TEACHER INTERVIEW

Child: Harlea M.
Date of Birth: March 7, 2006
Age: 8

Teacher: Ms. Carmen

School: Canmore Elementary School
Grade: 4

Interviewer: Melissa Martin

Unable to focus on lessons,
Reason for Referral:

difficulties paying attention, gets

frustrated about not understanding
math and troubles with reading,
writing, and spelling

CONFIDENTIALITY AND PURPOSE OF INTERVIEW

Thanks for taking the time to meet with me today. In this interview I would
like to hear more about (childs name). Your perspective and concerns are
important in evaluating (childs name) functioning. The information you
provide will be summarized in my written report.
GENERAL FUNCTIONING
Describe a typical day at school

RESPONSES/COMMENTS
-Difficult for her to sit still in her desk

for (child).

for very long, have to repeat

instructions to her several times,
need to check in with her to see if
shes paying attention, will talk with
others and sometimes move around
the class when she should be seated.
Will get frustrated in math and ELA
classes.

Does (child) have any auditory or

visual problems that you have

No, just has trouble paying attention

TEACHER INTERVIEW
noticed?

and following directions.

How about (childs) energy level?

-No, shes very energetic.

Does he/she tire easily?

How is (childs) motivation?

- Enjoys participating in phys ed and

in activities shes interested in. Does
not have a lot of motivation in math
or ELA, sometimes refuses to do
work, especially if the task is too
complex for her.

Does (child) attend regularly? (If no)

Tell me about that.

-Yes

Does (child) arrive on time or is

he/she frequently late? (If late) Do

-She arrives on time

you know why he/she is late?

How does (child) get along with

each teacher?

-She likes her teachers but can get

mad at them when she gets in

What are his/her extracurricular

activities?

trouble.

TEACHER INTERVIEW
-Soccer, baseball
CONCERNS OR MAJOR

RESPONSES/COMMENTS

PROBLEMS
What are your main concerns? Or

-She is behind in math (troubles with

what is most important to address

operations and word problems) and

now?

cant read fluently. Issues with

writing sentences (cant form a
proper grammatical sentence) and
has difficulties with spelling. Has
trouble paying attention, sitting still,
and following directions. Also gets
very frustrated and can refuse to
complete work.

Now lets discuss (childs) academic performance.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
What are (childs) best subject areas

RESPONSES/COMMENTS
Phys Ed, Art, Music, Science

in school? What does he/she like

best?
Math, ELA (she doesnt like these
What are (childs) worst subject

subjects)

areas (if any)? What does he/she

like least in school?
Social 85%, Math 52%, Phys Ed

TEACHER INTERVIEW
What grades has (child) received in

90%, Science 87%, ELA 45%, Art

the most recent marking period?

88%

Ask about each subject area.

Inability to focus, refusal to complete

homework, and lack of foundational
knowledge have attributed to lower
marks in math and ELA

Have (childs) grades changed

- Always seemed to struggle in math

remarkably in any area?

and ELA

How does (child) handle

assignments? Organization,

- usually doesnt finish her math and

planning, independent effort

ELA assignments, sometimes loses

them

What types of academic problems is

(child) having in the classroom?

Math: times tables, basic operations,

word problems
ELA: reading fluency, pronunciation,

Reading
What types of reading difficulties
does (child) have? Tell me about
these difficulties.

spelling, writing sentences

TEACHER INTERVIEW

Silent reading
Oral reading
Reading comprehension
Reading speed/fluency
Word reading
Decoding/word attack
Accuracy
Hear sounds in words

- silent reading, comprehension, oral

reading, reading speed/fluency, word
reading

Does (child) have difficulty have

difficulties in telling you about what
they have read?
Tell me what you think should be
done to help (child) master reading
skills.

Yes

Mathematics
What types of math difficulties does
(child) have? Tell me about these
problems.
Difficulties with operations

(+,-,x, etc.)
Memorization or recall of basic

facts
Word problems
Oral problems
Numerical reasoning
Fractions, measurement,
geometry, time, etc.

Is (child) careless or impulsive when

Practicing oral reading

(independently and with guided
practice)

Operations, memorization, word

problems

TEACHER INTERVIEW
he/she does math problems?

