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Professional Learning

11 Questions You鈥檒l Be Asked at a Teaching Interview

Commonly asked interview questions you can anticipate鈥攑lus tips and links to resources you can tap as you polish your answers.

October 25, 2019

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Congratulations! You鈥檝e landed an interview appointment for a teaching position at a new school, or for a different position at your current school. This is an important first step, but there will likely be a number of qualified candidates vying for the same spot鈥攈ow can you distinguish yourself from the pack and land the job?

Your r茅sum茅, references, and professional portfolio will help, of course, but it鈥檒l always be the impression you make during your face-to-face interview that鈥檒l get you hired. Luckily, there are only a few types of questions a teacher can be asked, so it鈥檚 completely possible to enter a teaching interview confident and prepared.

In addition to questions related to your content area, anticipate that you鈥檒l be asked questions based on your knowledge of and experience with meeting the needs of the whole child. Be ready to explain how you honor and attend to the social, emotional, and academic growth of your students鈥攂oth individually and as a group. And be prepared for questions concerning classroom management, teacher-student relationships, student engagement, and learning outcomes.

Here are the types of questions you鈥檒l be asked, along with suggestions and links to resources to guide you in preparing your answers and in practicing citing specific strategies and relevant classroom anecdotes.

11 Questions You Should Prepare聽For

1. Why did you decide to become a teacher? Prepare a brief that explains not merely how you want to change students鈥 lives but also how your own life is enriched by being a teacher. Also, look up the school鈥檚 vision statement and reference how your teaching will reflect those goals.

2. How would you handle a student who is constantly disruptive or defiant? Instead of focusing on how you would react, explain the ways you approach classroom management proactively so that small misbehaviors rarely become chronic or severe. Here are eight ways to maintain student cooperation and courtesy. If the interviewers press you on the original question, this advice on students with oppositional defiant disorder may help.

3. How do you cultivate positive relationships with your students and create a sense of class community? Recount a time you bonded with a student who needed some extra attention and understanding. Show your concern for the of the most vulnerable students and describe your plan for developing students鈥 . Also explain how you create a sense of empathy and inclusion among your students so classmates support each other on both a personal and academic level.

4. How do you use data to differentiate instruction and support students identified with specific learning disabilities so all students can learn? First, be ready with the names of a couple of data-rich student assessments you鈥檙e familiar with. Your interviewers won鈥檛 demand that they be the same ones they use, but the fact that you鈥檙e aware of testing practices is important. Then, here are you can use to prepare your answer on how you . Also, show your knowledge of these聽 and describe a few ways you work with parents and school resource personnel to meet the individual needs of each child.

5. How do you support literacy for all students, including English language learners? No matter their content area, every teacher is a literacy teacher. Explain how you help develop your students鈥 reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. Here are in a mainstream classroom.

6. Do you incorporate collaborative and project-based learning? Discuss the difference between , and if you have implemented PBL, describe a specific assignment your students worked on.

7. How do you keep your students engaged and motivated, and how do you promote student voice and choice to help them become self-directed learners? Here are 10 engagement techniques that drive student motivation and enthusiasm. Also describe how you create a student-centered classroom that inspires creativity, passion, and purpose.

8. How do you teach 21st-century learners, integrate technology, and guide students to be global citizens? Be prepared to talk about how you teach and encourage critical thinking, creativity, and good communication skills. Here are ways to integrate technology into content learning.

9. How do you include parents and guardians in their child鈥檚 education? Recount several ways you inform, engage with, and collaborate with parents and guardians鈥攖hrough face-to-face meetings, notes, phone calls, or digital channels.

10. How do you maintain your own professional development, and what areas would you select for your personal growth? You might read books and blogs, watch videos online, subscribe to journals, attend conferences and workshops, or be a member of an educators society in your field. Be ready to talk about the specific resources you use to keep up with the latest trends in education, such as growth and benefit mindsets, flexible seating, flipped and blended learning, STEAM, trauma-informed teaching, restorative practices, mindfulness, makerspaces, and gamification of learning.

In discussing your personal growth, explain ways you want to further expand your teaching efficacy鈥攄on鈥檛 refer to teaching 鈥渨eaknesses.鈥

11. What questions do you have for us? Try this: 鈥淧lease tell me the most important thing you know now as an educator that you wish you knew before you began your teaching career.鈥 The answers you receive will reveal what your interviewers most value about education, and this insight will allow you to tailor your closing conversation to their interests.

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