Interview

I am currently studying to get my educational specialist degree in school administration. Part of my coursework was to create a list of twenty interview questions. Here's my list. Use them for your own interviews or try to answer a few in the comments. I would also welcome any ideas you may have on interviewing staff.

Additional Note: I've changed some names of people and schools to maintain some sort of anonymity.

20 Interview Questions

In creating my interview questions, I used a couple of reference points from which to work. First, I used the advice shared by Dr. **** to keep the questions open-ended and focused on the task of facilitating student learning. Second, I used the evaluation standards as set by the ******** Public Schools guidelines for teacher evaluation. I have added additional reasoning for each question in italics. Of course, I might not ask these questions in this particular order. That might be something I’d leave up to an interview committee of teachers, parents, and other school stakeholders.

Assessment

1. Describe the methods in which you evaluate student learning in both the short- and long-term.
   Since assessing student learning is an ongoing process that helps shape instruction and not just a test we give in the spring, I want to know how teachers implement such assessments from day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month, etc.
2. What are some ways you make assessments assist in student growth as opposed to just evaluating their performance?
   This question will hopefully demonstrate how a teacher’s methods of assessment can aid in the ultimate goal of student achievement.
3. Describe how you determine a student is making adequate progress, needs additional support, or would benefit from enrichment activities.
   An applicant’s response to this inquiry can reveal his/her ability to analyze data and properly respond.
4. How do you insure that your lessons help students achieve higher orders of thinking?
   I hear a lot of teachers talk about achieving higher order thinking, but I want to know how they intend to accomplish this.
5. In what ways do you involve students in the assessment process?
   This question implies a collaborative effort in helping make objectives transparent and helping students reflect and grow from assessments.

Instruction Strategies (Facilitation)

6. When planning a lesson, what are the components you are sure to include?
I want to know what a teacher includes when planning a lesson to insure that there are no holes in the process.

7. How have you collaborated with your peers in improving instruction and curriculum?
This is one of those questions that I want concrete examples of a teacher’s ability to work with others in improving student learning.

8. What strategies do you use to insure student engagement?
Student engagement is one of the most important indicators of successful facilitation. I want to know that my teachers think about this and plan ways to insure it is high.

9. What are some ways in which you have differentiated instruction for your students?
Again, this is one of those topics that are best illustrated through specific examples. Differentiation is one of the more difficult tasks every teacher must encounter.

10. Explain how assessments figure into your lesson planning.
I want to know that assessments are seen as a tool for instruction that is utilized throughout a lesson or unit. A red flag would go up if the assessment is only viewed as a tool for evaluation and not for reflection.

Learning Environment

11. If I were to walk into your room on a typical day, what could I expect to see and hear?
I have heard this question in many interviews. It gives the applicant an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the kind of teacher he/she is.

12. Describe the system you employ to manage your classroom and students including preventative measures, a continuum of strategies, and a system for changing undesirable behavior.
This is a comprehensive question that lays out a teacher’s classroom management plan.

13. Describe a time when you were successful in building a relationship with a student who presented many behavioral challenges and how that relationship helped that student to be successful in your classroom.
This situation provides an example of a teacher’s ability to build relationships with students.

14. Describe the ideal teacher-student relationship and how you would forge that relationship.
Knowing how a teacher perceives the teacher-student dynamic can provide a clear vision of the applicant’s professionalism and relationship building.

15. What is the most important key to managing a classroom and its students and why?
A good classroom manager would point to things like clear expectations, consistency, transparency, fairness, etc. in defining his/her management style.

Collaboration

16. Describe a time when you have successfully collaborated with school, district, and/or community stakeholders in an effort to reach the group’s goals.
This answer will help prove whether an applicant can work successfully with others. It is also open-ended enough to allow for examples that aren’t necessarily school-related. The answer could identify a teacher who values the community and not just the school.

17. What can you offer our school community that is unique and beneficial to student achievement?
An applicant can use this question to point out unique skills and talents that might not show up in a resume.

18. What would you hope to gain professionally and personally from a position in our school?
This question helps to paint a teacher’s career aspirations as well as a commitment to teaching.

19. What are your plans for continued professional development and how do you see yourself using that training in your teaching?
With certification requirements and the high turnover rate of teachers, this question helps demonstrate an applicant’s commitment to the profession and their own learning.

20. Our school and district have many policies and procedures that must be followed. How will you make sure that you are compliant with district policies?
This question would demonstrate a teacher’s willingness and ability to gain an understanding of and adhere to district policy.

It was difficult to cover all the things I would want to cover in an interview in just twenty questions. I would like to add questions concerning strengths versus weaknesses as well as some that would address technology use. Additionally, providing applicants scenarios to “solve” could give some great insight into a teacher’s abilities. Hopefully, these questions are open-ended enough to elicit such responses that address these concerns.