Interview Bahan
Interview Bahan
Interview Bahan
Your entire life has been getting you ready for this moment. Use everything youve got to create a future that is your dream. - Barbara Winter
If you want to prepare for a job interview, this is the best place to start. Study job interview questions below. Although answers are provided at each question, some of them may not be suitable for your case. Give your own answers to each question in writing. Before you do it, conduct research about your potential employer. Study carefully the employer's website, job description, job selection criteria and try to give as accurate answers as possible. Practice responses both to yourself and with a colleague who is competent in your field.
3. Describe yourself.
I am an enthusiastic teacher who looks for opportunities to tie academic goals and standards to practical, and memorable, situations.
13. What would you do if your superior tells you to do something that you know is not right in the way of doing?
There are a few possible answers to this question. Here is one: I always accept the fact that people, from time to time, make mistakes, and I am not an exception in this case. I would bring to light the issue, explain my way of reasoning, and if my superior still insists I would follow his /her order. Afterwards, I would reflect on this matter and try to understand why my superior had chosen that approach. It often happens that there are two or more ways of doing the same job or solving the same problem - and both ways are very efficient. Perhaps this would be an opportunity for me to learn to apply new methods and techniques or gain some new skills that I never knew of before.
15. What do you think of the last school you worked for?
You should stress the positive aspects of your experience. Tell about the positive work experience that you gained and mention good qualities of that school. Tell what positive skills and experience you gained.
17. Is there any workplace environment that is ineffective for you as a professional ESL teacher?
One of possible answers: A lack of independence, creativity and no teamwork support. I do well when I can draw my own map, make my own schedule and prepare my own teaching materials to help my students achieve their learning objectives. I also like to work in a team, especially on assessment and material design issues. I believe that a lack of independence, creativity and no teamwork may result in ineffectiveness for any professional ESL teacher. You can also add the following if you like: In my opinion, an ineffective workplace environment is usually based on micromanagement.
18. What qualities do you think will be required for this job?
Job requirements are usually in the job advertisement. Study the job advertisement and ask yourself what additional qualities may be needed for that particular position. Additional skills may include ability to work independently as well as a part of a team, cross-cultural communication skills, leadership ability, supervisory skills, analytical skills, problem solving skills, creativity and student behavior management skills.
22. What kind of people do you find hard to get along with?
You can answer in the following way if you like: There are four basic communication styles, the relater, the socializer, the thinker and the director. I consider myself as a relater. I focus on people and interpersonal relationships, and I sometimes feel that it is harder for me to get along with the thinkers. In my eyes, they are very different in their attitudes. However, my knowledge and understanding of the differences helps me to communicate with them successfully. When I communicate with the thinkers, I try to present and explain my ideas in a logical way, and I support my ideas with facts. This helps me to get along with them well.
23. How do you handle a conflict situation that occurs in your workplace?
This question aims to find out whether you are able to handle conflicts that may occur. It would be good if you could give an example of a conflict and explain how you resolved it. In addition, you can mention that there are two types of conflict, substantive and personalized. Substantive conflicts can sometimes be even useful and help to solve problems in the workplace if handled properly. Personalized conflicts are usually destructive, hurt people and waste a lot of precious time in the workplace.
24. You seem to have little experience in ESL teaching. How do you intend to perform well in this job?
You can answer that although you have little experience in ESL teaching, you have a lot of theoretical knowledge in this field; this knowledge will help you to pick up practical skills as soon as you start teaching. Tell them that your classmates and teachers have always considered you as a fast learner.
30. If you got on an elevator where everyone was facing the back, what would you do?
This is a zany question. The aim of this question is to see whether you would follow the crowd (i.e. think the way others think) or you would think independently, on your own. You can answer, I would still face the front. You can also add, I know that if I follow the crowd I will go no further than the
31. Would you say your previous school was full of hypocrites?
Possible answer: 'No. I worked with very intelligent and educated people in prestigious schools, colleges and universities.'
32. Why do you change jobs so often? / Why have you had so many jobs?
If you have had many jobs, describe the positives, e.g. that you were gaining experience and useful skills; traveled and gained cross-cultural experience, etc. Relate your experience to the position that you are applying for. Here is an example answer for a well-travelled ESL teacher: My object of research as well as my interest and hobby is cross-cultural communication. I like traveling and I want to learn about cultures, traditions and languages of the world. The best way of studying another culture is living and working among people of that particular culture and learning from the local people. Traveling and learning about the world gave me an excellent opportunity to grow academically and professionally.
