Category: Training

Criteria for Selection of the “Ideal” Teacher Candidate

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“A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.”    – Brad Henry

Standards and Benchmarks of Top-Rated Educators in Music and Other Academic Subjects

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The best way to prepare for a job interview is to become aware of how you will be judged in comparison with your peers. What are the standards (or behaviors or criteria) of outstanding teachers? For what are administrators looking to fill the vacancies and build/maintain a quality staff?

Interviews will sort out (and rank) the competencies, certifications, education levels, and overall experience of the candidates. Obviously, mastery of subject content and teaching methods will be evaluated. However, you may be surprised that significant focus will be placed on personality traits, social skills, and evidence of personal drive, reliability, versatility, vision, and habits of professionalism.

In short, you may be the best musician this side of the Mississippi, the “model lesson planner,” and can conduct Orff’s Carmina Burana or Shostakovich‘s Festive Overture blindfolded, but if you cannot inspire students, work with coworkers, and communicate effectively, your interview and chances for being hired are doomed from the start.

Adapted from David Berliner and William Tikunoff, “The California BTES: Overview of the Ethnographic Study,” effective teachers score high on…

  • Accepting
  • Adult involvement
  • Attending
  • Consistency of message
  • Conviviality
  • OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERACooperation
  • Student engagement
  • Knowledge of subject
  • Monitoring learning
  • Optimism
  • Pacing
  • Promoting self-sufficiency
  • Spontaneity
  • Structuring

Effective teachers score low on…

  • Abruptness
  • Belittling
  • Student defiance
  • Counting hours or “clock punching”
  • Illogical statements
  • Mood swings
  • Oneness (treats whole group as “one”)
  • Recognition-seeking

In previous blogs (e.g. https://paulkfoxusc.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/the-meaning-of-pro/), I have defined the qualities of a “professional.” How many of these traits do you model?

  • Succeeded in and continues to embrace “higher education”
  • Updates self with “constant education” and retooling
  • Seeks change and finding better ways of doing something
  • Like lawyers/doctors, “practices” the job; uses different techniques for different situations
  • Accepts criticism (always trying to self-improve)
  • Proposes new things “for the good of the order”
  • interview-1238367Can seemingly work unlimited hours (24 hours a day, 7 days per week)
  • Is salaried (does not think in terms of hourly compensation, nor expects pay for everything)
  • Is responsible for self and many others
  • Allows others to reap benefits and credits for something he/she does
  • Has obligations for communications, attending meetings, and fulfilling deadlines
  • Values accountability, teamwork, compromise, group goals, vision, support, creativity, perseverance, honesty/integrity, fairness, and timeliness/promptness
  • Accepts and models a corporate standard of behavior and appearance

It is worth reading “Weigh In: What Makes a Great Teacher” by Jacqueline Heinze in the Winter 2011 issue of Administr@tor Magazine (see http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3755567). Among the numerous responses were these notable quotes:

  • “A great teacher must be resilient.”
  • “Great teachers are instructional leaders and curriculum designers.”
  • “Great teachers love what they do and perceive teaching as their calling.”
  • “Great teachers are empathetic and engaged.”

Also check out these websites for additional insight on the characteristics of a exemplary educator:

students-1460768Since the process of teacher selection in the public schools involves recruitment, screening, hiring, placement, induction, and evaluation, it is advisable for prospects to know the assessment practices already in place. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Pennsylvania has adopted The Framework for Teaching as the overarching vision for effective instruction in the Commonwealth.

The Framework for Teaching is written by Charlotte Danielson, an internationally-recognized expert in the area of teacher effectiveness specializing in the design of teacher evaluation systems that, while ensuring teacher quality, also promote professional learning.

