Bachelor of Education, Primary Education (EPR) EPC3903

Table 4: An interview with a Primary School science coordinator

Sample interview questions for the Principal and/or science
coordinator/teacher re: science provision in the setting.
Is there a science coordinator and/or how many
1 specified science teachers are there in the school?
What are the duties/responsibilities of the science
teacher/coordinator?
Does she teach any, all students or just specific year groups?
Obtain a teaching schedule and any schemes of work, lesson
plans, software used etc. from the science
coordinator/teacher.
Responses from the Principal and/or science
coordinator/teacher re: science provision in the
setting.
The teacher is responsible of making animal plants,
breaking down the curriculum, Planning the weekly
and the daily plans. He/she also responsible of making
quizzes, marking and analyzing the results, designing
the booklets and the projects.
The teacher can teach any grade within 24 hours a
week.

2 Who is responsible for science policy and provision Ms. Asma

within the setting?
(Can we obtain a copy of the policy?)

3 Online/Blended Learning: Fusion Science online resources. (thinkingcentral)

www.thinkingcentral.com
Does the setting have its own website? If so, what is the
URL, who created it and who is responsible for managing The resources that used are smart board.
and updating it? Online learning games (Always at the end of the class).
Online book
Is there any online/blended learning taking place related to
science? If so, how is this delivered?

What ICT resources are used specifically for teaching

science?
4 What science equipment/manipulatives/resources can
be found the setting? (Is there a list? Differentiate between the
classroom; the science lab and other areas in the setting e.g. library)
Is there a budget for materials?
Who trains teachers and staff in the use the equipment?
The science materials always brought from the home
or borrow them from 4 and 5 grades science lab.
The materials dome of them on the teacher's budget.
The teachers are trains by host professional
development by providing workshops for them.

Who manages the equipment and materials?
5 Is/Are there dedicated science labs in this setting?
If yes, how is it used and by whom? How is it organised?
What equipment can be found here?
Science lab technician manage the materials and the
equipments.
There is no science lab for grade one students.
However, the school is planning for having science lab
for grade 1, 2 and 3 students in the future.

If no, why not? e.g. lack of funds? No need? Enough science

equipment and expertise in each classroom?

Does the setting feel it has enough specialist science

TP Guide for EPC3903 (EPR) Practicum 3b 1

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 Bachelor of Education, Primary Education (EPR) EPC3903
teachers, technicians and dedicated science rooms?
6 Which science resources does the setting feel it needs or
would like to have to achieve its vision or better science
teaching and learning?
e.g. Science Kits, books, wifi, manipulatives/models, digital
cameras/camcorders, lab equipment OR soft materials
(consumables- colored paper, glue, popsicle sticks etc.).
7 What are the safety rules?
Are the safety rules posted in the science setting?
Who developed these and are they mandatory/enforced?
8 What safety equipment is available and when is it used
commonly?
Is safety equipment available for all students in the
classrooms?
Is equipment cleaned, if so by whom? Who manages this
duty?
9 Planning for learning- how are the science lessons
planned for in the setting?
Does the MOE/Zone/KHDA provide unit plans/lesson plans?
(can we obtain a copy of this?)
Are there weekly planning meetings? What is usually done
in the planning meetings?
Who attends the planning meetings?
Does the school have specific goals related to science
(TIMMS scores etc.)?
10 How is learning assessed in the science classroom?
Is there an assessment plan for the semester? What does it
include?
Do teachers collect student data? What data, when, and
what is it used for?
How do students get feedback so that they can make
improvements?
11 What science professional development / training do
teachers currently receive or have recently had?
How frequently and from whom did they /are they receiving
this?
TP Guide for EPC3903 (EPR) Practicum 3b
Year Three, Semester Two / 2016-17 /
The teachers need:
Online resources that are provided by the book
publisher.
Presentation
Activities plans
The materials in the labs based on their lesson plan.
The safety rules are posted with Group work
arrangement
Classroom management
The setting is enforced, set and follow by the teacher.
Clean classrooms and labs, Fire drills- E-station-
password for the teachers accounts.
Supervisor and the teacher.
The teachers do the plan with edited by the head of
the department.
The MOE/Zone/KHDA provides unit plans/lesson plans
don't involve in the plans.
The plans go process of:
Weekly meeting: Monday (Head of the department
with the teachers.
Thursday (Principles with the teachers).
It follows the NGSS (Next Generation State Standard).
There are:
Drop quizzes that are given in every 2 weeks which
has 2 to 3 marks.
Quizzes for the terms: in every 3 weeks.
For the feedback: Test of low ability students with
entering the comments in the paradigm or calling the
parents.
for the high ability students the school give a
certificate
Every term it includes the critical thinking strategies,
the way of planning the lesson and setting the goal.
Also, strategies for the behavior management, the
usage of the technology.
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 Bachelor of Education, Primary Education (EPR) EPC3903

Do they have a document that outlines this PD? The teacher needs hands-on activities.

What PD do they think teachers in the setting still need?

TP Guide for EPC3903 (EPR) Practicum 3b 3

Year Three, Semester Two / 2016-17 /