Interview Question #9

Which of these trends in education are you familiar with? What is your experience?

A PLC is a great way to interact with other teachers and to discuss the effectiveness of your content; although I do not have first hand experience I can see the value of implementing these interactions. I have been exposed to the content of RtI, PBIS, UBD, Common Core, SLOs, and p21 but have not been given the opportunity to work directly with them during my classes or practicum placements. I have spoken to peers about the importance of Partnership for 21st c. skills; this gives them the opportunity to work directly with materials that will directly relate to their lives outside of school.


Consider:
I was not specifically exposed to...
Open to learning
Positively frame it as an opportunity to strengthen you teaching student learning

Amanda: Recently out of student teaching

Student Teaching and the edTPA:

Meet your CT as soon as possible
Research the school (DPI report card)
Plan during the summer

Organize your time (edTPA)
Know your students (IEPs, names, etc.)
Journal activities/experiences

edTPA: thoughtfulness
Video - try exporting video from ipad or use another source (practice)

Guest speakers: Bob and Darrel

Retired teachers: High School (MN)

Bob: Math
Darrel: History

Fear: Scott Walker and administration; how do we overcome that fear? What is in their mind?
Past: Pay teachers for experience and education.
Now: measure student learning and pay accordingly.

The Union:
Are they democratic? Supporting what you believe in? Seniority? Are you able to voice your opinion once the union is gone? Too much power in administration?
Positive Perceptions: child labor, raising wages and working conditions, help you get to middle class
Negative Perceptions: keeping people that should be fired, one-sided: Democratic, cost of dues

Ask to see district policy
CESA

MN vs. WI
MN: becoming more liberal, raising taxes, empowering unions, legalized gay-marriage, embrace affordable health-care act
WI: becoming more conservative, decreasing taxes, curbing unions, school vouchers (private schools), reject affordable health-care act

Collective bargaining vs. District policy
Wages or compensation
Hours of work
Employment benefits
Supervision
Qualifications
Training and skills
Job functions
Termination procedure
Right to your view on issues
Sick leave/Personal leave

Dane: Recent Art Education Graduate

Unique student teaching experience:
Not many behavioral issues
Unexpected experiences

High School:
40 minutes: Sculpture, Ceramics, Intro to Art, Prep
8am-3:30 required time at school
What You Need (WYN) - Strictly academic: silent homework time/reading
Sculpture: 3 projects; start with clay busts and talk about symbolism; Goldsworthy lesson, the principles of art and design, talk about planning; Kinetic sculptures, wire hanger and nylon, gesso and paint, look at images of contemporary sculptures and objects: which one is the sculpture?, meaning in artwork
Ceramics: (two sections) Half the class throwing, half hand-building; the history of ceramics, cylinders, mugs, hand-build ceramic boxes, darted tumblers; time management! Your time is eaten up before and after work time, students need to practice, demonstrate wrong behaviors/techniques
Intro to Art: Surrealism, academic language and techniques
The sooner you can teach, the better
The unexpected: many personal traumas happened during student teaching (family deaths, etc.), student's sibling committed suicide, student's sibling die, drugs, etc.
Take attendance: get to know their names
Write your own lessons and access your Cooperating Teacher's

Elementary:
6 day cycle, see students every three days.
Scope and sequence: build off of previous lessons
Use videos to reiterate what you say (demonstrations, content, etc)
Do what you enjoy! If you are excited, students will be more engaged.

University observations:
Introduce the observer, tell them she might ask them some questions
Don't get strung out! It's not too stressful.

- Ask meaningful questions: don't ask dumb questions. Why do you say that? What do you see that makes you say that? Form more well-thought answers.
- Preparation; learn from other classes. Flexible
- Be relate-able to students, be friendly but professional
- Be passionate about your lessons
- Think about what you NEED to convey in a lesson. Too much information may be overwhelming, less confusion
- Be explicit and clear with all students of all ages. Make it clear that you have faith in their abilities.
- Being inclusive in your delivery
- You will have days that you have no idea what you are doing; it's okay!
- Be consistent with students in attitude and expectations
- Teach with fore-thought; anticipate issues (Demonstrate what happens when things are done wrong: What would happen if I did this wrong?)
- Speak to CT if you feel restricted by their actions

Art education: Trends

Visual Culture Studies:
Influences lives in all aspects.
Incorporate understanding in lessons: critique advertisements, recognize
Teach them about how to respond to visuals.
Overwhelming

Choice Based Art Education:
Student chooses project/media; students follow what they are interested in.
Students have choices to make meaningful learning
Benefits for teacher: in-depth instruction on a range of topics, special help/attention to students, get to know students, students could be highly motivated and ready to work, individualized instruction, more one on one time.
What teachers do: provide students with time for creating, studio space, variety of materials, encouragement, group/individualized instruction
CB Students: work at own speed, work from strengths, follow a line of thought over time, develop a working style, show responsibility, take care of materials, form cooperative groups for collaboration, explore interests in depth, be on task, set up own workspace and move on when ready.
Classroom: Centered around different artistic mediums
Assessment: topics, effort, skill with materials, creative problem solving, making artistic choices
Responding to standards: Begin class with demo or lesson, whole class sees new topic, artist, technique, concept, material, etc.

