Job Interview Questions
What types of communication will you use with parents, and how will you manage student/parent dynamics in difficult situations?
.-No Surprises - Keep parents apprised of any issues and keep a record -Meet Face-to Face to resolve issues -Alert Principal or Dept. Chair to the situation -Listen and Ask Questions -Try to find things you agree on -Don't allow yourself to be Pressured -Know when the conversation is over -From WGU.edu
Describe a classroom where you have worked. How was it arranged and how did the arrangement help you to teach?
All employers want to know that you can set up a classroom with routines and procedures, and can establish rules with corrective actions and positive feedback (rewards). Show a management plan from your portfolio and describe your experiences from student teaching or a former classroom.
Give an example of differentiation in a classroom where you have worked. "Differentiation: Different students with different learning needs/levels, how do you cater to them?"
At baseline there are auditory, visual, kinesthetic and mixed learners. Most classroom settings tend to favor either visual or auditory. One way of practicing differentiation in a lesson plan is including a variety of visual, auditory, and kinbesthetic tasks focused on a single subject matter.
Tell me about yourself
Begin talking about your -preparation to teach, -your teaching experience -and something unique about your background in education. I am an artist and engineer, I love helping people and building them up. When I was contacted by the district, I immediately started researching all I could about the specifics of the position, I have taught in several different capacities over my life, but never professionally.
Tell about a grading system you used for a nine-week period.
Bench line pre-test to establish where student's knowledge of the subject is, quizzes thoughout the period, then post test measured against pre test. Having an opportunity for each student to anonymously give me feedback is also important so that I can adjust my teaching style to better match my audience.
In our district, we consider ongoing professional learning to be critically important. Tell us how you have kept learning and how you plan to continue your professional growth.
Bought recommended book and have been currently studying up on State Standards and how to meet them. purchases "visable learning for teachers" actively engaging in peer reviewed liturature searches to best optimize me teaching strategies.
Why do you want to teach?, What do you bring to the table (without us - the school - having to do anything for you?)
Expericence, Enthusiasum, Empathy. I really enjoyed college and the structure there, at first i thought it was due to the engineering, but lately I've realized that it was the act of learning that was the draw for me. Also, teaching my neices and nephews about the world and how it works has made me feel complete and that I have more to offer. If I could spark the passion for learing that I have within myself in my students, that is enough for me. That is why I want to teach.
Tell me something about yourself that is not on your résumé.
I am wildly creative and have a '3D' mind. I am constantly teaching myself new things and working on new projects. I sew stuffed animals and build sculptures. I am an illustrator and artist and I love to write and want to someday publish a graphic novel
Today's teachers need grit, determination and perseverance. What is your determination to teach in our school with today's students?
I consider myself an overcome. I overcame severe ADHD to be academically successful, I overcame poverty to find financial stability, and I overcame a lot of trepidation to leave engineering as a profession and pursue teaching. When I look back at my live as an overcome of obstacles its hard not to see all the educators and mentors who helped me over those hurdles. I am determined because teaching is the most intrinsically gratifying career path I have found. I persevere because of my growth mindset and my belief in my own ability to learn and grow and what gives me grit is the tangible knowledge that a teacher can be a hugely impactful influence on a child's life.
Provide an example of a time when a lesson did not go as planned and how you improvised?
I had a class in Sunday school wlesson here everyone was feeling extremely energetic and non of my seven or so students could sit still. It was spring time and the sun was finally coming out so all of my students were eager to go outside. It wasn't against any policy to go outside so I decided to take class outdoors and related our lesson on personal responsibility to springtime and how we grow and change during different seasons of our life. I talked about how the rain of early spring brings about the flowers and related that back to how the tough choices we make early on have consequences later.
Describe your work with one student's IEP (individualized education program).
I haven't personally had the opportunity to work with a student in an IEP but i have been on one as has my wife. I think the important focus of an IEP should be student success. The IEP is supposed to even the playing field and empower students with reasonable accomodations for success. we all learn differently.
How have you worked with parents?
I know working with parents as a an educator can range from extremely gratifying to extremely frustrating. I am committed to working towards success of all of my students and it is my hope that that commitment will help me to foster collaborative relationships with parents to foster the success of their children. Respect, Listen to and work to alleviate concerns?
Conduct/teach a mock lesson
I made a lesson plan based on the proposed PLTW cirriculaum Introduction to Engineering Design. My lesson is on Orthographic projection, a way to represent objects such that the information of all sides is preserved.
How have you worked to be an advocate for students who are at-risk in your school?
I was considered a difficult student growing up and was often times too high energy for many of my teachers. I found myself frequently mislabeled as a problem child when in reality i was a very active, bright ADHD mind that needed patience, a little bit of extra attention, and some one to believe in me and focus my energy towards success. I am extrememly thankful for the teachers in my life who filled that role and my experience as a problem child has given me extreme patients for children in situations. For often then not, patience and a listening ear is the most important thing we can offer a struggling student.
What events brought you to this interview today?
