Using Professional Judgment

Sam Oertwig sits down with a PreK teacher to discuss the amount of time her students spend receiving whole group instruction.  The teacher explains that her current students tend to gain more from whole group time than last year's students.  Sam reinforces how making these kinds of adjustments to customize instructional format and activity setting can facilitate student growth.  The teacher further discusses the specific strategies for strengthening the quality of whole group time that she has adapted over the last year.

• What are the specific strategies that this teacher uses to make whole group time more meaningful and productive?
• If applicable: Can you think of a time when you needed to customize your approach to instruction based on your students' unique needs?  What were some strategies you employed to make your time with students as productive and meaningful as possible?
• If applicable:  Can you think of a time when you needed to adjust your guidance to a teacher depending on his/her class composition and/or professional judgment about his/her students' needs? How did the teacher's personal knowledge of his/her students play a role in providing them with the best possible instruction?