What should I ask a teacher as we plan an activity?

Glad you asked! Here are some suggested questions to start your conversation. Remember, you are co-planning this interaction together. You can and should voice your own ideas and expectations to make sure that the teacher understands how to make your visit most worthwhile.

Classroom Experience

• What age group do you teach?
• Do you have any helpful hints for working with this age group?
• How many students do you have in your class?

Goals

• What are your goals? My goals for our experience working together are…
• What do you want students to learn and experience?

Activity/Collaboration

• Do you have some initial ideas about how you might like me to share my expertise or experiences?
• Were you thinking of a talk or an interactive exercise?
• Can we brainstorm what this interaction between the students and me might look like?
• How can I share my experience and knowledge in ways that are most accessible to the students?

Student Preparation

• To what extent will your students be familiar with the topic I will be presenting about?
• Have they done any activities that I can reference or build upon?
• Will they have questions prepared for me beforehand?
• What are you hoping the students get out of the experience?

Scheduling

• When would be the best time to schedule a visit to your class? Offering your typical schedule can be helpful, such as “My schedule is open on most Thursdays.”
• How long are your class periods?

Logistics

• Does your school have a check-in process for visitors or other requirements that I should be aware of when I come to your classroom?
• Where should I park? Where should I meet you when I arrive?
• How is your classroom set up? Do you have access to technology (projector, sound, etc.)? Can you send a photo of your room setup?
• Is there anything else I should know about your class?
• Will the students be wearing name tags?

Teacher Role

• How do you see your role during my visit?
• Will you introduce me?
• What if I have a concern about student behavior? How would you like me to handle this?