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Clinical Field Experience B: Aligning Lessons

Mary McVey

College of Education, Grand Canyon University

EAD-520: Strengthening Curricular Programs to Promote Continuous School Improvement

Dr. Mike Sollitto

May 12, 2021

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Interviewees Instructional Challenges and Lesson Plans

For this assignment, I interviewed two different teachers, one of whom works at a private

high school, and the other works for a public elementary school. Both of the interviewees were

expressive in their current instructional challenges and similar need for curriculum assistance,

even though their personal experiences are so vastly different. They also both explained their

lesson planning methods in detail and shared what they felt are their best teaching traits at the

moment, and what their lesson plans need for immediate improvement.

Sharon is a home economics teacher at a private high school. She has over 20 years of

experience and is given a lot of freedom within her job. She is well-respected by administration

and trusted to teach her courses without much supervision or observations. While she does have

to participate in one mandatory and one informal observation every academic year, she is

essentially left on her own in regards to lesson planning and curriculum development. While she

appreciates the freedom she has, she is concerned that the school’s lack of check and balances

will be a problem for the teacher that takes over this course once she retires. Since she has not

been keeping too many formal records of her lessons and unit planning methods, she is worried

that the next teacher will be lost and have no guidance from administration. As for her lesson

planning tools, she very much likes to find inspiration from online sources, such as Pinterest.

Since she knows her class is not an academic standard, she believes she has more opportunity to

be creative and try our different tools and plans. She is very informal when it comes to actual

lesson planning and says she generally wings the class from week to week, making sure she hits

her main targets by the end of each month.

Stephanie is a young teacher at a public elementary school in downtown Los Angeles.

Her school has been struggling for decades with low test scores and problematic behavior, so
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upon graduation, the school promised to pay for her credentialing if she signed on to work with

them for at least 5 years. This has proven to be a tough promise to keep as she is having

difficulty in her new position. Essentially, the curriculum at this school is strictly enforced by the

district and monitored very heavily. She has weekly evaluations, daily lesson checks, and

constant meetings with administration. Since this school is desperately trying to maintain

funding from the government through the accomplishment of certain educational benchmarks,

Stephanie is constantly watched. She feels that because of this overly strutted curriculum system,

she is unable to feel creative or passionate about what she does. This coincides with her lesson

planning, as it is essentially done for her by the district and any changes have to be approved

ahead of time. She feels that there is no room for spontaneity in the classroom ad that she is not

truly learning how to be a teacher on her own, as all of her work is monitored.

Interviewees Differentiation of Instruction and Use of Technology

Both interviewees expressed their gratitude for their school’s vast set of technology tools.

Each teacher has numerous technological resources available to them and are able to use them

any time they deem fit. For example, Sharon’s home economics class all has access to iPads

every day in class, which helps her explain her unit on using budgeting apps. Additionally,

Stephanie’s fifth graders are given computer time each day to complete online units for

improving their reading comprehension skills. Both teachers have seen the direct benefit of

having technology in their classrooms, and work hard to find creative ways to incorporate it into

their lesson plans.

They also both value the importance of differentiated instruction, as their classrooms are

mixed with high functioning students and those that need extra support and care. Since Stephanie

works for a public school, her pre-approved curriculum has already been modified by the school
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to address the varying needs of her classroom. For example, some students are allowed to follow

along with class readings using audible books, while others are allowed to read ahead with

supplementary books if they finished early. In Sharon’s private classroom, she has a lot of

freedom to construct lesson plans that tailor the individual needs of her high school students. She

also has a smaller class size than other departments, so she is able to provide one-on-one

differentiated learning for her students.

Interviewees Relation of Curriculum and Instruction Vision/Mission and Continuous

Improvement Plan

At Sharon’s school, their mission is to help young women grow by providing them with

unique opportunities for development and leadership. Sharon believes that her home economics

class is a perfect example of this goal. While her class is not usually seen as fundamental, this

elective course is very popular among the students because of the essential life skills she teaches

them throughout the semester. Her self-created curriculum includes units on sewing, healthy

cooking, budgeting, and other developmental skills that will continue to benefit our students

throughout their lives. She also incorporates numerous group projects in her lesson planning,

allowing the students opportunities to access their own creativity and to step up as growing

leaders.

