Frequently Asked Junior School Teacher Interview Questions
Q – 1 Why do you want to work for this school and district?
Ans- Before you walk into your teacher interview you should know the specific requirements of the teaching job you’re applying for and have sufficient information about the school and district. Research the school district’s website to understand their goals, philosophy and mission. If the school has its own website learn about any special programs or services it provides.
Find out the demographics of the elementary school and the community it serves. Use social networking sites to try and find out more about the school.
Q – 2 How have you used technology to enhance your teaching?
Ans- Provide examples of where you have effectively integrated technology into the lesson plan. Use you teacher portfolio to provide evidence of this.
Q – 3 What questions do you have for us?
Ans- Your interview preparation will help you to draw up a list of good questions to ask in your interview. Be ready with some insightful and meaningful questions.
Q – 4 How do you manage discipline in the classroom?
Ans- Effective classroom management is critical to learning in the elementary grades. You should be able to clearly articulate your classroom management plan. What practices do you use to minimize behavioral issues?
Examples include:
► well-planned lessons that maximize class time
► clear communication of expectations and standards
► consistent enforcement of classroom rules and boundaries
► well established routines
Q – 5 How do you evaluate the effectiveness of your lessons?
Ans- It is important to know if a lesson is working or not. There are a number of recognized evaluation mechanisms you can highlight. It is important to discuss the steps you take if the lesson has not worked well.
Q – 6 What is your classroom management plan?
Ans- My general classroom management plan is to make my classroom feel like a home to every student. I want them to feel valued, intelligent, safe, and comfortable. I want them to respect me, the teacher, and each other and to show that respect by treating everyone with kindness and caring.
The class environment must be conducive to learning so I welcome everyone’s opinions and encourage and respect student differences. I try to understand the expectations of my students and make them aware of my expectations. I always make it a point to clearly communicate my expectations at the beginning of the school year.
In this way, I ensure that the students and I are moving toward the same goal – learning for all. I establish firm, but fair and consistent discipline. I try to maintain a regular schedule each day. If the classroom is well-managed and teaching is effective, the participants in this learning environment will learn, grow, and become responsible citizens.
Q – 7 What motivates you to be an elementary teacher?
Ans- Expect interview questions that explore your personal motivation for the job. Have a convincing answer prepared and present yourself as a dedicated and passionate teacher. Think about all the things that motivate and energize you in the classroom each day. Make a list and formulate a persuasive interview answer.
Q – 8 What ways do you assess and evaluate students?
Ans- In assessing students, I make use of different methods. I use formal and informal assessment procedures to promote social, academic, and physical development. The usual assessment that I use is written quizzes (case studies, discussions) and examinations.
Throughout the semester, I also grade and assess students on their class participation such as recitations, reports, group activities, and seat work. I also assess and grade students based on their completion of assignments and timeliness in submission.
I also use authentic/alternative assessments, in which the student shows they can perform a task, such as making a speech or writing a story. I like to use written, oral, and day-to-day assessments.
Q – 9 How do you capture and maintain the attention of your students?
Ans- Kids in the elementary grades can quickly lose interest and become disengaged during a lesson. Active learning and active listening that ensure the students are thoroughly engaged with the learning materials, the teacher and each other is one way to keep the class involved and focused. Discuss the type of activities you have developed to prevent dead time and to ensure students stay on track.
Q – 10 What would your master teacher or cooperating teacher say about you?
Ans- My master teacher would say that I am incredibly energetic in teaching because I love what I do! She would say that I am the type of person who also goes the extra mile to help my students learn and comprehend their lessons regardless of their abilities. She would say that I also try to teach values that are important in life, including the value of discipline.
Q – 11 What strengths do you have that make you a successful elementary teacher?
Ans- Elementary teachers are required to demonstrate a wide range of competencies and skills. Core competencies and strengths include organization and planning skills, communication skills, adaptability and flexibility, judgment and decision-making, problem-solving, creativity and initiative.
Q – 12 How do you differentiate your teaching? Please provide a couple of examples?
Ans- My teaching is unique in the sense that while teaching approach is holistic, it is also inclusive and individualized. It is holistic because I not only share knowledge with my students, but I also elicit knowledge from them. For instance, when I was teaching mathematics, I didn’t simply teach formulas and methods of solving mathematical problems.
I also explained to my students the value of understanding numbers and the great things we can use math for, such as the ability to think logically. I include all students in my lessons. For those who have difficulty, I use cooperative learning, peer tutors, and re-teaching techniques. I attend to the individual needs of the students by modifying assignments.