What do you think should be done to

help (child) master math skills.

Spelling
What types of spelling difficulties

Yes

does (child) have? Tell me more

about these problems.

Insert, omit, substitute letters

Spell phonetically
Reversal of letters or

Practice times tables, basic

sequences of letters

problems

operations, guided practice with word

What do you think should be done to

help?
-Insert, omit, substitute letters
Language Skills

-spell phonetically

What types of language difficulties

does (child) have?

Oral expressive language

Speaking in complete

sentences
Using correct words
Vocabulary
articulation
Receptive language

Practicing independent spelling

TEACHER INTERVIEW

Writing expressive language

Writing complete sentences
Generating ideas
Grammar, punctuation,
organized compositions

How would you compare (childs)

oral and written language?

Writing expressive language,

complex sentences, generating
ideas, grammar, punctuation,
organized compositions

What do you think should be done to

help (child) master language skills?

Attention & Memory

What types of attention and/or
memory difficulties does (child)
have?

Under what conditions does (child)

have difficulty attending to things?

-written is significantly weaker than

written

Is (child) able to concentrate for an

amount of time that is appropriate
for his/her age?

Can (child) focus on a specific task?

-Practicing writing, recording verbal

responses and writing them out

Difficulty sitting still and listening to

TEACHER INTERVIEW
instructions and following them.

Is (child) able to sustain attention for

the duration of a typical

When other children are around.

assignment?

Is (child) distractible? (If yes) Tell me

No

about that.

Does (child) talk excessively (or

Not usually, only if its something

blurt out answers)? Fail to finish

active or that interests her.

things? Often seem not to listen?

Act before thinking? Excessively

No

shift from 1 activity to another?

Does (child) have difficulty
organizing work? Lose things

Yes, often visiting with other students

necessary for activities at school or

and will focus attention elsewhere.

home?
Yes, likes to talk out of turn. Doesnt
Does (child) need a lot of

finish math or ELA assignments, and

supervision?

acts impulsively.
Yes, has organizational issues (loses

Can (child) sit still for a short period

assignments).

TEACHER INTERVIEW
of time? A long period of time?

How tolerant of frustration is (child)?

Yes, needs a lot of prompting
Is (child) impulsive in his/her
behaviour?

Sometimes but not for a long period

of time

Does (child) listen/attend to

lectures? Class discussions?
Not very much with math and ELA

Does (child) mistake words he/she

Yes

hears? Does (child) attend better

when you speak slowly?

Doesnt listen and only participates if

interested. She does attend all

Does (child) have a good memory

classes with the other students

for things that happened recently?

In the distant past?

Sometimes because she isnt

devoting her full attention to the

Does (child) recall peoples names

instructions. Usually need to repeat

easily? Does (child) have difficulty

it several times, more slowly.

learning telephone numbers,

addresses, the alphabet?

Remembers some things more

TEACHER INTERVIEW
recently. Ha greater difficulty
Does (child) often ask to have

remembering past events.

questions repeated?
Usually because she is very sociable
How does (child) attend to visual

Forgets a lot of information that has

stimuli? (Words in print, TV/movie

to do with numbers.

presentations, computer screen).

Yes, almost every class.

Does (child) have difficulty
associating names with pictures?
Recognizing shapes, letters,

She does as long as there isnt too

numbers?

much print presented all at once

because then its too much reading
for her and she has trouble with
reading comprehension.

Perceptual Difficulties
What types of perceptual difficulties

She does better with learning from

does (child) have?

pictures and visual diagrams

Does (child) have difficulty with

visual perception?

Matching forms
Discriminating figure-ground
Identifying key letter, form,

TEACHER INTERVIEW

shape on a page
Recognizing letters or words in
different forms (lowercase vs.
uppercase, standard vs. italic)

Does (child) have difficulty with

spatial perception?

Position of an object on a

Can get lower and upper case letters

mixed up with her writing.

page/room
Appreciating relative sizes,

depth perception, perspective

Distinguish right from left
Copy material from board or

overhead?
Keep place on page while
reading

Which modality (visual or auditory)

does (child) prefer?

