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| Timely Questions Regarding Job Interviews |
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The Fine Print:
The following comments are owned by whoever posted them.
We are not responsible for them in any way.
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by
Rod
on Monday September 25, @03:09PM
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I agree with you by and large, however, I don't
think things were really that different 6 years
ago. I finished high school 12 years ago, and I would
level the exact same complaints against my peers
as you seem to be leveling against your students.
From my own personal experience, I would say
that the amount of discipline students show toward
their school work can vary some-what from school to
school, but there will always be kids, that for
one reason or another, have not engaged in the
learning process, either because they've slipped
through the cracks, or it's not "cool" to be smart, and you have to admit, talking about the
events of last weekend's party can raise some
eyebrows... ;)
Just two cents from the management...
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by
MChicci
on Monday September 25, @07:44PM
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Not to seem anti Utopian or burst your bubble; just my own two cents.
Yes, I agree that it is our job as teachers to find those "buttons" that students have cleverly hidden in the recesses of their minds and we have to push them to make the student want to learn.
But, what if you truly do peak their interest and they still don't step up to the plate? Just because you peak their interest does not mean that they will instantly or miraculously start turning in their work or do better on tests or stop being the major disruption in class. A number of kids in schools today think it is the coolest thing not to understand or participate in class. It's cool. It's 'tight'.
My point being; not only do we as teachers have to push the right buttons but the students themselves have to step up to the plate and be willing to participate in the games of learning!
Thanks
Matt Chicci--Mountain Pointe HS
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by
carhounj
on Tuesday September 26, @08:45PM
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What do you say to a student who will not try?
There are some students out there who will learn more from the ceral box quiz during breakfast than they will all day at school. "you know the kids I'm talking about". We as teachers must become the ceral box, give the students what they want inside the box (entertainment, excitement, and motivation) and they will read the outside of the box (education).
Sure... it's easy for me to say, "OH, just get more exciting and motivating in class". But the truth is you should be. I would not me a teacher if I did not believe that Biology was truely exciting. I am, as the teacher, the poster boy of biology and must do everything in my power to make these kids think it is cool. If biology is not cool, then I am wasting my time, and so are they.
I say to the unmotivated student:
Do you realize that you are wasting your time? You could get so much from this class if you paid attention and did some work. This is not exciting, what could I do to make it exciting?
What do you want? They will probably say "nuthin'". Ask the student to give you (the teacher) a chance. Show them Biology is fun or Chemestry, or Physics or whatever. Find what touched you and offer that to your students.
We cannot just give up on these students! If we do give up on these students, they may not be in our classroom anymore, but they will still exist in our society. Five years from now, the student that you gave up on will not remember you as "the teacher who TRIED" when they are jacking your car!!! Get through to these people, for some we are the last hope!!!
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by
MChicci
on Sunday September 24, @10:05PM
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What do you believe is an acceptable failure rate in courses at the high school? What do you believe causes school failure?
It is too bad that we as Americans do not live in a Utopian society. When I was in high school (not more than 6 years ago) things were different. Most students did their homework or at least tried to. Now, things are different. I feel that an acceptable failure rate is 15% or lower of the student body. I currently have about 10% of my students failing my regular BIO 1-2 class. A passing grade for this course is 60%, which I feel is a bit lenient. If I had everything my way, I would have every student pass every course with flying colors; but to make that happen in today's educational system, with the student body we as teachers face, we would have to give them [students]the answers to every question instead of make them learn the answers.
What causes school failure? I know it is a number of factors. I have been teaching 5 classes since the second week of school. I have seen what these students don't do. Do they read the text before the test? No. Do they do their homework before the day it is due or the night before? Most don't. Do they study their class notes to prepare them for the test/quizzes? Most do not look over them more than once. I issued a vocabulary list of 18 words on a Monday with a quiz to be given on the following Thursday. Over two thirds of the students did not look over the vocabulary list they had worked on until 5 minutes before the quiz (the 5 minutes I gave them to study). The reasons for school failure? Simple. In most cases it is the laziness of the students. They choose not to study the material and then complain that their grades are too low. My heart bleeds. Most of my students think that school is a social scene and a place that they do not have to take seriously. They do not take education seriously. They do not see how important learning is to their future. They don't study (either by choice or they do not know how). They do not take the time given to them in class to do their bookwork; they would rather talk about the party last week or the one happening this Saturday. They do not turn in their work on time or even complete!! I feel that most of the reasons students fail in class today is that they are lazy, unmotivated, lack the skills necessary to succeed (organization and study skills) and lack the focus necessary to help the teacher help them learn.
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Haven't heard much (anything) from some of you. Let's take until 4/30 to commment on the second question: 2. How would you get a student to do their work when they absolutely refuse to do anything? (i.e. A
senior who says, "I don't care if I flunk, I have enough credits to pass anyway.")