For example, when I had a group of gifted children in my class, I regularly gave them special assignments to work on that would stimulate higher level thinking skills and had them present their work to the class.
Q – 13 What is the optimal design for a classroom in the elementary grades?
Ans- Elementary teacher interview questions that discuss classroom design are exploring a number of areas including your teaching style, your classroom management plan and your teaching philosophy. Describe the physical layout of your classroom and present floor plans from your portfolio. Discuss the reasons for the type of layout you prefer.
Q – 14 As a grade one teacher, how would you motivate parents to become involved in the classroom and in their child’s education?
Ans- What is critical to communicate in your response to this question is your understanding of the importance of parental involvement and how you always encourage participation to strengthen student-teacher-parent relationships. (Grandparents can also be encouraged to participate.)
Talk about some of the things that parents can volunteer to do in the classroom, such as: reading with students, preparing project materials, creating bulletin boards, sorting materials, setting up learning centers, hanging up students’ work, etc.
Q – 15 How do you encourage positive and constructive parental involvement?
Ans- Elementary teacher interview questions will include those that explore your approach to parents. It is necessary to work together with parents to optimize the learning and development of each student.
Discuss the mechanisms you use to communicate with parents and keep them informed, the techniques you use to encourage their support, how you create an environment where parents feel welcome and their input is valued.
Q – 16 What did you find to be the most difficult aspect of student (intern) teaching?
Ans- For me, the most difficult part of student teaching is the limited contact hours with students within one class period (or day). When I teach, I have so much information that I would like to impart to my students that time flies by too fast.
I always go to my classes full of energy and armed with lessons which I believe will stimulate curiosity and spark understanding and new insights in my students. There is so much information that I need to present for them to have a comprehensive understanding of a concept.
My challenge is to make sure that I structure my lessons so effectively that learning takes place in one class period (or day). So I plan ahead to maximize every minute of my class period (or day).
Q – 17 How do you deal with the different learning styles of your students?
Ans- Elementary teachers are required to address a variety of learning styles with their teaching plans and methods. Discuss how you adapt your instruction to match different learning styles.
Here are some examples:
► highly structured vs. creative lessons
► group vs. individual activities
► auditory vs. visual instruction
The important component in your answer is your ability to assess the best method for individual learning styles and to utilize it appropriately.
Q – 18 What will you do to modify your teaching to meet the needs of a gifted student?
Ans- A gifted student in the midst of the regular students can be a challenge in terms of addressing his or her particular needs and capabilities. What I will do is to modify his work assignments in expectation or length to fit his abilities. His tasks will require a higher level of understanding compared to the regular students.
During class discussions, I can direct questions to him or her that require higher-level thinking skills. I also would encourage the gifted student to take a leadership role in group work so that his classmates can emulate and be inspired by him.
Q – 19 Let’s pretend it’s almost the first day of school and you are a first grade teacher. How would you prepare your classroom?
Ans- This question tests how well you will manage the classroom. The philosophy is that the more organized you are, the more well-run your classroom will be. Don’t give the panel just a few words… they may be using a checklist to see how many items you mention. Plus, as a teacher, you should be very excited about this question and be able to speak for a while, but limit the response to two minutes.
Your response must provide them with an idea of how nurturing and inviting your classroom will be to students. Come up with some creative decorating ideas, making sure they are student-centered.
You could also mention a huge welcome sign, the daily schedule, age-appropriate posters, name tags for students, labeled desks (how will they be arranged?) and lockers, a list of class rules/consequences/rewards, and other labeled areas (e.g., the classroom library, manipulative storage, computer area), etc.
Or, mention that you might invite parents and students to visit the classroom the day before school starts, with the administrator’s permission. If you have a portfolio with have pictures of other first days of school, this is a great chance to share them with the panel.
Q – 20 What do you do to accommodate a student with an IEP?
Ans- An Individualized Education Plan will be successful if proper coordination and collaboration are emphasized by the teacher, parents, psychologist, and other school staff. I accommodate a student with an IEP by planning a series of in-depth discussions with the parents to learn about the student’s diagnosis and needs and later to inform the parents of his progress.
This allows me to design an education program that addresses his specific needs and puts into place special accommodations. I also will document my own observations and evaluations of the student’s academic work and behavior. As I gain knowledge and information about the student with the IEP, it will be easier for me to decide on the lessons and teaching and learning styles I should use to accommodate his needs and maximize his learning.
There are many types of accommodations, depending on the student’s diagnosis, for example, instructing a student through the use of manipulatives, providing a seat near the front of the room, reinforcing positive behavior every few minutes, providing extra time for assignments, and giving tests orally instead of in writing.