The introduction to The Framework of Instruction Evaluation Instrument 2013 states its purpose:

“The Framework for Teaching identifies those aspects of a teacher’s responsibilities that have been documented through empirical studies and theoretical research as promoting improved student learning. While the Framework is not the only possible description of practice, these responsibilities seek to define what teachers should know and be able to do in the exercise of their profession.” – Charlotte Danielson

The model focuses the complex activity of teaching by defining four domains of teaching responsibility:

  1. Planning and Preparation
  2. Classroom Environment
  3. Instruction
  4. Professional Responsibilities

The domains can be further broken down into…

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Domain 1: Planning and Preparation

  • 1a Demonstrating Knowledge of Content & Pedagogy
  • 1b Demonstrating Knowledge of Students
  • 1c Setting Instructional Objectives
  • 1d Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources
  • 1e Designing Coherent Instruction
  • 1f Designing Student Assessments

Domain 2: Classroom Environment

  • 2a Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport
  • 2b Establishing a Culture for Learning
  • 2c Managing Classroom Procedures
  • 2d Managing Student Behavior
  • 2e Organizing Physical Space

Domain 3: Instruction

  • 3a Communicating with Students
  • 3b Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques
  • 3c Engaging Students in Learning
  • 3d Using Assessment in Instruction
  • 3e Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness

inside-a-class-room-school-1435436Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities

  • 4a Reflecting on Teaching
  • 4b Maintaining Accurate Records
  • 4c Communicating with Families
  • 4d Participating in a Professional Community
  • 4e Growing and Developing Professionally
  • 4f Showing Professionalism

Many Pennsylvania districts assess their professional staff and verify their teacher’s professional growth via rubrics or other evaluative tools, as well as the collection of artifacts that support these domains. Archives of these “best practices” would be assembled in portfolios for the principal’s year-end review (samples printed in blue below are possible artifacts for music educators in particular):

Domain 1: Planning

  • Assessment Tools
  • Lesson Plans
  • New Curriculum Innovations
  • Personal/Professional Goals
  • Music Repertoire/Program Lists
  • Subject Outlines

Domain 2: Classroom Environment

  • Audio-Visual Resources Including Recordings
  • Formal Observations
  • Informal Observations
  • PowerPoint Presentations
  • Sample Classroom Displays/Bulletin Boards

Domain 3: Instruction

  • Arrangements (Teacher Composed)
  • Conferences with Colleagues/PLCs/Teams
  • Meetings with Mentors/Curriculum Leaders/Principals
  • Printed Concert, Musical, Drama, or Recital Programs
  • pencils-1240400Sample Homework and Worksheets
  • Student Composed Music/Lyrics/Exercises
  • Warmup Drills and Style/History Handouts

Domain 4: Professionalism

  • Act 48 Clinics and Workshops
  • Congratulatory Notes from Parents/Staff
  • Grade Books and Attendance Records
  • Letters/Newsletters Sent Home
  • Minutes of Department Meetings
  • Professional Development Programs
  • Student Recommendations
  • Student Records

Individual school districts define their own “vision of a model teacher,” aligning the selection criteria with the goals of the school system and the needs of the individual schools. For example, Upper St. Clair School District (an Allegheny County public school system located in southwestern Pennsylvania, and where I worked 33 years as music educator and seven years as Performing Arts Curriculum Leader) adopted the following Assessment Criteria for Teacher Candidates (developed by Superintendent Dr. William Pope, Human Resource Director Ms. Jean Toner, and other staff). “In a nutshell,” these are what USC calls “core behaviors” or standards of personality traits, skills, and knowledge, and serve as categories for assessment of all job applicants during the interview process:

Instructional

  • Educational Philosophy
  • Knowledge/Experience
  • Classroom Management
  • Technology
  • Oral Expression
  • Written Communications

college-1241412Professional

  • Leadership
  • Teamwork
  • Judgment
  • Problem Solving
  • Planning & Organizing
  • Innovation

Personal

  • Initiative
  • Dependability
  • Adaptability
  • Self-Insight and Development
  • Energy and Enthusiasm
  • Appearance

My next blog on this subject will provide examples of music teacher interview questions for each of the above criteria… suitable for individual practice or group mock interview sessions, and to assist in the formulation of stories/anecdotes that would support a candidate’s mastery of each standard. The importance of this preparation is explored in a previous blog: https://paulkfoxusc.wordpress.com/2015/08/02/when-it-comes-to-getting-a-job-s-is-for-successful-storytelling/.

