#22 Student Teaching, Interviews, and First Year Teachingby Jeff Coe

Objectives:

Students will:

1. Review student teaching requirements and expectations for student and cooperating teachers;
2. Be exposed to strategies and techniques to help them get the most out of their appointment as student teachers;
3. Understand more clearly what to expect in a job interview;
4. Be made aware of some of the pitfalls of first year teaching, and develop strategies to counter these potential problems. 

Methods:

Students will:

1. University Internet resources will be used to explain student teaching requirements.
2. Discussion questions about student teaching, first year teaching, and interviewing for jobs will be explored in small groups and as a class.
3. The importance of mentoring, reflective teaching, and goal setting will be emphasized during discussion citing literature.
4. Students will continue to use their journals to record their observation experiences as well as their goals for student teaching and their first year of teaching. They will then share these goals with one another in small groups.

Information:

1. Students will strengthen knowledge of student teaching requirements and expectations.
2. Students will gain insight as to what to expect during their student teaching experience.
3. Students will be made aware of practical strategies such as mentoring, reflective teaching, and goal setting to help them maximize the effectiveness and usefulness of their student teaching experience.
4. Students will understand some of the problems that often occur for first year teachers, as well as some strategies to negate these problems.

Evaluation:

1. Contribution to class discussion.
2. Contribution to group discussion.
3. Answers to questions shared on TeachNet.
4. Participation in goal setting activities. 

Internet assignment questions posted on TeachNet:

1. During your observation experience, what's one thing you've done that you've been really proud of? What's one mistake that you made that you'll strive never to do again?
2. Looking back at the time you've spent in observation, what could you have done to get more out of the time you spent in classes? How will that affect what you do during student teaching?
3. Describe the ideal school for you to work at, and explain why it would be ideal for you. 

Seminar discussion questions:

1. After looking over the list of frequently asked interview questions, pick a couple of the more difficult ones to ask to a partner. Then discuss as a class which are the most difficult questions and why.
2. What is the most frightening aspect of interviewing for a job? Why?
3. What are the most important things you would look for in a possible mentor? Why?
4. What kind of goals have you set for yourself concerning student teaching? Are they different from goals you have for your first year as a regular teacher? If so, why?
5. Given the problems and suggested strategies for first year teachers cited in The First Days of School, which problems do you think you are most likely to have to deal with? Why? Which strategies seem most promising to you? Why? 

Responsibilities of Student and Cooperating Teacher

Responsibilities of the student teacher:

1. Become informed about pupils and classes you will teach.
2. Conform to the school's rules, policies, and local standards of behavior.
3. Conduct yourself in a mature, responsible and professional manner and maintain an appropriate personal appearance.
4. Provide adequate time to prepare your work for the classroom.
5. Adjust to, rather than try to change, the situation in the classroom or your assigned school. You are a guest in the school to gain professional development.
6. Plan lessons on a weekly and daily basis and submit the plans to the cooperating teacher for inspection and recommendations prior to teaching the class. Your plans should be placed in your Professional Portfolio and made available to your university consultant on each visit.
7. Participate in all of the activities expected of the regular classroom teacher. Duplicate your cooperating teacher's schedule which includes arriving and leaving at appropriate times.
8. Call the school office and your cooperating teacher in the event you are ill and cannot be at your assignment. Do this by 7:30 a.m.
9. Cooperate at all times with pupils, teachers, and administrators.
10. Make frequent self-evaluations and discuss them with your cooperating teacher and university consultant.
11. Accept criticism and suggestions that assist your professional and personal growth.
12. Avoid unfavorable criticism of the school, the cooperating teacher, the students, and community.
13. Participate in evaluating pupil progress.
14. Return school materials, textbooks, resource materials and student records on or before the last day of student teaching.
15. Attend all university seminars and other functions assigned by the university consultant.

