Best Practices Question answered by a teacher.

I was given these questions to answer for a student. I decided that it would be cool to post them on epinions.com also. If you have any thoughts or want more pontification, just message or e-mail me and I'll do my best to address it.

I want to make it clear.  This is just a small piece of a very large puzzle.  So just understand that this is just 6 simple questions answered in an informal way.

Fieldwork Activity – Best Practices

You will need to interview a master teacher, one who has been teaching for at least 5 years, the following questions:

I’m going to start off by saying that there is no such thing as one pressing thing or one best way to do things. If someone says that then they are just fooling themselves and not doing what is best for our students. The most important thing a teacher can do for their students is to remain flexible. To be able to bend as a person, as a professional, and bend your lessons at times. This is not meaning you have to give in, you never have to do that. You are the conductor and are therefore bound to complete the symphony. But you need to always keep an open mind, an open heart, and always think about what you can do as a teacher to help your students succeed.


1. What is the most pressing issue with your students in regards to the subject you teach?
The most pressing issue with teaching today is teaching your student to take a state mandated, multiple choice test based on the California State Standards. Everything is based on this. There are some schools (Norte Vista being one example) that have been threatened by the state that if they do not improve then they will be closed or taken over. Everybody is scared of this scenario.

Because of this, the relevance (of the three R’s) is harmed. Some teachers will go so far as to say that what they teach has no relationship to the real world. Rather the information they teach has to be taught because of these tests. That is why they tell the student why they need to learn the information.
The clear decrease in relevance is not just my opinion, but it is clearly demonstrated the data collected at my school and across the state.

By the way, the other two R’s are rigor and relationship.

I try to do the opposite. With that in mind, I tell students why it is important. That is one of my main ways to get student buy in. I try to show them that by understanding how their body works, they are better able to understand what it takes to be a better athlete, parent, healthier individual, etc. And no, this is not an easy task. Every once in a while I will say that they need to know this sole because it will be on a test and in college biology.


2. What do you find is the most effective strategy to begin class with students focused?

Depends on the class of course. Pop quizzes work. CST prep questions can work. But for me I find that doing a good anticipatory set that either makes them think, forces them to interact with a group, or share their opinion; can be one of the best ways to start a class. Just a question as simple as “what do you think of….” can get them focused. It all depends on the class, their mood, and their confidence. Those classes with high confidence will want to share. Those with low confidence may not.

I also do my best to tie in what they already know (or their opinion) with what my lesson will focus on.

Ultimately I want my students to do something interactive and hopefully get them excited for the up coming lesson.

Now this is the part where flexibility comes into play. Sometimes you have a class that just gets into it and loves the process. This is not normal. It is because you got a lucky group of students, or you worked very hard to create a classroom climate that all students can feel comfortable in.

Two main ways to create this climate is to show the students you are interested in their opinions and ideas (or pretend that you are) and to NEVER berate a student for a “stupid” answer. Making fun of a question or comment just cements their mouth shut.

Each teacher has a different personality and your personality has to shine in such a way that student know what to expect from you. Some teachers might want to start out with an interesting story. Sometimes a joke. I do them all depending the the class dynamics and my mood. Remember what I said above? Stay flexible.


3. What do you find is the most effective strategy for grouping students?

I love the idea of cooperative learning. There are formal lesson based on the social family where students work together as groups or as a class (jurisprudential lesson, Socratic seminar, role-playing, “cooperative learning” lessons). But in my classroom I have my students work in groups of 3. They usually work together to discuss the bellwork/anticipatory set, think-pair-share, guided practice, etc. I almost always have them write their answer so I can see it. This is just a good classroom management technique.
There are other techniques too. You can have them go to different corners of the room based on their opinion on an issue. You can have them wander around the room until I say stop and find a partner (or stop the music). You can have them fill out a clock and later on that week they have to find their “clock partner” and discuss the topic (you can find many of these online).


4. What do you find is the most effective strategy for introducing new material?

If it is a new unit, you may want to consider a pre-test. It takes time but can be useful in focusing your attention towards a specific standard later in the unit.