PKF

© 2015 Paul K. Fox

This post is featured by Twinkl in their ‘Teaching Writing’ blog.

Arts Advocacy – Everyone’s Job!

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“If it is to be, it is up to me.” – William H. Johnsen

Can you imagine if there was only enough money in the education budget for one subject to be taught in school? What would it be?

The education of the “whole child” to acquire 21st Century learning skills, with an emphasis on the “Four C’s” – Creativity, Critical thinking, Communications, and Collaboration – is essential to the success of every child, and paramount for the future continuation of arts and creative self-expression throughout the world. This mandates equal-access to quality learning of rigorous curricula, offered to all students enrolled in courses of Fine and Performing Arts, English, Math, Science, World Language, Social Studies, and Physical Education.

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(For an interesting set of articles detailing the above Venn diagram on the four C’s of 21st Century learning skills, see Margo Tripsa’s “Techie Teachers’ Tricks,” beginning with http://techieteacherstricks.com/2013/06/30/the-4-cs-critical-thinking/.)

Why the Arts?

An education in the arts benefits society because students of music, art, dance, and drama gain powerful tools for:

  • Understanding human experiences, both past and present;
  • Teamwork and collaboration;
  • Making decisions creatively when no prescribed answers exist;
  • Learning to adapt to and respect others’ (diverse) ways of thinking, working, and expressing themselves;
  • Learning problem recognition and problem solving, involving expressive, analytical, and developmental tools to every human situation (that is why we speak, for example, of the “art” of teaching or the “art” of politics);
  • Understanding the influence of the arts and their power to create and reflect cultures, the impact of design on our daily life, and in the interdependence of work in the arts with the broader worlds of ideas and action;
  • Developing the essential senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and kinesthetics as intellectual, emotional, physical, creative, and expressive acts;
  • Analyzing nonverbal communication and making informed judgments about cultural products and issues;
  • Communicating effectively.

The “Whole Child” Approach to Education

All of us should already be on board promoting the concepts of “whole child” education in the public schools:

“The demands of the 21st century require a new approach to education to fully prepare students for college, career, and citizenship. Research, practice, and common sense confirm that a whole child approach to education will develop and prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of today and tomorrow by addressing students’ comprehensive needs through the shared responsibility of students, families, schools, and communities.” – ASCD Whole Child Education Initiative http://www.wholechildeducation.org/about/

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Launched in 2007, ASCD’s Whole Child Initiative was an effort to “change the conversation about education from a focus on narrowly defined academic achievement to one that promotes the long term development and success of children.”

My favorite tenets of “whole child” education are the following principles:

  • Each student has access to personalized learning…
  • Each student is actively engaged in learning and is connected to the school and broader community.
  • Each student is challenged academically…

Sounds a lot like the need for an education in the arts, right?

Need More Rationale?

21stcentury

The Partnership for 21st Century (P21) movement (see www.apple.com/education/docs/Apple-P21Framework.pdf) affirmed what prospective employees are seeking from graduates and others entering the work force –  21st Century learning skills, as well as an authentic work experience and achievement in and appreciation of the values of focus/attention, goal setting, perseverance, self-discipline, and cooperation. Would it surprise you that at every job interview in my life, I was never asked for the results of my SAT scores? For blue-collar and professional jobs alike, credentials/certification and past work/school history are important, but more than anything else, managers and “the big boss” want to know a job applicant’s record of absenteeism and tardiness, and if the candidate can take instruction, solve problems, innovate, communicate, and work well with others.

Where else but in the arts can students receive this exposure to and opportunities to explore and practice the work-related skills of communications and collaboration, and the thinking skills of critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity? You owe it to yourself to check out this more detailed layout:  P21 Arts Map.

If you have not viewed Sir Ken Robinson’s presentation of creativity in education, stop everything right now and go to one of these links:

Read my main page (above) for additional resources on Creativity in Education – Are We Ready for a New Paradigm Shift?