You should give examples from your experience. These examples can be about your first class, your first encounter with a classroom management problem or some difficulties related to planning and achieving your goals. In any case, try to sound positive and sincere. Tell what you learnt from your experience.
42. How are you different from the rest of the teachers?
(=What is it that you do and they dont?). The employer wants to know what makes you stand out from the crowd. One of your answers could be (but not necessarily): I can effectively teach ESL students without a textbook, as well as with a textbook. I believe this makes me different from those teachers who have a preference to use a textbook. I know my student well and I prepare my own teaching materials so I do not allow textbook publishers to dictate my curriculum, although I often use a textbook as a supplementary material for my students. Think of your own effective answer. It can be related to application of new methods of teaching and research. Perhaps you wrote a textbook or designed a beautiful website? What other useful skills, apart from classroom teaching, do you have?
44. What do you enjoy most about your current / last job?
Try an answer similar to this one: as an educator and, therefore, a persistent learner, I take great joy in sharing my knowledge, wisdom, experience and passion with my students. My greatest joy is to watch a students succeed through the motivation that I have cultivated over the past few months. You should give at least one example. Also, you can add that you are looking forward to expanding your experience in your new position if they employ you.
be good if you could choose a research topic and would be able to speak on it. However, if you do not have any research topic in mind (and do not know much about research), study the website of the institution to find out what they are doing. At the interview you can mention that you would be interested in joining a team of their researchers (and mention the title of their research topic). Be open, tell that you are eager to learn and do not try to pretend that you know everything in that field.
55. How would you get subject matter across to the ESL students? What strategies would you use?
You could say that you make your lessons more visual (animations, pictures, concept maps, etc.) and would make sure you would teach important vocabulary along with whatever material is being covered.
56. In your opinion what are the most important issues facing your profession today?
There are so many more things we have to do besides teaching. The major issues are state testing, childhood obesity, drugs, multiculturalism, broken families, budget cuts, etc. Or: For me, it's children's lack of motivation and lack of interest in education. This is more of a problem in the upper grade, but for some reason, many lose their interest by the time they get into 3-rd or 4-th grade. There's something wrong if teenagers, who are normally interested in the world, lose interest in learning.
57. Discuss a time when you used poor judgement or made a poor decision in the classroom? How would you or how did you resolve the issue?
Kids are always arguing about friends not sharing supplies. Then I made a decision to not allow supply sharing (their own school supplies twistables, colored pencils etc.). Later, I discovered that this sent the wrong message (and kids started not sharing other things as well). So rather than banning school supply sharing, I decided to allow them to share but began stressing kindness and sharing in the form of character education. I then saw that the kids shared better and were learning important life skills at the same time. Or: During my 1-st grade student teaching, I gave a girl several chances to correct her behaviour during a group activity. When she didn't "shape up" I had her leave the group activity and put her head down on her desk. She just bawled with her head down. I realized that wasn't the best way to handle her misbehaviour. When time permitted, I pulled her aside and apologized to her and explained why I was frustrated. She gave me a hug and we discussed ideas of how to help her stay on track the next time we had a group activity. It was a good learning experience for both of us. When the event was over I reflected on my actions and what steps I would take with future similar situations to prevent the situation and behaviour [your aim is to convey that you know you are human and make mistakes, you admit your mistakes, reflect on them, and try to improve your teaching from the experience].
58. How would you teach students with diverse backgrounds (different cultures, different socio-economic backgrounds)?
You should mention how your lessons relate to their real lives and how you use a variety of teaching strategies that would meet this diverse need. Or: You should talk about how you try to build a classroom community, allow your students to share things about themselves and their families and embrace the different cultures [be sure you do not say something like you put your blinders on and treat them all the same no matter where they come from].
62. What three main concepts do you want your students to get from your lesson?
First, I would want them to be able to apply what they learned into the real world. Second, I would want them to connect what they learned in this lesson to a previous lesson. Third, I would want them to be able to come back to what they learned in this lesson in any future lessons and make that connection.
63. We would all like to raise student achievement and address the needs of each student. But when it comes down to it, we often have to make hard choices. If you had to choose, would you rather raise student achievement or increase self-esteem and self-worth?
I would focus on raising academic achievement because higher self-esteem is a natural consequence of better academic quality.
