list of important teaching questions to be asked in an interview for a teaching position

Obligatory Preface
1. Teaching interviews vary by region, level, and subject area.
2. I've gone through four teaching interviews and sat on a couple others. They were all different. I had to teach a lesson in one, and decipher a poem in another. Californians wanted to know if I could teach via "Direct Instruction." Coloradans wanted to know if I were willing to teach middle school.
3. That being said, there are some common themes in the kinds of questions you're likely to face.
4. Others with different (and greater) experience(s) are encouraged to comment.

As far as common teaching interview questions go, this is one of the better lists out there. Let's focus on the category titled "Instructional Techniques."

1. Describe any school experience you have had, particularly in student teaching (or in another teaching position) that has prepared you for a full-time position at our school.
My advice: name something you learned from each assignment. For example, I student-taught at Black Hills High School, enduring the same prep for four straight classes. I learned how to maintain my sanity with variety, and that no two classes are ever alike.

2. How would you integrate technology into the curriculum you would teach?
Luddites from past teaching generations can pretend technological ignorance, but you're expected to know how computers can be used in the classroom. You're reading a blog; do you know how to use one? Can you run a Powerpoint presentation? Do you know your school's computer resources? Talk to the tech staff before you interview, so you don't make impossible claims.

3. Describe any innovative projects you have been involved in developing.
This is tough if you have no experience, but you can at least offer your wild plans in that circumstance. Think community involvement. Think technology. And, above all, think student achievement and assessment. How did / will your project affect student learning? If you can't demonstrate it, think in a different direction.

4. Give an example of how you have used cooperative learning in your classroom.
How did your groups form? What was their task? How did the formation of the group match the task? What learning goals were involved? How did you assess group work? Did you have group members assess each other? Did they have precise and preformulated roles and goals? How did you accommodate different ability levels? How did you accommodate those who wouldn't cooperate?

5. What four words would students use to describe your teaching strategies?
For me:
1. Various
2. Energetic
3. Interesting
4. Interactive
If I'm bored, my students will be, too.

6. What rules do you have for your classroom?
Keep it to a simple list--maybe five at the most. Be sure to read the school's discipline policy so you don't say anything that won't fly.

7. Describe your teaching style and how you accommodate the different learning styles of the students in your classes.
This would be the expansion of #5 above. I would say...
1. Various. Engaging students on multiple levels and with diverse personalities means providing many kinds of activities, from drama to song to art to lecture to group discussions to blogging to... you get the picture.
2. Energetic. Students know of my care for them and their passion for the subject because I show it every day. (List of examples would go here. I won't bore you.)
3. Interactive. Even when I lecture I take questions and solicit comments. I can't stand being a "talking head."
4. Interesting. This comes as a natural consequence of variety, energy, and interaction.

8. What do you consider to be your strengths and how will you use them in your teaching?
Yes, it's okay to brag about yourself. If you don't have the confidence to, you'll have a tough time in the classroom, whether it's kindergarten or Advanced Calculus. Humor. Patience. Gregariousness. Empathy. Tirelessness. Whatever you've got, flaunt.

Have other suggestions? Think my advice sucks? Let me know in the comments.



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