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Teacher Interview ITL406

School: Vail Ranch Middle School_/City or Town: Temecula
Teacher’s Name: Michael Ricks Date 06/10/2019
[X ] General Education [ ] Special Education Designation / Grade Level(s): Math (8th)


Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs indicates that we all have 5 levels of need that must be met:
Physiological, Safety, Love / Belonging, Esteem and Self-Actualization. In your
professional opinion:
1. How important it is for students to have their basic needs met in order to be
successful in School? Why do you think so?
• extremely important
• vital— why schools provide free and reduced lunch, breakfast, even over summer when school
is out
• nutritional needs, emotional needs— without, students cant be prepared for school or learn
• if needs not consistently met
• basic needs for reason— students cant focus, cant care, cant function
• how can student learn or participate when stomach is growling or sleep deprived or rough
home life or abused?
•

2. Which needs are most important to have satisfied so students can thrive in school?
Why?
• hard to say— ex: kids coming to school next day after parents died
• deficiency needs— safety of routine and normalcy
•
“The most important deficiency needs, however, are those for
love and self-esteem. Students who do not feel that they are
loved and that they are capable are unlikely to have a strong
motivation to achieve the higher-level growth objectives” (Slavin,
2018)

•
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3. Who is responsible for ensuring that students have their needs met? Why do you
think so?
• parents for a starter or family in general
• but when family/parents dont own up to this responsibility, then teacher
• when choose to be parent, accept this responsibility
• if parent cant, then should find someone who can
• society in total is responsible—by extension, teachers
• when students not home (at school), then teachers
• however, teachers can only do so much—cant fully satisfy needs not met at home
• teachers can only do something

4. What is one thing a teacher might do for a student who has physiological or safety
needs? Why would this be useful?
• student can be referred to school counselor with SST
• set up meeting with counselor and parents to discuss issues with child that are creating needs to
be met
• professional help, could lead to IEP or 504 plan if necessary, free for student, etc.
• if bully, change seating away from bully
• as teacher, have flexibility to administer to kids needs in classroom

5. Ensuring Safety needs are met and making sure students are ready to learn involves
classroom management. What are three things you do to manage your classroom?
• students have new seat each week— use resource on internet that generates new group
every week— avoids “clicky” kids (cliques) and boredom— makes learning experience
new and motivates students to learn by working with new group and people
• warm-up—use website that generates 4 diff activities (thatquiz.org) math based, uses
previous or relevant material for warm ups—uses “Wheel of Doom” or “Wheel of
Misfortune” to randomly select students to go front of class and walk peers through
problem
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• if students dont want to go to board can choose “tribute” where student in class will
volunteer for his/her place (Like Katniss from Hunger Games)
• collaborative work—relives performance anxiety and individual pressure— group
performance, teamwork, etc

6. Do these fit for students who have a Behavior Intervention Plan? How do you assess
progress? What do you do for students from a different culture?
• by having collaborative environment, helps kids with BIP because relieves individual
pressure, less focus on self, less focus on individual performance, and do part of
problem and work with other to finish problem so shortcomings developed
• formal assessment, through warm-ups, circle room and look at students’ work while
collaborating, special focus on students who choose “tribute” often
• for students from other cultures—match with students from similar culture or students
who are fluent in their language or patient enough to assist;, allow them to use phones
for translate, Google, etc.; if ELL, have instructional aides

7. Ask one of these 2 questions:

When you know that a student has a specific need that most of the other students do not
have, what do you do to address that need?
Or
How do you incorporate Universal Design for Learning into your classroom?
• for each lesson, have PP, videos specific to lesson, website called thatquiz, and verbal
lecture (multiple means of presentation)
• uses microphone and surround sound in classroom
• SmartBoard
• collaboration, presentation in front of room, individual assessment, group tasks (test)
• during collaboration, move about room (kinesthetic)



Briefly prepare a paragraph which summarizes the answers that were provided by the
teacher and submit with your reflection.
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Reflect on the teacher’s responses. What do you think of what the teacher had to say? As a
future teacher, what things will you do – or – not do, as a result of this information?
Why? (No more than 400 words)