Interview Questions for EPC 3403

Name: Bashayer Alnuaimi

Course Code: EPC3403
Course Name: Practicum 3a
Course Teacher: Antoinette Wiseman
1- Introduction -Warmer
- Describe the setting, the grades you taught and explain the purpose of this
placement.
During my teaching practice I went to Al Hayat kindergarten in Ajman, so I taught 26
students and they were in KG2.The teachers teaching the students based on the MOE
curriculum, so they followed some basic strategies about this curriculum and My MST
gives me the curriculum schedule what in each day they will learn. Moreover, I was
having two teacher Amani is for Arabic and Islamic and teacher Halima is for English,
math and sciences, they both were a good teacher because I learned lots of new strategies,
and new ways to introduce the lesson, using verity of activities.

2- Professionalism

- How did you demonstrate professional behavior as a trainee teacher in the school?
Explain how you maintained your professional status not only in your own
classroom but also across the school.

As a training teacher in HCT, I should be so demonstrating professionalism behavior in

the school, because I represent the collage, my MCT and I. so I try to follow some rules,
and that rules shows the what we are leaned in the collage, so the first duty is coming
early before the students comes to the school, and attending all the classes, dont be late,
respect everyone in the school, use the teacher strategies, follow the teacher words and
learn from her, participating in each events, help the teacher in many ways, and
collaborating with the stuff of the school.

- Explain how conducting and receiving one formal peer observations helped you to
develop professionally?

In my teaching practice my partner Amani, observe me in the numbers lesson, and she
tells me lots of good and bad things that I did not, do it, so from this evaluation I knew
what I should work in and what I should be doing it. Also, my MST always gives me lots
of feedback, and what I should not do it in the next lesson, for example, my MST she
tells me that I should having a good classroom management, by using the reward system
and in the next lesson I used it, and it was helpful and supportive, so that develop me as a
trainee teacher.

- Explain how you collaborated with other staff in activities that involve the
community during this placement.

- Collaborated with other staff in the school is the most significant thing that we should do
in our teaching practice, thus I collaborate with m MST and other MST which name is
Mariam, and we did a healthy and unhealthy activities in the morning assembly, and let
the students recognize what is the good for them to eat in the morning, and we also,
played with them some games, and give them a gifts. Moreover, I participate with the
 school staff in the Flag day, by give each child in the school a flag, place them in the
right way.

3- Planning for Learning (including Knowledge and Understanding of Content)

- What difficulties did you face in planning seven differentiated lesson plans to ensure
that they included a range of activity types for the whole class, groups and
individuals.

- I faces a difficulties in planning the warm up stage, because I find some difficult in this
phase, which I want them to make the warm up with as a benefit them and doing some
movements, Also, I find difficulty of the students because the students were separated not
based on their level ability, they were separated on the teacher way, and I cant change
that, because they were accustomed to that, even when I try to change, they change only
for the two days and they forget their places, also I faced some difficulty during the
activities, the Arabic teacher were in the class and takes two groups and I take two groups
it was confusing .

- Explain how you assessed the learning objectives/outcomes you set the students.

I sit some of the learning outcomes based on the MOE curriculum, so to achieve these
goals, I created many activities in different learning center, as an example, teaching
yellow color, in the math center I let the students classifying the colors, and I was
observed and asking questions during this activities. Moreover, in the art center, they will
do a yellow duck, and stick yellow feather on it, so the child who will chose the write
color, they will achieve the objectives.

4- Implementing and Managing Learning (including behaviour management, language

and delivery).

- Explain what you did to make sure that your modeling / demonstration of the tasks
you set your students was clear and effective.

After the lesson, I show them a different activities based on the learning center, I
demonstrate for the student each group what will does in each activity, thus they will
know what they will do in each group. For example, in the letter N lesson, I let the art
center to do an nest and write the letter on it, before they start I show them the steps of
the process, Also, in the writing center I show the students how to write it, before they
going to the groups, then I ask them what we are doing in each group, so I knew that the
students are understanding me.

