INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR ENGLIGH POSITION

							               INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR ENGLIGH POSITION



*What is the last book or article you have read related to your subject area
or as professional development opportunity?

*Interview for English
*** Discuss the current English position and options.

1.    Tell me about yourself.
2.    What classes are you currently teaching?
3.    How would describe your philosophy about education?
4.    What do you like most about teaching?
5.    What do you like the least?
6.    Besides family, who has influenced you the most in your life, and how?
7.    How would you go about maintaining discipline within your classroom?
8.    If you were having difficulties in the classroom, what would you do?
9.    What do you do with a student that isn’t motivated because he/she thinks the
subject matter isn’t important?
10.     Have you had any experience in the traditional 47 minute period? If not, what
are your thoughts on that?
11.      How would you handle a situation where you would only be a few years older
that some of the students?
12.     Finish this statement and then elaborate, “I consider myself a good teacher
because…”
13.    What understanding do you have of the differences in individual learning styles
and how do you use that information in the classroom?
14.    What aspects of the English curriculum do you feel are most important for
students to know?
15.     How much writing do you feel students need to do and what sorts of activities
would you have them do?
16.    How would you handle a situation if a student tells you things in confidence that
you feel are too important to ignore?
17.    How would you handle classes if they were not at the level you would expect
them to be?
18.    How do you know when you’re being successful in the classroom?
19.    What are your thoughts about taking on extra-curricular activities and what areas
would you be willing to help coach or sponsor??
20.   What questions do you have you would like to ask?

***Walk him/her around the building.




Background and Introduction

1.    Tell me about yourself.

2.    Describe yourself with 2 or 3 adjectives.

3.    What are your endorsements?

4.    What is your professional background?

5.    Explain your experience as it relates to this position.

6.    What are your career goals (short and long term)?

7.    Why do you want to teach high school?

8.    What characteristics do you have that will help you to work with colleagues or
students who are different from you?

9.    What experiences have you had, both in your teacher education program and in
other jobs or volunteer work that have helped to prepare you to become a teacher?

10.   What is your greatest strength right now? Where do you need to improve the
most?

11.   What has been your most/least enjoyable teaching/learning experience? Why?

12.   What would your student teaching supervisor/principal say about you?

13.   What separates an average teacher from a great teacher?

14.   (if needed) Are you willing to obtain the needed certification for this position?
15.   Students

16.   Describe some characteristics of high school students.

17.   What three expectations do you have of your students?

18.   Describe your experience working with special education students.

19.   What makes you well-suited to teach high school students?



20.   Instruction, Curriculum and Assessment

21.    Give examples of how you have instructionally designed your lessons to meet the
varying abilities of your students (low, average, high).

22.   How do you organize an effective lesson (planning, sequence, support,
appropriate, engaging, etc.)?

23.    Tell me more about your instructional style. How do you teach? What would we
see in your classroom?

24.   How do you incorporate technology into your instruction?

25.   How do you incorporate thinking skills into your class?
26.   How do you utilize different teaching strategies to best provide for the learning
needs of all students?

27.    Discuss ways you assess student learning. (how do you measure student
learning and/or check for understanding?)

28.   What is the purpose of homework?

29.   Describe a typical homework assignment.

30.   How do you select resources?

31.   What is the goal of your instruction?
32.   How do you motivate the unmotivated?

33.   What is unique about your approach to teaching?

34.   On a typical day in the middle of the school year, I walk into your classroom.
Describe what I will see.

35.    What will be the most important thing you do to develop and maintain your
classroom?

36.   What role do you see the principal playing in discipline?

37.    There are some boys that seem to not respect women as much as men. How
will you deal with those students?

38.   What are the essential elements of an effective lesson?

39.   How do you start/end a lesson?

40.   At the end of a class period, how will you know if students have learned what
you have taught?



Classroom Management

41.   Discuss your classroom management philosophy/plan.

42.    Tell me how you have handled a student that was repeatedly disruptive in the
classroom.

43.    Describe your classroom’s physical appearance. (Applicant will hopefully address,
to varying degrees, teaching style, ability to effectively manage the class, level and
quality of student interaction, and teaching philosophy.)



Classroom and School Community

44.   How do you promote acceptance, tolerance and diversity in your classroom?
45.   Whether on a team or in a special area, it is important that colleagues reflect a
sense of teamwork. Describe ways you contribute to collegial support and staff morale.

46.    Aside from the instructional delivery of the curriculum in the classroom, how
have you had (or how do you see yourself having) a positive influence on the lives of
your students?



Situations

47.    Describe the toughest student/students you have had to deal with, and how you
resolved the situation.

48.   Think of a time when a student did not understand a concept or a student was
incapable of
    performing to the academic expectations of the class. How did you respond?

49.   Describe a lesson you have taught that was particularly successful/unsuccessful.
What did you do as a result of evaluating the lesson?

50.    An angry parent contacts you with concerns about how you are handling their
child. How do you handle the situation?

51.    There are teachers who sometimes bend to students over a period of time. How
will you continue to maintain high expectations throughout the year, even though
students will try to get you to ease up?

52.    You have just completed a unit that appeared to be well-planned and effective.
Yet, the average score on the unit test was 64 percent. What does this mean to you
and what will your next step be?

53.    At the beginning of the year, a student named “Joe” quickly emerges as one of
your better students. Joe is an A/B student who works hard and is conscientious, in
addition to being friendly, respectful, and well-mannered. However, as the school year
continues, Joe becomes somewhat withdrawn. He does not say as much and his grades
slowly begin to decline. All of this takes place slowly and quite subtly. Describe how you
would handle this situation.
54.   Some teachers fail in their first year and are released. Why do you think that is?

55.   How will you demonstrate professional responsibility outside the school?



Professional Identity, Care and Development

56.   What three words would your students use to describe you?

57.   How do/will you stay current in your field?

58.   What do you think is the most critical issue facing education today?

59.   What did you learn this year that will make you a better teacher next year?

60.   Think of your best teachers. What positive characteristics do you believe these
teachers demonstrated?

61.   Which of these characteristics do you believe you have?

62.   Why do you feel that you are the best candidate for the position?



Speech

63.   How many speeches and what types of speeches do you think a student should
be able to prepare and deliver in a semester?

64.   What process do you teach students to prepare a speech?

65.    How do you assess speeches? What is truly important?
English/Reading/Writing

66.    What are some of the most critical concepts/skills English students need to
learn/do?

67.   What experience do you have in teaching the writing process?

68.   What types of writing should be taught at the high school?
69.   How do you teach reading to high school students?

70.   How do you teach writing at the high school?

71.   Do you have any experience with the Accelerated Reader program?



Conclusion

72.   What sports/activities are you interested in coaching or sponsoring?

73.   As we consider all of our applicants, what should we keep in mind about you?

74.   Is there any legal reason why you are not eligible to teach in the state of Illinois?

75.   What questions do you have for us?