I went to school to become an engineer and always felt tremendously engaged and passionate about what i was learning. When i graduated and started working as an engineer i realized my passion that i thought was for engineering was really for learning. My past experiences of being a boyscout leader, a sunday school teacher, and an uncle stuck with me. I realized I wanted to be a teacher when my nephew, who was four, remembered something i taught him almost a year later. My wife is earning her doctorate in physical therapy at EWU. we are in love with the area and want to put down roots here.
How have you used student data to inform planning or assessment?
In my experience, feedback from students is an invaluable resource. They are ultimately our clients and costumers and being able respond to their needs is key. I am personally a fan of the ananymous pre course assessments (what are the general concerns, barriers, and interests of my students) and post course assessments (how did i address my students concerns, barriers and interests, what can i do better?)
Describe a classroom management plan that you have used in the past. What were the rules and what consequences worked? Were there positive rewards?
In the past I have used sticker reward charts, treat charts, and similar methods however these may be less appropriate for the middle grades. I would attempt to have my students collaborate on a reward system for good behavior. This way, if they're all invested in the end prize, they will be encouraged to self regulate and work collaboratively to maintain a good classroom environment.
Describe your experience teaching computer science and robotics.
Main experience I've had was giving a presentation about different type of hobby robots to group of interested engineers. Simplifying concepts for the layman?
Tell about working with a team of teachers.
Mission: Always team teaching, seeking to fulfill needs, Paid attention to the other teacher while they were teaching, Roleplaying, "Preteaching" of sorts. Attending monthly, quarterly and weekly conferences.
Make sure you're well educated about the school where you're interviewing—information like standardized test scores, special needs programs, and the percentage of students on free or reduced-price lunch is reported by each public school to their home state. It is also helpful to show familiarity with the community where the school resides.
Motto: "Every Student, Every Day" District Vision: Every student can learn, provide rigorous, relevant learning that will prepare them for the job and college. Student to teacher Ratio: 15:1! Awesome! School considered "Exceptional" by State Accountability Score
Describe a sample lesson plan that guides your teaching.
See lesson plan.
Which teaching methods have you found to work well when teaching Engineering to students this age?
Simplification, analogies, multiple approaches to the same subject, keep trying new angles until it 'clicks.' Preparing students to fail is also extremely important. engineering is very complex and can be extremely frustrating. preparing students for that frustration and empowering them in that failure is how we succeed. Letting them know right out of the gate that it might take practice, that there are no such thing as dumb questions, and letting them know that i am a resource is critical to keeping students engaged.
Remember S.T.A.R
Situation Tasks Actions Results
What should I do if I have mainly business experience instead of teaching?
Summarize your business experience succinctly on your resume, and be clear about how you have earned full teacher certification before seeking a job. Employers are seeking fully-certified, articulate, candidates who have completed student teaching. Your maturity may work in your favor. Don't say you are entering the teaching force for an "easier" job that is just 8:00 to 3:00 or for the vacation time!
differentiated instruction, lesson planning, technology in the classroom, and classroom management—are covered frequently. Be ready to discuss them.
Technology - Tinkercad, Put out by AutoDesk, Starting CAD Program, Port to 3D printers.
What's the bottom line? What do employers really want to learn about you in the interview?
They want to know that you can organize and manage a classroom. They want to know that you can raise student achievement. They want to know that you can work well with colleagues and parents. Share specific past success stories so that the employer feels confident that you will have future success when hired.
What is a current trend in the teaching of your subject, and how have you dealt with this trend?
Think about these questions and have an answer ready that addresses motivational factors of teenagers, since knowing the students is the first step in teaching them. When you describe a lesson, discuss how you focus and motivate students each day.
Organize your portfolio
Transcripts, Anything relevant to the position
Be ready to outline how you plan to incorporate the necessary state standards into your lesson plans
Use them as pre planning guidelines.
Describe a classroom where you have worked. What routines and procedures did you use to keep the class organized?
While teaching Sunday school I found a lot of structure to be helpful so long as my overall lesson was engaging. I found that coloring was a favorite activity among my students so incorporating creative tasks into my lesson was key to holding onto my students attention.
Why do you want to be a teacher, and why did you apply to our district?
describe one unique aspect of your professional training, student teaching, or earlier teaching jobs. Do your homework about the district, so that you can have a specific answer regarding why you want to work there. - Smaller district, where I'll be able to have a greater impact, more fingers in pies. Position is in line with my interests and passions.
Describe a time when you faced a difficult task or problem. What was your motivation to work through that issue and how did you keep yourself positive?
motivation = growth mindset, eye on the prize. "a fixed mindset says you have what you have, you are what you are and you cannot change. A growth mindset says that I have tools and barriers and what i do with them is up to me."
How have you planned a semester to determine the amount of content you will cover?
purchased textbook Buzzwords: Unit Design, - Scope and Sequence, Build upon previously known knowledge: Microprocessor class, gave us building blocks, labs to understand them, then pulled it all together at the end. Begin with the end in mind and work backwards.