Also, it is worth perusing these sites:

How can you argue with all of this research?

Get Involved!

I find it amusing (albeit appropriate) that on my iPhone, Siri first translated “arts advocacy” as “arts have a good seat.”

There is a great need for arts advocates, and that means absolutely everybody… retired educators, current teachers, future/prospective employees of schools, students, parents, relatives of children attending school, and taxpayers who don’t have anyone enrolled in the public, private, or charter schools.

Politics is a numbers game. Your state legislators need to know that you care about education and the arts as priorities – justifying and finding more revenue and resources for music and art education. In addition, with all of the focus on high-stakes standardized tests and the Common Core (and very limiting) subjects, now more than ever, we all need to reach out to our elected officials and make our voices heard (above all of the din!). Yes, the arts do make a difference, but no one will know that unless you tell the decision-makers!

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Now, here’s something you can do right now! If you reside in Pennsylvania, go to the advocacy section of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association website: http://www.pmea.net/specialty-areas/advocacy/. If you need to find your particular legislator to send the letter/e-mail, first visit this website: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/findyourlegislator/. If you feel strongly about the importance of arts education, your letter (the sample posted or something like it) should urge our elected officials to:

  1. Increase the basic education subsidy.
  2. Enact a fair funding formula.
  3. Restore the Pennsylvania Department of Education Arts Education Liaison for the curricular areas of music, visual art, theater, dance, and media arts.

(This process can be duplicated in a similar manner for every state in the union. Music and art programs are being cut daily!)

Don’t put this off! When was the last time you devoted a little time to express your opinion directly to your state representative? Didn’t we elect and charge them with the responsibility to do what is right for our educational programs and children? Music and art education needs your help NOW!

PKF

© 2015 Paul K. Fox

The “Alphabet Soup” of Educational Acronyms

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“Learning never exhausts the mind.” – Leonardo da Vinci

pmeaArticle submitted for future publication in PMEA News – the state journal of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association

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Preparing for an employment interview? Looking for that first job or interested in transferring to a new school district?

How well do you know current trends, key “buzz words,” and jargon in education? Even though no music teacher would have trouble identifying the meaning of our own abbreviations like D.C. al Coda or GM (G Major or General Music), administrators would expect that you know relevant and evolving general education terms, such as the following:

  • The Common Core
  • Customization and Differentiation of Instruction
  • The Four Cs – Creativity, Collaboration, Communication and Critical Thinking (21st Century Learning Skills)
  • Flipped Classrooms and Blended Schools
  • HOTS – Higher Order Thinking Skills and DOK – Depth of Knowledge
  • Assessments – Diagnostic, Formative, Summative, Authentic
  • PDE (Pennsylvania Department of Education) SAS (Standards Aligned Systems) Portal
  • UBD (Understanding By Design) Curriculum Development with EU (Enduring Understandings) and EQ (Essential Questions)

Keeping up with the formation of new acronyms is quite a challenge… something you will have to do throughout your entire career. Get started by looking up any of these with which you feel unfamiliar. You can never predict when one of these will pop-up at a job interview!

Just for the fun and the challenge of it, try taking this crossword puzzle. For a printable copy of this article, full-size puzzle grid, clues, the answers and definitions, click on the link at the bottom of the page. Enjoy! PKF

 puzgrid1

Across

1. A multi-tier approach to the early identification, intervention, and support of students with learning and behavioral needs.
3. Statements summarizing important ideas and core processes that are central to a discipline and have lasting value beyond the classroom – what students should understand – not just know or do.
4. A web-based resource for districts/schools to communicate performance results to various constituencies and assist districts and schools in aligning and focusing resources for continuous improvement.
7. A psychiatric disorder in which there are significant problems of attention hyperactivity or acting impulsively that are not age-appropriate.
8. Standards-based, criterion-referenced assessment used to measure a student’s attainment of the academic standards in reading, writing, math, and science.
10. Staff or programs to facilitate the acquisition of English language skills of students whose native or first language is not English.
11. Framework of study in science, technology, engineering, arts, in mathematics, bridging the gap between business and educational goals, and blending of science, the arts, and creativity in school.
13. A comprehensive, researched-based resource identifying six elements for improvement of student achievement developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
15. Developed by Norman L. Webb, the complexity or depth of understanding required to answer or explain an assessment-related item.

