My teaching style is student centered and encourages interaction. A variety in lesson activities is important to keep students motivated. I also usually in constant motion, so I can monitor student behavior and assess their understanding of the lessons concepts. I believe science is a way of knowing how things apply to our lives, so I try to bring science to life through stories, everyday examples from my life. Students are good teachers as well, and are able to "teach" or reteach ideas and concepts to their peers more effectively than I in some cases. Students teach each other through class discussions and exploratory laboratory activities. Is that OK, or too wordy?
The fifth grade teacher in my last school used centers, they were subject oriented: Math - folder games, math board games Lang - magnetic words/cookie sheets for sentence practice reading comp questions boggle/boggle jr and scrabble sequencing SS - oregon trail pc games Reading - cushy pillows and a small library
To reply to Beccmo...reading your response, i remember learning about a teaching style in college that was called the constructivist teacher. I def. think that is your teaching style from what you explained "My teaching style is student centered and encourages interaction." I would look into that theory and see if you could incorporate that into your response.
Questions I interviewed yesterday and here are some of the questions. I was so nervous that I can't remember them all. What do you think are the qualities of an excellent teacher? If we visited your classroom, what would we see? hear? How do you organize your room? What are your strengths? weaknesses? What do you do for behavior management? How do you involve parents in your classroom? From past positions or from student teaching, what would you say was your best professional development or teaching experience that has helped you? Why did you choose our district? Do you use centers? If so, what kind? Once the principal and literacy coach finished questioning me, I asked the principal: What do you feel is your role as principal? She was surprised by my question, but answered it. I wanted to make sure that she was an administrator that I would want to work under. I wanted to hear that she would support me and encourage me. By the way, I got a call today. I was hired tonight in their board meeting. YEAH!
I just wanted to say that I had a phone interview today and I was asked for a second interview!!!! I haven't posted on this website before, but I was lurking in here and used some of the answers from this thread to help my responses. You guys are awesome!!! :thanks: Thanks for having this thread and hopefully I will get the job!!!!!
Congratulations one your interview and welcome. This place is awesome for advice or just someone to vent to.
Yeah it was a lot in a short period of time but it was great experience. I'm in Pennsylvania. Sorry it took so long to respond. I've been spending lots of quality time with my kids!
Can anyone help me...When you are a teacher that believes in whole language instruction are you connecting reading and writing? I think I understand what whole language is...but i'm not 100% sure. I think its when you connect reading and writing across the curriculum. Am this right? Would literature circles be considered whole language?
Many years ago, a friend of mine interviewed for a first grade position and a question she was asked was what whole language is. She answered by saying it is a philosophy teaching reading. She was hired for the job and was told it was because of how she answered that question.
I'm in the process of re-reading this entire thread, and I can't remember if this has been posted in here, but here's a question that I got asked today. I kind of fumbled with it, but I'm curious to see how you all would answer. I don't remember the exact wording, but it was something like this... You come across a teacher on your team that is very upset with me (the principal) for something that I have done. The teacher comes to you to vent his/her anger. What do you do about it?
I would let the teacher vent. Everyone needs a safe haven where they can blow off steam. Unless this teacher was being very derogatory or was way off base, I think I would do my best to sympathize with his/her feelings and help him/her to find an appropriate way to deal with the situation. I might try to steer this teacher back to the principal to discuss the matter once he/she is more calm or perhaps suggest that he/she discuss the matter with the supervisor/dept head - BUT under no circumstances would I put the principal in a bad light or approach the principal.
Let them vent if the time is appropriate...redirect them to someone they can/should be telling this to. I would NEVER offer my own comments/advice about the problem. It's none of my business!
I have to say that I like cooperative learning, especially grouping the kids so that each group has high and low level students. This allows each student to contribute in his or her own way. For instance, for a project to create a poster about Greek Gods vs. Roman Gods kids can create a poster that discribes each God where one kid writes about the Greek, one writes about the Roman, another uses artistic talent to draw illustrations and still another can be the speaker of the group... I also like grouping kids according to ability on some projects and doing it by giving tiered assignments based on level. "We are all doing a project on the American Revolution. Group 1, you have a choice of projects from page 1. Group 2 you have a choice of projects from page 2..." Kids are given projects using different types of reading materials (leveled) with some overlap among groups.
I am brand new and have just started interviewing. None of my interviews have been as intense as y'all have described. Most of my interviews are spent with the principal telling me about their school. Am I doing something wrong? How can I encourage them to ask me more about me so they want to hire me? Gossamer
Gossamer, if they aren't asking you a lot of questions, it could be that you have answered questions when answering another question (I hope that makes sense). What part of TX are you in?
I got asked these questions Friday and I wasn't sure how to reply. What would you do with a student who seems disinterested in learning, but is still receiveing passing grades? You have a student who is behind grade level in reading and writing. What would you do? Tell us about a student. The last one drives me nuts. I've been asked it so many times and when I asked what they want to know they say anything. I end up picking a student I worked with who was struggling, talk about how I identified the problem and how I helped him to work through it. Any other ides on how to answer it?
Interview I Have an interview for an alternative certification program which guarantees you a job, any ideas on the kind of questions to expect???
Tell us about a student: As soon as I read this question, I thought of a student I had last year. We didn't get off on the best of terms. And throughout the year, I had problems getting him interested in learning, though I knew he could do the work. I was finally able to connect with him through a shared interest and used that to motivate him to work and the rest of the year was great! If I had to do it again, I would have approached this student differently at the beginning of the year.
Good luck. Remember your good traits that you use and bring to any job you do daily. Try to think of ways that it can correlate to an actual classroom setting. Are you good at handling cranky clients? Apply that to difficult parents/ students. Can you organize events smoothly? Apply that to organizing an unit of lesson plans sequentially. Can you multi-task easily and successfully? Show them how you'd organize/plan/execute fieldtrips,preparing report cards, prepping students for standardized testing and pull off a recital all at the same time. Put it on paper. Use graphs, pictures, powerpoint presentations and lots of color. Give hand outs of "test" lesson plans and evaluations/recommendations of what you did. Pictures are worth a thousand words, put it in a power point presentation/portfolio book. But, guarantees you a job?? Hmmm, I'd be suspicious. I don't mean to be a downer, sorry if it sounds that way. It can mean they give you a really difficult classroom to work in. Alternative certification usually means you do have a four year degree, but no educational classwork from college. So, It will mean that while you will be in a classroom, you will be learning the "guts" of teaching on the job by the seat of your pants and lotsa sweat. Plus, giving up after hours(some weekends involved) to going back to learn the "education classwork/ practical side of a classroom) in a collegeroom/seminar setting. It takes a REALLY determined and focused person to pull it off. Teaching is not for sissies or slackers even with a teaching certificate. On the other hand, it is just my opinion, but having a teaching certificate doesn't make you a teacher. It takes a minimum of three years to become proficient at it, and 5+ to be good at it. You learn most of what it takes on the job!!! Again good luck. let us know how it goes. munchkin.
Hi ..I am totally new to this field.....can you or anyone please answer the questions written above.....I am so so confused.... Suchi
