Interview questions (revised)



Interdistrict Sample Interview QuestionsUOTeach Career Preparation Workshop, January 2016SECTION ONE (Reflection & Growth)Tell us a little about yourself, specifically why you would be a good candidate for this position.Describe how you contributed to the success of a team on which you were a member. Provide specific examples of the role you played and the support you provided.If we were to ask former and current colleagues, staff, students, parents and community members to describe you and your work, what would they tell us?What excites you about teaching this grade/subject? Share some of your most rewarding and challenging experiences When did you decide to become a teacher, and why did you choose this field?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?Describe the "worst" lesson you have taught. What did you learn from it?Secondary:What student activities might you coach or advise as a member of the teaching staff? Possible Evaluation Criteria:ArticulateCollaboration; positiveSpecific example withanswers that demonstratebeliefs about teamwork;detailed explanation ofself-awarenessteam teaching; collegial supporthow info was used in classroom.SECTION TWO (Classroom Management)A student is targeting (intimidating/bullying) another student. How do you handle this situation?You have a student in your group that has a high rate of off-task behavior and work completion problems. How will you deal with this?Please describe how you organize your classroom.What is your approach to classroom management? How do you maintain a positive classroom climate? What is the most difficult classroom management situation you have handled?What are some ways to avoid behavior problems?In what ways do you keep students on task and well behaved during collaborative group activities?Elementary: Are you familiar with the PBIS management system? Describe your experience and explain how you would implement a school-wide management system in your classroom.Secondary: Rian is your busy seventh-grader. Rian is constantly moving in your class and always ready to throw spitballs. Although the behavior is not seriously disruptive, it is annoying. Rian is especially active when you are not looking. How would you deal with this situation?Possible Evaluation Criteria:Clear expectations; Reviews routines; Least invasive response; Avoid power struggles; Active participationBrainstorm with students; rehearse; model what expectations look like; focus on rights/ responsibilities model versus authoritarianDemonstrate seriousness; speak privately with both; involve counselor/administration; progressive disciplineSECTION THREE (Relationships/Class Community)Describe an activity that you use to build relationships with students at the start of the year.Describe your understanding of cultural responsiveness/proficiency. Provide an example of something you have done to personally increase your cultural competency.You have a transgender student in your class. How do you prepare?At our school, we believe that kids that are connected to school will do better here. How do you go about increasing the level of connectedness for kids?What are the keys to establishing a positive, respectful teacher–student relationship? How does race, culture and socio-economic status factor into the process?How would you insure that a student’s race, culture and/or socio-economic status was seen as a valuable asset in the classroom learning community. Have you witnessed harassment based on race, culture or socio-economic status? How did you respond?How would you deal with a student who regularly missed school or your class?A student comes to you to let you know that a friend called him a “chink.” How would you handle this situation?Secondary:A student tells you that she is having problems concentrating in class since she just had a bad breakup with her boyfriend and proceeds to tell you a lot of intimate details about their relationship. How would you handle this situation? Possible Evaluation Criteria:Relationship building; Partnerships; Respect; Caring; Equity; Teacher not their buddySpecific example that involves students interacting with each other; teacher sharing personal stories; focus on team building prior to turning to academicsSECTION FOUR (School-Home/Family Communication)How does family communication enable you to help students succeed?How have you communicated with students’ families in the past? How do you build rapport and positive relationships with the families of the students in your classroom? Give examples.How would you include families or parents/guardians in your learning community? Possible Evaluation Criteria:Share expectations andVariety of methods; positiveExcited;progress; work as a team;message (not just when theredemonstratedemonstrate network ofare problems); Frequentcommitmentsupportreciprocal communications;to families;Multiple languagesbetterunderstand studentsSECTION FIVE (Content Knowledge/Pedagogy)Describe your experience with curriculum development?Describe your knowledge of the Common Core State Standards. What specific experience do you have mapping, pacing, and aligning curriculum to the Common Core?Tell us about a lesson you have taught in which you used multiple techniques to keep students actively involved. Why did you choose those strategies?How do you utilize