Does (child) prefer to look at

pictures or graphs?

-She cannot copy material from the

board cause she cant pay attention
long enough to get the notes down

Does (child) prefer making oral or

written presentations?

(she also has difficulty with writing)

TEACHER INTERVIEW
- visual (with limited text)

Homework
How much homework does (child)
typically have?

- look at pictures

How much time does (child) spend

on homework?
Does (child) have any trouble with

- Oral presentations, she loves to talk

homework? (If yes) What kind of

trouble? Does (child) get any help
with homework at school? (If yes)
How does that work out? Are
homework assignments modified in

- More than most of her classmates

any way?

because she takes a long time with

math and ELA and is distracted from
completing assignments (about 30
minutes to 1 hour of homework each
night)
- Most of her assignments are not
finished so she isnt probably
spending enough time on homework
-If her assignments arent done, I will
sometimes keep her in at lunch to

TEACHER INTERVIEW
finish them up with me.
-Sometimes I will give her more time
to complete assignments but
otherwise, I dont adapt or modify my
assignments in any way.

TEACHING STRATEGIES
What teaching or instructional

RESPONSES/COMMENTS

strategies used in the classroom

does (child) respond to best?

Large group

- 1:1 instruction, peer tutoring,

manipulatives

instruction/teacher lecture
Small group instruction
1:1 instruction (or individual

aide)
Independent seatwork
Independent hands-on

projects
Peer cooperative groups
Peer tutoring
Manipulatives
Graphic organizers

Lets move on to talking about (childs) behaviours and the different

approaches used for dealing with school behaviour problems.
RELATIONSHIP WITH PEERS
How does (child) get along with

RESPONSES/COMMENTS
-She is okay with a work partner or

his/her classmates?

one-on-one with teacher or an aide.

TEACHER INTERVIEW
In larger groups and with the class,
she can become quite loud and
distracting
Does (child) have many friends?
She has a couple of friends in her
Do the children include (child) in

class.

their games and activities?

Her two close friends do. Some of
the quieter, more studious children
stay away from her because they find
Is (child) disliked by other children?

her annoying and too distracting.

(If yes) Tell me why, or more about

that.

There are some other students in the

class who will tell her to be quiet or

How do other children affect (child)

will tease her for her behavior and

(contribute to any problems)?

academic struggles.
-If she is feeling picked on, she will
argue with those kids. Otherwise,

How do other children react to

having others around will lead to her

(child) in general?

visiting with the class and cause a

distraction.
-Some children will visit with her and
others will usually try and ignore her.

TEACHER INTERVIEW
Does (child) have social &

Sometimes a couple students may

interpersonal problems? (If yes) Tell

tell her to be quiet if shes being too

me more about those problems.

disruptive.

-With those students who dont like

her energy level, she will have social
problems with. But otherwise, she
Does (child):

usually gets along okay with most

people.

Give up easily
Anger easily (with no obvious

cause)
Fear trying new things
Lie or cheat
Have problems losing (in

games)
Show over controlling

tendencies
Prefer the company of

younger children
Prefer to be alone
Have difficulty waiting for

his/her turn
Frequently interrupt other

children
Fight, hit or punch other

children
Always tell other children what Sometimes
to do

Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Sometimes
Sometimes
No

Yes

TEACHER INTERVIEW

Tease other children

Lose his/her temper often &

easily
Refuse to participate

Yes
No
Sometimes
No
Yes
Yes

SCHOOL BEHAVIOUR PROBLEMS

What behaviours (goals) are

RESPONSES/COMMENTS
Waiting your turn, raising hand

currently being worked on in the

instead of shouting out the answer,

classroom?

asking for help when needed,

completing assignments on time,
listening and following directions

What behaviours are currently

-Being distracted and off task,

causing the most concern?

distracting others, difficulties with

math and ELA, getting frustrated and
shutting down by refusing to
complete work

Lets look at the behaviour in more

detail.