Q – 21 Do you enjoy teaching children? If so, how would I know if I observed your class?
Ans- What I most enjoy in teaching is hearing my students explain, in their own words, what they learned in a particular lesson and watching them enjoy participating in a lesson. When you observe my class, you will see that I get my students engaged in our discussions and activities. You will see that my students actively participate in each lesson.
I make sure that all of them have a chance to speak, express their thoughts, and share them with the class. I enjoy how their faces brighten every time I recognize their efforts to learn by saying, “Very good,” “That’s a great idea,” “Good job,” and other encouraging phrases.
At the end of the lesson, you will hear the students explain what they learned. Most of all, you’ll know that I enjoy teaching because the children in my class look happy.
Q – 22 Do you know what is going on in education today? Do you have a passion for the profession? In other words, do you stay current?
Ans- Here is a possible answer for this question. I love education. I think that it is imperative to be a lifelong learner when one is a teacher. I plan to continue my education by (fill in this blank with your own plans). Technology continues to evolve into a strategic part of education.
Tablet PCs and hand held devices are the newest gadgets on the market for students to use; the internet is an incredible resource. Technology provides interactive, individualized learning experiences, increasing student engagement and efficiency – in safer and more secure schools.
Multiculturalism and securing equal opportunities for all are important themes in education. And, of course, teaching to state standards to upgrade student academic progress is very important.
Q – 23 Tell me little bit about yourself?
Ans- Oh, yes, this is the question that is most likely to be asked first. I call it a two minute commercial about yourself. This is a great opportunity to sell yourself to the school district representatives. Keep in mind, if it is the first question asked, it will set the stage for the interview, so it needs to be extremely strong.
Don’t be too modest. This will provide an overview, an introduction, to you. You might start by stating, “As you can see from my resume….” and then mention your degrees and certifications and give a quick run down of your relevant experience. The last 1 ½ minutes should be used to communicate your strengths and skills and what you can do to enhance education in their district.
In other words, they are asking “Why should we hire you?” Practice this carefully. You need a few sentences that answer that question at the end of your response. Also, at the end, you may want to mention why you would enjoy working for the school district in the
Q – 24 Tell me what are some of the trends, issues, and methodologies in education that relate to your specific curriculum area or grade level?
Ans- Here are some trends, issues, and methodologies that relate to most subjects and grade levels. You might say: It seems that increasingly students have more information and knowledge than ever before due to access to the internet. A teacher has to be aware of what the internet is, how it can be used in positive ways, and how to protect students from negative influences on the internet.
Q – 25 Are you a flexible teacher? If so, explain how?
Ans- Yes I am a flexible teacher. I can deal very effectively with people and students from all backgrounds and socio-economic groups. In teaching, I am completely aware that students have different learning rates and styles. Some are fast learners and some are slow learners, some learn best in auditory manner, others through actions or visual media.
Still others have specific learning disabilities. I am flexible in the sense that I address these differences and make it a point to respond to their different needs. In my teaching, I make use of different learning strategies so that my instruction will be interesting and motivating to students. I use lecture, discussion, hands-on activities, cooperative learning, projects, manipulatives, role playing, debates, reports, technology, and others.
Q – 26 Tell us what can you contribute to our school community/teaching team?
Ans- I am the type of teacher who shares with my peers the classroom experiences that I have had, whether good or bad. I do this because I believe that this the best way for me and other teachers to improve our teaching. In this way, I get to share with them the best of my skills and, in return, they share with me the best of their skills.
I also find that this is a very good way to learn how to handle situations that are difficult or unusual. The feeling of not being alone, but being part of a team of teachers, is what I can bring to the school. This will help build morale and a great working environment.
Q – 27 English related interview questions for Junior School Teacher:
Ans-
► What/who are your favourite childrens books/writers?
► What texts did I study at University and how did I think they would be relevant to teaching Secondary English.
► What Shakespeare play would I choose to teach a mixed ability class of 14yr olds and why did I feel it was a good play to choose?
► How would I structure the first lesson on Shakespeare and how would that relate to the lessons that would follow?
► How did I think English added to a child’s overall school experience?
► If budget was no problem and you were able to take a group of students anywhere in the world to study English, where would you take them? Having studied a lot of American literature at Kent I had no problems with this question but it completely threw the other girls at the interview.
Q – 28 Secondary Junior School Teacher Questions:
Ans-
► How would you teach a group of year 9’s after PE on a Friday afternoon about food? How would you teach the same group if there was a large difference in ability i.e. very bright children to children barely able to read and write?
► What differences are there between university and school education?
