Section 6: Teacher Candidate Teacher Interview Video

Teacher Candidate Interview Video

Section 6 of this elementary education portfolio demonstrates my preparedness and

readiness to become a teacher after all my extensive studying and training at Medaille College.

This section showcases my readiness and preparedness by way of my personally designed

professional Weebly web page. My Weebly web page demonstrates my technological skills and

all my credentials in a succinct and professional manner that is easy to navigate and aesthetically

appealing. I designed the Weebly web page with a home page that introduces myself with a

professional photo and a bit of information about myself, my background information, each

section of this elementary education portfolio including additional tabs that individually depict

the artifacts that I chose to incorporate in this portfolio, my teacher candidate mock interview

video and interview question transcript, and my resume and contact information. As you peruse

section 6 of this portfolio and read the answers to the proposed interview questions, you will see

how my answers reflect my knowledge of the many teacher competency areas that are imbedded

within my responses and thus demonstrating my preparedness and readiness to become an

effective classroom teacher. The following links will direct you to my Weebly page and

screencast video. http://lindasaleh3267.weebly.com/, https://screencast-o-

matic.com/watch/cFiuVYFNnX

Teacher Candidate Interview Questions & Responses

Briefly share a little bit about your background experiences that have led you to choose a

career in education?
 I have always been interested in a career in education as evident when looking at my

educational and employment background. I completed post-secondary school unsure of which

career path I was going to embark on which led me to volunteer at a local elementary school

whereby I assisted students who were learning disabled. It was this experience that led me to

Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology where I obtained a certificate in Educational

Assistant Worker. Shortly thereafter, I was employed with the H.W.C.D.S.B as a school based

educational assistant (EA). During my time working as a school-based EA, I had the opportunity

to work with a variety of exceptional students and excelled in working with individuals

diagnosed as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). My experience working with students with ASD

led to acquiring specific knowledge such as how to manage behaviors of students with ASD and

I also have current certification in Behavior Management System (BMS) training. In addition, I

have extensive knowledge on augmentative and alternative communication systems, and overall

knowledge of the disorder itself. I also worked as an itinerant speech language and hearing EA

whereby I acquired the specific knowledge about hearing and speech disorders and how to

service individuals requiring specialized services that catered to their particular needs. I was

trained in utilizing specialized hearing equipment and delivering speech therapy.

What have you learned in your teaching training program that will make you an excellent

classroom teacher?

The Masters of Science in Teacher Education program at Medaille College has taught me

the importance of culturally responsive teaching that entails welcoming all students into the

classroom, no matter race, age, gender, language, or ability. I believe that when students feel

accepted and in a safe place, they are better able to take the necessary risks so pertinent for their

learning. Therefore, I will strive to set my students up with not only equal opportunities, but
equitable ones that gives each student a fair chance at succeeding. Thus, I am aware of the

importance of differentiating instruction and including many opportunities for students to engage

in the learning through hands on experiments and use of manipulatives in addition to a rich print

classroom with plenty of visuals. I also know and value experiential learning experiences

whereby students can connect theory to practice. Capitalizing on incidental moments as learning

experiences and making the learning as concrete as possible will help students to unleash their

inner and natural curiosity and capabilities. In addition, I know the importance of scaffolding

students’ learning and working within their zone of proximal development (ZPD). I also learned

the importance of incorporating plenty of divergent questioning throughout all my lessons so that

I can help students’ metacognition and their ability to acquire higher order thinking skills as

proposed in Bloom’s Taxonomy. Ultimately, I will teach my students with of a philosophy that

makes the learning meaningful and enjoyable so that I can better prepare my students for an ever

demanding and competitive world that lies ahead of them.

Provide us with an example of a lesson you taught. How did you integrate it with other

curriculum areas, address CCLS, technology, students engagement and motivation? What were

the results of the lesson?

One lesson that I created as part of my studies at Medaille was a math and science lesson

taking from the New York and Ontario common core and curriculum standards. The particular

area of math was bar graphing and the science unit was on sound energy and the notion of how

sound travels differently through different mediums, such as liquids, solids, and gases. This

particular lesson captured students’ attention in that it was a very hands on lesson that allowed

for students engagement. Students were provided with various materials and are encouraged to

make predictions, explore the materials and record their results. Students had the opportunity to
use discourse and talk about their thinking in regard to the lesson. In addition, students had the

opportunity to make clear conclusions based off the results of their experiments and depict them

by way of a bar graph. Students were permitted to demonstrate their bar graphs through a word

document or on graph paper. In addition, technology was incorporated in teaching this lesson as

various visuals from the internet were utilized to help students better understand the notion of

sound, how a sound wave looks, and how sound travel to the ear.

How will your knowledge of the current trends in education inform you as an educator in

our district/board/school?

