Probing Questions

Teachers: Craig Saddler and Kim Miller

Interview

Overview

Principles of Learning

Information Processing

Content Standards

Tenets of Democracy

Questions

Interview: Previewing Questions

1.      Locate the U.S. Office of Special Education’s Website.  This website will give you information on the topic of co-teaching.  Summarize the information you found. 

2.      Describe three benefits and three disadvantages of co-teaching.

3.      Have you had any experience with co-teaching?  When you were in school, did your teachers ever teach collaboratively?  Have you ever “team-taught” with another teacher?  Describe your experience(s).    

Interview: Post-viewing Questions

1.      In the video, Saddler and Miller state that one of their goals is to develop the students’ reading comprehension.  What tools did they plan to use to help the students achieve this goal? 

2.      Describe Saddler and Miller’s behavioral goals for the activity.  What were their goals in this area?  How did they plan to assess the students?

3.      Explain how Saddler and Miller utilize technological resources to fulfill their goals and objectives for this activity.

Overview: Previewing Questions

1.      Review the concept of inclusion. Describe inclusion in your own words.  Then review the philosophy of inclusion.  What are your reactions?   Describe benefits and disadvantages of the concept of inclusion.

2.      Reflect on your school experiences.  What techniques did your teachers use to explain rules to you?  Did they give you the rules right away, or during the course of an activity?  When do you feel is the best time for a teacher to explain the rules?

3.      Describe the process of self-monitoring.  What is it, and how can it be used to help students reflect on their behavior?

Overview: Post-viewing Questions

1.      Describe one strategy the teachers use to help the students deal with new vocabulary words.  Devise two other strategies they could have utilized.

2.      Review Saddler and Miller’s lesson plan.  Briefly describe the lesson.   Are there any parts of the lesson you would remove?  Would you add anything?  Explain

3.      Explain the purpose of the on-line video games used in the activity.  Assume the role of the teachers.  What are some other ways in which you would assess the students’ comprehension?

Principles of  Learning: Previewing Questions

1.      Describe how each component of the Principles of Learning would be affected when two teachers utilize a team-teaching approach. 

2.      Review the checklist of observable behaviors for Patterns and Connections.  What is forward-reaching transfer?  Backward-reaching transfer?  Reflect on your school experiences.  How did your teachers encourage you to make these connections?

3.      Review the checklist of observable behaviors for Active Involvement as found in the model. Describe participatory behavior.  Reflect on your learning experiences.  How does your learning change when you actively participate in a project?

Principles of  Learning: Post-viewing Questions

1.      Review the checklist of observable behaviors for Informal Learning.  How do Saddler and Miller incorporate this into the project?  How does it affect student learning?

2.      In the video, Saddler explains the monetary expense of the technological resources to the students.  What was his purpose in doing this?  Do you feel it was effective?

3.      Saddler and Miller encourage the students to construct their own knowledge instead of simply supplying them with it.  How does this affect student learning?  Explain how the project would have been different if the teachers had the students passively take in the information, instead of encouraging them to process through it.

Information Processing: Previewing Questions

1.      Read Ciardiello, A.V. (1986).  Did you ask a good question today? Alternative cognitive and metacognitive strategies. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 42, (3), 210-219.  In this article, the author suggests that teachers should encourage students to develop good questions that are a basis for higher level thinking.  Read the article and summarize it.  Do you feel that her strategies would be effective in a classroom?

2.      In the video you will watch, the teachers have the students compose factual, inferential, and critical thinking questions.  Describe each type and give an example.

3.      Reflect on your school experiences.  How did your teachers encourage you to utilize the Communication Stage of Information Processing?  Did this make your learning experience more effective?

Information Processing: Post-viewing Questions

1.      Review the checklist of observable behaviors for the Communication Stage of Information Processing.  How do Saddler and Miller encourage the children to utilize this component?  Do you feel that it was effective?

2.      How do the teachers help the children use the Appreciation Stage of Information Processing?  Give concrete examples from the video.

3.      In the video, Saddler frequently calls “time-outs”.  What is the purpose of these breaks?  How do they assist in the Presearch Stage of Information Processing?

Content  Standards: Previewing Questions

1.      Devise a lesson in which you use English Language Arts Standard Number 6 and 2.

2.      In the video, the students use “Quicktionary Pens” to aid in their learning.  What English Language Arts Standard does this address?