65. Why do you want to teach middle school? Or: Why do you want to teach high school?
You should probably start with your love for the subject that you would be teaching. You should mention that at the middle or high school level students are acquiring skills that will prepare them for their life. As a middle or high school teacher I am helping my students create and motivate themselves. I would love the opportunity to both learn from my students and inspire them for a bright future.
66. How would you handle a conference with a parent who does not think there is a problem with the student?
I always file documentation of my students progress and problems/failures in case I need to present them to the parents. Or: Apart from documenting all behaviours or misbehaviours (and keeping records of students performance), I talk to the parents about the good things that the child does so they would not feel like
I am attacking their child. In addition, I try to maintain regular communication with the parents. Then, when it is time to talk about the behaviours that need to change they are usually more open-minded. I usually start conversation in a positive, optimistic manner. I absolutely positively hear the parent out and stay open-minded. One of the things the parent should be made aware of is what their childs continued behaviour might mean in the future if left unaddressed (e.g. natural consequences like loss of friends on the behaviour side, or being pulled out of class for academic issues, or possible failure in class). Then I would follow up with some suggestions that have effectively worked in the past with students who faced similar problems.
67. You are in the supermarket and a parent comes up to you and starts talking badly about another student. What would you do?
I would tell the parent that I never talk about other students with parents, just like I don't talk about their child with other parents.
68. What would you say to a parent who says their child is not being challenged in your class?
I would ask the parent specifically, what areas they feel their child excelling and what specific skills they have. I would respond to the parent how their child was performing with my assessments as evidence. I would also provide the parent with information on the enrichment activities provided within each lesson. I would tell the parent that I will be continuously assessing their child and adjusting the lessons to meet his/her needs. I believe the parent would respond well, once they understand that I was aware of their child's needs. Or: I would cover the following points: (1) Ask in what areas do you feel your child is not being challenged. (2) Outline briefly what you are doing, what you must do and how you do it. (3) Point out how you believe the child is being challenged. (4) Tell the parent that because of their concerns you will be observing the child more closely (5) Dependent on what I find, I would change a few things such as grouping or probably assign some higher level activities. (6) If I feel the child is being challenged enough I may recommend some extra activities.
70. People say that some children just do not want to learn. Do you agree?
Absolutely not! I think that maybe they have not had the material presented in a way they can understand. It is up to us as educators to find the way that works for the learner.
71. What area of the curriculum are you the strongest in? What area of the curriculum do you need refinement in?
I am strongest in writing. I like making writing interactive for students by using technology, interactive websites and having students work cooperatively. I need refinement in teaching special needs students, e.g. dyslexic students.
I help students find books that are of interest to them. First, I find out what their interest is travelling, music, type of sports, etc. Then I make those books available for students to read.
73. How do you know if you met objectives? What if you did not?
I know objectives have been met through data collected through informal and formal assessments. I also give my students a questionnaire. Had the objectives not been met, I would revise classroom materials and try to achieve the objectives by using a different approach. Or: Every lesson I teach has closing in which I lead the class through a reflection of what was learned. Formal and informal assessments are also utilized through data analysis.
Information from Computer Text Corpora (ed. with R. Garside and T. McEnery) (1997); Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English (with D. Biber, S. Johansson, S. Conrad and E. Finegan) (1999); Word Frequencies in Written and Spoken English: based on the British National Corpus (with P. Rayson and A. Wilson) (2001); Longman Student Grammar of Spoken and Written English (with D. Biber and S. Conrad) (2002).
K What students know Students write about what they know in this space
Students write about what After the completion of the unit, they already know in this write what the students learned in space this space
A KWL chart can be used to drive instruction in the classroom. The teacher can create lesson plans
based upon the interests and inquiries of the students and their needs. Using this strategy can increase motivation and attention by activating the students' prior knowledge. This allows the teacher to understand the students' prior knowledge and the students' interests in the topic.
92. As a new teacher, how long of an adjustment period will you need before you start contributing to the school and faculty in general?
I believe I would start contributing to the school and faculty from the first day I am at the school. Or: I would immediately start to contribute to the school and faculty.
95. What are the primary factors contributing to low student achievement?
Lack of motivation and not enough parental support at home.
96. What do you say to a parent when you have to call them?
I start with a positive thing about their child, go straight into what the problem is, and then finish up with another positive.
