Graduate School

Center for the Support of Beginning Teachers

Sample Interview Questions

• Special Populations (K-12)
• Middle School
• High School

1. Why did you decide to work with exceptional children?
2. Inclusion
   1. What do you know about inclusion?
   2. Have you had any experience teaching in an inclusion setting?
3. EC Requirements
   1. How familiar are you with EC paperwork?
   2. Why is EC paperwork necessary?
   3. Have you written IEP's
   4. How do you monitor IEP objectives and goals?
   5. Have you been involved with the initial referral process?
   6. Do you understand about the 90-day timeline? How would you ensure you stayed within that timeframe?
4. How do you individualize instruction with several children in one class?
5. How would you cultivate a positive working relationship with regular education teachers?
6. What type of services do you feel should be offered for students at the:
   • Elementary Level
   • Middle School Level
   • High School Level
     
     (Interviewer may choose one or two of the above)
     
7. If your principal wanted to do full inclusion program for all students and you knew this was not appropriate for some of the students, what would you do?
8. Teaching Philosophy & coursework
   1. What is your philosophy about teaching reading and writing?
   2. What courses have you taken?
   3. Do you know how to take a running record?
9. What experiences have you had with parent conferences?
10. How familiar are you with the regular curriculum?

• Elementary School
• Middle School
• High School
  
  (Interviewer may choose one or two of the above)

1. Why did you choose the teaching profession?
2. In our state we have a Standard Course of Study and end-of-grade competencies that students must master. How would you use these in planning and implementing your lessons?
3. Give an example of a lesson that you felt was interesting and relevant to your students.
4. Describe a lesson designed to meet the needs of varied learning styles.
5. What are some pros and cons for both homogeneous and heterogeneous grouping of students?
6. What do you know about the following:
   • Cooperative Learning
   • Advisor-Advisee Program
   • Integrated Curriculum
   • Teaming
   • Higher Order Thinking Skills
7. How will you use computers and technology with your students?
8. You've just been hired to teach in our school system. How are you going to convey your expectations for student behavior and maintain those expectations throughout the year?
9. Let's say the school secretary sends a note to your class saying that an angry parent is in the office. He is concerned about his child's report card and has asked to speak to you immediately. What do you do?
10. What do you believe is the greatest challenge facing educators today in the middle school?

1. Why did you choose your particular major area?
2. Lesson Plan
   1. Describe a lesson by stating the learning objective first, and then by listing a few activities you would use to teach the lesson.
   2. By the end of the lesson, how will you know the students have achieved your objective?
3. What are some strategies you will use to accommodate the 90-minute class schedule?
4. What methods will you use to teach the learning disabled or slower learning students in your classrooms?
5. What is your plan for maintaining student behavior and order in your classroom? What will you do to motivate the uninterested student who does not try in class, or seem to care about school?
6. How will you use computers and technology in your subject areas?
7. How will you prepare you students for standardized testing?
8. What will you do to keep your students' parents informed of grades and behavior?
9. What are characteristics of an effective principal?
10. What talents can you share with your school in addition to teaching?
11. What topics for professional development are important to you as a learner?
12. What questions do you have about our school?