ATTENTION TEACHERS: RANKING

INTERVIEW SAMPLES AND TIPS

These are sample questions for those who would like to apply for teaching positions in
DepEd.

• What is your educational background? (Or I see you went to [insert school name here].
What was the most rewarding part of attending that university?)
• What are you currently reading for enjoyment?
• What do you want to be doing in five years?
• List five adjectives that describe yourself.
• What is one of your weaknesses, and how are you working to improve it?
• What interests do you pursue outside of the classroom?
• To what teams and/or clubs did you belong as a student?
• What activities might you coach or advise as a member of the teaching staff?
• When did you decide to become a teacher, and why did you choose this field?
• Why do you want to teach at the ____ level?
#plsfollowmypost
• What personal strengths do you find especially helpful in your teaching?
• What is your favorite subject to teach? Why?
• What is your least favorite subject, and how do you overcome your indifference toward
it to teach it well?
• What do you like most about teaching as a career?
• What is your least favorite aspect of teaching?
• What is your philosophy of education?
• What role do standards play in your classroom?
• Describe your teaching style.
• How do you organize your classroom?
• How do you structure your time to manage all of the duties associated with teaching?
#plsfollowme
• What is the greatest success you have had in teaching?
• What do you think is the greatest challenge facing students today?
• What is the most difficult aspect of teaching today?
• What are the qualities of an excellent teacher?
• Describe the "worst" lesson you have taught. What did you learn from it?
• What is your approach to classroom management?
• What role have parents played in your classroom?
#renros
• How do you motivate your students to become active learners in your classroom? (Or:
How do you encourage class participation?)
• Tell us about a troubling student you have taught and how you helped him or her.
• Describe your best professional development experience.
• Describe your ideal lesson.
• Describe your planning process for a major project or unit.
• Explain your experience with [insert teaching strategy here].
• What plans do you have for the integration of technology in your own classroom?
• What experience have you had with team-teaching? What is your opinion of it?
• How have and will you address your students' different learning styles?
• How do the assignments you give offer students the opportunity to express their
creativity and individuality?
• How do you modify your teaching to reach students who are struggling to perform at
grade level?
• How do you provide support for students with exceptional ability?
• What would you tell your incoming class in a "back-to-school" letter at the start of a
new school year?
• How would you deal with a student who regularly missed school or your class?
• If most of the students in your class failed an assignment, test, or project, how would
you respond?
• What would your students say they had learned after spending a year in your class?
(Or: What do you want students to remember about your class?)
• How would you establish and maintain good communication with the parents of your
students?
• What steps would you follow to deal with a student who displays consistent behavioral
problems in your classroom?
• Under what circumstances would you refer a child to the administrator's office?
• What could a visitor to your class expect to see?
• What do you hope to learn from your mentor?
• How would you take advantage of resources within the community to enhance your
teaching?
• Why should you be hired for this position?

YOU MIGHT ALSO BE QUESTIONED ABOUT PARTS OF LESSON PLAN

BETTER MEMORIZE THE CONTENTS. (DLP)

PILLARS OF EDUCATION
Learning to Know
Learning to Know involves the acquisition and development of knowledge and
skills that are needed to function in the world. Examples of skills under this pillar
of learning include literacy, numeracy, and critical thinking.
Learning to Live Together
Learning to Live Together involves the development of social skills and values
such as respect and concern for others, social and inter-personal skills and an
appreciation of the diversity among people. These skills would enable individuals
and societies to live in peace and harmony.
Learning to Do
Learning to Do involves the acquisition of skills that would enable individuals to
effectively participate in the global economy and society. These skills are often
linked to occupational success, such as vocational and technical skills,
apprenticeships, and leadership and management competencies.
Learning to Be
Learning to Be involves activities that promote holistic personal development
(body, mind and spirit), for an all-round ‘complete person.’ These include
cultivating one’s self analytical and socials skills, creativity, personal discovery
and an appreciation of the inherent value provided by these pursuits. An
example under this pillar is a teacher who participates in training workshops that
will enhance his/her knowledge and skills in the teaching learning process.
Did you notice the arrow that spans across the four pillars of learning? What do
you think does this arrow represent? If you mentioned “lifelong learning,” you
are correct! The framework takes into account that learning in the 21st century
is a continuous building of skills and knowledge throughout the life of an
individual. It occurs through experiences encountered in the course of a lifetime.
The Facilitator Style
Teachers who adopt a facilitator or activity-based style encourage self-learning in the
classroom through increased peer to teacher learning. Unlike the lecture style, teachers
ask students to question rather than simply have the answer given to them. In this style,
activities are used to promote self-discovery and develop problem-solving skills, which
can often lead to the student developing a much deeper understanding of the topic.

