Kelly Schunk

Grand Cayon University

EAD-520

Patrick Tucker

August 17th,2022

Clinical Field Experience C: Planning Instructional Units

 For this assignment, I will be discussing and going over the responses from the two

interviewees I had the opportunity to interview. In our interviews I asked them both a series of

questions pertaining to the importance of planning in their classroom and how their instructional

planning allows them to assess their student’s knowledge and skill development. Going into this

interview my belief is that planning your lessons greatly helps a teacher in so many ways. It

helps them with classroom management, being prepared, and ultimately stay organized and on

track. As a future school leader, I will be sure to give this support and advice to my new teachers.

For my first question, why is it important to plan and prepare classroom instruction? The

High school PE teacher’s response was because you must prepare in everything you do, and then

prepare for more in case things go wrong. If you are not prepared, how can you teach and make

an impact on your students. When you do not prepare for class instruction you waste valuable

time that could be used teaching and connecting with your students that you cannot get back.

The second question, how do teachers work together to plan units? The High School PE

teacher’s response was team meetings. They are important because they allow us as a team to go

over what needs to be taught and how we want to teach it. With 4 of us with different amounts of

experience there might be better ways to teach it. These team meetings allow us to brainstorm

and identify the best methods to teach the content that we are teaching and when we want to

teach it.

For my third question, how do you use technology to collaborate while planning or

communicating best practices in planning? As a PE teacher technology is used when possible.

Most of the components of the class consist of body movement and hands on activities that rely

on teamwork and sportsmanship, said the HS PE teacher. As for the Elementary English teacher,
her response to this question was more supporting of technology. As an English teacher she

relies on technology to stay connect to each of her students' progress. She used Google

Classroom to upload, view and monitor her students' work.

Next, I asked both the teachers, how do teachers embody high expectations for student

learning? Both teachers' responses were very similar. In order to embody high expectations for

learning this must be implemented from the very first day of school. The number of years of

experience a teacher has does factor into how well and fast this is accomplished.

When asked how do teachers ensure that lessons are aligned to the state academic

standards and meet their objectives? Both teachers replied that in their lesson plans the state

standards that align with the lesson are attached. These standards that are selected are also

aligned with their objective, informal and formal assessments that are given throughout the class.

As the student progresses through the lesson this provides the teacher with the opportunity to

identify if the content is being learned.

When asked how instructional strategies and technology are incorporated into their units,

they both had different answers. The elementary English teacher says this is done in google

classroom and other programs funded by the school’s budget. These programs allow the learning

that is done in the classroom to be taken home and accessed and continued for homework or

studying on the laptop that are given to the students in the beginning of the year which are also

funded and provided to them by the school’s budget. As for the HS PE teacher, she mentioned

again that technology is used when possible. Most of the components of the class consist of body

movement and hands on activities that rely on teamwork and sportsmanship.

 Lastly, I asked both the teachers how do teachers incorporate the school’s vision and

goals into their work? Both teachers’ responses were similar. As both teachers have the same

superintendent who expects their principals to relay the message to their teachers that in this

district the vision is to ensure all students in the Hillside Public Schools are provided a world

class education that propels them into successful futures. This is incorporated into their lessons

by ensuring that their lessons are continuously updated to reflect the most current state standards

and up to date information. Lessons are reflected on weekly and reported to the principal to

ensure the teachers themselves are continuously working on their improvement to provide this

world-class education.

After interviewing both the Elementary English teacher and the High School PE teacher

and reflecting on the PSEL standard number four which is aligned with this week's assignment. I

see the importance as a future educational leader that effective educational leaders should and

need to continuously develop and support intellectually rigorous and coherent systems of

curriculum, instruction, and assessment to promote each student’s academic success and well-

being. In doing so, it is important that as a future educational leader, my teachers will need to

align and focus systems of curriculum, instruction, and assessment within and across grade levels

to promote student academic success, love of learning, the identities and habits of learners, and

healthy sense of self. By doing this, it will encourage student success while supporting our

district's vision and mission.

 Sources:

Schools, H. P. (n.d.). Mission and vision. Hillside Public Schools. Retrieved August 17, 2022,
from https://www.hillsidek12.org/mission-and-vision
Comprehensive health and physical education NJSLS 2020 (june). (n.d.). Retrieved August 11,
2022, from https://www.nj.gov/education/cccs/2020/2020%20NJSLS-CHPE.pdf