My knowledge of current trends in the field of education will inform the way that I

deliver pedagogical practices. Firstly, I believe in setting all students up for success I have

adopted a constructivist method of teaching young children in light of Piaget and Vygotsky and

the notion of the child as curious and capable. I will ensure to plan lessons that provide students

with plenty of hands on/experiential learning that are planned according to students’ interests to

help sustain students’ attention and keep them motivated. Helping students connect theory to

practice will help make the learning meaningful and relevant to their lives. I will also ensure to

incorporate inquiry-based lessons that will help students to build critical thinking skills with a

focus on the process of students learning opposed to the end result. Helping students to build

higher order thinking skills, will better assist them in this ever demanding and competitive future

that lies ahead.

Why should we hire you instead of the other applicants we have interviewed?

I believe that you should hire me over other applicants because I truly believe that I have

what it takes to be an effective teacher. It begins with my educational background that has

always been in the field of education. Not only am I certified as an educational assistant and
early childhood educator, but I have had the opportunity to employ the skills I’ve learned from

my certification areas in practice. These employment opportunities have taught me so much

about behavior management, a variety of exceptionalities and how to work with individuals

identified as having an exceptionality, including speech therapy. Among these credential,

working in a school has taught me the importance of professional collaboration, professional

development, student confidentiality, parent communication and professionalism on the whole.

In addition, to compliment my previous educational and employment experiences, Medaille

college’s Masters of Science in teacher education has furthered my knowledge of educational

practices by teaching me how to create an effective lesson plan and learning segments. Having

knowledge of creating an effective lesson plan, also taught me knowledge of common core and

curriculum standards, engaging the learner, the importance of differentiating instruction, and the

importance of Blooms taxonomy as the underpinning within the lesson. In addition, my studies at

Medaille helped reinforce and scaffold my existing pedagogical knowledge and taught me how

to use technology as a useful tool in the classroom. Being a mother of two children, holding a

Master’s in Education from Medaille College, and all my background experience working in the

field of education, I believe qualifies me to be the chosen candidate apart from others.

Teacher Candidate Mock Question Interview Video Reflection

When I became aware that I was required to partake in a teacher candidate mock

interview video, I felt apprehensive. I think my feeling of apprehensiveness was due to the

reality that my training at Medaille college was coming to an end and my next steps were to

prepare for applying for a teaching position-something I had long awaited to achieve. However,

when I prepared my interview script prior to recording, I felt confident in writing responses to

the proposed interview questions and realized that I’m more prepared and capable than I thought.
I realized that my training at Medaille, although went by with a blink of the eye, prepared me

with the upmost knowledge and skills needed to enter the work force as a certified teacher.

When looking at the teacher candidate video, it clearly coincides with my feelings of

confidence and preparedness to enter the workforce as an effective teacher as I explicitly respond

to the interview questions in a manner that depicts what I know about overall teaching practices.

I make many references to the various teaching competency areas in relation to the tasks I was

required to fulfill as part of my Medaille coursework, such as developing effective lesson plans,

knowledge of current trends in education that will impact my pedagogical practices, and why I

feel I should be hired over other candidates as some examples. The overall mock interview

experience was a great way to help guide my thinking in regard to possible future interview

questions as per the next steps on my learning journey. I feel as though this assignment really

helped me in preparing for these next steps and although I was initially nervous to answer the

mock interview questions, I feel more confident in my ability to answer questions as I am able to

back up my responses by concrete examples as evidence and my overall knowledge of current

teaching practices. Recognizing that I am capable and ready to answer potential future interview

questions helped me to realize that my studies at Medaille prepared for this ultimate next step

and that I should be confident in a real interview setting.

Conclusion

Section 6 summarizes this elementary education portfolio demonstrating everything I

have learned over the course of my studies in the Masters of Science in Teacher Education at

Medaille College and my knowledge of the various teacher competencies areas in an explicit yet

succinct manner. The teacher candidate interview questions, and the screencast video is a nice
way to showcase my ability to respond to potential interview questions that demonstrates my

knowledge and readiness to become an effective teacher and my confidence in doing so. I feel

that my training at Medaille coupled with my past education and employment background has set

me up with the needed knowledge and skillset that will set me apart from other teacher

candidates. Overall, my personal elementary education portfolio, and screencast video imbedded

in my Weebly web page is a nice way to portray my credentials in a unique manner that is

individualized to my personal skills and attributes in an aesthetically pleasing way that is easy to

navigate. Moreover, this section is a nice way to summarize my growth during my learning

journey at Medaille college as it has come to an end. I will view this end as a beginning to

something wonderful- a long awaited career in teaching whereby I am confident in my ability to

impact student’s lives in a positive manner so that they can grow to their fullest potentials.