There are however, downsides to this technique: as the facilitator, teachers must
actively interact with individual pupils, which can be difficult in a large classroom setting,
so the design layout of the room should be deeply considered.

5 Common Teacher Interview

Questions And Answers
1. Why did you decide to become a teacher?
This is probably the most often asked teacher question which means whoever is
interviewing you has probably heard just about every story in the book… Giving a
standard “because I love helping people learn” isn’t going to cut it here.

You want to give an answer that is heartfelt and genuine and really illustrates
why you chose this field. Take time before your interview to really reflect on why
you’re doing what you’re doing. Was there someone in your past who inspired
you and you want to pay that forward and inspire others? Draw from specific
examples. Make your response thoughtful, genuine, and honest.

Example answer: When I was in third grade I struggled a lot with reading. I could never keep
up with lessons and I was always terrified of being called on to practice my reading out loud. I
started to doubt my own intelligence and was convinced that the bottom line was I was stupid. It
ended up affecting my grades and I started to fall behind. Rather than give up on me, my teacher
Miss Emily sat me down one day at lunch and really talked to me about what was going on. I
told her how hard it was for me to read and we discovered together that I wasn’t stupid, but was
having vision problems. She moved me to a desk that was closer to the front, made sure I was
able to see, and met with my parents to discuss options. Because of her my parents took me to a
doctor and my astigmatism was diagnosed. Because of Miss Emily I began to love learning
again. I want to be that teacher…the one who takes the time to really discover why students are
struggling and give another little girl like me an opportunity to learn to love learning again.

2. Why do you want to teach at the school you wanted to apply?

This question is another common teaching interview question and a perfect
example of why preparing and practicing your answers before you get to the
interview is critical! Use this opportunity to provide specific reasons why you’re
interested in the school by drawing on the information you gathered during your
research.

Whoever is interviewing you is genuinely interested in knowing if you’re actually

interested in the position or if you’re just sending out resumes and showing up for
whoever calls you no matter where they are. Having specific answers tailored to
your audience shows enthusiasm, initiative and dedication, all qualities that are
valuable!

Example Answer: I’ve spent a lot of time researching schools within this district and I’m very
impressed with what you offer here. Between an award winning teaching staff and a district that
is very involved, your school has a teacher-to-student ratio that I think really allows for
personalized education. Smaller classroom sizes, like the ones you maintain here, make it
possible for me to give each child the one-on-one attention they deserve. On top of that, your
after-school science program is exciting to me and I would hope, should I get hired here, that I
might be able to become involved in that as well.

3. What can you bring to the school you are applying that makes you unique?
This question is pretty straight forward, and the perfect opportunity for you to
really let your unique qualities shine. Talk about activities you’ve participated in
or passions you have that can easily translate into teachable moments and
classroom activities that fall outside the usual curriculum that is currently being
enacted. Don’t criticize what they’re doing, but explain how what you’re bringing
will augment and compliment what they’ve already got in place.

Example answer: I love science and exploring the natural world beyond the borders of the
classroom. For that reason, I started an after-school explorer’s club at my last school. We would
go on nature hikes, visit museums and invite local scientists and biologists to come speak to us
about what they’re working on and their research. The response was overwhelming and I have
students who still come up to me years later and tell me how much they loved our club and how
it helped inspire them to pursue careers in the sciences. I would be very interested in continuing
the legacy of the explorer’s club here.
4. What frustrates you the most in a classroom?
This question allows your interviewers to get to know what it takes to ruffle your
feathers and how you’ll behave when faced with that situation. Find a situation
that is fairly common for all teachers and then explain how you’ve dealt with that
frustration. Remember, you want to focus on positive aspects of your teaching
style, so if you’re still frustrated with a situation and haven’t figured out how to
work around it yet, maybe don’t use that one as your example.

