Scott+McAnally+-+(8)+Adolescent+Learner+Interview

The following is a rough summary of the interview I conducted with an 11th grade female student (Faustine). Faustine commented initially that she felt larger class sizes had more negatives than positives. She mentioned that larger class sizes tend to have more distractions and that teachers have a hard time controlling larger classes. The amount of time it takes to get through presentation projects was also a disadvantage she mentioned (spending an entire week getting through presentations). In her smaller classes, she enjoys the more individualized attention the teacher can give to each student. In response to the classroom arrangement question, Faustine mentioned that traditional forward facing desk arrangements, where all of the students face the board, tend to not be as successful in the behavior department. She mentioned that in her science fiction literature class the students sit in a horseshoe shape and that it helps everyone stay on task because everyone is exposed to the teacher and to their peers. When talking about the different approaches teachers take to classroom management, Faustine compared her chemistry with her economics teacher. The chemistry teacher ran a strict classroom and 'scared' her students into doing the work and not disrupting the class. Faustine commented that this stressed the class out and that nobody feels comfortable asking her questions because they don't want to 'break her flow' and upset her. Her economics teacher on the other hand has a much different approach. When the students in his class are talking over him, he simply stops talking and stares at them. She said that students feel very 'weird' when it happens and quiet down immediately. She mentioned that this method works well because he came from the angle that 'I am going to treat you as adults and I expect everyone to respect each other when they have the floor.' Faustine said that 'students generally feel bad for disrespecting him.' Faustine stated that how teachers treat their students, especially the difficult ones, says a lot about who they are as educators. She mentioned that her Spanish teacher would never 'point somebody out' if they were struggling in front of the entire class. She would instead speak with that student one-on-one and try to figure out how she, the teacher, could help the student. Faustine spoke at length about the importance of 'getting at the level' of students and embracing the mentor aspects of being a teacher as opposed to being strictly the deliverer of information. Faustine mentioned the importance of developing a teacher-student relationship but also warned of its limits. She mentioned specifically of how male teachers need to be cautious with how close they attempt to get with their female students. Faustine had a few male teachers in the past that were 'borderline creepy' with the amount of information they knew or tried to get attain about their female students. She said that knowing basic information about your students is all you (teachers) really need to do, such as what activities they are involved in with the school or outside of it. 'Don't get involved in the high school drama' is how she phrased it. On the topic of group work, Faustine mentioned that she normally does not like to work in groups because she can't fully trust her peers to pull their own weight. She has been in several situations where she has had to do the entire project herself because the other students in her group were not as concerned about getting a good grade as she was. Faustine noted that it depends on the subject as well. She mentioned that she likes working in groups in English and science classes but generally has had bad experiences in her social studies classes. When asked about having small group discussions during a single class period, Faustine said that it is important to allow students the opportunity to share with the entire class what their group thought up. Otherwise, she warned, students don't take the assignment seriously and feel that it is a waste of time. Faustine's high school is very large compared to the average Michigan high school and she said that because of its size you don't see 'social hierarchy' playing out in the stereotypical way. There isn't really a 'popular' group of people that all students can easily identify. However, Faustine said that there is a major division between people who are in sports and people who are not, or people who are in band and people who are not. The activities people are involved in also have a bearing on their relative 'coolness.' Faustine runs track but is also in the marching band and she mentioned how she is treated differently when she is with her track friends because being a member of the marching band is not necessarily a desirable thing with that group. She also talked a bit about the recent outbreak of internet bullying and how much easier it is to bully online for students in high school.
 * //School //**
 * 1) __Educational environment __
 * How does classroom size (number of students per teacher) affect how well you learn?
 * How well do your teachers manage classroom behavior (I added a specific question about classroom arrangements and how they affect behavior)? What teaching style do you find works best for managing classroom behavior?
 * 1) __Teachers __
 * What aspects make a ‘good’ teacher? Or, what does a good teacher look like?
 * How important is teaching style to what you believe makes a good teacher? How important is it for a teacher to be ‘in touch’ with his students?
