An Interview of a Prospective PYP Teacher.

Working on the assumption that the teacher in question has inquired about the IBPYP prior to coming into interview: 

1) Looking at the IB learner attributes, what do they mean to you? 

Answer: 

- How the interviewee relates to these attributes. 

- Which ones stand out to them. 

(upon prompting) - How they make an learner more cohesive. 

- Interviewee should reflect on how they are universal and applicable to learners everywhere. 

2) The PYP Curriculum, and the IB as a programme in general, encourage learning through inquiry. How do you feel about such a programme and how do you think this benefits the learner? 

Answer: 

- Mentions learning by doing. 

- Builds on foundation. 

- Expands the students knowledge in a  situation that is applicable to them. 

- Creates a more cohesive programme because involves working in a team to come up with something that is inclusive for everyone involved. 

3) Say you have a particular lesson plan that does not go well. How would you react? What would go through your mind? 

Answer: 

- Candidate discusses reflection. 

- What went wrong

- How can it be made better

(upon prompting) - Is motivated to look for help and discuss their ideas. 

- Discusses their feelings and how they would handle a lesson that didn't go well. 

4) What would inquiry based learning look like in your classroom? 

Answer: 

- Discusses experimentation

- Research

- Making connections 

- Most importantly, candidate discusses allowing students to increase their understanding by exploring their interests within boundaries. 

5) Are you a team player? If so, what makes you a team player? 

Answer: 

- Positive thoughts about working with people. 

(upon prompting) - Can discuss how they would approach problems with colleagues. 

(upon prompting) - Can discuss what they are like as a leader and as a team member. 

6) The PYP curriculum centres around the written curriculum, the taught curriculum and the assessed curriculum. At the centre of this is the learner constructing meaning. How do you feel these different aspects of the curriculum help learners to construct meaning. 

Answer: 

- Interviewee discusses how the written curriculum focuses the taught curriculum. 

- Discussion of how assessment can inform whether goals are being reached within the taught curriculum

- Discussion of how assessment and reflection informs their own teaching, not only the students' achievement. 

- Refinement of own teaching practices. 

Reflecting on Planning and Collaborating

I have filled out this bone diagram based on how I feel we're presently working at in the pre-school I teach at. 

Just to put it into context, we have 4 groups of between 6-9 students. The groups are organized according to ages at the beginning of the year, with some mixing occurring while monitoring student ability over the year. Each of the 4 teachers in the class have a group, and we rotate the group we're working with each week. The school I'm working at at present is not an IB school and therefore the PYP curriculum is not implemented there. I shall be working with the PYP curriculum as of August. Therefore not all practices are applicable (I have an N/A there). 

If I were to rate how we're working at each practice: 

1) Collaborative planning and reflection addresses the requirements of the programme(s). 3

2) Collaborative planning and reflection takes place regularly and systematically.  1.5 

3) Collaborative planning and reflection addresses vertical and horizontal articulation. N/A

4) Collaborative planning and reflection ensures that all teachers have an overview of students' learning experiences. 2.5 

5) Collaborative planning and reflection is based on agreed expectations for student learning. 1

6) Collaborative planning and reflection incorporates differentiation for students' learning needs and styles. 1

7) Collaborative planning and reflection is informed by assessment of student work and learning. 2

8) Collaborative planning and reflection recognizes that all teachers are responsible for language development of students. 3

9) Collaborative planning and reflection addresses the IB learner profile attributes. N/A

At my present pre-school, the two things I think need to be worked on the most in order to encourage student learning are:

      1) Parental Ignorance or familial problems.

       2) Lack of communication between the teachers.

Parental ignorance and familial problems are a huge deterrent in my current workplace. This is largely due to parents working long and extended hours and students not being able to spend enough quality time with their families. This is hindering students’ progress because their main sources of interaction are their nannies. These nannies are largely non-English speakers and cannot engross in productive conversation with the students. There is therefore no continuation from what students are learning in school and what they are doing at home. Many parents are ignorant of what their children are learning in school, they don’t follow up with teachers and often do not have the time to attend any parent-teacher-student interactive sessions.

There is also a lack of communication between the teachers. While we discuss what needs to be done the following week, we do not discuss how to better the learning environment for particular students. The groups are largely age and ability based, however no differentiation takes place for students because the work we do is largely centred around worksheets and workbooks that are required to be complete before the end of a term. Students therefore zoom through the books without really understanding. Progress is monitored based on progression in the workbooks as opposed to making certain that students are leaving with a strong foundation.