1. What is your experience and have you dealt with diversity?
2. How do you set up the physical space in your classroom?
3. What procedures and/or rules do you lay out?
4. What have you found to be most successful in creating positive learning environments?
5. How do you approach praising students, and how do you approach disciplining students? What has worked? What has not worked?
6. Has there been bullying and how have you dealt with it?
7. Has there been an evolution of your classroom management strategies over the years? What are they?
8. What is your advice for a new teacher?
Interview Here
During this interview, and after watching it several times, I definitely learned a lot. I also noticed that Mr. Deuser was stating concepts and ideas that are in the Woolfolk text. I'm good friends with Mr. Deuser and I've known him since before he was teaching and I realize there are probably specific things that we could have spent hours on. But today we primarily focused on classroom management in his classroom of 7th grade English students. Starting off I asked how he set up his physical space. Mr. Deuser said he started off by having rows as his seating arrangement. This, according to Woolfolk, (Pg. 498) is useful for independent work. What Mr. Deuser explained was at the beginning of the year he wanted to get to know students independently and build a rapport with the students. I just thought that was interesting that he started out with students for independent work then put them into groups later in the year. Might be a good method to start students off independently then put them in groups later so they can talk and help each other.
Next, we talked about procedures in his class. He made it very clear to students that they had a job to do when they walked in the room. He also spoke about how he had the students sign the rules of the classroom right when the class started. These, like in the text (Woolfolk Pg. 494) help with routines, student movement, Lesson running routines, interactions between student and teacher, and interactions between students. This type of layout will help me as a teaching planning for the future. In music, it might be "take out your music notes and pencils" or "take out your instrument. Whatever it may be, it will be important for me to make it clear what is supposed to be happening during the class. He also spoke about how to discipline and reward a class. I made a mistake in the interview. He said if inappropriate behavior happens and he doesn't do anything I said that is negative reinforcement. Where it's actually more like he would be an enforcer because that type of behavior would still exist after it occurred. That being said I realize that being a teacher you can't let things go without telling a student why it's not right, then giving them something they should be doing instead.
One thing that Mr. Deuser touched on in a few different questions was how he made the most positive learning environment or what works best? He said it several times; build relationships with your students. Let them know you care. Let them know you are interested in them. This, according to him, is the best way to manage a successful class. All efforts directed toward building positive relationships with students and creating a classroom community are steps toward preventing management problems. (Wolkfolk Pg. 504) He goes on to say building relationships with parents is important and building relationships with the rest of the staff. When asked about bullying Mr. Deuser said being on board with the faculty is important. So, if an issue does arise he can take the proper steps toward resolving the situation the best way possible.
His advice for a new teacher was this; stick to your plan of rules and procedures while developing relationships with your students and that is when you will manage your class the most successfully.
Keep students engaged in productive learning activities. (Woolfolk Pg. 501) This was the last thing that Mr. Deuser said. Keep the material you are teaching interesting. Build ideas and activities around the material. Keep it engaging and this will most likely prevent problems in the classroom.
This interview definitely taught me a lot about classroom management, I was actually a little surprised at how much Mr. Deuser said was found in the Woolfolk text. This was our first take interview and it great hearing the insight of an experienced teacher in Illinois.
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