► What is the role of the Teaching Assistant in the classroom?
► Asked how I would use the things I learnt in my degree in a classroom.
► How would you place students in the classroom? Do you think this has any relevance to effective learning?
► What do you understand by the term ‘teaching methods’? Why is this an important consideration?
► When did you first come to Britain? (I’m from France).
► How are your studies going?
► Do I enjoy studying?
► Through undertaking your course and reflecting on the teaching methods used, what have you learnt which will influence your own teaching methods?
► Can I use the research involved in my MA when I do PGCE?
► What could a PGCE bring me?
► What are you most looking forward to teaching?
► How have you prepared for the interview?
► What would I do with a class of disinterested fifteen year olds to keep them interested.
► How would you track your students’ progress, and do you feel it is important to do this?
Q – 29 History related interview questions for Junior School Teacher:
Ans-
► Why do you want to be a history teacher?
► How would you make History interesting?
► Why teach history to children?
► What do you like about history?
► What will you do if you don’t get the place here?
► If you have a paper from the 1870s (in the Wild West) about women’s role within society, is it a primary source or a secondary source? Please explain your answer.
► What subject of history would you say you know best? They then asked me about it.
► What are the particular challenges of teaching history today?
► Briefly explain your dissertation’s conclusion.
► What type of sources and historians did you use on your dissertation? Name one.
► What are your strengths and weaknesses in terms of the history National Curriculum?
► How do you feel about a skills-based vs a factual approach to teaching History?
► What history did you see in the school you visited?
► What particular challenges might Key Stage 3 pupils pose?
► What is it about your ideas that would motivate young people?
Q – 30 Junior School Teacher Class Discipline/Motivation Interview Questions:
Ans-
► What would you do if a pupil refuses to participate?
► Would you be able to manage/discipline a group of 32 fourteen year olds?
► How could you control a class?
► How would you motivate a class of year 9 students that have no interest in drama?
► What makes a good lesson?
► Do you think you have the ability to work with difficult students?
► How would you combat bullying?
► What do you understand about child protection? How important would you say child protection was? If a child confided in you and asked you too keep something a secret how would you respond to this?
Q – 31 Drama related interview questions for Junior School Teacher:
Ans–
► Why do you want to teach drama?
► What will make you a good drama teacher?
► What particular practitioners or drama theories do you like and why?
► What practitioners do you like?
► How would you use ICT in the drama classroom?
► Choose a dramatist or a practitioner you admire and explain how you would introduce that person to your pupils.
► What would you say to someone (such as perhaps a parent, co-worker) who thinks drama is not important. That is, please explain the value of drama in school.
Q – 32 About Junior School Teacher Equal Opportunities interview questions:
Ans-
► How would you make sure students had equal opportunities in the classroom.
► Questions involving Equal Opportunities are asked to every candidate unless, like myself, you wrote about it in the exam
► What are the differences in teaching in inner London schools
► What do you think about placing children with Special Educational Needs in mainstream schools?
► What is Every Child Matters?
► How would I approach teaching a mixed ability class?
► What would you do to help less able children?
► Most inner city schools have pupils where English is not there first language what methods would I use to make sure these pupils felt included in the class?
► You must know Inclusion and Equal Opportunities inside out, as you will either decide to write on it in the exam, or you will be asked about it in the interview, and they really want to see that you know what you are talking about.
Q – 33 Mathematics related interview questions for Junior School Teacher:
Ans-
► Questions were more of an informal discussion with input from both sides.
► Tell me about your A level choices
► Tell me about your university choice
► Why do you want to teach maths?
► Tell me about your school experience
Q – 34 Junior School Teacher classroom experience interview questions:
Ans-
► What would you need to provide to create a stimulating learning environment?
► Describe a teacher you have worked with who you judge to be a good teacher.
► Give an example of your work with children?
► How many days work experience do you have?
► Describe a difficult scenario you faced in your work experience.
► General questions about my own school experience and to describe its positive and negative aspects.
► The head teacher concentrated on school based questions such as past experience, what these experiences have taught you, why you would want to teach and even possible future scenarios and how you would deal with such problems.
► Try to get some work experience in schools: you will see different teachers using different teaching techniques and methods which will give you material to talk about/use in your interview or written piece. I went to both primary and secondary so was in a good position to argue why I wanted to teach secondary.
► I would strongly recommend visiting the Schools in your area for 2 – 3 days to give you a realistic impression of the career you are choosing. It will also be a valuable talking point in your interview and will show the interviewer that you are keen and have taken initiative. Read around the subject.
► Make sure you have some work experience: they seem to place immense importance on this.