DBAE
Discipline Based Art Education; comprehensive education
Art production: making/process
Art Criticism: Examination, discussion of style, principles
Art History: insight into past, connections/relevancy
Aesthetics: philosophy of art, get students to think about what they are learning/feeling
Achievement, structure, organized, well-rounded students
Reveals knowledge, be best educators, keep up to date

Presentations: Trends in Education

RTI: Response to Intervention (Instruction)
Early identification and support of students with learning/behavior needs. High quality instruction and screening; involves special educator, general education teacher, and/or specialists. Focusing on student success and meeting the large range of needs of students. What does the student need? What can we do to help them?
1. Screen: success, struggles; how to make successes help struggles?
2. Progress monitoring
3. Multi-level prevention system
4. Data-based decision making
5. Grounding
Good instruction, on going assessment, tiered instruction, and parent involvement
RTI meetings, implement RTI in classes, may have to give RTI test.
This helps students that are in the gray area: students who do not have severe struggles. May help them focus on school and find success. This gives students the opportunity to receive help that may otherwise be overlooked. Without RTI students become frustrated and humiliated; these students may otherwise never receive help and potentially drop out of school.
 (Differentiate instruction; want students to succeed; help students succeed in school and in life)

Understanding by Design (UBD = Backward Design)
Improving student achievement: emphasize teachers role in designing student learning. Helps teachers clarify learning goals and engage students. Look to develop and deepen understanding. Use Backward Design and seek student feedback.
Backward Design:
1. Identify desired results - content standards, understandings, questions, knowledge and skills. Focus on big ideas.
2. Determine acceptable evidence - Key complex performance tasks indicative of understanding? What other evidence will be collected to build the case for understanding, knowledge, and skill? How will students self-assess?
3. Plan learning experiences and instruction - Focus on engaging and effective learning. What learning experiences and instruction will promote the desired understanding, knowledge and skill? How will you best promote the deepending of insight and interest? How will you prepare students for the performance?

Responsive Classroom
Elementary classes! Produce engaged students. "Educators creating, safe, challenging and joyful elementary schools". Highly structured.
Key practices: Daily morning meeting (reset, connect with classmates; social skills), a positive approach to discipline (students make own rules), positive teacher language (positive vision), giving students choices in their learning (more engaged in their own learning when given choice/responsibility). Dependable system for students

PBIS
Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (achieving academic and social goals)
Expectations clearly stated: assemblies, arrival/dismissal/bus/cafeteria (affect behavior in and outside of school)
Organizational supports, effectively use interventions.
Goals (for positive behaviors) rather than punishment (for negative behaviors)
5 stages of building PBIS program: 1. purpose building (exploration), Infrastructure (Instillation), 3. Initial Implementation, 4. Full Implementations, 5. Sustainability.
Four elements: Outcomes, practices, data, systems.
Fundamentals: Procedures, positive reinforcement, negative consequences, special interventions, keeping records.
Similar to RTI (Behavioral form)
Examples: Lynx Loot Reward Program - earn rewards for good behavior; Peace days - grade-level has no major office referral

Common Core State Standards
English and Math grade level expectations in standards; focus on core concepts and procedures (early), set goals but do not determine how it must be taught, mastering standards.
English: complex texts, evidence, building knowledge
Math: greater focus, coherence, and rigor
Implementation in Schools and Need to Know facts: standards establish what they need to know and not how teachers should teach. Implemented by state and local levels.
Does not require data collection by the schools.
There will be common core standards for art. (Discipline specific)

SLO (Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes)
Educator Effectiveness: performance-based
Reaction to "No Child Left Behind"
SLOs: Teacher: student learning objective; principal: school learning objectives
2 SLOs written each year: evaluation every three years --> approved, monitored, and scored by and evaluator
Keep in mind: most work at beginning of year, mid-year review ...)
4 Steps: review data and prepare SLOs, review and approve, collect evidence and conduct mid-year review, review and score
SMART SLOs: Specific measurable, attainable, results-based, time-bound

Guest speaker: principal

Paul:
Began as teacher (social studies) and became principal; has ability to become a superintendent.

Getting a job:
Know: Educator Effectiveness, SLO, PPG, PLC, Smart goal
We are in a world of accountability; responsibility to the common core. Understand the above vocabulary. Be able to have a dialogue.
Obama - race to the top; no longer No Child Left Behind - evaluate students and educators using federal criteria (states come up with models).  (Below: WI)
Educator Effectiveness Model: 50 SLOs/Smart Goals and 50 evaluation by supervisors; understand the Danielson models (The Framework, 6th ed.). PPG for self. (Collaborative SLOs)
Teachscape- uploading artifacts

Looking for a job:
Get license and substitute; get your name out there! Different students and settings.
Where you look: state of Wisconsin job site, large districts will post positions on website

Four things: Cover letter (Correctly label and address!! tells them if you can write - very important for schools today, state objective, where you heard about the job, 'please consider me a candidate for', 'I am certain that', support statements), resume (clear and concise; first: degree, license; then education and student teaching; two page resume; talk about exhibitions in cover letter), transcript (official or unofficial depending; from all schools), letters of recommendation (total:3; cooperating teacher, administrator if experience, 2/3 should be education based.), Application
Portfolios: use to enhance what you are saying (know where it is); may not be used during first interview. Both personal and student work.
Send in about a week in advance, be patient! Wait for the call. 

Receive call a week in advance of interview day.
Interview: PREPARE; apply to every position (never turn down interview), remember questions from previous interviews and prepare based on them, repetition, it's okay to be nervous!, okay to say, "can I think about that for a minute", always have an answer - prepared to learn, be nice to the secretaries, show up 15 minutes before the interview, have questions ready for the interview team, know the district (I noticed that... can you tell me about that? Your staff must do a great job; large population of minority? Do you have any programs...? What kind of software are you using for that course? Questions about position and district - do not talk about salary or benefits)
Second interview: prepare for teaching lesson, interview team observe teaching, meet superintendent, never burn a bridge.

Final phone call:
Accept the job or take a little time to consider
Understand salaries and benefits; compensation? Save money (TSA, 403B plan)
Know your HRA, add to it!