This is a pressing problem this time of year. "Senioritis" comes not just to seniors. Everybody shows signs of burnout at this time. My experience led me to believe that this was the absolute best time to do hands-on stuff. So my adjustments to this centered around that strategy. Any other ideas? Jeff Turley
http://acept.asu.edu/~studentteacher/jt.html
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by
Coleen
on Wednesday September 20, @08:00PM
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I believe that there should not be an acceptable failure "rate". Proponents of the bell-curve and other similar grading philosophies are wrong in comparing student learning to farming and chattle statistics. Hopefully, if I have done my job to ensure that every student is engaged and trying their best, I will not have a rate of failure. I might have one or two failures, but my objective is not to fail a certain number/percentage of students. Acceptable failure rates occur in colleges and that does not necessarily make it right or prove that any one class has more academic rigor than another!
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by
Coleen
on Wednesday September 20, @08:10PM
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If a student refused to work/apply themselves in class, I would do my best to convince them that they were letting themselves down. There is a reason for the content that I am teaching. I would inform the student of my goals for his/her learning and demonstrate how the content is connected to everyday life. Even if the subject itself is not important (hopefully this is not the case), the process of learning responsibility, loyalty, and cooperation are all necesseties of life outside of high school. If a student can not complete work or participate in school, he/she will not be able to complete work or participate in the "real world". Ultimately, it is up to teachers, parents, and the community to make sure that students see themselves as potential citizens and valued people of the community.
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by
cocina
on Wednesday September 20, @08:41PM
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Jeff, I chose to write in regards to your question: How would you get a student to do their work when they absolutely refuse to do anything? I feel that student might be lacking motivation in that subject. You gave a situation inregards to a senior who says they don't need the credit, but students always need motivation and if a teacher can try maybe a different style to motivate the student the situation would be better. Of course there are the times that a student no matter how many times or different ways you try to teach will never want to do the work. If this is the case then as a teacher, I would never "let go" of the student; but I would not jeopardize the rest of the students in the class. However, from the classes in the block program, there are many different ways to motivate a student and being in science and working with laboratories the possibilities seem endless. Of course that is extremely positive thinking!! The question that you have asked seems rather negative and questionable, because you have to understand that there is a reason as to why students are actually in school. If the student is really not motivated to be in the specific class then why would they or their counselor not choose to place them in a study hall, or something that they find more interesting to learn about? Thanks Jeff, just a small reflection and answer to your question; hope this works.
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What do you believe is an acceptable failure rate in courses at the high school? What do you believe causes school failure?
This seems to be the popular question :)
Anyway I really do not believe in an acceptable failure rate. In a perfect world, or one where you can motivate all your students everyone has the ability to pass. As a teacher it is my responsibility to find the right "buttons" to push with my students to cause in them a desire to learn the subject. In my case, Chemistry, this can be done using demonstrations,games, and any number of teaching approaches. Once you find the way to reach a student there is no reason they should fail.
I am not trying to suggest that the burden of learning rests solely on the teacher, but a teacher should never give up! Sometimes it takes a long time to reach a student, once reached a student cannot always catch up. In these cases a failing grade may be issued, but in my mind the student would not have failed! _ _
| \______/ \__ Robert M.Cureton
| USAF \_| C/Lt Col,AFROTC
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by
Anonymous
on Monday April 17, @10:12PM
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Joe Farnsworth
I decided to answer question number 1. Thank heavans I have not been asked either of these questions in an interview. I think in a perfect world we want not want an acceptable failure rate. This is not the case today. I think a good failure rate could be obtained my looking at a normal distribution of grades. I think the reason why students fail is because education is not important at home or not highly regarded by the parents. I think they lack the skills such as study skills, organization skills, reading , and writing. They are never taught these traits. Students do not see the importance and relevance of school. Sometimes I think they get real lazy too. These are the reasons I feel cause students to fail.
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by
albright
on Monday May 01, @12:52PM
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I think this is a tuff question that we must, at some point in our careers, ask ourselves. Who should we allow to fail? The answer obviously is no one. However, in the real world we see students who fail for whatever reason. I have seen it in my classroom this semester. I have one student who had a father died and consequently cannot focus in school. There are others who have just given up and figure they'll get a second chance in summer school. I believe that the main cause of school failure is lack of motivation and the students' doubts of how does this apply to my life? I don't think students make that connection in the classroom. I think a teacher who can model enthusiasm, concern, and the importance of education would have a more successful passing rate. Although this is not always easy, success can be attained by knowing the individual needs of students.