 * 1) __Students __
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">What are the benefits of working with other students on school work? What are the negatives?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">How do the personal friendships you make in high school affect your overall view of education? How does the ‘social hierarchy’ of school affect your day-to-day life?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Faustine said that her most important activities are track, marching band, and her church activities. She mentioned that actively practicing her religion is important to her so she attends multiple events throughout the week with other members of her church. The social aspects of these activities are the reason why they are so important to Faustine. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The biggest concern for Faustine outside of her immediate community is the job market and knowing that the competition for jobs will be more difficult than it has been in the past. She has set high career goals and knows that it will be difficult to attain them. Faustine also mentioned the general economic inequality of our country and her belief that we should simply tax the top bracket more to stem that inequality. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Faustine mentioned right away her high GPA in high school and her desire to go to one of the top universities in the state. Her desire to go to this university however was founded in a specific career path she wished to pursue and she knew she would need to get a college degree. When talking about the path to that degree however, Faustine mentioned that money is a concern and that she is not opposed to working before going to college or perhaps taking more classes at a community college and then transferring to a university to get her degree. She sounded as if she had researched her career goals extensively and knew the different academic routes she could take to get there. As for what makes her want to have a career in the medical field, Faustine said her general love for science and for the challenges and intricacies of working with the human body. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Faustine generally agreed with this statement on the grounds of how expensive college is and the number of distractions found in college (parties, sports, drugs/alcohol) that can prevent you from achieving academic success. When asked about how college is presented in her high school, she said that she feels there is a strong push from the high school to have all graduates continue on directly to college. She mentioned that a high percentage (above 85%) of seniors are enrolled in a university each year so there is a stigma for those who are not going directly to college and it is generally known who is not attending the following fall. Faustine said that having a clear purpose to go is a great reason to attend college. She feels that she knows what she wants to do for a career so going straight to college would be a good option for her. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">When talking about her future living situation, Faustine said that she desires to live in an area like where she grew up. She enjoyed all of the amenities a suburban neighborhood can offer such as access to a variety of shopping and good school districts. Faustine mentioned moving out of the state at some point in her life, maybe out to northern California, because of her future career. When asked about how her high school experience has shaped her future vision of herself, Faustine said that her social studies classes and specifically her Spanish class have made her want to go out and see the world. She mentioned her love of travel and going to new places and credited school for sparking that interest. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Faustine mentioned that public schools revealed to her a general lack of parenting skills in her community. She talked at length about the recent trend of 'hands off' parenting and how it drive kids to make poor decisions with little to no consequence. Faustine attended an alternative academic-oriented middle school and she said going to public high school emphasized the general lack of self control amongst her peers. When asked if teachers hand any role in 'fixing' students' lifestyle decisions, she said that they can control the things they see but that a majority of that lifestyle development happens outside of school. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Faustine's advice for a future teacher was to treat students with respect and don't 'come off as some sort of monarch.' She emphasized the fact that many of her most successful teachers treated the class like young adults and always gave them the benefit of the doubt instead of expecting them to mess up. Referencing back to her econ teacher, she said that he made mistakes all of the time and would constantly ask his students to check his arithmetic. She said that nobody ever felt like he was unqualified but rather that he was being honest and acting more like a human being to the students. Faustine also mentioned that some of the teachers she doesn't like are the ones who 'pick on or make fun of students' when they make mistakes on content. She said that often times it is subtle and more in their tone than what they say but that students pick up on it.
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 24px;">Life //**
 * 1) __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Current concerns __
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">What activities are you involved with right now that you would say are the most important in your life? What makes these activities important to you?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">What concerns you the most outside of your immediate community? Why this concern?
 * 1) __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Future goals __
 * 2) __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Academically/Career oriented __
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Do you have any future goals academically or with your career? Where do you see yourself in five years? What leads you to believe you will be there?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: People should not attend college until they have a clear purpose to go. Why do you agree/disagree?
 * 1) __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Personally __
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Do you have any personal goals or a lifestyle you wish to pursue? (urban/suburban/rural lifestyle, single/married lifestyle, stationary/mobile lifestyle) How has your experience in high school shaped who you want to become?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Has your high school experience ‘turned you off’ to anything?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Lastly, is there anything else you would like to mention about your high school experience that you think is important for a future teacher to know?