Here are some possible questions you may be
asked on an interview (Yes, I have been asked each and every one of
these questions--so be ready!):
- Why did you decide to become a teacher?
- When did you decide to become a teacher?
- Are children born with the ability to learn, or is that
provided by you, the teacher?
- What was your best lesson?
- What was your worst lesson?
- Tell me an adjective to describe yourself.
- What was the last educational article you read?
- How would you handle working with someone you do not get
along with?
- What are the duties of your assistant? How would you use an
assistant in your classroom?
- What is your weakness?
- What is your strength?
- How have you used technology in your classroom?
- How do you handle discipline in your classroom?
- Do you contact parents? How often?
- Would you send a child to the principal's office?
- How have you used parents in your classroom?
- How do you include parents in their child's education?
- What have you done to improve your school?
- What have you done to improve your classroom?
- How do you teach a classroom of children with differing
intellectual abilities?
- How do you teach reading?
- What is your favorite subject to teach?
- What is your least favorite subject to teach?
- How do you help those who are below level?
- How do you help those who are above level?
- Tell me about your past teaching experiences.
- Tell me about yourself.
- Describe your personal and educational background.
- Why did you choose to enter the teaching profession?
- Describe positive/negative student teaching experiences.
- What techniques or model do you utilize to ensure good
classroom management?
- Describe a typical lesson in your classroom. What would I
see you and your students doing?
- What questions do you ask yourself when planning lessons or
units?
- What do you look for to evaluate that learning is taking
place in your classroom?
- How do you handle different ability levels of students in
your classroom?
- What principles do you use to motivate students?
- What are some of the most successful strategies or
techniques that have worked for you in the classroom?
- What steps would you take to handle a student who is a
consistent behavioral problem in your classroom?
- How will you interact with parents of the students you
teach?
- What is the most difficult aspect of teaching today?
- What qualities make a "superior" teacher?
- Three words to describe yourself. How would students,
colleagues, friends, etc. describe you?
- In what areas would the district need to provide support
for you in order to help you become an excellent teacher?
- Goals 5 years from now?
- Changes to educational system?
- What is your philosophy of education?
- With what kind of student do you least/most like to work
with?
- Describe your teaching style.
- Describe student teaching experience(s).
- How do you individualize your teaching?
- Why should we hire you?
- Write a letter home on the first day of school. What would
you say in your "Back-to-School" letter?
- Compose a weekly newsletter. What information would
you include? Why?
- How would you handle an attendance problem in your
classroom?
- How would you handle a personal attack from a parent?
(For example: A parent tells you, "What do you know about
teaching children, you don't have any!?")
Respond to the following education terms (usually they have 4-6 of
these):
- Constructivism--Piaget
- SOL'S (Standards of Learning in Virginia)
- Cooperative learning
- At-risk students
- Assertive Discipline
- Madeline Hunter
- State regulated questions (for VA teachers, see #2!)
- Grouping practices (tracking)
- Site-base management
- schools of choice
- national standards (curriculum/assessment)
- ungraded/non-graded
- middle level
- higher level thinking
- gifted education (Talented and Gifted program)
- authentic assessment
- whole language
- peer coaching
- parent involvement
- restructuring
- National goals
- interdisciplinary curriculum
- learning to learn
- portfolios
- developmental appropriateness
- learning styles
- special education (mainstreaming and inclusion)
- outcome-based education
- Home bound
- home-schooling vs. public schooling
- home-schooling vs. private schooling
- Lee Canter
MATH-RELATED QUESTIONS:
- What techniques do you administer in your classroom for
teaching mathematics? (open ended questions, schema, constructivism,
etc.)
- How do you keep enforcing student involvement?
- Do you incorporate technology into your instruction? What's
been more effective/less effective?
- What manipulatives do you use? How effective are they?
- Do you teach in whole group settings or individual
instruction?
- How do you provide instruction for a cultural diverse
classroom...what modifications are made?
Some of the interviewers asked "situational" questions. For
example, "You know that a colleague has been talking behind your back
about what he or she sees as an ineffective teaching method. What would
you do?"
OR
"A student is consistently late with assignments. How do you handle the
situation?"
And, the final and probably most important question:
What questions do you have?
I hope these help any teachers getting ready for an interview, whether
it's your first time or 15th time! Good Luck!
(http://members.aol.com/amberp813/interview.html)