E. Albright
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by
biobear
on Tuesday April 18, @06:26PM
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As much as I hate to admit it, there is a failure rate in high school that is accepted. Most of the problems in my classes come from students that are less than excited about learning. My goal is to provide a variety of activities that will appeal to all of the different style learners and try to make the information relevant to their lives. The best method I learned from my mentor teacher, use "war stories" that pertain to the material. I didn't think I had many but this is not the case afterall. Failure should not be acceptable , but is sometimes unavoidable. At this stage in my career, I hesitate to announce an acceptable percentage. Perhaps after a few years i will be able to tell you the expected, but I don't think I will ever be comfortable with accepting it.Derek Nietz
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by
Judson
on Monday April 24, @01:46PM
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Having taught in the public schools and been part of the interview process several times, I can say that while the "acceptable failure" query is not necessarily a trick question, it is designed to gauge the prospective applicant. If an applicant in the interviewee's chair begins to respond to that question in terms of bell curves and normal distributions, the principal will likely begin wondering when the next interview is scheduled. Most principals would likely say that they come from a holistic tradition and are concerned primarily with the child, not the similarity between their school and a factory. In other words, there is no such thing as an acceptable failure rate. Though in the "real world" this may seem unrealistic, it's important that teachers (especially beginning teachers) have an altruistic outlook. A principal wants to hear that you will strive to assess the understanding of students throughout the semester and provide them the necessary guidance so they may ALL succeed. In those rare instances when a student still has not achieved success, the opportunity arises to assess the situation and develop a better strategy for the next group of students.
During the interview, if posed such a question and you feel as though follow-up questions are pressuring you, it's not a bad idea to say that you're very willing to learn how to work smarter from the administration and other teachers. Let them know that you'd be eager to seek advice of administrators and teachers to discover how to motivate students toward success. However, please don't make these comments if you don't buy into this approach. Remember, you will possibly be working with these people for years to come.
As a last point on the "acceptable failure" question, remember that you are talking to the principal during the interview. The principal is the person who will most directly have to deal with parents when their children are failing in that new teacher's class. You know the new teacher I'm talking about, she's the one with the "acceptable failure rate." Don't let it be you.
Eugene Judson
Teacher Coordinator
Arizona State University
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by
albright
on Monday May 01, @01:04PM
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This is an answer to question #2 about students who refuse to do their work. Being a Senior myself, I know how many students feel. It's real easy to not go the extra mile when you don't need to. If I had a senior in my class who had enough credits to pass, but refused to do any work, I would first ask him or her to tell me why they signed up for the class in the first place. I would ask what his or her interests were. Based on those answers, I would somehow try to modify my instruction. I would let the student know that I was concerned about them and that I wanted them to stay in my class and solicit suggestions from them. The more involved they are, the better. At this time of the year, having lots of activities where they can move around and interact is probably a good solution. Every student has something that motivates him or her. By finding this out and incorporating this, you may see more involvement.
E. Albright
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by
biobear
on Tuesday May 02, @01:09AM
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I have seen this time and again and not only in school. This is a problem that strikes everyone in the business world also. Some research I read a few years ago said that people will tend to burn out in their job after 7 years. The only solution I know of is to provide them with enough alternatives. Inquiry Science can help to do that. It would be nice to be able to create a yearly lesson plan that will allow for more outside activities during the Spring. This should be relatively easy in Physics, Biology or Environmental Science, but slightly more challenging in Chemistry. Another approach would be to provide for alternative assignments for the individuals. They could be assigned as a teacher's aide for a period of time and be involved in lab set-ups, lab creation, or tutoring other students. Another option would be to arrange for in-service time in an elementary school for these folks for a couple of hours a day for a week or so.
Someone who has made up their mind not to participate and who is facing no negative consequences will be difficult to motivate and if I experience even a modicum of success with any of my suggestions, I will be sure to revisit the issue and post my story. Derek Nietz
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by
bsue
on Monday May 08, @11:04AM
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I would try to get information about the student's interests which extend beyond the science classroom. If at all possible I would try to tie in what information I have about their interests to possible related science topics. If this leads me no where or I don't see an improvement in the motivation of the student, then I would seek out school counselor's to have the student removed from the class. I see no reason why a student should be registered for a class they do not need or care to be taking. Forcing students to participate will just add to the aversion from the subject. Either attempt to connect it to a real life experience or ask them to leave.
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by
Anonymous
on Monday December 04, @10:46PM
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How do you get a studetn to do their work when they absolutely refuse to do anything? This is a great question. However, it is very dependent upon the students. Sometimes students do not understand why school is important. Some students feel or have been told they are not good or smart enough to do the work, and therefore believe it and do nothing. Others even have families that do not support school and do not encourage the student to do well, and they wont. Some students even feel it is not cool to do their work. The first most important thing to do is find out why the student is not wanting to do their work. Once you have discovered why, you can work on how to motivate that student. Some are easily manipulated by capturing their attention. Some students unfortunatly need strict discipline to become motivated. I have one student now that needed me to expect more out of him than most people do. He still has his days that he resists working, but for the most part he turns in his work. The other day he even went out of his way to show my something he did for homeroom and wanted me to help him edit it. How you handle the student all depends on why the student is not motivated to do their work.
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