► Tell me about the school you visited. What kind of school was it? What impressions did you gain about the school?
Q – 35 Basic Junior School Teacher interview questions:
Ans-
► Why do you want to become a teacher?
► What do you think makes a good teacher?
► What qualities do you have that will make you a good teacher?
► What are you looking forward to about being a teacher?
► What are your concerns about being a teacher?
► Why do you want to come here for your PGCE?
► Do you feel you would be able to cope with the demands of a teacher training course?
► Why do you want to do a PGCE course now and not later?
► What motivates you to teach: your subject or working with children?
► What have you done since graduating?
Q – 36 Computing based interview questions for Junior School Teacher:
Ans-
► How would you introduce Excel spreadsheets to a class of year 7?
► What are the options available for students to take in Key Stage 4 ICT?
► Do you support group working in computing?
► What is your understanding of normalisation with regards to databases?
► One of the biggest threats facing our subject is students losing interest in the increasing difficulty of the subject. Computer science is now estimated to be as difficult as a Physics GCSE. How would you actively work to ensure uptake numbers increased and students enjoyed the course but still achieved good grades?
► How are you going to approach the ever expanding problem of students abilities gap being very broad in this subject?
► How are you going to approach teaching programming (of any language) to younger students?
► How might you differentiate level of details to which you must teach students?
► What specifically do you enjoy most about computing?
► Do you think there is enough emphasis on e-safety in the curriculum?
► Do you think its possible to overuse ICT and multimedia in lessons?
Q – 37 Your approach to working with parents and other adults interview questions:
Ans-
► What is your experience with parents in school? How could this be developed?
► How would you deal with a hostile or aggressive parent?
► How would you seek to work cooperatively with your colleagues?
► What support would you expect from staff as a newly qualified teacher (NQT)?
► How would you seek to work with adults other than teachers in your classroom?
► Give an example of when you have worked effectively within a team?
Q – 38 Science related interview questions for Junior School Teacher:
Ans-
► Explain the diffusion of potassium permanganate in water as if I was teaching a pre-GCSE class.
► How does a small plant turn into a big tree?
► What is voltage and current?
► How does salt dissolve in water?
► When you bite an apple, what happens between your mouth and stomach?
► How does a microwave work? Why does the plate inside rotate?
► I throw a pen up in the air and it lands on the table – what are all of the forces acting on this pen?
► What is an X-ray is and how does it work (but imagine you’re explaining it to an 11 year old)
Q – 39 Secondary Junior School Teacher Interview Questions:
Ans-
► Why do we teach (your subject) in schools?
► How would you motivate year 9 pupils who have lost interest in the subject?
► What would you say to a student considering taking your subject at A-level?
► What are your views on cross-curricular teaching?
► What are your views on streaming/sets/mixed-ability teaching?
► How would you address the underachievement of boys/girls in your subject area?
► Have you had any experience of vocational education?
► What bearing do you think future developments (in your subject) will have on your teaching?
► How would you teach (an area relevant to your subject) to a year 8 mixed-ability group?
Q – 40 Art related interview questions for Junior School Teacher:
Ans-
► Why do you want to be an art teacher?
► What qualities would you bring to an art department?
► How would you convince a parent art and design is a subject there child should study?
► Why do you think art and design is important for children to learn?
Q – 41 Questions About Junior School Teacher:
Ans-
► Tell us about yourself and what inspires you.
► What personal interests do you have that could be of value to the school?
► What unique qualities can you bring to the school?
► How do you know when you have had a good day?
► How do you handle stress?
Q – 42 Primary interview questions for Junior School Teacher:
Ans-
► How in your opinion could you tell if it is a good school by walking in through the door? What would you look for?
► What would you think about in preparing the classroom for the first day of a new school year with a new class?
► How would you go about trying to include different methods of teaching for a very uninteresting subject?
► A ‘high achiever’ in the class has not been working to his/her potential over the last two weeks or so. What would you do?
► Relevance of your degree subject
► How does your degree apply to Primary teaching?
► What is the relevance of your degree subject to primary teaching?
► Why do you want to teach this age group?
► Do you prefer Key Stage One or Key Stage Two, and why?
► What key stage are you most interested in and why?
► The lecturer asked more educational based questions such as what qualities and qualifications you have
► I wasn’t asked any questions specifically related to the PGCE, because in the test that I had to do, I covered all the questions that the interviewer was going to ask – he read my responses in the test just before my interview, then called me into the room for a chat, more than an interview. “Why do you want to be a teacher?”. The questions I was asked helped the interviewer do more of a character analysis on me, rather than ask specific PGCE/Teaching orientated questions.