97. What modifications or accommodations are you familiar with for a struggling student?
Shorter assignment, positive attitude, behaviour modification and personal approach. Or: I look at my students as a whole, and try to teach the way they learn. I work with small groups in reading, and arrange my partner groupings so that my higher students can help a struggling student. I have also utilized behaviour contracts to encourage desired behaviours in my students. As an educator, I take full advantage of all the existing resources and utilize them for the benefit of my students.
98. How would you address a wide range of skills in your classroom?
I include pre-assessment, flexible grouping, and formal assessment.
99. How would collaborate with fellow teachers? Or: Why would you collaborate with fellow teachers?
I believe it is essential to work with my colleagues to help create activities and lessons that are engaging, hands on, and fit the needs of my students. I work with my fellow teachers by sharing teaching materials, in the development of lesson plans, the collection of materials for special projects, and the sharing of resources. My current team is great at collaborating. We share the load and work together. It depends on the team members you work with and their personalities/teaching styles how much you can successfully collaborate with them.
100. Would you tell your kids that you like them, or that you are their friend?
While I do care about my students very much, it is important that they do not think of me simply as a friend. What they need in a teacher is someone to provide clear expectations in a safe and caring environment. One of my goals is to teach them the social skills necessary to developing friendships with their peers. I need them to think of me as a safe person to approach, as a caring and sympathetic ear, but, ultimately, as an authority figure, not as a friend.
107. What would you do if one day before a test you realize that eight of your students are extremely confused and have not understood anything from the current unit?
I would have been conducting informal assessments and listening to my students so that the situation would not arise in the first place. I would be surprised if by doing so, that eight students would not understand anything. Or: I would hope that it would not come to that point and that I would know if those eight students did not understand anything. I would ask to see these eight students for a tutoring session before the test.
108. How would you handle it if a student refused to do something you had asked?
If the student was causing a disruption, I might ask to see the student outside in private to talk to him about what is going on.
to tune out her teachers and leave her workspace now motivated her to remain in her workspace and engage with her teachers to earn her desired reward.
112. If I walked into your classroom on a typical afternoon, what would I see going on?
You would be greeted by an eager group of students who enjoy practicing social interactions with a variety of visitors to the classroom. One or two students would be seated with me at the group table, working on an academic task. Other students would be independently navigating their environments according to their picture schedules, completing independent work stations to reinforce academic, leisure, vocational, and life skills concepts. Or: Several students would be engaged in independent learning centres designed to reinforce academic and vocational skills. This would leave me free to work one-on-one or in small groups with students at the group table. You would probably get a chorus of "hello"s and "how are you"s from a class of students eager to practice social interaction. It's likely that a few of us would be engaged in activities that, on first glance, look mysterious -- exchanging paper slices of pizza, for example, or matching labels to cereal boxes. Many of our classroom activities are designed to teach vocational skills for the future. Or: You would see a bright classroom where the students are actively engaged in cooperative groups, using manipulative, as I monitor and listen in on conversations about what the students are learning. Posted around the room is the schedule, student work, helpful posters, and on the back wall I have strategies I need to work more on, the schedule so I can manage the time better.
First and foremost all students can learn. There is not a single student in my class that is not capable of learning. I just have to find the way that works best for them. Secondly, I am not the centre of the classroom. I am simply a facilitator. I consider myself a life-long learner and I want my students to learn to love learning, and to understand why they are learning.
completing work tasks as requested. In practice, this might take the form of a set number of tokens a student must earn before being rewarded, or of a behavior contract a student must abide by to gain access to reinforcement. When a student fails to behave appropriately or to complete the tasks assigned her, she is unable to earn these rewards. If a student engages in inappropriate behavior that is designed to meet a legitimate need, I teach a more acceptable replacement for that behavior. For example, if a student screams because she is frustrated and needs help with an academic task, I might teach her to say or sign "help" or to hand me a card with the word "help" written on it instead of screaming. When she requests help appropriately instead of screaming, I immediately reward this behavior by providing the requested help. If by requesting help appropriately, the student has also met the requirements of her behavior contract or token system, this enables her to access a tangible reward in addition to receiving the requested help.
116. What are your classroom rules? How do you make students familiar with the rules?
My students are involved in the rule-making process at the beginning of the school year. Together we identify the components of a safe and enjoyable learning environment. We then determine what rules are necessary to create this environment, and what the consequences should be for breaking these rules. The rules we identify are usually some version of the following: keep hands, feet, mouth, and belongings in your own space; use kind words when speaking to others; call others only by name; ask for help when you need it; give help whenever you can; do your best work.