I always try to add relevance. How does the new material relate to their own world, or the world they are going into. That is where I have had the most success but not all new topics can be addressed this way.

In those times where I feel it can work, I will bring out their prior knowledge or find a way to make them think. Give them a problem to solve. Throw out a hypothetical for them to discuss in their groups (think-pair-share maybe?). Cheat and find a cool short video on YouTube.



5. What do you find is the most effective strategy for checking for understanding?

This right now is my weakest area and I’m finding it is a really weak area for most teachers. I keep it simple by asking some very fundamental questions right before I go to modeling and guided practice. I don’t ask complex questions, I do that in guided practice. You can do choral response, just be really careful. I recommend you do it randomly with a card or popsicle stick at the beginning of the year. When I go along later in the year I will avoid choosing my advanced learners intentionally so I get a better idea of what the lower level students are grasping. I also can do it pseudo-randomly by using my seating chart. But some teachers love their popsicle sticks and start making ugly faces at you if you even joke about taking them away.

Other times I will have them answer in groups. After a few minutes I will have random groups answer the question (while they are in their groups working, I can go around and see their answers to see if there is anything I need to re-teach that way.)

Another good technique is to ask a “check for understanding” type question every 3 minutes in your lesson. Avoid choral responses if possible.

Also a good classroom management technique is to keep switching activities. If for some strange reason you are doing a 30 minute input (lecture), then you need to stop every 10 minutes and do a check for understanding or an activity. You will lose their attention somewhere between 5-8 minutes, so break it up. And if you are teaching teachers, you will lose their attention at the 3 minute mark. Trust me, teachers are worse (I know because that’s my attention limit.)

If you have access to them, pass out small white boards to the students so they can write their answers. This is great for the shy students who would never speak up verbally. I don't use them but a fellow biology teacher just started using them and absolutely loves them. Think of the newly wed game.



6. What do you find is the most effective strategy for summative assessment?

I think the most effective is an essay and/or diagram assessment. Not only do you look for key words, you look at how they connect the dots. But I don’t do that. I do multiple choice because I’ve been told in the past to do multiple choice tests. The idea is to prepare them for the multiple choice CST’s. At the beginning of my career I actually taught students how to bubble. That alone raised test score significantly. By now they have been hammered with proper bubbling that I rarely see that as an issue. The two main issues are that they fill in the right test version and bubble in the right number. But I digress.

When you do multiple choice summative assessments you need to make sure each question is related to a standard. That way you can see which standard they are weak on and re-teach it. I do my assessments every 6 weeks but I also give out district assessment every quarter. The district assessments are done through Edusoft so I can go back and see how each student did on each question, each standard, or each unit.

After CST's are done, I like to do activities such as Jig-saw. The difference is I do review with my regular biology classes and try to activity based learning with topics suggested by my AP bio teacher.

Questions about the Best Practices in public teaching

Best Practices Question answered by a biology teacher.
Apr 14 '11 (Updated Apr 17 '11)    Write an essay on this topic.


I was given these questions to answer for a student. I decided that it would be cool to post them on epinions.com also. If you have any thoughts or want more pontification, just message or e-mail me and I'll do my best to address it.

I want to make it clear.  This is just a small piece of a very large puzzle.  So just understand that this is just 6 simple questions answered in an informal way.

Fieldwork Activity & Best Practices

You will need to interview a master teacher, one who has been teaching for at least 5 years, the following questions:

I'm going to start off by saying that there is no such thing as one pressing thing or one best way to do things. If someone says that then they are just fooling themselves and not doing what is best for our students. The most important thing a teacher can do for their students is to remain flexible. To be able to bend as a person, as a professional, and bend your lessons at times. This is not meaning you have to give in, you never have to do that. You are the conductor and are therefore bound to complete the symphony. But you need to always keep an open mind, an open heart, and always think about what you can do as a teacher to help your students succeed.


1. What is the most pressing issue with your students in regards to the subject you teach?
The most pressing issue with teaching today is teaching your student to take a state mandated, multiple choice test based on the California State Standards. Everything is based on this. There are some schools (Norte Vista being one example) that have been threatened by the state that if they do not improve then they will be closed or taken over. Everybody is scared of this scenario.