Q – 43 Junior School Teacher Introductory Interview Questions:
Ans-
► Have you enjoyed your visit to the school?
► Why have you applied for this post?
Q – 44 Primary Junior School Teacher Questions:
Ans-
Is there an element of your degree that enthused you to go into teaching?
Were there any teachers that inspired you? Why?
Were there any teachers that inspired you and what did they do than made them good?
► What aspect of teaching concerns/worries you?
► Why do you want to specialise in Maths?
► What other subjects would you be good at/enjoy (Exeter)
► Which subjects would you enjoy teaching?
► Which subjects would you least enjoy teaching?
► What subject do you think you are strongest at?
► What subject do you think you are weakest at?
► How do children learn?
► ‘What have you learned from your own learning experience in the past year?’
► Had to previously read an extract on ‘Children and Creativity’ and research it in preparation for the interview.
► What books have you read recently for pleasure?
► Who is your favourite children’s author and why?
► What book would you choose to teach a mixed sex year 8 class?
► What teaching methods are most effective?
► How would you decorate a classroom? Which colours would you use? Why? Advantages of colour vs black & white
Q – 45 Junior School Teacher Primary interview questions:
Ans-
► How would you evaluate the effectiveness of the literacy strategy?
► What is the place of topic work in school and what is your experience of it?
► Which reading/mathematics schemes have you used?
► What are your views on the balance between creativity and basic skills?
► How might you use ICT in your teaching?
► How would you ensure the continued improvement of numeracy standards in your class?
► How would you structure literacy lessons to ensure equal access for all pupils?
Q – 46 Junior School Teacher Extra-curricular activities interview question:
Ans-
► What hobbies do you have that could be applied to extra-curricular activities?
► What interests have you got that could help the school and how (e.g. music, sport)?
► Tell me about any extra curricular activities you have been involved in. He referred to things I had written in my Personal Statement, so the more diverse and varied you can make it, the better – if you have a talent (i.e. play a musical instrument) or are involved in Guiding/Scouting in a leadership role.
► What do you think about after-school clubs?
► Apart from your time observing in a school, what other experiences do you have that are relevant to teaching? What have you learnt from these?
Q – 47 About the National Curriculum and Educational Issues Interview Question:
Ans-
► How do you feel your degree is relevant to the curriculum?
► Do you think that the National Curriculum was a good idea?
► Be aware of the current National Curriculum.
► There was lots of stress on the specific qualities/skills of teachers: it helps to be up-to-date on educational issues, especially the National Curriculum.
► Try to have an awareness of the syllabus but you won’t need to know it in detail.
► What do you know about the curriculum? Read up on anything they specifically ask you to like 5-14 curriculum. Relate answers to your experience as much as possible.
► What educational issues have interested you in the news recently, and why?
► Which current educational issues are concerning you?
► They ask about ‘issues’ which have been in the news and media concerning schools and education.
► What are the most important issues facing schools at the moment?
► What improvements could be made to schools?
► What are the challenges and opportunities facing secondary teaching?
► Why is subject knowledge so important when teaching pupils?
► Read up on current educational issues. Although I was not questioned on any of these I know they do sometimes come up as a friend was questioned on her knowledge
► Make sure you do your research on current issues in education as you will be expected to talk in depth on something.
Q – 48 Pastoral care Junior School Teacher Interview Questions:
Ans-
► What is the role of a form tutor and what relevant experience have you had?
► How would you seek to promote the moral, social and cultural development of the pupils?
► To which aspects of personal and social education could you make a contribution?
► How would you get to know your tutor group/class?
Q – 49 Handling professional issues in the classroom interview questions:
Ans-
► What are your particular strengths and weaknesses as a teacher?
► Describe the worst or best lesson you have given. What would you do differently? Say why it was successful or unsuccessful.
► How do you judge the achievement of pupils in your subject?
► If we visited your classroom in October, what could we expect to see?
► What is the role of target setting?
► How would you ensure that you respond effectively to the differing needs and abilities of pupils?
► How would you foster equal opportunities in the classroom/school?
► How would you accommodate children who have English as an additional language?
► How would you raise a child’s self-esteem and aspirations?
► How far do children in your classroom direct their own learning?
► What are your views on the value of homework?
► Which is more important, teaching or learning, and why?
Q – 50 About Junior School Teacher skills interview questions:
Ans-
► What skills should a teacher have?
► What makes you think you would be a good teacher?
► Why should we take you rather than the other candidates who have applied?
► What qualities do you have that will make you a good teacher?
