If you need help with teaching interview questions then you’ve come to the right place. Here are a few areas that might spring up in your next interview. Good luck!
Personal Qualities/Skills/Experiences
What personal qualities could you bring to this school?
What personal skills and qualities could you bring to this school?
Outline your strengths and how you make use of them in your day to day practice.
How have your experience to this point prepared you for this post?
Do you have any skills you feel you could share with the staff in the school?
Partnerships
What part have you played to foster home and school links?
What does the role of community involvement play in education?
What role do you think classroom assistants/SFL Auxiliaries play in the primary classrooms?
How do you develop positive working relationships with your colleagues?
Child protection/GIRFEC
How do you accommodate the needs of every child in your class?
How do ensure that you have a safe and happy environment for children to work in?
How do you ensure you’re meeting the needs of all pupils in your class?
What are your views of inclusion and what are the implications on daily practice?
Pupil X is on the ASD spectrum. How would you approach including him in your lessons? (link to your experience with other ASN)
Curriculum*
What have you done to ensure that CfE is established within your class?
CfE should now be firmly embedded in teaching and learning in schools. Please describe a piece of work you have undertaken which illustrates CfE principles in action which you would present as good practice.
What opportunities and challenges does the new curriculum bring?
Creativity, innovation and excellence are key elements in the new curriculum. What do these terms mean to you and ow do you develop them in your class?
What do you see as your role in developing the new curriculum at school level?
Planning is the life blood of the school. Can you describe how your classroom planning influences what happens in the classroom and how it fits not planning for the school as a whole?
Assessment*
What role does formative assessment play in achieving the four capacities?
What role do you see assessment playing in planning for children’s learning?
Research shows that regular and frequent assessment supports the learning process and raises attainment. How do you use for,active assessment to promote the learning process?
What do you see as your role in assessment of the pupils?
Behaviour Management
What positive behave management strategies have you used?
How would you deal with a disruptive pupil?
What strategies have you implemented to ensure your classroom have an environment conducive to quality teaching and learning for all?
What measures would you use to promote positive behaviour within your classroom?
Pupil Z and Pupil Y are involved in a scuffle during a P.E lesson. What will you do?
Teaching & Learning
What is it like to be a learner in your class?
Outline the role of the teacher and the pupil in the your classroom.
How do you ensure all pupils are actively engaged in their learning?
What place do thinking skills have in our current curriculum? Give examples of any work you have carried out in this area.
How do you encourage enterprising skills and attitudes?
What does high quality teaching and learning look like in your classroom?
How do you use technology as a tool in your class?
How would you help pupils become more independent learners?
MISC
Can you tell us something about your recent CPD and how it has impacted I the classroom?
Can you identify the opportunities and challenges of this post?
What does self evaluation mean to you and what place does it have in your practice?
Give 3 examples of successes from your career.
Looking over your teaching career can you suggest an occasion when you have felt glad you have chosen this profession?
Are there any questions you would like to ask us? Always have an question prepared.
As a teacher in Scotland most of my content relates to my own experience of the Scottish education system. This is apparent in the questions which are curriculum* based, and those questions may not be applicable to your system.
The questions have been split into general areas, so use these areas to prep general answers which you can then tailor to their question and your experience. Secondly, check out the school you’re interviewing for online – find out from their improvement plan and HMIe/OFSTED feedback what their development areas are. It’s likely they will be looking for someone who can bring skills to help develop their weaknesses – therefore their questions will be focused on these areas. For example if they need to improve their home/school links, think about preparing answers which illustrate your strengths communicating with parents. Lastly, remember to check your application content, they may want you to elaborate a point you’ve made so have details to backup your comments.
N.B. The information shared in this post has been selected from a wide variety of sources notably: TES Forums, TESS, Aberdeenshire Probationer Support Programme – Successful Applications and Interview Techniques, colleagues advice, The Standards for Full Registration, old university notes and personal experience!