Teacher Education Mock Interview!

Teacher Education Mock Interviews 

Tips and Advice from the Eboard 

• There is no need to stress! 
• The atmosphere of the interview is very relaxed. You will see familiar faces such as Dr.Silverman, Dr.DeLorenzo, and your fellow classmates. 
  • This should feel like you are having a deep discussion with friends that have the same passions as you. 
• Bounce off of your classmates’ ideas and add something new to the discussion. 
• What if somebody else presented the same answer as you? 
  • Present a personal experience or example that supports their argument to elaborate on it more and fuel a deeper discussion. 
• Clean room/background 
• Dress professionally 
• Map out potential answers as you think before you present. It is advised to avoid forming your answer as you talk. 
• Avoid phrases such as “like, um, uh… so yeah.” You want to sound as professional as possible. 
• Always drawback to personal experiences. 
• Try relating your answers to your fieldwork for public purposes whether it is inspiration for your answer or an example to support your argument. 
• Always have your resume and essays in hand to answer specific questions regarding your application. 

Format of the Single Cert Interviews

• Maximum of three students per group 
• The faculty will pose a question then wait for others to answer. 
• Faculty could ask follow up questions to keep the conversation going in a particular direction

Format of the Dual Cert Interview 

• Faculty will go down the line to ask questions. 
• Always refer to the article when presenting your answer 

Questions you could encounter. 

*Examples listed are here to only help your thinking.*

1. One of the themes the Center of Pedagogy focuses on is fostering critical thinking. What does critical thinking mean to you? 
   1. Engage with material on a deeper level, make meaningful connections, developing the ability to navigate difficult situations. 
   2. What examples and evidence do you have to support your thinking? 
      1. Ask students why they are learning a particular skill or concept 
2. Conflict and tension between people from different ethnic and cultural groups may occur. What do you think schools should and can do to address this? 
   1. Representation in the classroom 
   2. Authentic experiences with other cultures 
   3. What do you think are proactive ways to bridge misunderstandings? 
   4. In what ways can we create authentic experiences in the music classroom? 
      1. Diverse representation in the repertoire 
      2. Bring in special quests to lead a lesson regarding music from another culture. 
      3. Professional development MUST continue → the degree is only the beginning. Learning how to teach and perform varied musics is an ongoing process. Openness to learning is just as valuable as teaching it. 
3. You and your students create a hip-hop version of the Opera, Carmen. The principal does not allow your students to perform this and states, “Hip-hop promotes misogyny and violence.” What do you do? 
   1. Painting a genre of music one color can be just as hurtful as forming stereotypes and making false assumptions about a group of people. 
   2. Assumed by the prompt, hip-hop music means a lot to the students. Invite administrators to witness a rehearsal to showcase that and persuade them to allow the students to perform. 
   3. What would you do to prevent this? 
      1. Open relationship with administrators. Show them the progress students are making, how much it means to them, and to prove the music does not display negative characteristics such as misogyny and violence. 
      2. Invite administrators to participate. 
4. A group of five “at-risk” students come to you to start an after-school percussion ensemble. The music classroom only had a snare drum and bass drum. The principal says there is no funding for new instruments. What do you do? 
   1. Found percussion — create percussion instruments with nearby objects 
   2. Invite administrators to rehearsal to show what music means to students and therefore should have access to high-quality instruments.
   3. Be mindful of the double-edged sword. 
      1. Found percussion and other creative alternatives show administrators the students do not need financial support. 
      2. Not receiving funding tells students they are not valuable enough to learn with high-quality equipment. Like textbooks, students should have access to instruments. 
      3. “At-risk” students and schooling. 
         1. Being engaged in one activity shows promise students can be engaged in another. 
         2. Let the students feel like they belong. 
5. One student in your music classroom states, “classical music is only for white rich folks who want to spend $150 on tickets.” What do you do? 
6. You receive the following instrument preferences: 25 girls flute, 10 boys drums, and 4 boys on sax. What do you do? 
   1. Top 3 option → if the school does not have enough instruments, students can learn their second or third choice. 
   2. Create funky arrangements to accommodate all student’s wants. 
   3. Allow students to experiment with other instruments to help them decide on an instrument that is best for them. 
7. Typically, very few male singers want to join the choir. How do you help male singers belong? 
   1. Being a sensitive instructor. 
   2. Reminding students to be accepting and patient as well. 
   3. Remember that boys’ voices change differently and at different times.