Section 6:

Teacher Candidate Teacher Interview Video

Teacher Candidate Interview Video

In this section of the portfolio, I put together a quick mock interview video using

screencast. Please click on the following link to view my answers and website:

https://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cYjfqaGVgy This mock interview allowed me reflect back

on all my accomplishments and education and show all of the ideas and experiences

that I think emphasize my ability to be an effective teacher. In the video I speak to all of

these experiences, instructions and achievements that I have developed throughout the

past year and beyond. I also provide information on my background experiences

working in childcare, school programs and the school board that have had the most

significant impact on my learning. I touch on my personal beliefs about what works in

the classroom that I have been able to use throughout my career. This video has the

power to show families what I have to offer to their children and help them to build the

trust they need with me as their child’s educator.

Teacher Candidate Interview Questions & Responses

My mock interview is made up of questions that allowed me to showcase my

interview style and all of my best work I have done thus far in my career and education

at Medaille. The mock interview allows me to practice and strengthen my interview skills

and my ability to share my ideas to others in the profession, especially of higher status

(principal, or super intendent). Secondly, I believe that it has helped me to reflect and

review on the material I have showcased throughout my portfolio, picking out the

activities and experiences I feel are greatest to highlight my capabilities as an educator.

The questions below are what I answer throughout my video:

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

career in education.

I have been wanting to work with children since I was a child myself, I was always

told that I had patience and a kind heart when around children. At family events I often

chose to be around children versus the family members my own age. After working in

this field for seven years I realized that I wanted more from the education system. I

originally went to school to be an early childhood educator and have worked in

kindergarten room for almost 6 years. I want to bring the knowledge of an early

educator, along with my background and behaviour science into a teacher role. I have

fully enjoyed working in the classroom and being with young children and seeing

learning from their eyes and trying to find a way to think like them in order to develop

lessons that were more meaningful to help them learn more.

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

classroom teacher and colleague?

It is always nice to solidify your past experiences and learning and be reminded of

various teaching methods or different technology tools. This course was a great addition

to all of my experience and education that’s far. Medaille help me to gain some great

skills that I can now incorporate into my teaching. One of the most important skills that I

have learned from Medaille is how to create a smart board file and use all of its

functions appropriately. Although this seems very simple, I believe it is something that I

will be using often in a classroom. I have actually been able to show some coworkers

different tricks in regard to SmartBoard after learning more about it in class. I learned an
extensive amount of tech tools that I can use with in my classroom every day. A big tool

that I learned about throughout this semester specifically was using Google classroom.

Due to unusual circumstances, we were required to use Google classroom every day as

a platform. I am now able to use this tool effectively to help aid the learning in my class.

I learned how easy and interactive this could be for both my students, parents and

myself.

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

curriculum areas, address CLLS, technology, student engagement and motivation?

What were the results of the lesson?

I have been lucky to work in the classroom in kindergarten, providing many lessons

to children on various topics. My favourite lesson thus far was about healthy living, and

things you need to do in order to sustain and healthy lifestyle. I Incorporated many

different aspects into my lesson including a hands-on activity, videos online as well as

an interactive game on the SmartBoard. The variety of activities helped keep the

children engaged and interested in a long period of time. I was able to ask open ended

questions in order to help the children further they’re thinking on the subject matter.

Also, during my time at Medaille, I have been able to create and teach lessons to my

classroom of colleagues. My favourite lesson that taught to my class was a literacy

lesson about adjectives. Firstly, I was very proud of this lesson because it was the first

one, I created at Medaille. It allowed me to get creative and think of fun ways to engage

young children that weren’t in kindergarten. I was able to think outside of my own

comfort zone and come up with an activity that best suited the curriculum the children. It
was a great learning experience when teaching it to the others and seeing how they

gave me constructive feedback, helping me to make my lesson stronger for my final

evaluation.

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

in our board?

I am fully intending on keeping up with special practices in the education field. I

have made it a goal of mine to complete professional development outside of work

hours in order to keep up with current trends. I have also signed up to belong to

numerous organizations that are relevant to education. I subscribe to many newsletters

that inform me and keep me updated on new things. I often find myself researching

different articles in regard to classroom trends and how to apply them in the real world. I

want to take these application techniques and utilize them within my own work. I have

used other ideas over the years that I have found very beneficial with my own teaching

in kindergarten as well as before and after school programs.

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

I believe that I am a great asset to any teaching environment as I already have an

abundance of experience that I can apply in a classroom. I enjoy working with other

people and being able to collaborate on activities and different ways to present

information to students in a creative way. This opportunity is my chance to apply all of

my knowledge that I have gained throughout working in daycare’s, school-age

programs, a classroom as well as working with countless families in the community as a

nanny. I believe that different people fit in well in different locations, that being said it is

best to choose someone that fits the environment. I want to be the person that

employers see as a great asset to their team and choose me to best represent their

school’s philosophy as well as be an advocate for their students.

Conclusion

In this section I provided a simple outline of what you will view on my mock

interview. I took the time to touch on my background as an educator and the path I have

taken to get to where I am today in the education world. I spoke about all the great

technology and devices I have learned to use through my program at Medaille and how

they have made a difference in how I will be during my real-life experiences. Some

technology that was taught was review for me however, I strengthened my knowledge in

many of the areas that I was previously taught. I also walk through one of my favorite

lessons that I presented to my class and how I felt about the whole process. This lesson

was presented in a slightly different way, using the online platform of Flip Grid. I still felt

nervous and hesitant about sharing my lesson with my peers. Using an online platform

was a great experience and relevant to the issues we are facing today due to Covid-19.

I go over my teaching methods and how they were shaped by the things that I learned

at Medaille. Finally, I explain how my efforts of continuous learning make me a great fit

for teaching in the education world. I have grown into an educator that coworkers and

communities can be proud of, and I want to share what I have learned to the real world.

This reflection was a great experience that was able to come together through a video
to share with prospective employers and future families. I hope that this video is able to

help you have a better understanding of me and my background.