Got an interview coming up? Congrats! Now’s the time to research and prepare answers to questions for teacher interviews. While you cannot predict scenarios that may be thrown at you during the interview, you can prepare for questions such as “what is your planning style?” or “how do you plan?”.
New teachers dread this question because, well, they’ve never planned before. Even experienced teachers may second guess themselves when getting asked this question, as more often than not, they wing the planning process.
Continue reading if you want to nail any question that puts your teacher planning knowledge to the test.
Be sure to download your free “Roadmap to Curriculum Mapping Success!” by clicking here.
Your Planning Pillars
In an interview, if you get asked a question about planning, you should start by saying you have 5 pillars when it comes to planning. The next 5 sections will go through each pillar in detail.
Planning Questions for Teacher Interview: Pillar #1-Curriculum Mapping
Your first pillar should be curriculum mapping. If you have never heard or done curriculum mapping, it is the process of mapping out all of your teaching standards into your teaching units.
Read my recent blog posts about curriculum mapping by clicking one of the titles below:
WHAT IS CURRICULUM MAPPING? THIS IS A GAME-CHANGER FOR TEACHERS
HOW TO PREPARE FOR A NEW SCHOOL YEAR-THE VERY FIRST 3 THINGS TO DO
WHY IS PLANNING IMPORTANT FOR TEACHERS? 4 REASONS WHY YOU NEED TO PLAN PROPERLY
WHAT IS CURRICULUM PLANNING? DO THESE 5 STEPS TO HELP YOU GO FROM CONFUSED TO CONFIDENT!
Mentioning curriculum mapping will do several things. For one, it will let the interviewer know that you are aware of the curriculum mapping process, which is rarely brought up in the planning process. Most teachers jump to lesson planning when asked about planning in interviews. Letting the interviewer know you are aware of this practice bodes well and makes you sound experienced and confident in your planning process.
Click here to download your free “Roadmap to Curriculum Mapping Success.”
The second advantage of mentioning curriculum mapping is that it acknowledges the importance you place on teaching standards. This will make you sound well versed in your teaching curriculum.
Planning Questions for Teacher Interview:Pillar #2-Creativity
Now that you mentioned the teaching standards, which let’s be honest, is a tad bland, you want to emphasize your creativity. Talk about how you value taking these standards and delivering them in creative, unique ways.
You aren’t just going to be printing worksheets every day. You are going to introduce creative ways of teaching to your students. This includes different types of games, group work, and project-based learning.
Check out my recent blog post, which share 7 activities you could mention in your interview.
The goal in mentioning this pillar is to get the point across that you are not an average teacher, you have a fun, creative side to you. Let that come through in your interview!
Planning Questions for Teacher Interview:Pillar #3-Quality Engagement
Now’s the time to talk about student engagement. This one is all about balance. You want to talk about how you value finding a balance between quality (meaning well thought out standards-based lessons) and engagement (get’s students excited).
The interviewer will most likely ask what you mean by this. Here’s what you say:
“I strive to create lessons that teach and/or assess the standards being addressed in this lesson, that have been designed with the students in mind. This is done by paying close attention to students’ interests, likes, and dislikes. Then, I will take these ideas and embed them in my planning.”
Click here to check out one of my blog posts about student engagement.
Planning Questions for Teacher Interview:Pillar #4-Research
Chances are if you are reading this blog post, it’s because you searched something into Google, which brought you here. That’s called research. If you are researching how to do well in your teacher interview, I would bet my next Starbucks drink that you are someone who does or will research ideas, strategies, methods when you are planning.
Guess what, that’s an asset. You’d think in the age of Google that all teachers are searching for tips and tricks online. However, that isn’t true.
Talk about how you get inspiration, advice, and resources online. This will prove to your interviewer that you are up to speed with the latest trends, that you are current, and that you will be putting a lot of time and energy into your planning.
More often than not, what you will be researching are ideas for instruction and resources. These are both steps in the curriculum mapping process. Click here to download my “Roadmap to Curriculum Mapping Success.”
Planning Questions for Teacher Interview:Pillar #5-Reflection
Oh yes, the R-word. If your university/college was like mine, you probably heard this word being thrown around by your profs at nauseum. To be honest, reflection is a big part of the job. After years of working as a teacher, reflection has almost become second nature to me.
Reflection is important to mention when talking about your planning process, because you’re going to do a lot about it. This sounds very meta, but when you are in your interview, it’s key to reflect on the reflection component of your planning.
When teaching, you will reflect on the following on a daily basis:
- What part of the lesson got students excited
- Which students seemed engaged/ which students were not
- What students knew before/after the lesson
- How students showed their work
- Which student achieved the goal of the lesson/which students did not
- Which students you will need to reteach
- If you utilized your assistant to the best of their ability
Honestly, I could keep going, but I don’t want to overwhelm you. All of these points will drive your teaching moving forward, making your planning better, and ultimately, you a better teacher.
Click here to download my free “Roadmap to Curriculum Mapping Success”.
Final thoughts….
If you mention even some of these pillars in your interview, you will walk out of that interview leaving your interviewer getting the sense you know your stuff when it comes to planning.
I want you to leave your interview feeling confident in your abilities to talk about planning, even if you’re brand-spanking new to education.
Good luck!
PS-Don’t leave without downloading your free “Roadmap to Curriculum Mapping Success.” It’s my gift to you as thanks for checking out my blog!