Because of this, the relevance (of the three R's) is harmed. Some teachers will go so far as to say that what they teach has no relationship to the real world. Rather the information they teach has to be taught because of these tests. That is why they tell the student why they need to learn the information.
The clear decrease in relevance is not just my opinion, but it is clearly demonstrated the data collected at my school and across the state.

By the way, the other two R's are rigor and relationship.

I try to do the opposite. With that in mind, I tell students why it is important. That is one of my main ways to get student buy in. I try to show them that by understanding how their body works, they are better able to understand what it takes to be a better athlete, parent, healthier individual, etc. And no, this is not an easy task. Every once in a while I will say that they need to know this sole because it will be on a test and in college biology.


2. What do you find is the most effective strategy to begin class with students focused?

Depends on the class of course. Pop quizzes work. CST prep questions can work. But for me I find that doing a good anticipatory set that either makes them think, forces them to interact with a group, or share their opinion; can be one of the best ways to start a class. Just a question as simple as what do you think of.  I can get them focused. It all depends on the class, their mood, and their confidence. Those classes with high confidence will want to share. Those with low confidence may not.

I also do my best to tie in what they already know (or their opinion) with what my lesson will focus on.

Ultimately I want my students to do something interactive and hopefully get them excited for the up coming lesson.

Now this is the part where flexibility comes into play. Sometimes you have a class that just gets into it and loves the process. This is not normal. It is because you got a lucky group of students, or you worked very hard to create a classroom climate that all students can feel comfortable in.

Two main ways to create this climate is to show the students you are interested in their opinions and ideas (or pretend that you are) and to NEVER berate a student for a stupid answer. Making fun of a question or comment just cements their mouth shut.

Each teacher has a different personality and your personality has to shine in such a way that student know what to expect from you. Some teachers might want to start out with an interesting story. Sometimes a joke. I do them all depending the the class dynamics and my mood. Remember what I said above? Stay flexible.


3. What do you find is the most effective strategy for grouping students?

I love the idea of cooperative learning. There are formal lesson based on the social family where students work together as groups or as a class (jurisprudential lesson, Socratic seminar, role-playing, cooperative learning lessons). But in my classroom I have my students work in groups of 3. They usually work together to discuss the bellwork/anticipatory set, think-pair-share, guided practice, etc. I almost always have them write their answer so I can see it. This is just a good classroom management technique.
There are other techniques too. You can have them go to different corners of the room based on their opinion on an issue. You can have them wander around the room until I say stop and find a partner (or stop the music). You can have them fill out a clock and later on that week they have to find their clock partner and discuss the topic (you can find many of these online).


4. What do you find is the most effective strategy for introducing new material?

If it is a new unit, you may want to consider a pre-test. It takes time but can be useful in focusing your attention towards a specific standard later in the unit.

I always try to add relevance. How does the new material relate to their own world, or the world they are going into. That is where I have had the most success but not all new topics can be addressed this way.

In those times where I feel it can work, I will bring out their prior knowledge or find a way to make them think. Give them a problem to solve. Throw out a hypothetical for them to discuss in their groups (think-pair-share maybe?). Cheat and find a cool short video on YouTube.



5. What do you find is the most effective strategy for checking for understanding?

This right now is my weakest area and Iím finding it is a really weak area for most teachers. I keep it simple by asking some very fundamental questions right before I go to modeling and guided practice. I donít ask complex questions, I do that in guided practice. You can do choral response, just be really careful. I recommend you do it randomly with a card or popsicle stick at the beginning of the year. When I go along later in the year I will avoid choosing my advanced learners intentionally so I get a better idea of what the lower level students are grasping. I also can do it pseudo-randomly by using my seating chart. But some teachers love their popsicle sticks and start making ugly faces at you if you even joke about taking them away.

Other times I will have them answer in groups. After a few minutes I will have random groups answer the question (while they are in their groups working, I can go around and see their answers to see if there is anything I need to re-teach that way.)

Another good technique is to ask a check for understanding type question every 3 minutes in your lesson. Avoid choral responses if possible.