Responsibilities of the cooperating teacher:

A. The cooperating teacher plays and important part in assuring successful student teaching. Through his/her preparation, guidance and knowledge the student teacher experiences first hand what teaching is.
B. To facilitate this experience, it is suggested that the cooperating teacher be responsible for:

1. Preparing the class for the student teacher.
2. Collecting a set of textbooks for the student teacher and providing him/her with helpful materials such as school bulletins, schedules, class rolls, school handbooks, and curriculum guides.
3. Providing a work and study area or space in the classroom for the student teacher, if at all possible.
4. Welcoming the student teacher by familiarizing him/her with the school building, introducing him/her to the principal and other school personnel, and providing him/her with time to visit and observe throughout the school.
5. Individualizing the Professional Development Plan with the student teacher, using suggested weekly activities as a guide (Appendix B).
6. Explaining, at appropriate times, methods of keeping attendance, homeroom records, grade and report cards, cumulative folders, and other necessary records.
7. Scheduling a conference with the student teacher at least once a week. Impromptu conferences may occur daily depending on the student teacher's needs and the cooperating teacher's time.
8. Meeting with the university consultant on a regular basis to assess the student teacher's progress.
9. Evaluating the student teacher frequently on an informal and formal (mid-term and final) basis and sharing these evaluations openly with the student teacher.
10. Informing the principal and the university consultant immediately should the student teacher encounter serious problems.
11. Submitting the typed final evaluation to the university consultant by the final week of the student teaching assignment. 

Typical interview questions for teacher candidates:

1. Why do you want to teach?
2. How many reading courses have you completed? (How good is your preparation and ability to teach reading?)
3. What is your position relative to failing students? How do you justify this position?
4. What have you personally failed at and how do you feel about it?
5. What strengths do you feel you can bring to this position?
6. How do you relate to children? How do you feel they relate to you?
7. Is it important for you to have the students like you? Explain how you want your students to view you.
8. Do you like children?
9. What would you assess your greatest weakness to be? (If you could change your personality one way to help you get along better with people, what would you change?)
10. What long range goals have you established to achieve?
11. How do you propose to keep current and updated as a teacher?
12. Questions about background and home.
13. What experiences and/or training (coursework) have you had in Individually Guided Education?
14. How do you propose to keep current and updated as a teacher?
15. What things about your co-workers bug you most?
16. What was most rewarding in your student teaching experience? What was the most difficult problem you encountered in your student teaching experience? (In what specific manner was your ability to control a class tested during your student teaching?) Did you experience teaching as it is? OR Outline your student teaching experience in complete detail. Tell everything you think was important to you in that experience. OR What were your reactions to your recent student teaching assignments, interning, or past jobs?
17. What were your most rewarding experiences in college?
18. What is the most important qualification an elementary teacher should have? How would you perceive your role as teacher?
19. What do you desire your students to possess when they leave your class?
20. What are major problems in education as you see them? (If you had the power to change education in any way you wished, what changes would you make?)
21. Describe a school as you define it in ideal terms.
22. Can you handle your own music, art, and physical education?
23. What is the main purpose for which elementary schools exist?
24. How do you view the role of the principal in the school?
25. What kind of relationship would you think ideal for you and your principal supervisors?
26. Why have you chosen to stay with teaching when there is such a surplus?
27. How well/poorly do you work in a team?
28. What do you do when an assignment fails?
29. Are you a risk taker? Explain.
30. Discuss your organizational skills. 

Refrences:

Blair, T. R., & Jones, D. L. (1998). Preparing for student teaching in a pluralistic classroom. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Good, T. L. & Brophy, J. E. (1997). Looking in classrooms. New York: Longman Publishing Co.
Jackson, P. (1968). Life in classrooms. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Jones, F. (1987) Positive classroom discipline. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Jones, V. F. & Jones, L. S. (1998). Comprehensive classroom management-Creating communities of support and solving problems. Boston: Allyn and Bacon Publishing.
Kronowitz, E. L. (1996). Your first year of teaching and beyond. (2nd ed.). New York: Longman Publishers USA.
Posner, G. J. (1985). Field experience: A guide to reflective teaching. New York: Longman Publishing Co.
Powell, R. R., Zehm, S., & Garcia, J. (1996). Field experience: Strategies for exploring diversity in schools. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Rinne, C. H. (1997). Excellent classroom management. Albany, NY: Wadsworth Publishing Co.
Roe, B. D., Ross, E. P., & Burns, P. C. (1989). Student teaching and field experiences handbook. (2nd ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill Publishing Co.
Wong, H. K. & Wong, R. T. (1991). The first days of school: How to be an effective teacher. Sunnyvale, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications.