Student Interview
1. What is your favorite subject?
Math, because it comes easy for me and I get to learn a lot of information.
2. Do you like to work in groups or by yourself? Why?
I like to work in groups because the other kids at my table can help me when I have questions.
3. What activity have you done so far that has been your favorite?
The activity we did with you in science when we were testing the soil and which one was heavier. I enjoyed being able to look at and play with the different soils.
4. What is your goal for the end of the year? What do you want to learn by the end of the year?
Before the end of the year I want to be able to count by fractions.
5. Do you read a lot at home?
Yes, for homework we have to write a reflection on a book that we read and bring it in the next day.
6. What is your favorite book or genre of book?
I like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Captain Underpants because they are funny.
7. Do you like to write stories or poetry?
No, because our teacher makes us write a lot and we have to turn in a full page and it is hard for me.
8. What do you like to do in your free time?
I love to play playstation 3 because it is really fun.
9. What do you look forward to in 4th grade?
I look forward to learning new things and learning how to multiply and subtract fractions.
10. What is your favorite special and why?
I love P.E. because we get to do a lot of activities and learn about how our bodies work. We also play really fun games as a class.
Reflection
After interviewing this student, I observed that he does not enjoy all of the writing they do in class. Most writing that they do is free write but he still does not enjoy all of the writing that the teacher requires. I also observed that this student enjoys doing math and I think we talked a lot about fractions because they are currently doing fractions in class right now. I also observed that the child would give me information that he thought I would be content with and not necessarily how he wanted to answer the question. This child used a lot of what he learned in the past week for his answers and did not really think about all the things he had learned so far this year. I observed that this student does not like to write because he thinks it is just busy work. I also observed that he does not like to write because he is given certain criteria for his writing. The child is able to write about what he wants but he is given a certain length to which it should be. I feel as if I could have asked more general questions to get more feedback from the student but most students just like to give brief short answers and be done with it. I noticed most of the students liked to take the easy way out when it came to certain things.
This interview has showed me a lot about what the students like and what they don’t like to do in the classroom. Many students hate writing because when they write they are allowed to write about whatever they want and they become overwhelmed by this. This child hated writing because he had to hand in a full page and he would often not have enough to write about. Many students like to be independent and free when it comes to writing and they often feel stressed when they are given criteria. They also want the teacher to give them ideas and sometimes write things for them because they don’t want to do the critical thinking that writing requires. I hope that in my future classroom that the students will find writing to be fun and will allow them to use their imagination and be creative. No one likes writing when they are in elementary school so in order to motivate students you need to make it fun and exciting
for them. This interview allowed me to get on a more personal level with the student and find out about their needs and likes.
1. What is your favorite subject?
Math, because it comes easy for me and I get to learn a lot of information.
2. Do you like to work in groups or by yourself? Why?
I like to work in groups because the other kids at my table can help me when I have questions.
3. What activity have you done so far that has been your favorite?
The activity we did with you in science when we were testing the soil and which one was heavier. I enjoyed being able to look at and play with the different soils.
4. What is your goal for the end of the year? What do you want to learn by the end of the year?
Before the end of the year I want to be able to count by fractions.
5. Do you read a lot at home?
Yes, for homework we have to write a reflection on a book that we read and bring it in the next day.
6. What is your favorite book or genre of book?
I like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Captain Underpants because they are funny.
7. Do you like to write stories or poetry?
No, because our teacher makes us write a lot and we have to turn in a full page and it is hard for me.
8. What do you like to do in your free time?
I love to play playstation 3 because it is really fun.
9. What do you look forward to in 4th grade?
I look forward to learning new things and learning how to multiply and subtract fractions.
10. What is your favorite special and why?
I love P.E. because we get to do a lot of activities and learn about how our bodies work. We also play really fun games as a class.
Reflection
After interviewing this student, I observed that he does not enjoy all of the writing they do in class. Most writing that they do is free write but he still does not enjoy all of the writing that the teacher requires. I also observed that this student enjoys doing math and I think we talked a lot about fractions because they are currently doing fractions in class right now. I also observed that the child would give me information that he thought I would be content with and not necessarily how he wanted to answer the question. This child used a lot of what he learned in the past week for his answers and did not really think about all the things he had learned so far this year. I observed that this student does not like to write because he thinks it is just busy work. I also observed that he does not like to write because he is given certain criteria for his writing. The child is able to write about what he wants but he is given a certain length to which it should be. I feel as if I could have asked more general questions to get more feedback from the student but most students just like to give brief short answers and be done with it. I noticed most of the students liked to take the easy way out when it came to certain things.
This interview has showed me a lot about what the students like and what they don’t like to do in the classroom. Many students hate writing because when they write they are allowed to write about whatever they want and they become overwhelmed by this. This child hated writing because he had to hand in a full page and he would often not have enough to write about. Many students like to be independent and free when it comes to writing and they often feel stressed when they are given criteria. They also want the teacher to give them ideas and sometimes write things for them because they don’t want to do the critical thinking that writing requires. I hope that in my future classroom that the students will find writing to be fun and will allow them to use their imagination and be creative. No one likes writing when they are in elementary school so in order to motivate students you need to make it fun and exciting
for them. This interview allowed me to get on a more personal level with the student and find out about their needs and likes.