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Section 6:
Teacher Candidate Teacher Interview Video

Teacher Candidate Interview Video

Introduction
A screencast video tutorial was prepared for you to provide some visual background
information on myself and to provide you with my reasons for wanting to be a teacher. I have
provided insight as to why I would be an excellent candidate for your school and an excellent
teacher/employee should you choose to hire me. I am an outgoing individual who loves children
and people in general which will make me an asset to your team. I am not afraid to interact with
students parents and I love to be challenged on a daily basis. I have provided an example of a
lesson Ive taught on the screencast video and have explained how I integrated it with other
curriculum areas, including the common core literacy standards. I have illustrated my use of
technology to engage students and to motivate learning. I have provided an overview of how my
knowledge of the current trends in education will benefit you if I am hired for the teaching
position. I have also provided a quick overview of why I am the right teacher for the job. The
screencast has been placed on my Weebly website (http://misshamilton2015.weebly.com/ ) for
your viewing. Please take the time to review it so that you can see why I am the right candidate
for the job.

Briefly share a little about your background experiences that have led you to choose a
career in education?
Teaching has been a lifelong dream for me. I have wanted to be a teacher since I was a
little girl but life got in the way many times until now! I am almost there, I have almost achieved

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that dream I have worked towards for so long! I have always loved children and interaction with
people in general. In grade 12, I participated in a co-op program at my high school which placed
me in a Grade 2 classroom for a year to assist the teacher. I absolutely loved it! Once I
graduated high school I moved upwards and onwards to the University of Toronto to pursue a
degree in Biology/Geography. I ran out of money second year and was forced to drop out of
University. I started working full time for the City of Toronto in their recreation department
where I had held a part-time job for years as a lifeguard/instructor/Manager. I loved working
with the children but decided that I needed to get a better paying job so that I could go back to
University to finish my degree. So, I did some research and decided to take the Law Clerk
Diploma at Seneca College because working as a law clerk would pay well enough to enable me
to finish my degree and ultimately pursue my dream of teaching. I have now been working as a
law clerk for 15 years while completing my undergraduate degree part-time at U of T. In June of
2014 I graduated with my undergraduate degree from University of Toronto and immediately
sought a teaching program compatible with a full time job so that I could fulfill my lifelong
dream of becoming a teacher. Luckily Medaille College had such a program and here I am now,
three semesters later and almost done!

What have I learned in my teacher training program at Medaille that will make me an
excellent classroom teacher and colleague?
I have learned the importance of lesson planning and its ability to make you an effective
teacher. Pre-planning lessons creates better classroom management, ensures adherence to
curriculum standards, and encourages motivational strategies using anticipatory sets and
technology and best of all it shows you care about your students! On the Weebly website there

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are two lesson plans (Science lesson plan on musculoskeletal system and math lesson plan on
measurement) that I will show you which illustrate my ability to plan and the stronger lesson that
results from a well-planned lesson.
My ability to instruct based on students learning styles and needs will also be an asset to
your team. I realize and am willing to move out of my comfort zone, away from my favorite
teaching styles to create lessons that will cater to students learning styles. I am also a proponent
of learning outside of the classroom and as a result I have included a Scenic Caves Field Trip
report for you to review illustrating my capabilities of preparing and implementing a lesson
which occurs outside of the classroom but still adheres to curriculum standards.
My ability to use a variety of formative and summative assessments is also an asset
which makes me an excellent teacher. I use a variety of assessment techniques as are evident in
the Science and Math lesson plans posted on Weebly. I have used game Apps on class IPads as
an interactive formative assessment for students which provides immediate feedback and
therefore learning. The math lesson has students building lego towers and then measuring them
to compare height which will allow me to see which students are understanding and those who
are not. In the science lesson I use an interactive bulletin board so students can move while
learning! I have also posted a literacy assessment I prepared using Blooms Taxonomy to create
multi-level questioning which also shows my knowledge of assessment, making me a valuable
teacher.
My belief that Professional Development should be lifelong will also make me an
excellent teacher as I will strive to continuously improve myself from year to year. An example
would be the case study I researched and prepared on the educational system in Singapore which
you will find embedded in my Weebly website for your review. Singapore was a very

