Deck 14: What Can the New Teacher Expect

Question 1

According to the authors, which is the best description of a teaching journal's use?

A) It would serve to remind the teacher of how much she has progressed in her field throughout the year.
B) It could be used as a sourcebook for teaching ideas, particularly when one is searching for a new way to approach a topic.
C) It is a daily notebook in which the teacher records every class he or she taught and how it proceeded.
D) It is a place where the teacher writes all his or her feelings about what teaching has meant. By examining those feelings, a teacher will be inspired in the future.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

It is your first year of teaching. A few days before classes start, a very friendly teacher stops by to welcome you to the school. By the end of the second week of school, she stops by your room regularly, frequently giving you information about other faculty and the administration. What would be the best approach for dealing with this teacher?

A) Try to avoid her in the future. You don't want to get involved with any teacher who is too friendly this early in the year.
B) Encourage her friendship. She's friendly and has taken an interest in you.
C) Be polite but reserve your friendship until you know her and the school system better.
D) Find out more by asking other teachers for their opinion of her.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

During Ms. Miller's first week of teaching, she finds it odd to walk past the cafeteria and into the faculty lunchroom. Even more peculiar is having students call her "Ms. Miller." What is Patty likely experiencing?

A) Extreme insecurity about her ability as a teacher
B) Culture shock
C) Overexcitement from her first week of teaching
D) Feelings of regret that she entered teaching

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Mr. Gulick usually represents the school to the local press. He also orders instructional supplies for the school, facilitates student-teacher disagreements, observes and evaluates teachers, and meets directly with parents at times. Based upon this description, what is Mr. Gulick?

A) Master teacher
B) Curriculum coordinator
C) Principal
D) Superintendent

Question 5

Why are teacher education students' attitudes toward children typically much more positive than those of first-year teachers?

Question 6

Which of the following are typical ways a supervisor can help a beginning teacher?

A) Help the new teacher change practice based on the principal's written observation; review the new teacher's lessons
B) Conduct a mini-lesson to demonstrate a new teaching strategy ; provide suggestions for follow-up activities for a unit
C) Coach him or her on how to conduct parent conferences; point out ways to minimize class distractions
D) All of the above

Question 7

Many beginning teachers are concerned that they will lack subject-matter knowledge. In reality, though, most beginning teachers have the most difficulty with which of the following?

A) Learning how to work in a bureaucracy
B) Designing adequate lesson plans
C) Maintaining classroom discipline
D) Evaluating student work

Question 8

During a year-end meeting, the principal asked Mark Steinberg how he would assess his performance as a teacher over the past year. What would be the strongest answer from Mark?

A) "My students like my class. In fact, they tell me they enjoyed my class better than any other."
B) "My department chairman told me that I have a fine future ahead of me based upon this year of teaching."
C) "Other members of the department frequently ask if I'll share my lesson plans and unit evaluations with them."
D) "I've just finished reviewing my students' cumulative folders. Generally, their problem-solving abilities have increased."

Question 9

In one day, principalMs.Radano explained the statewide curricular changes to a group of teachers, fielded an angry phone call from a parent about a teacher, and publicly recognized two teachers for their outstanding work directing the school play. Which of the following best describes her roles on this particular day?

A) Coach, crisis manager, evaluator
B) Educator, facilitator, judge
C) Initiator, buffer, reward dispenser
D) Helper, sacrificial lamb, evaluator

Question 10

In a school, who can provide a new teacher with the resources they need to do their job effectively as well as access to the school's informal communication network?

A) The PTA officers in the school
B) The School Board member assigned to the school
C) School secretaries and custodians
D) The building principal

Question 11

In what way does the principal act as a liaison between the larger school organization and the faculty? He or she

A) guides teachers toward achieving district-wide goals.
B) is chosen to be the "sacrificial lamb" if the public isn't satisfied with the school.
C) frequently visits teachers to make classroom observations.
D) keeps up to date on current research and reform initiatives.

Question 12

Explain the kinds of problems that a first-year teacher might face in one of the following areas:   instruction, classroom management, dealing with administrators, working with peers, and interacting with parents.

Question 13

To what degree are the principal and teacher's roles in a school system complementary? To what degree can each help the other do the best possible job?

Question 14

Consider the following summary of beginning teacher Mr.Mandala's class. While his class was working on projects, one student asked a question that puzzled Mr.Mandala. Two students quietly doodled. Then one activity ran long, forcing Mr.Mandalato change his lesson plan in the middle of the period. As a beginning teacher, what should Mr.Mandala do?

A) Review his subject matter so he does not get stumped by a student's question
B) Confront students who are not on task and reinforce for them his expectations
C) Review his lesson plans more thoroughly to make sure he has timed activities correctly
D) Adhere to his original lesson plan, even if he has some momentary digressions

Question 15

What is some practical advice for beginning teachers regarding their relationships with teaching colleagues?

Question 16

Seeing that Mr. Batch was having difficulty making classroom transitions between activities, Ms. Calhoun, his supervisor, provided him with several practical suggestions. This is an example of which way that a supervisor might help a new teacher

A) Observing and providing constructive feedback
B) Sitting in with the new teacher during parent-teacher conferences and contributing additional information to the parents
C) Loaning lesson plans and unit tests
D) Arranging the students' assignments so that the more difficult students are assigned to more experienced teachers

Question 17

Mr.Desiderio is somewhat apprehensive about surviving her first year of teaching, and she would appreciate having a mentor. According to the text, which approach would be the wisest for Mr.Desiderio?

A) Have Darla a nnounce in the teacher's lounge that she would like to work with a mentor and have her choose whoever volunteers
B) Have Darla observe teachers in their day-to-day work to see who would be the most receptive to being a mentor and who would have the most to offer her.
C) Let a relationship emerge naturally. The teacher who becomes her best friend will be the best mentor for Darla.
D) Wait for a teacher to approach her with the offer. She should not appear too eager or too unsure of her abilities in front of other teachers.

Question 18

What is meant by "culture shock" for new teachers?   Explain why this would happen to teachers who have been in schools their whole lives.

Question 19

According to the text, what is the most useful attitude for beginning teachers to have toward their colleagues?

A) Be ever skeptical. A great many experienced teachers have developed bad habits.
B) Be cautiously optimistic. Although poor teachers exist, dedicated teachers abound.
C) Be unworried. With rare exceptions, other teachers will be generous, helpful, and supportive.
D) Be persistently friendly. Other teachers, if they like you, will always be able to help lighten your workload by giving you materials.

Question 20

Because of the complexity of the principal's role, a teacher may lack the principal's support in certain instances. Which of the following describes the most likely instance in which a teacher would lack administrative support?

A) A student with a serious behavior problem fails to live up to the terms of a learning contract.
B) The teacher does not want to complete the routine paperwork demanded by the office because it takes time away from instruction.
C) A custodian regularly fails to perform routine tasks clearly defined in the posted description.
D) An irate parent charges into the teacher's classroom, disrupting the class.