technology to support the learning of students?What would we most likely be seeing you do the first week of school? The fourth?What is your professional and personal commitment to diversity in the classroom? How is this value demonstrated in your everyday lessons?What experience have you had with team-teaching? What is your opinion of it?How do you design or modify assignments to offer students the opportunity to express their creativity and individuality?If your principal asked in a meeting for each teacher to come up with three ideas in their classroom to close the achievement gap for students of color, what would your three ideas be?Describe your understanding and experience with Project-based learning. Tell us about a recent best or cutting edge practice you have learned about and integrated into your lessons.Elementary: Describe the Reading and Math core curriculum programs you've taught. You have a class with 30 students. Five of the students are reading 2 years below grade level and 5 students are reading 2 yrs. above grade level. What instructional or assessment strategies would you use to accelerate the reading skills of the below grade level group. How would you excite and challenge the above grade level group and finally how would you instill a love for reading for all of your students?Secondary: The assignment for this position includes teaching (name of subject). Please describe your training and experiences which relate to these responsibilities.Possible Evaluation Criteria:Formal academic training (BA, etc.); Advanced degrees; specialized training; experience w/ PBL, team teaching, interdisciplinary;Backwards planning; determine course objectives; select relevant texts; collaborate with teachers in other subjects; breadth of experienceSpecific and varied ideas for addressing equity issues as an on-going practice in the classroom SECTION SIX (Differentiation)Please give an example of an instructional strategy or classroom support you have used to address the unique demographics and cultural diversity within your classroom.Give an example of how you have supported a Special Education or ELL student to achieve an academic goal. Scenario: You have a student living in extreme poverty, who works at night to help support his family. What expectations do you have for the student in terms of homework?Tell us about a high needs student you have taught and how you helped him or her.How do you provide support for students with exceptional ability?Elementary: What do you see as the role of the classroom teacher in the RTI (Response to Intervention) process? Possible Evaluation Criteria:Hands-on; relevant toSpecific strategies (SIOP,Specific example focused on students’ lives; incorporateGLAD, etc.); focus onteacher actions and outcomes.student interests/strengths;personalization; makingaccessible; multiple forms ofassignments accessible to allassessment/demonstrate understandingstudents; stretch goals;SECTION SEVEN (Assessment)Scenario: A student performs poorly on an assignment that you know they put a lot of time into. How do you respond?How do you know if a student is learning? Describe some methods, besides formal tests, you have utilized to assess student progress.In what ways, both formal and informal, might you assess a student who is an English Language Learner to be sure the student is truly learning the content of your course curriculum?Why do you think the data shows that students from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds do not excel in school in comparison to more traditional students? Secondary: What sorts of assessment, both formal and informal, do you view as being important indicators of successful performance for students learning your content area?Possible Evaluation Criteria:Formative learning; Summative learning; Pre- assessment/ diagnostic; Mix of informal and formal; Inform instructionCommunicate expectations beforehand; use rubrics; focus on strengths first; discuss weakness (be specific); opportunity to reviseSECTION EIGHT (Professional Community)Describe a time when you faced a school or work related commitment that was stressful and tested your coping skills. What did you do?Share a time when you showed initiative and/or innovation. What did you do and what was the result? What would you have done differently?Share a time when you were engaged in conflict in the workplace. How do you address this conflict? What strategies do you prefer when resolving conflicts?Share a time when you worked with others to build a culture of effective teamwork and collaboration. What are the important components of effective collaboration?SECTION NINE (Your questions for the interview committee)Is there anything we did not ask you about that you feel is pertinent to our discussion?What questions do you have for the interview team?Another District’s Rubric for Applicant’s Answers:PointsDescriptor0None of the question elements are addressed1Some of the question elements are addressed, but many areas are incomplete, vague or underdeveloped2Most of the question elements are addressed, but there are some areas that are incomplete or underdeveloped.3The required question elements are addressed using clear, detailed and supporting anecdotes that clearly connect with the question. ................
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