3.      Reflect on your school experiences.  Give examples of how your teachers incorporated English Language Arts Standards into their lesson plans.

Content  Standards: Post-viewing Questions

1.      Review English Language Arts Standard 3.  How do the teachers integrate this Content Standard into their lesson?  Explain.

2.      Review the list of English Language Arts Standards.  Are there some Content Standards that the teachers did not address which you feel that they should have in the lesson? 

3.      Review English Language Arts Standard 12.  How do the teachers effectively incorporate this into the lesson?

Tenets of Democracy: Previewing Questions

1.      Do you feel it is important for students to take ownership of their own learning?  How does this help them learn more effectively?

2.      Which Tenets of Democracy  would teachers utilize as they engage in team teaching?  How would using the Tenets of Democracy aid them in their teaching experience and enable each teacher to work more effectively with the other?  Explain.

3.      Explain the process of Power Sharing and Empowerment.  Then, review the checklist of observable behaviors as found in the model.  Which behaviors do the teachers encourage the students to demonstrate in the video?  For the behaviors that were not demonstrated directly in the video, how could the teachers have assisted the children to use those in the lesson?

Tenets of Democracy: Post-viewing Questions

1.      In the video, the students demonstrate Individual Responsibility.  Review the checklist of observable behaviors.  Explain each behavior that the students show in the video, and how the teachers helped them in the process.

2.      In the video, explain how the teachers incorporate technological tools in order to employ the Tenets of Democracy.

3.      Saddler and Miller encourage the students to use Critical Thinking.  How do they do this?  How does this process help the students to learn more effectively?

Technology: Previewing Questions

1.      In their lesson plan, the teachers state that “…the timely and practical integration of technological resources can serve to be an excellent motivational tool.”  Do you agree?  Why or why not?

2.      Devise a lesson in which you use technological tools to facilitate student learning.  Be sure to include the technological resources and concepts that are included in the model.

3.      Review the description of the Franklin Spell Checker as found in the lesson.  What functions can this tool perform that computers cannot? 

Technology: Post-viewing Questions

1.      Explain how Saddler and Miller use technological resources to motivate their students.  Give examples from the lesson.

2.      In the video, Saddler and Miller utilize Technology Competency Number 4.   Explain this Competency, and how it helps to promote student learning.

3.      After viewing Saddler and Miller’s lesson, review the Level I and II Technology Competencies.  Identify one Competency that the teachers did not address that they could have through the lesson.

Teacher Knowledge : Previewing Questions

1.      The lesson explains that co-teaching provides professional growth as the two teachers work together.  Explain how collaboration between a special education teacher and a regular education teacher would benefit their students and each other.

2.      Review Malcolm Price Laboratory School’s three-part mission statement, described in the lesson plan.  What is the purpose of a mission statement for a school?  Is there anything you feel should be added or deleted from Price Lab’s statement?

3.      Reflect on your school experiences.  How did your immediate environment affect your learning?  Do you prefer to have a quiet environment, or do you do better with sound?  What about lighting?

Teacher Knowledge : Post-viewing Questions

1.      View the video.  How did Saddler and Miller arrange the classroom? How does the physical arrangement of the room impact student learning?

2.      Review the information for Teacher’s In-Depth Content Knowledge.  How is Saddler and Miller’s in-depth knowledge evident in the video?

3.      In the video, Saddler and Miller enable the students to develop their Verbal/Linguistic Intelligences.  Explain this concept, and describe how the teachers incorporate this type of intelligence into the lesson.

Teacher Behavior: Previewing Questions

1.      Brainstorm a list of potential student misbehavior that could occur in a day’s time.  Determine how you would handle each behavior, such as ignoring or giving consequences.  How would you use consequences fairly, consistently, and calmly?

2.      Choose one teacher from your school experience to reflect upon.  Did that teacher acknowledge students’ responsible behaviors?  How did that affect your learning?

3.      Review the checklist for Problem-solving as a solution to discipline problems.  Do you agree with these?  Give some examples of how you would use these in your classroom.

Teacher Behavior: Post-viewing Questions

1.      Review the process of Content Management.  How do Saddler and Miller avoid satiation during the lesson?

2.      In the video, Saddler and Miller encourage the students to self-monitor their behaviors.  Explain the process that they used.  What are some benefits and disadvantages of this?

3.      Explain how Miller corrects irresponsible and inappropriate behaviors in the lesson.  How does this effectively demonstrate Conduct Management.