- What strategies did you apply to maintain student engagement and how effective
were they in ensuring that tasks were completed effectively?
 I used different strategy to maintain students engagement in the classroom, first strategy
is a mystery box, which having a box and ask the student what do you think inside the
box and giving some hints to know what is inside and knowing the lesson is about what.
The second strategy, I played with them a game in the first of the lesson which is the
hiding picture, and they have to guess what is behind the picture and if they did not know
I whole them a part of the picture tell the end, and then show them the whole picture and
tells them. These strategy is the best strategy to let the children enjoyment, so I think its
works effectively because they were focusing with me and get curious about it.

- Provide examples of how you developed student independence and responsibility in

your classes.

In the activity centers the students are developing their independence learning by doing
the activities with them self, an example when they are cutting, pressing hard, gluing, and
holding the pencil, also I evolve their responsibility in the class by let them clean up
whenever they finish the activities they should clean up, retunes things in their places.
Also, they are some particular actions that they are doing in the day such as taking the
attendance and count them self, and the helper hand, sit them in a good line, and in the
breakfast time, they take a plate, take for them self-eat, and return the plate in the right
place.
5- Monitoring, Assessment and Evaluation.

- What strategies did you use to monitor student progress across a range of connected
teaching sessions including class, group, pair, and individual work.
- Using a check list to check the students progress, is the most important strategy, for
example, when I gave each students a whiteboard to write the letter P, they start to writ it
and I start to observe and put a mark on the students who needs help, and put a right sign
on the students who wrote it in correct way, then I should work with the students who
needs help. This strategy can help me to know the students abilities in the writing and I
can see where the students can work better in group, pair, or individual work.

- Provide examples of and describe the formative assessment instruments such as as

anecdotal notes, checklists, Traffic Lights, photos, children self-assessment,
Learning Journey, etc.. you used to evaluate student performance in a variety of
activity types.

In my teaching practice, I should have a provide examples of the students work, thus I
take lots of pictures during the activities, taking notes and asking the student questions
that let me know their understanding, this technique can help me in evaluating the
students performance in the activities, and notice their understanding

6- Reflection on Practice.

- Which teaching strategies did you find were particularly effective and explain why
with reference to educational theory and/or experience?
 I used lots of teaching strategy, but the most significant strategy that I used in the
teaching practice is using the reward system, as a B.F. Skinner said that using the reward
system can be effective in the classroom to make help the teacher in behavior
modification in the students who are misbehaving, and I used the reward system as a
giving a happy face and start as my MST used, and it was effective and supportive in the
classroom, the students were listing to the teacher, and talking in the good level voice
without shouting, and they follow the instructions (B.F. Skinner | Operant Conditioning |
Simply Psychology, 2017).

Identify and critically evaluate the influence of a range of stakeholders at your

school e.g. Ministry of Education, Principal, parents etc.

I influenced by my MCT, how she has a good classroom management, how she is
friendly with the student and the teachers, how she is kind, and having a creative way to
give the lesson, also I learn from her how to be on the time, how to manage time in the
classroom , and around the school, how the language that I should be used with the
children and how should I deal with them.

- Explain how closely you were able to apply key principles from your own teaching
philosophy as a student teacher in this school?

I applied my teaching philosophy with the students, by making the lesson so effective and
in easy way, and let the children enjoy learning, by doing lots of hands-on activity and
making a variety of learning styles, to let each child in the classroom learn by their way.

- What would you say have been your particular strengths during this TP? Which
areas for development have you identified for next semester - justify this?

I have developed lot of doing different creative activity and having a good classroom
management this year. However, I should be more organized and my planning to focus
the next semester is having more confidence because I get lots of nervous before each
lesson, and I try to achieving the learning outcomes.
References
B.F. Skinner | Operant Conditioning | Simply Psychology. (2017). Simplypsychology.org.
Retrieved 15 November 2017, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-
conditioning.html