How serious is the behaviour

How long has it been an issue

-The behavior isnt too serious but as

the curriculum content gets more

TEACHER INTERVIEW

When does it occur (what sets

difficult, then it could become more

serious. Been an issue since around

it off)
What classroom activity is
usually going on at the time of

grade one. Usually occurs in math

and ELA, especially when its a

the behaviour
How does the behaviour affect

lecture-style class when multiple

other children in the

directions are given. This behavior is

distracting for the other students and

classroom
How long does the behaviour

last
How often does it occur
How many other children in

it can annoy some of the students

while it can be a negative influence
for others who choose to visit with

the class also have this

her during lessons. Her behavior

problem
How does the level of the

usually last during the last half of a

problem compare with that of

classroom period, especially if its

math or ELA. It can occur at least

other children in the class

What happens just before &

just after the behaviour

What makes the behaviour

worse
What makes the behaviour

distracting and they can be negative

better

influences on Harlea and vice versa.

twice a day, depending on the

classroom activities. About 4-5 other
students in the class are also

Her behavior is usually worse when

were working on something she
doesnt want to be doing (i.e. math
What do you do when the problem

and ELA). It is better when shes

TEACHER INTERVIEW
behaviour occurs?

moving around like in phys ed.

usually have to get her attention

using verbal and nonverbal cues and
constant reminders to stay on task.
Try to do a lot of coaxing to work on
tasks that she thinks are too difficult.
If these problem behaviours escalate
What does (child) do then?

I may have to move her to a quiet

space to work independently where
she is less likely to be distracted.

Harlea does not like to be removed

from the classroom so she will
sometimes refuse to work further if I
What is successful in dealing with

move her to a quiet space.

the behavior? (interventions)

Class rules/behv expectations

Token/reward system
Individual student

plan/contract
Class social skills instruction
Peer buddy
Self-monitoring
Class rules/behavioural expectations,
Day-sheets (daily report cards)
Time-out
token/reward system, individual

TEACHER INTERVIEW

Other accommodations

student plan/contract

What do you think is causing the

Sometimes a peer buddy will work,

behaviour?

depending who that peer buddy is

What would be an acceptable

replacement or alternative
behaviour? What would you like to

-issues with attention and

see (child) do instead?

hyperactivity, lack of self-confidence,

deficiencies in basic math skills as
well as in reading and writing

What strengths does (child) have

that might help with this behaviour?

- working in small groups or 1:1,

placing Harlea in a less distracting
environment, giving extra practice

Do you have concerns outside of the

work on math basics and

school that might affect (childs)

reading/writing

behaviour or emotional functioning?

social skills can work with someone
who is responsible enough to help
her out and keep her focused

TEACHER INTERVIEW

No
Id appreciate your comments about any type of special services (child) is
receiving or you feel are needed.
SPECIAL HELP/SERVICES
RESPONSES/COMMENTS
- Sometimes I assign more time for
IEP
Remedial Instruction
her to complete an exam or extend
Speech & Language services
Accommodations
due dates on some of her
Guidance/counselling services
Mental health services
assignments
Social skills training
Social worker/Family School

Liaison
Other?

-Mental health services would be

beneficial since Harlea seems to
have self-confidence issues when

How often does he/she receive this

special help?

working on math, ELA, and other

difficult tasks.

How long has he/she received

special help?
What kinds of help has he/she
received in the past?
Do you think this is enough/the right
kind of help?

-Adapted math and ELA work may be

helpful
I give her extra time on an
assignment or exam about once
every week or two weeks.

Harlea was in a pull out reading

program in grade one to help her
with oral reading. It would be

TEACHER INTERVIEW
beneficial for her to continue.
STRENGTHS
What are (childs) strengths?

RESPONSES/COMMENTS
- Very sociable, energetic, creative,
friendly, enthusiastic, athletic

In what situations does (child)

- When participating in different

display these strengths?

sports and games, contributing to

class discussions, group activities

How can these strengths be used in

- working with a partner or small

helping (child)?

group on an assignment, could

complete an assignment verbally

Are there any questions you would like to ask? Or any other information you
think is important or would be helpful.
NO

TEACHER INTERVIEW

SUMMARY
*Brief review of salient points
I just want to briefly review what we discussed
General functioning
Main concerns
Academic performance & Teacher strategies
Relationship with Peers
School Behaviour Problems
Special services
Transition plan
Strengths