Also a good classroom management technique is to keep switching activities. If for some strange reason you are doing a 30 minute input (lecture), then you need to stop every 10 minutes and do a check for understanding or an activity. You will lose their attention somewhere between 5-8 minutes, so break it up. And if you are teaching teachers, you will lose their attention at the 3 minute mark. Trust me, teachers are worse (I know because thatís my attention limit.)

If you have access to them, pass out small white boards to the students so they can write their answers. This is great for the shy students who would never speak up verbally. I don't use them but a fellow biology teacher just started using them and absolutely loves them. Think of the newly wed game.



6. What do you find is the most effective strategy for summative assessment?

I think the most effective is an essay and/or diagram assessment. Not only do you look for key words, you look at how they connect the dots. But I donít do that. I do multiple choice because Iíve been told in the past to do multiple choice tests. The idea is to prepare them for the multiple choice CSTís. At the beginning of my career I actually taught students how to bubble. That alone raised test score significantly. By now they have been hammered with proper bubbling that I rarely see that as an issue. The two main issues are that they fill in the right test version and bubble in the right number. But I digress.

When you do multiple choice summative assessments you need to make sure each question is related to a standard. That way you can see which standard they are weak on and re-teach it. I do my assessments every 6 weeks but I also give out district assessment every quarter. The district assessments are done through Edusoft so I can go back and see how each student did on each question, each standard, or each unit.

After CST's are done, I like to do activities such as Jig-saw. The difference is I do review with my regular biology classes and try to activity based learning with topics suggested by my AP bio teacher.

My opinion on unions

I felt it was appropriate to write an article on unions and my experiences.  They are both good and bad, like most organizations.  But it isn’t this cure-all entity like some people think, neither is it a savior for those that are incompetent.

I might get some backlash, but I think this is an import opinion to share.

This is merely my take and my opinion based on my experiences in both districts.  I do not harbor malice for either district (I enjoy(ed) working at both).  I thought they were good districts to work for.  But neither one of them were perfect either (no entity can be).  That can be said of both unions.  But I very much prefer my current union and my current district I work with now.  I just with my union and my district had a better relationship.

My relationship with unions has not been a really good one.  For starters they can do nothing for a P1(probationary one) or a P2.  Yet they pay dues like the rest of us.  Not fair in my eyes. 

I also view myself as someone capable of bargaining for myself.  I am in a much needed field and I do a good job.  If they don't want my services for the right price, then I know I can get that pay (or more) somewhere else.  Modern business workers do it all the time, bypass the ladder and fight for yourself on your own terms.  I am unable to do this because I am part of a collective bargaining unit.

I have also been seriously burned by the union on two occasions when it came to money.  The first district I worked for was about ready to go on strike (I wasn't, I was a P1).  The district and union agreed on a change of the pay scale that gave me a lower salary than what I got with the previous contract.  This was also true for anyone that had less than 10 years in the profession and was in the middle of the columns.  Anyone that had 12 years or more made bank.  They said that we needed to keep good teachers in the district instead of losing them to other districts.  Counselors were also given a forced pay reduction too (less days worked yet they had the same case load.)  Boy was our counselor mad.  I was also very unhappy and realized for the first time that the union is an entity in and of itself that served those in power. 

Because of this I lost about 5 grand over those coming years compared to the previous contract.  They were also careful to have elections at schools that had more seasoned teachers (to skew the results).  At my middle school there was 2 out of 30 teachers that benefitted from the new contract.  At the high school, where they had elections, it was a much higher percentage.  Smart move.

In the current district I see some similar issues, but I understand why my union reacts the way it does.  The elementary school teachers still have 20:1 because that is what the leaders of the union wants.  Middle and high school teachers have 32:1.  I believe the union is of the mind set that they cannot lose any ground to the district.  This is because the district has a very hostile attitude towards the union.  So the union acts in kind.  Then the district gets even more hostile.  And the cycle continues.  I feel that the union is justified in its attitude.  It is trying to protect its members from a hostile D.O.  But even though I am sympathetic, I still hate how the union responds.  Just like I hate how the district responds.  But can I blame it all on the district?  The union representatives show hostility towards them also.  There is equal blame on both sides.  I see some attitude changes in this current round of negotiations (for the 2012-2013 school year) so I am optimistic that the union and district can develop a better relationship then what has been occurring in the past.

