Do you know how to answer this teacher interview question: What ways do you develop and implement creative lesson plans?
Although lecturing remains a critical way to communicate information to students, research has proven that learning happens more effectively if combined with active learning teaching strategies.
Nowadays, you will frequently hear this question being asked during job interviews. This question clearly wants to help the interviewers assess what techniques and hands-on learning strategies you include when developing lessons and have up-to-date knowledge about these techniques.
When giving relevant examples from your past, you will prove:
- First, that you are an informed person who gets the information from different sources (like the internet, books, newspapers, training, presentations, workshops, and peers)
- Second, you have defined for yourself a process by which you develop creative lesson plans.
- And third, this job is not only to support you but enjoyable that you are eager to learn new things regularly.
This question uncovers your ability to manage group dynamics in the classroom, choose age-appropriate techniques, and motivate students to participate and learn.
Within this context, you might respond:
I’m always concerned with innovation and interaction in my classroom. And that’s because I understand that nowadays, with so much information available, effective learning involves using new learning strategies that involve the students in the process.
I personally have defined for myself a learning process for writing creative lesson plans. I find new information I can examine and use appropriately. The internet is generally the most valuable source for me in this regard, although teaching magazines, classes, and peers provide good sources for creative ideas.
I rarely lecture, and I generally include interactive techniques as part of my lesson plans. I do this to motivate students because I enjoy renewing old teaching materials by changing delivery strategies and altering methods. I consider my student’s learning styles, understand what they would enjoy doing, and decide how the content will be delivered using hands-on activities. Then, I plan activities and experiences to get my students excited about and involved in the lesson.
Their involvement is truly rewarding for me. Some techniques I use are: {choose according to the subject and grade you are applying for} debates, cooperative learning, videos, peer learning, use of manipulatives, recitation, projects, reports, experiments, music, dance, guest speakers, art, discussion, games, photography, role-play, drama, computer tasks, and so forth.