118. What are some ways you can avoid behaviour problems?
I can avoid many behaviour problems by setting clear expectations, by modeling expected behavior, and by reinforcing desired behavior.
122. If I were to call your references, what might they say about you?
My references would be likely to say that I am energetic and creative. They would point out that I sometimes get excited about a topic and deviate from my lesson plan to further explore it, sometimes exceeding the allotted time for that particular subject. Many of my former supervisors and colleagues recognize that I enjoy the process of writing and implementing IEPs. They will also tell you that I still get nervous before IEP meetings, but less so, the longer I teach.
123. Can I assume you are interested in other positions that might open up in this district?
Yes, I am interested in other jobs if you do not hire me for this one.
124. The parents in this classroom are very comfortable with the current teacher. Some of them are going to have difficulty with this transition. How will you handle those situations?
I would call the parents before the start of school to introduce myself, invite them to observe in my classroom, and address any stressors they had about the transition head-on. I've been in that situation before, and told them so; at my last school, some kids had had the same teacher since they were three before I came along. (They were between eleven and thirteen, so that's a long time!)
125. How do you start class? What are the first few minutes of each class like? (Do you let kids meander in and waste time, or do you have a plan to get them started each day?)
I have an assignment written on the board so that students immediately have work to do. I make it a routine, so that students already know what is expected of them each day. This also allows me the time to take attendance, check homework, or even speak to a student briefly if needed. It also helps students to get settled in quickly, instead of wasting time talking or doing nothing because they are waiting for me.
126. How much do you want to know about your students in order to be helpful to them?
I want to know what they already know about the concept we're working on, their background and interests, what experiences they have had. Or: I like to give every kid a new beginning when they walk into my classroom. So I wouldn't want to know of any previous behavior problems. I would only want to know information that would be vital for me to know.
127. What three things do you most want to know about your students? What do they already know, what are they are interested in, and how do they learn best?
(1) my students' level of English, (2) any medical information about them (allergies, inhaler they take, etc.), (3) their interests, so I could incorporate them into my lessons.
128. What do you need to know in order to begin your lesson planning for a class?
I would need to know what my students already know about the subject so I know where to begin in my lesson.
129. What four key components do you believe you must include in your plan?
(1) introducing the new concept, (2) relating the concept to prior knowledge, (3) modelling and guiding, and (4) independent work time for students. Or:
(1) student friendly objectives, (2) background knowledge, (3) words that may be in the lesson that they will need to know, (4) ways for me to check for understanding.
132. What are your reasons for wanting to teach in our district?
I want to teach in your district because the mission statement of the district matches my philosophy of teaching. I believe that students learn best when they are actively engaged in their own learning in a safe and positive atmosphere that fosters a lifelong love of learning. I also would like to teach in your district b/c as a member of the City community; my daughter will be attending school here, etc.
133. List and describe two core teaching strategies you most utilized in your classroom.
I utilize All-write strategy and Cooperative Learning Strategy.
134. When you think about your students, in what major ways do you most want to influence their lives?
I want them to become critical thinkers, to be of good character, and to love learning.
136. Do you have any questions? / Do you have any questions you would like to ask?
Summarize your understanding regarding the position and politely request confirmation. Clarify only the points that you really need to know. Do not ask unnecessary questions. However, if you do not ask any questions you run the risk of making an impression that you are not interested in the position. You should ask at least one question. You should not ask all of them! Select four or five questions. Perhaps some of these questions will be answered during the interview so you will not need to ask them.
9. Whom will I supervise? 10. What is the schools promotional policy? 11. How many contact hours per week would I be required to teach? 12. Which level of students would you give me to teach? 13. What is the average class size? 14. What training do you provide? 15. What is your major research theme/topic? 16. What are after school / extra-curricular activities available? 17. What will be my responsibilities? 18. Where will I fit into the overall school structure? 19. How will I be evaluated or assessed? 20. What do you expect me to do in the first 4 months, apart from teaching? 21. What resources are available to achieve student success? 22. What are the staff working relationships? 23. How are parents involved in the school program? 24. What level of performance do you expect from me? 25. Is there any other information I can provide?
26. What kinds of professional development can this school offer me? 27. (To the principal) Please describe your management style [he or she would be impressed if you had the guts to ask that]. 28. Are there any major issues within the school that are going to be addressed this school year? 29. What is the policy on lesson plans? Are they turned in weekly? Or is having them accessible at all times okay? 30. What kind of mentorship can I expect my first year?