These negotiations that took place did not take long.  The district called an impasse very quickly, too quickly in my eyes.  But they knew they had the upper hand so it was a smart move on their part.  But the funny part is that our final agreement was very similar to our proposal right before they went to impasse.  I think communication and a good relationship would have prevented this impasse, but that is my opinion.

It took a personal toll on me.  I was stressed out because I did not want to lose my health care.  I was disappointed in how the negotiations took place.  I felt completely helpless.  Not a good feeling for someone with a male ego.

The contract was agreed to in December.  I took a 4 thousand a year pay cut.  But this is the reality in our current economy.  When I was able to get over my anger I realized that it really was in both our best interest and the district best interest because we do not want to get into debt like other districts.  Because our salary will have to pay for that accrued interest in the end.

(Then I got really stressed during semester 2 out because of lies a co-worker was spreading.  But that is for another blog.)

One of the agreements was that elementary teachers got to keep their 20 to 1 class size reduction.  First I don’t think it works.  Secondly all the surrounding district got rid of it.  Third, there are about only 20 district in California that have it in place.  I didn’t like this because I took a pay cut for teachers to have lower class sizes.  So now the district is bargaining for the minority. 

AHHHHHHHH, I can’t win.




I originally wrote this last spring (2012) but did not publish this.  Since then we have had negations for next year’s contract going from September to now.  And guess what, we changed 20 to 1 to 24 to 1.  The uproar is strong.  A lot of elementary teachers are upset and think the negotiating committee failed.  They don’t look at the blessing they got last year, instead they are cursing the fact that they now have 24 to 1.  Yes we lose teacher, but they are going to be probationary teachers and teachers being let go anyways because principals choose not to rehire them for a third year.  Big deal.  We should be bargaining for the majority of the teachers, not the minority.  So for that I am glad.

But even though I am happy for once (even with taking another 4000 dollar cut compared to what I would have received if the economy and state budget didn’t tank), others are not.  Why?  Because collective bargaining is not fair.  Unions are not fair.  Get over it.  They never can be.  Yes let your anger out.  Vent.  Play Call of Duty.  But understand that unions cannot be fair.  Unions can only represent the majority and are unable to negotiate for each employee individually.  Also, unions are there mainly to protect your rights as individuals.  Anything else is icing on the cake.

Should I become a teacher?

I need advice from a teacher.

Ok, so I like young children ages 3-7, and today I helped a friend's 2nd grade daughter with her homework. I enjoy teaching and helping children so I am now considering becoming a teacher for 2nd graders. BUT, I am worried that if I go to college to become a teacher, that I will not be able to get a job because of all these teacher lay-offs. So I want to know if I would have those problems after I graduate. Do they lay off teachers in elementary school or is that more common in middle and high school? Do you think lay-offs will increase or decrease after I graduate from college? Other then instructing and helping kids, what else can I expect as a teacher?
Sorry for all the questions, and your answers/opinions are appreciated.




This was originally written in April 2011 and finalized in May of 2012. This question was asked because a LOT of our teachers got laid off at that time. It was a very disruptive time to both the teachers, school site administration, and students. Most (if not all) permanent teachers were rehired in the following months. And that December some of us took an $8000 dollar pay cut when we accepted the districts contract offer. Not a fun time for those of us in the profession (thankfully I still love my job otherwise I would be going crazy....Oh wait, too late.)

Amy has since been accepted to the criminal justice program at La Sierra University. So she made her decision as to her career choice and I'm very proud of her. I'm just not sure if I'm the one that scared her away from teaching. :p

First off this recession/depression will pass. We will continue to have teacher retire and quit. So the job will be there. It just is not as abundant as it has been in the past. I don't know what the future holds but here is what has been axed in the past. First a lot of electives (wood shop, auto shop, some art) has been axed to make way for more college prep electives. Due to No Child Left Behind, we are forced to focus on preparing students for college, not the real world. Just the way politics has influenced what we offer and teach.

