What buzz words should a potential teacher make sure they have on tap during an interview?

Question

I'm going through a few interviews now and just want to make sure I know the latest buzz words to make me look even better to superintendents and principals. Some examples would be: reteaching and differentiating education. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks so much in advance! (And please feel free to suggest more than one!)

Answer 1

I was a high school, principal for 14 years in two different schools in two different states. Buzz words always annoyed me, and, quite frankly, the interviewer sees through that guise.

Now, here is my advice to you for a successful interview. BE YOURSELF!! Show them who you are, how enthusiastic you are about teaching, and that you have a passion for your subject. THEY will ask the questions about differentiated learning, individualization, and addressing the needs of students with disabilities. I am sure you have encountered these concepts somewhere in your training, so be confident that you can respond well to them.


I used to ask two very important questions. First, tell me the most exciting experience you have ever had teaching. Here I was looking to see the enthusiasm the candidate had for teaching. Then I would ask, "What was the most disappointing experience you have ever had as a teacher"? Here I wanted to see HOW the candidate handled a bad situation. Now you really cannot prepare for these types of questions ahead of time because you have no idea they are coming. So, just be yourself, try to relax, and remember the hiring process is a two way street. They have to like you, BUT you also have to like them enough to want to work for them.

Good Luck!!

Answer 2

Teacher Buzz Words

Answer 3

My principal is famous for always asking the same question at interviews:

Can you ever have too much empathy for students?

The answer he's looking for is "no."

As to current buzzwords, "differentiated instruction" is big now. But I'll tell you, it will always be something new. Not necessarily new concepts, but new labels. How can we fix these kids?

Good luck in your great adventure.

Answer 4

Jargon is NOT the way to go.

Be yourself.

Be ready to explain simply and clearly about how you will use and expand the school-adopted curriculum, your ideas and expectations in classroom management, how you will handle inclusion of diverse learners, how you will reach out to parents, etc.

You will end up on the short list if you show good thinking and analytical skills, a positive attitude, and the ability to learn and grow. You will end up hired if the personality they see fits in to the current staff.

Answer 5

Differentiated instruction, yes, is a huge one. Another that might be cool is constructivist approach to learning-- it's, like, learning through project based material. You might follow basketball teams and their stats, for instance, and require big projects with scores and averages, rather than assign book work and conventional tests.

Answer 6

Interdisciplinary units. For instance, you teach about Native Americans in Social Studies, then you can do an art project on it, and read about it during language arts, and then write an essay. This brings everything together for the kids and makes it "stick".

Answer 7

constructivism, student-centered learning, cooperative learning, inductive vs deductive learning, cognitive data on learning, inquiry and guided-inquiry, caliberated peer-review, Piaget's 4 stages of cognition: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational . . . .

Although, be careful, you would look the ultimate poser if you don't know what these terms mean and how they impact education.