Previewing Questions

1. How do you assist students who fail to demonstrate Individual Responsibility?

2. How do you see Empowerment illustrated in a kindergarten class? As a student, did you notice kindergarten teachers empowering their students? Give examples.

3. What is the difference between Power Sharing and Empowerment? How can the teacher implement them in the kindergarten classroom setting?

Tenets of Democracy: Post-viewing Questions

1. The students do a critical reading of the book I Love Spiders. What do you think this type of reading involves? 

2. Do you think the teacher should involve students in Decision Making? Explain your position.

3. What types of questions does the teacher ask students while she reads I Love Spiders? Do these questions influence Critical Thinking? Explain.

Technology: Previewing Questions

1. What do you think about the use of technology in the kindergarten classroom? 

2. What is the basic equipment that teachers could use in the kindergarten classroom?

3. How often do you use technology while teaching? What types of technology do you use more often?

Technology: Post-viewing Questions

1. How do these students feel about manipulating technology?

2. What types of technology does the teacher use for this unit? Do you think she could have used more? Give examples.

3. How does technology affect learning in this particular lesson? How can the teacher assess how the use of technology influenced students’ learning in this unit?

Teacher Knowledge : Previewing Questions

1. What methods of instruction do you tend to use more often? Why do you prefer it (them) to other methods?

2. What teaching methods do your kindergarten students enjoy most? Explain why.

3. What are the characteristics of a work environment that help kindergarten students work together?

Teacher Knowledge : Post-viewing Questions

1. What methods of instruction does the teacher use in this unit? Look at the lesson plan.

2. In this video, the teacher accompanies the song Itsy Bitsy Spider with body movements. What is the role of the body movement?

3. In this video, the teacher addresses several types of students’ intelligences. When you design a lesson, which types of Gardner’s intelligences do you tend to focus more on? Why?

Teacher Behavior: Previewing Questions

1. How can the teacher help kindergarten students acquire new vocabulary?

2. How does formal correction of a discipline problem differ from an informal correction? Give examples of both types of corrections. The following website offers an in-depth research about correcting discipline problems in the classroom. 

3. How can the teacher maintain discipline in the kindergarten classroom? What happens if he/she fails to?

Teacher Behavior: Post-viewing Questions

1. What is the primary content that the teacher addresses in this unit?

2. How does the teacher conduct the reading activity? Why do you think she chose this format?

3. The teacher does not reveal the end of the book I Love Spiders until the students have made predictions about who the narrator is. Explain the teacher’s choice. How would you have used this book?