Prepare to answer this question if asked in a teacher job interview. Teaching students can be difficult sometimes. How do you manage the difficult times? Let’s take some time to explore a potential response so you are not caught off guard when facing the school district interview panel.
Failing to prepare potential responses to questions is one of the biggest mistakes a job seeker can make.
Below is a potential answer to give at a job interview – keep in mind, it is important to tailor your response with your thoughts and ideas.
No, you can’t force a student to learn. However, there are many fabulous methods to encourage students to learn.
Teachers who encourage learning produce individuals who are better educated and more prepared for the future. Encouraging students to learn requires extra time and effort on the teacher’s part, both in and out of the classroom.
To encourage my students, I set high expectations, change my instructional methods consistently, use students’ interests, teach students to set goals, and monitor student progress.
I set high expectations for my students because the expectations that I have impact students’ rate of success. I tell my students what I expect from them at the beginning of the year and the beginning of each lesson. I find it helpful to put the learning goals in writing and hang them in the classroom as a helpful reminder.
Changing my instructional methods keeps students interested and motivated to learn. Students respond best to a wide range of teaching techniques. I, therefore, change the way I present lectures, demonstrations, cooperative learning, and discovery learning. This helps maintain student interest during class.
When explaining an idea or implementing an activity, I use students’ interests. By planning activities that incorporate their interests with the learning goals, students will be more excited to learn and better retain what they’ve learned.
I teach students to set goals for their classwork and in their private lives. Setting goals is a skill that helps in class and personal lives, and future careers. Students who have good goal-setting skills develop excellent time management and organizational skills.
To ensure students will be motivated to learn and will be able to complete the desired tasks, I evaluate the students on what they should already know about a subject. Before I begin instruction on a topic, I discuss the topic with a question-and-answer period. I use the feedback from this session to determine my starting point for the class.
While teaching and while students are engaged in learning activities, I monitor students to comprehend the material and don’t look bored or confused. I then review difficult or complicated information for students who may be struggling.
Lastly, while monitoring students, I will provide constructive feedback and positive reinforcement strategies to encourage students and motivate them to continue learning. Feedback is offered to parents as needed and during parent-teacher conferences.