Example Answer: I have to admit, I get frustrated by the kids who think they’re too cool for
school and who float through their day doing as little as possible and the teachers who play into
that attitude. Rather than turn that frustration into anger or simply ignore them and wait for a
slacker to drift through a year in my class, I turn that frustration into a challenge for both the
student and myself. Most of the time those kids are too cool because of challenges they’re facing
outside of school and their attitude is a way for them to protect themselves. Sometimes all they
need is to know someone else believes in them. By giving them a little extra attention and
encouragement, I’ve seen some of the ‘coolest kids’ turn into students who are focused, driven
and ready to turn themselves around.
 5. What is your teaching philosophy?
Everyone will have a unique answer to this question as everyone’s experiences
with education, experience, and own personal history will determine how they’ve
shaped their own philosophy. What drives you to teach? What is your approach
to teaching and what guides you and how you run your classroom? Take time
before you get into the interview to really focus on what your philosophy is and
how you apply it every day.

Example Answer: I believe that the best learning opportunities are the ones that the students
come up with themselves. For that reason I spend every lunch hour on the playground with my
students and make myself available for them to ask me “playground-pop-quiz” questions. These
questions have ranged from everything from how is the ice cream we had at lunch made to
exploring the lifecycle of the mosquitos we found in a piece of playground equipment. I love
challenging the students to try to stump me and as a result, they go out of their way to explore
the environment around them, making learning fun and
exciting

Do You Have Any Questions For Me?

If you’ve ever been to a job interview, you know that at the end of the questioning
period you will usually be asked if you have any questions of your own.
This is the gold mine question and one that serves two distinct purposes. It gives
you an opportunity to get information you might not have been able to gather
during your research period while also allowing you one more chance to
demonstrate you are the perfect candidate by having a pre-prepared list of
questions you’d like answered.

While a list of questions might seem odd, it shows an interviewer that you’re so
interested in the position that you’ve take the time to really think about working
there and want more information.
Good questions to ask include:

 Can you tell me a little about the culture here at the school?
 What is a typical day like?
 Are there any qualities you’re looking for in a teacher that were not listed in the job description?
 Is there a teacher mentoring program here?
 Are there opportunities for furthering my education available here?
 What is the average classroom size?
 How are the classrooms equipped? Is this a wired school?
 What goals and expectations do you have for your teachers?
 Are there any challenges the school/district is facing that I should be aware of?
 Is there an active PTA here?
 How is the relationship between the parents and the school?
 Is the school a part of the community?
 How does this school handle student discipline?
 How does it handle bullying?
 4 Different Learning Styles You Should Know: The
VARK Model

 Visual Learners. Students who best internalize and synthesize information when it is
presented to them in a graphic depiction of meaningful symbols are described as visual
learners. ...

 Auditory Learners. ... If you are an auditory learner, you learn by hearing and listening.
You understand and remember things you have heard. You store information by the
way it sounds, and you have an easier time understanding spoken instructions than
written ones.

 Reading/Writing Learners. .. These learners find writing, reading articles, and taking
notes to be most helpful when learning. If you find that you understand and retain
information better once you've written it down, you are likely to be a reading/writing
learner.
.
 Kinesthetic Learners. kinesthetic learner would rather perform physical activity to learn
something, as an active participant, instead of passively listening to a lecture or
watching a demonstration. That is why the best way of learning something new is by
having your hands-on those things you are trying to learn.

Classroom management
 a) Stimulus-boundedness - teacher’s attention interrupted by extraneous stimulus e.g.
pupil writing a note - teacher then tells class about having to write a note to parents after
current task.
 b) Thrusts - teacher interrupts students engaged in activities without warning or
considering whether students are ready or not.
 c) Dangles - teacher interrupts activity and then returns to it again.
 d) Truncations - Teacher does not return to current activity after being interrupted.
 e) flip-flops - teacher changes from activity A to B and back to A again as though she has
changed her mind.
 f) Over dwelling - teacher spends too much time on one aspect of lesson or some aspect
of a student’s behaviour - lesson slowdown occurs.
 g) Fragmentation - Breaking down an activity so that student’s spend too much time
waiting to work. e.g. calling one child up at a time to work out a problem on the board.

THE END!