Another big cut that has mostly passed is the increase in class size for 1st - 3rd grade. They have change the class ration from 20:1 to 32:1 or 36:1. My district has been one of the last to do it and they are just holding off the inevitable. So this is not something you need to worry about when you get into the work force.

How long will this recession last? I have heard estimates that go to 2018-2022. I agree with the former. We are not in a good situation. With our pay cut being substancial yet inflation still rises and health care is rising double inflation, we are in a bad situation. So don't go into teacher for the money. You probably can't support a family on one salary unless you want to live a reduced lifestyle.

I got into teaching bacause that is where the doors opened for me. It is kind of amazing at how that all worked and I think someone had it as his design for me the whole time. I hated High school when I was a student and swore I would never be a teacher. As a substitute I found I loved the job. You never knew what type of day you were going to have and at the end of the day I could leave it all behind. I would morph to fit the role necessary for that day. Just the one thing that was missing was the ability to make a difference in the same individual lives each and every day. That was the trade off. After realizing that I loved the job, I started to look into the college classes that were required. I then applied to be a teacher on an emergency credential. Two principals fought for me, which made me feel good. They also knew that I had a job weeks before the actual interview. They wanted me because I had a commanding presence in the classroom and I got the job done. It actually had nothing to do with my content knowledge (which was there if you have to ask.)

I got this job in a different economy than today. Schools badly needed math and science teachers. Far more than any other subject. Sometimes they couldn't find one of these teacher. Many math and science teachers, including myself, got hired on emergency credentials. And most of us did a better job than the average teacher that had their credential. It was fun but very tiring. You learned a lot on the job and a lot in college, all at once. And if I had to do it all over again, I would do it the same way. It was a really good experience for me.

Now we are in an opposite situation. Our state has only been partially paying us for each students so school districts only get a portion of the money they had gotten in the past. Not cool. So school districts have to tighten their belts and prepare for the worst. That includes furlough days, pay cuts, increase class sizes, etc. The school districts have no choice. And because of the culture districts have created with unions, there can not be an open dialogue with the school board, superintendent, and teachers.

That's the scenario. So do I recommend that someone like Amy go into teaching because she likes working with children? Maybe, if you're willing to deal with the negatives. In her case I think she made the right decision, she is going into something she is really passionate about and she will be very successful at. While she would be a great teacher, I think it could wear her down a bit (which it does for everyone at sometime in their career). And if you don't know how to react to the wearing down nature of teaching, then you need to find a different occupation. Teaching is tiring and can be stressful. And with this economic situation I have been stressed more than once this school year over it. Not fun.

If you get stressed easily or get angry easily, the DO NOT go into teaching. It is a very social environment and not for someone that cannot control their emotions. What happens to these teachers? They burn out. They do not do proper lesson plans, they complain about everything, they take their frustrations out on co-workers or students. Basically they are the boss from hell (from the student's point of view). These teachers take things too personally and they lack coping skills. They need to go into the real job sector but are too scared to, too comfortable in their position or don't think they can make the same money in the real world.

Now if you have a goal of making a difference in student's lives, have thick skin, good attitude, have the mentaility that there is always something to learn every day and every year; then teaching is quite possibly for you. Teaching is fun and challenging. Not a job where you can sit down at a desk and teach. You have to expect to be on your feet for 5+ hours a day. You cannot sit down if you plan on being an effective teacher (especially middle school).

Is teaching any more or less secure than the real world? No. I think it is the same in most respects.

Which grade level is safer? I don't really see any grade level or subject being more or less safe once you are hired. But if you want to be hired sooner, then get your credential in math or science.

If you want to be a teacher you need to understand that it is not easy. Here is a quote from a former teacher now writing technical documents.
"Teachers totally NEED vacation. Been there and done that and will NEVER begrudge a teacher their vacations. Teachers work HARD to earn those respites. The work I do now is sometimes challenging and sometimes exhausting, but never as taxing or draining as teaching." -Daniel Dowd










© Alan Lake's Playground 2012