How would you handle a student who is a consistent behavioral problem?

Q:  How would you handle a student who is a consistent behavioral problem?
A:   One of the most powerful books I read was Thomas Gordon’s “Teacher Effectiveness Training.”  In the book Gordon talks about the importance of “I” messages as a powerful way of humanizing the classroom and ensuring positive discipline.  In student teaching I had the opportunity to practice delivering “I” messages.  I recalled that every “I” message is composed of three parts: 1) Including a description of the student’s behavior (“When you talk while I talk…”); 2) Relating the effect this behavior has on me, the teacher (“I have to stop my teaching…”); and, 3) Letting the student know the feeling it generates in me (“which frustrates me.”).  I believe that the use of “I” messages has the potential for helping to change student behavior – not just for the short term, but for the long term as well.  For example, when I began using “I” messages with Darren, one of our chronic talkers in class, I began to see some subtle, yet definite changes.  By the end of my student teaching experience Darren was able to control his excessive talking and make positive contributions to the class.

            Careful!  Don’t make the classic mistake of answering this question with lots of negative words or negative examples.  Rather, take the “high road” – relate some research and an experience that helped you to turn a student around.  Don’t describe the student in negative terms; rather show how you took a positive approach.

How Would You Motivate an Unmotivated Student?

     Q:  How would you motivate an unmotivated student?

     A:   I remember Rodney – one of the student’s in Mrs. Rooney’s classroom.  Rodney was a completely unmotivated student – he could care less about learning and he could care less about school.  He was there only because he had to be.  As a student teacher I was assigned to work with Rodney.  My assignment was to motivate him – to get him interested in Life Science specifically and in learning in general.  I went back to all those notes I took in college and developed a plan based on five key elements.  First, I involved Rodney in a combination of both individual and group projects.  Second, I periodically invited him to meet with me and discuss any barriers to his individual learning.  Third, I provided him with numerous opportunities to set his own goals in Life Science.  We made sure those goals were realistic and we started with tiny steps before moving to larger ones.  Fourth, I always modeled my enthusiasm for learning.  I always portrayed myself as an eager and enthusiastic learner.  And, fifth, I provided Rodney with frequent offers of help.  The change wasn’t immediate, but we began to see some improvement in Rodney’s behavior and his academic performance after several weeks on this new program.  Rodney discovered that he had a innate love for Life Science – especially when we focused on wetlands creatures – which he knew a lot about.  I think the whole experience was beneficial for both of us.

            Make no mistake about it: motivation is a critical factor in how students learn.  And, make no mistake about it: you will have unmotivated students in your classroom!  Make sure you convey your awareness of the importance of this issue as well as specific ways you plan to deal with it.  Always relate your response to a specific individual or incident you experienced in your pre-service training.

Don't Be Self-Centered!

Here’s a harsh reality – The interviewer is not interested in hiring you (Wow – that is harsh!).  He or she is interested in hiring the best-qualified individual for the position.  If it is you, then that is fine by the interviewer.  If it is someone else, then that’s also fine for the interviewer.  In short, YOU are not the commodity – you just happen to be the person sitting across from an interviewer who wants to fill an open slot in his/her faculty.  You can assist the interviewer tremendously by keeping the focus off you and directly on the contributions you can make to the welfare of the school.  If you frequently use “I” or “me” in your interview you will send a negative message to the interviewer – a message that you are the most important part of the equation.  However, when you use “you” and “we” throughout the conversation then you are shifting the emphasis to where it should be – away from you and on to them.

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK:      “Keep all your answers kid-centered.  You can’t go wrong there.”

What Three Things Make You Angry?

     Q:  What three things really make you angry?

     A:   I get really angry when a lesson doesn’t go as well as it should.  I put a lot of time and effort into each lesson and I hold high expectations, not only for my students, but myself as well.  When a lesson doesn’t work then I get very upset.  I also get angry with myself when my enthusiasm and excitement for a science lesson isn’t there.  I know that classroom teachers need to be good role models for their students and one of the best ways to demonstrate that is through my own enthusiasm for learning.  But, sometimes, with science, it just isn’t there and I know that that’s not fair for the kids.  Although science was never one of my favorite subjects in school I have to work at making it always exciting for my students.  And, finally, I get angry when we run out of time.  Sometimes my students and I are really getting into a lesson – they are working hard on some hands-on, minds-on activities in social studies, for example, and we see that it’s almost time to get ready for the buses.  I sometimes wish I had another hour or two in the school day in order to get everything in.

            This is a terrific question and your response will say a lot about who you are as a person.  Don’t ever make the mistake of blaming anyone else for your anger.  Don’t blame kids, don’t blame colleagues, don’t blame administrators, don’t blame your former professors, don’t blame your cat, don’t even blame your parents or your friends.  The key is to take full and complete responsibility for your actions and for your anger.  Make sure the things that anger you are school-related and that they are within your control to change.

How will your students’ overall performance improve as a result of technology?

Q:  How will your students’ overall performance improve as a result of technology?

     A:   I believe my students’ performance will improve in three specific areas.  One, students will have increased opportunities to become more actively engaged in the dynamics of a lesson.  Technology will offer them an array of information available nowhere else.  Second, I believe technology will help me help my students improve their thinking skills as well as their problem-solving abilities.  Through the use of technology, we will be able to focus on higher-level thinking skills that go beyond rote memorization into new worlds of discovery and exploration.  And, third, it will provide me with some incredible opportunities to differentiate my instruction.  I’ll be able to use technological resources to target specific students with specific instructional options.  I was able to incorporate all these concepts into a unique project during my student teaching experience.  The project, which we named “Explorers for Hire” was developed as part of our social studies unit on the exploration of the New World.  Students had to obtain information from the Internet about specific explorers, they had to write personal biographies, they each took on the role of a specific explorer and applied for a selected exploration, they mapped and tracked their routes of exploration, they planned their voyages and the supplies they would need, and they reported the results of their exploration in the form of special documents and records.  It was a great project – one the students embraced enthusiastically and one that generated a new interest in social studies.

            In your response to this question you need to include two things.  One, you must demonstrate your knowledge of technology and its instructional advantages.  And, two, you must provide the interviewer with a specific example of how you put those principles into practice.  In other words, you must be able to “talk the talk and walk the walk.”

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK:      “We once interviewed a young lady who told us she was well-versed in technology – she told us she could operate a CD player and use an overhead projector.”