Down

2. A customized statement of a child’s present level of performance, annual educational goals, modifications, accommodations, and special education supports and services to meet these goals.
5. A statistical analysis of Pennsylvania state assessments of growth and achievement data, allowing educators to make data-informed instructional decisions to promote student progress.
6. Using a backwards-design focus on the outcomes in order to design curriculum units, a tool utilize for educational planning in “Teaching for Understanding,” advocated by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins.
8. An extended learning opportunity such as a grade-level teaching team or a school committee form to foster collaborative learning among colleagues in order to improve student achievement.
9. Statewide nonprofit organization of over 4500 members, dedicated to promoting the musical development of all Pennsylvania residents, your number one professional development resource.
12. Inquiries focusing on the key concepts in the curriculum, the big ideas and core content, provoking deep thought, lively discussion, and new understanding as well as more questions.
14. A process to document a measure of educator effectiveness based on student achievement of content standards developed for Pennsylvania’s new Educator Effectiveness System.

Click here: Alphabet Soup Educational Acronyms puzzle with answers

Terms used in alphabetical order

ADHD…………. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A psychiatric disorder in which there are significant problems of attention, hyperactivity, or acting impulsively that are not age-appropriate.

DOK……………. Depth of Knowledge: Developed by Norman L. Webb, the complexity or depth of understanding required to answer or explain an assessment related item.

EQ………………. Essential Questions (UBD): Inquiries focusing on the key concepts in the curriculum, the big ideas and core content, provoking deep thought, lively discussion, and new understanding as well as more questions.

ESL……………… English as a Second Language: Staff or programs to facilitate the acquisition of English language skills of students whose native or first language is not English.

EU………………. Enduring Understandings (UBD): Statements summarizing important ideas and core processes that are central to a discipline and have lasting value beyond the classroom—what students should understand—not just know or do.

IEP………………. Individualized Education Program: A customized statement of a child’s present level of performance, annual educational goals, modifications, accommodations, and special education supports and services to meet these goals.

PLC…………….. Professional Learning Communities: An extended learning opportunity such as a grade-level teaching team or a school committee formed to foster collaborative learning among colleagues in order to improve student achievement.

PMEA………….. Pennsylvania Music Educators Association: Statewide nonprofit organization of over 4,500 members, dedicated to promoting the musical development of all PA residents – your number one professional development resource.

PSSA…………… Pennsylvania System of School Assessment: Standards-based, criterion-referenced assessment used to measure a student’s attainment of the academic standards while also determining the degree to which school programs enable students to attain proficiency.

PVAAS………… Pennsylvania Value Added Assessment System: A statistical analysis of PA state assessments of growth and achievement data, allowing educators to make data-informed instructional decisions to promote student progress.

RTI……………… Response to Intervention: A multi-tier approach to the early identification, intervention, and support of students with learning and behavioral needs.

SAS…………….. Standards Aligned Systems: A comprehensive, researched-based resource identifying six elements for improvement of student achievement developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

SLO…………….. Student Learning Objectives: A process to document a measure of educator effectiveness based on student achievement of content standards developed for Pennsylvania’s new Educator Effectiveness System.

SPP……………… School Performance Profile: A web-based resource for districts/schools to communicate performance results to various constituencies and assist districts and schools in aligning and focusing resources for continuous improvement.

STEAM……….. Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics: Framework of study in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, bridging the gap between business and educational goals, and blending of science, the arts, and creativity in school.

UBD   Understanding By Design: Using a backwards-design focus on the outcomes in order to design curriculum units, a tool utilized for educational planning in “teaching for understanding” advocated by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins.

© 2015 Paul K. Fox