In Stephanie’s school, her role as the fifth grade instructor has been thoroughly laid out

for her, in accordance with the specific goals of the district. As it is the vision of the district to

exponentially increase the number of skilled readers in their schools, Stephanie’s curriculum

relates almost entirely to this goal. Much of her teaching day is spent reviewing basic reading

skills, and weaving other subjects back into the topic of reading. Since the school needs to
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improve their literacy numbers in order to receive more funding, her curriculum and instruction

are focused primarily on helping the school meet this goal.

Support and Guidance

In the private school that Sharon works for, she feels that she has available support, but

that it is not freely given to her. Instead, she as to set up her own meetings, as she is often left to

her own devices. While she is a veteran teacher, she would still like to have more guidance

available to her on a daily basis. Her current Dean of Faculty is also more of a symbolic

figurehead than an actual support system for the faculty. Her formal observations always state

that she does not need any improvement, so she feels as if she has plateaued and that there is

nothing left for the school to do to assist with her growth.

Stephanie, on the other hand, feels as if there is too much constant guidance in her

position. She has not been given the ability to try and fail on her own, therefore she is not

learning anything about her own teaching skills and preferences. She is simply following a plan

already put in place by the districted and being monitored at every turn. In her ideal working

situation, she would like to still have support, but to be also given the freedom to explore her

environment and learn the curriculum on her own.

Review of Lesson Plans and Supplemental Materials

For Sharon’s home economics course, I reviewed her most recent lesson plan having to

do with budgetary planning for young adults, along with the supplemental materials she is using

to enrich this particular lesson. While there is a textbook available for the class, her lesson plan is

based off of sample curriculum she has found online and tested over the years. She has

developed this lesson to be useful for teenage girls that are entering college/universities next

year, and need to learn how to budget for themselves for the first time. Her actual written plan
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was not very detailed, as she had all of the plans for the class in her head, after years of teaching

this same course. However, she did keep good documentation of the technology she used to

supplement the lesson, including a list of various budgeting apps that the students can download

and use for free.

With Stephanie’s structured lesson plan, I was able to view a district approved, highly-

detailed daily curriculum map for her lesson on the book “Maniac Magee.” Her lesson plan

documented the exact pages that would be reviewed, read, and discussed in the allotted time

period and even listed all of the categories and specific topics available for discussion. Her

supplemental material included a website called Rubicon Atlas, where she is expected to put

even more detail into her unit planning online. With these maps combined, her daily lessons are

extremely detailed, although lacking in room for organic growth and change.

PSEL Standard 2 and Implications for Future Practice

Conducting these interviews has helped me in two very significant ways regarding my

future career in educational leadership. First and foremost, speaking with teachers directly about

their experiences, wants, and needs will help me develop into a better Dean of Faculty one day. It

is my desire to be a support system for my faculty and helping them achieve their own goals. I

want to be able to provide them with assistance in lesson planning, managing curriculum

development, and finding professional development opportunities. However, I could not

reasonably know what my staff needs if I do not takt the time to speak with them frequently.

Meeting with Sharon and Stephanie helped me see how different the needs of two different

teachers can be, but how at the end of the day, they both want a healthy amount of guidance and

support.
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Additionally, this assignment helped me come to a better understanding of PSEL

Standard 2, specifically in regards to effective leaders being able to act “professionally in

personal conduct, relationships with others, decision-making, stewardship of the school’s

resources, and all aspects of school leadership” (NPBEA, 2015). After spending time with these

two, great teachers, I was disheartened to hear that they each are having difficulties growing in

their positions. While they are experienced very different scenarios, they are both victims to an

administration that is not helping them flourish and reach their full potentials. As a future

educational leader, it will be my responsibly to respect Standard 2 by being a good steward for

the school and by utilizing our best resources, our faculty, in ways that help our students and

themselves.
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References

NPBEA. (2015). Professional Standards for Educational Leaders. Reston; National Policy Board

for Educational Administration.