► What skills do you need to work on to improve?
► What skills could you bring to a school?
► Describe a situation when have you had to use your initiative.
► Why will you be able to handle the pressures? What is it about you that will enable you to cope with the stress and demands of this profession which has a high turnover?
► On the scheme you will always be under pressure. How will you organise/cope? What experiences have you had to prepare you for this?
► Explain why you think it is important to show enthusiasm and interest when working with young people?
► Explain how you think your most recent working experience will prove useful in your teaching career.
► Can you tell me about a time when you went to someone for advice, and how you reacted to this advice.
► Other than [Primark and your time in schools] what other experience do you have working with young people?
► What skills do you think you have that make you particularly good at handling people?
► How would you like to be described by the pupils you teach?
► Choose any topic and say how you would go about teaching it
Q – 51 Junior School Teacher career development interview questions:
Ans-
► How will you develop yourself as a professional teacher?
► Where do you see yourself in five years?
Q – 52 Behavior management interview questions:
Ans-
► What are your views about discipline?
► How much noise and moving around the classroom would you permit?
► How would you cope with a child constantly interrupting the lesson?
► How would you deal with bullying?
► What would you do if your strategies for behaviour management were not succeeding?
Q – 53 Explain your choice of Junior School Teacher or local authority:
Ans-
► What makes a successful school?
► How would you support the ethos of this school?
► How could you integrate the community into your teaching?
Q – 54 If you overheard some colleagues talking about you then what would they say?
Ans- This is one of my favorite questions (it’s based on a question my National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) coach used to ask me) because it gets candidates to think about their contribution to the school organisation and their team spirit.
If I’m interviewing for a senior leader I would follow this up with: what would you want them to say about you in three years time? This way I can get a sense of where they want to develop as leaders.
Q – 55 If we decided not to appoint you, what would we be missing out on?
Ans- This is great as it enables candidates to sell themselves and really tell us what they are about.
Q – 56 Tell us about your preschool teacher education (i.e. educational qualifications)?
Ans- Any job in this world requires either a skill set or an academic degree or both. Ensure that you answer this question in a factual and concise manner. The answers that you provide may be referenced and checked; present accordingly.
Q – 57 What is Kindergarten?
Ans- A kindergarten literally children’s garden is a preschool educational approach traditionally based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. The first such institutions were created in the late eighteenth century in Bavaria and Strasbourg to serve children both of whose parents worked out of the home.
Q – 58 What do you think are your strengths and weaknesses? How would these have an influence on the pre-school?
Ans- No human being is without their strengths and weaknesses. In your response, begin and end with your strengths. Do not overly emphasize your weaknesses, and mentioning one or two should suffice. If it is something that would possibly interfere with your work, explain how you compensate. Focus on your positive attributes and how they help you perform well.
Q – 59 Tell us about a successful behavior management strategy you have used in the past that helped engage a pupil or group of pupils?
Ans- This allows candidates to give a theoretical answer – one that anyone who swotted up could give you – balanced with a personal reflection that shows how effective they are.
Q – 60 What are the key qualities and skills that students look for in teachers?
Ans- Liking young people. Fairness. Consistency. Sense of humour. Passion for their subject. Good at explaining new concepts/ideas. Able to make the topic or subject relevant. Able to make everyone feel comfortable and confident about contributing.
Q – 61 What do you think is the most important aspect that a KG works on, and what is the most important aspect that a preschool teacher imparts to the child?
Ans- Education is not just teaching the written word, but it is also molding an entire generation into forward thinking, practical individuals. Also, values are the most important aspects that one can give to the young generation.
Therefore, you should be careful and answer the question with an answer that would send across the point that you focus on the discipline and values that a preschool teacher can impart to children. This is the time to arouse in the children interest in learning and socializing appropriately, while introducing them to rules and regulations.
Q – 62 Why did you select a preschool teacher career?
Ans- Being a preschool teacher is not an easy job. And not everyone can be a preschool teacher. There has to be some aspects in yourself that made you desire such a position and that will make you the perfect candidate for a preschool teacher job position.
One of the most important aspects is that you should have a natural love for kids and enjoy helping them and being surrounded by them. There is no place for irritability, intolerance or impatience in the job and life of a preschool teacher. These are the concepts that you should bring out in the interview answers, with perhaps a brief, revealing anecdote or two.
Q – 63 How do you communicate with students parents?
Ans- This question will come up at almost every elementary school interview. It’s fairly common in the middle school and high school as well. You might have a weekly parent newsletter that you send home each week.
