How would you describe the ideal teacher?
A: The ideal teacher is someone who embraces and
practices several standards of good teaching.
While there are many standards, I believe that three are critical and
necessary for good teaching to take place.
These include 1) The ideal teacher understands how children learn and
can develop learning opportunities that support their intellectual, social, and
personal development. 2) The ideal
teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior
to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction,
active engagement in learning, and self motivation. And, 3) The ideal teacher understands and
uses formal and informal assessment strategies that ensure the continuous
intellectual development of all learners.
While these are certainly not the only standards good teachers should
practice, I believe them to be three of the most important.
This is a question you’re likely to be asked near the
beginning of the interview. Then, the
interviewer will try to determine (throughout the remainder of the interview)
if, indeed, you are the candidate who best exemplifies these ideals. It’s equally important that you know what
good teachers do (and how you would embrace that philosophy) in response to those
concepts.
