What’s the most creative or innovative lesson you taught?

     Q:  What’s the most creative or innovative lesson you taught?

     A:   During the fifth week of student teaching I contacted a family friend at Prospect Hill Cemetery.  He provided my fifth grade class with a tour of the Cemetery.  When we got back to the classroom we divided the class into several teams.  One team worked on a PowerPoint presentation, another team created a timeline of important events in the life of the cemetery from the Revolutionary War to the present, another team looked into burial customs from around the world, another team of students developed an annotated bibliography of books about death and dying, and the final team gathered oral histories from some of the docents and volunteers at the Cemetery.  What was originally conceived as a three-week project eventually turned into a two month multi-disciplinary project that combined social studies, art, music, language arts, and reading into a most exciting thematic unit.

            This is a grand opportunity to provide a specific and concrete example of how you went “above and beyond” the usual lesson planning for student teaching.  Be sure to provide specific details and any reactions you obtained from supervisors or administrators.  Show, as much as possible, how you are willing to pursue projects that are somewhat out of the ordinary – projects that engage students in creative or innovative ways.

What have you found to be the toughest aspect of discipline?

     Q:  What have you found to be the toughest aspect of discipline?

     A:   Consistency!  I discovered in all my experiences with children that the key to an effective discipline policy in any classroom is consistency.  For me, consistency means three things:  1) If I have a rule, I must enforce that rule.  2) I shouldn’t hand out lots of warnings without following through on consequences.  Lots of warnings tell students that I won’t enforce a rule.  And, 3) I must be fair and impartial.  I must be sure that the rules are there for everyone, and that includes girls as well as boys, tall people and short people, students with freckles and students without freckles, and special needs students as well as gifted students.  Maintaining consistency is, and will continue to be, a challenge.  But it’s a challenge I’m ready for.

            The questions about discipline are many and varied.  They can come in a number of ways.  You need to be adequately prepared to respond to each and every one of them in a way that demonstrates your knowledge of this all-important topic and the specific ways you plan to address it.

If I walked into your classroom, what would it look like?

     Q:  If I walked into your classroom, what would it look like?

       A:   The desks in the classroom would be arranged in a horseshoe pattern.  This will open up the front of the classroom for oral presentations, skits, and small group work on the floor.  My desk would be pushed into a corner in the back of the classroom, instead of being in the front.  I know that a desk can be perceived as a symbol of power – its placement in the front of the room is a symbol of power and authority.  I much prefer an atmosphere of shared governance in any classroom.  I would soften up all the straight lines and sharp angles with lots of rugs, bean bag chairs, perhaps an old sofa, a variety of plants and various animal habitats, and some pillows in a reading center.  I have learned that all those lines and angles can sometimes be psychologically inhibiting for students and that rounded edges, lines, and corners suggest psychological safety and comfort for youngsters.  My classroom would also have well-designed traffic patterns allowing students opportunities to easily get to the pencil sharpener, the wastebasket, from their desk to me, from their desk to the door, and from their desk to a center activity.  Those patterns need to be based on both safety concerns as well as ease of accessibility.  Most important, I want the classroom to be a community – one in which students are given opportunities to suggest patterns, arrangements, and configurations.  Those opportunities will help build a sense of personal ownership in what we do and learn.

            You probably haven’t given much thought to the physical arrangement of your classroom.  It, too, will provide the interviewer with some insights into your personal philosophy as well as your ability to plan ahead.

NEW BOOK!!

Dear Friends:
          I just received word that Ace Your Teacher Interview can now be ordered from Amazon.com.  Officially, it will be in stock on Friday, January 13, 2012.

Thank you,
Anthony D. Fredericks, Ed.D.

What you will do the first few days of school?

Q:  To establish a positive classroom environment, share what you will do the first few days of school.

A:   I know that those initial days of a new school year are critical, as well as anxious – especially for ninth-grade students.  Some of the things I would do would include 1) meeting and greeting my students at the door to my classroom.  I want to shake their hands, call them by name, and welcome them into the room.  2) I want to establish a seating pattern or seating chart early on.  I’d want to assign them to desks alphabetically, at least initially, so I can learn their names quicker.  3) I would want to talk briefly about myself – sharing with students my own education, my family, and especially my philosophy of education in general and English education specifically.  4) I’d want to take attendance each day, making sure I add a positive comment about each student as I begin learning their names and the correct pronunciation of those names.  5)  I would also share an initial set of rules and classroom expectations – no more than five in number – and invite them to help establish additional classroom procedures throughout the year.  Finally, 6) I would inform students about my expectations for each class and each period.  They need to know my expectations about bringing textbooks, note taking, homework assignments, and appropriate behavior.  I know it’s a tall order – but one that will be essential to the eventual success I envision for each and every student.

            Here’s an opportunity to answer two questions in one.  First, what is your philosophy of teaching?  And, have you sufficiently thought about and planned out those critical first days of school?  You want the interviewer to know that you have planned ahead, not that you’ve just made up the answer right there on the spot.

üEXTRA CREDIT:      Interviewers always appreciate problem-solvers.  Tell the interviewer how you can help her solve professional problems and you’ll always be ahead of the pack.