For grades 3 and up, you may require students to have an assignment book that has to be signed each night. This way, parents know what assignments are given and when projects are due. When there are discipline problems you call home and talk to parents. It’s important to have an open-door policy and invite parents to share their concerns at any time.
Q – 64 Why do you want to work in special education?
Ans- We’re looking to see that the person genuinely recognises that we’re in the business of education as opposed to simply caring for the children (surprisingly, some applicants don’t really see it that way).
Q – 65 How will you prepare students for standardized assessments?
Ans- There are standardized assessments at almost every grade level. Be sure you know the names of the tests. Talk about your experiences preparing students. You’ll get bonus points if you know and describe the format of the test because that will prove your familiarity.
Q – 66 Why do you want to work in this school?
Ans- We want to see clear indications that candidates have done background work about our school and can talk about why the way we work appeals to them. We’d always want candidates to have visited the school so they should be able to flesh this out with specific examples of what they thought based on their visit.
Q – 67 How to make sure you meet the needs of a student with an IEP?
Ans- An IEP is an “individualized education plan.” Students with special needs will be given an IEP, or a list of things that you must do when teaching the child. An IEP might include anything from “additional time for testing” to “needs all test questions read aloud” to “needs to use braille textbook.”
How do you ensure you’re meeting the needs of a student with an IEP? First, read the IEP carefully. If you have questions, consult a special education teacher, counselor, or other staff member who can help you. Then, you just make sure you follow the requirements on the IEP word for word.
When necessary, you may be asked to attend a meeting in which you can make suggestions for updating the IEP. Your goal, and the goal of the IEP, is to make sure the student has whatever he or she needs to be successful in your class.
Q – 68 How would you handle a particular situation in the KG classroom?
Ans- This question is more or less aimed at finding out whether you can think on your feet and how child-appropriate your course of action or thought is. Describe how you handle children wanting the same toy. Or what you would do if one child ruin’s his classmate’s art project or kicks and hits.
Detail how each child is spoken to; how you focus your attention on the injured party.
Q – 69 Why do we teach ABC in schools?
Ans- This question really throws people. If it is maths or English they sometimes look back at you as if you are mad. They assume it is obvious – a very dangerous assumption – and then completely fail to justify the subject’s existence.
“Whatever the subject, I expect to hear things like: to improve skills and independent learning; to encourage team work;
to gain a qualification; for enjoyment (very important, rarely mentioned); to enhance other subjects; to develop literacy, numeracy and ICT skills; to improve career prospects; self discipline; memory development; to encourage life-long learning in that subject. The list goes on…
Q – 70 Tell us about your-self?
Ans- This will be among the first common teacher interview questions at almost every in-person. Just give a brief background in about three sentences. Tell them what colleges you graduated from, what you’re certified to teach, what your teaching & working experiences are, and why you’d love the job.
Q – 71 If I walked into your classroom during an outstanding lesson, what would I see and hear?
Ans- I’d like to hear about: animated discussions, students clearly making progress as evidenced in oral and written contributions. High quality visual displays of students’ work showing progress. High levels of engagement. Behaviour that supports learning.
Q – 72 Describe your discipline philosophy?
Ans- You use lots of positive reinforcement. You are firm, but you don’t yell. You have appropriate consequences for inappropriate behavior. You have your classroom rules posted clearly on the walls. You set common routines that students follow. You adhere to the school’s discipline guidelines.
Also, emphasize that you suspect discipline problems will be minimal because your lessons are very interesting and engaging to students. Don’t tell the interviewer that you “send kids to the principal’s office” whenever there is a problem.
You should be able to handle most discipline problems on your own. Only students who have committed very serious behavior problems should be sent to the office.
Q – 73 How do you teach the state standards?
Ans- If you interview in the United States, school administrators love to talk about state, local, or national standards! Reassure your interviewer that everything you do ties into standards.
Be sure the lesson plans in your portfolio have the state standards typed right on them. When they ask about them, pull out your lesson and show them the close ties between your teaching and the standards.
Q – 74 What is IEP (individualized education plan)?
Ans- The IEP, Individualized Education Program, is a written document that’s developed for each public school child who is eligible for special education. The IEP is created through a team effort and reviewed at least once a year. Before an IEP can be written, your child must be eligible for special education.
Q – 75 What is the meaning of a primary caregiver to a child?
Ans- This is a term used instead of ‘mother’ or ‘father’, as many children today are raised by one parent or another person entirely, be it relative or friend. This term avoids calling attention to each child’s state. If there are children in the class whose primary caregiver is not the mother, sensitivity and forethought will allow you to tell all kinds of stories without upsetting or embarrassing children.