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informative place to study and I came away from the research with the knowledge that
technology is much more advanced in the classrooms in Singapore which could be contributing
to their education success, something which we may want to apply to classrooms here.
I am already a big proponent of the use of technology in the classroom and this solidifies
my resolve to use technology effectively in the classroom when possible. Embedded on my
Weebly webite is a research survey and presentation I prepared on Technology in the classroom.
Here you will see that parents support increased structured use because it is what todays
workforce demands. If you scroll through my Weebly website you will also see that although I
am a proponent of technological use in the classroom I am also concerned with my students
cyber safety. Please review the presentation on cyber safety which I placed on the Weebly site
so parents could access it and follow the tips at home to ensure their childrens safety.
My ability to revise lessons and assessments to accommodate learners will also make me
an excellent classroom teacher and I will always strive to ensure that the appearance of my
classroom represents the diversity of the students, with lessons, artwork and activities designed
to incorporate students cultural backgrounds in order to promote diversity and acceptance.
Rules will be established and enforced at the beginning of each year to ensure effective
classroom management which will also make me an asset to your educational team. Teachers
cannot teach effective lessons if students are out of control.
I am an honest, reliable, hardworking employee who is social and friendly to all and as a
result I would make an excellent colleague to your existing staff. I am more than willing to lend
a helping hand when needed and think that collaboration with peers makes you a better teacher.

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Provide us with an example of a lesson you taught. How did you integrate it with other
curriculum areas, address the CCLS, technology, student engagement and motivation?
What were the results of the lesson?
I taught a science lesson on Garbage and the impact human decisions have on the
physical and living environment. The homework assignment was connected to the literacy
curriculum as it asked that students to write a summary of what they had learned about garbage
disposal and its effects on the environment. They were to explain how it affects living things and
how those effects move up the ecosystem eventually negatively affecting humans. Students were
then required to advise of what they could do to decrease their impact on the environment. The
writing skills required were in line with the literacy requirements for the grade 5 curriculum.
Video technology was used to engage students and to provide motivation for learning. IPad apps
containing a game and a quiz were used to maintain student engagement and motivation. A
physical game of placing a piece of garbage in the correct bin was used as well to motivate
student learning.
The lesson was very successful with students remaining interested and engaged
throughout. The lesson contained differentiated learning techniques so it catered to all types of
learners which helped maintain students interest.

How will your knowledge of the current trends in education inform you as an educator in
our district/board/school?
The inclusion of technology in the classroom is big right now and with the knowledge I
have acquired at Medaille I will be able to incorporate different forms of technology into my

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lessons and classroom management protocol. A website such as the Weebly, which you have
viewed, makes an excellent teacher to parent communication tool.
With the added focus on math in the school system right now bringing technology into
the math lessons will engage and make learning more motivational for todays students.
Lessons that are interactive and collaborative based will teach students the teamwork that
is required in the workforce today.

Why should we hire you instead of the other applicants we have interviewed?
You should hire me over the other applicants because this is something that I have
wanted to do for years. I am not just a kid coming out of University making the decision to go
into teaching on a whim. This has been a goal of mine that I have focused on and worked hard at
for years to achieve. I am an honest, reliable, hard working individual who is knowledgeable
and who will work hard to ensure her students success. I am an individual with high moral
standards and as an educator I will maintain a high level of professionalism when collaborating with
students, parents or co-workers. I intend to engage in ongoing professional development so that I do not
stagnate and am able to continuously improve myself throughout the years. I intend to be a lifelong
learner and I believe that I should instill these values and beliefs in every student that passes through my
classroom. My ultimate goal is to ensure that every student I have had the pleasure of teaching knows
that if they are determined and set their mind to it they can accomplish whatever they set out to achieve.

Conclusion
This screencast was prepared to provide some visual representation of my attributes to
you. It is important to me that you be able to understand who I am and what I am capable of
achieving in a classroom. I am a hardworking individual who will put the success of her students

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first and foremost. With perseverance and determination everyone should be able to succeed to
the best of their abilities.

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References
7.22.15
Please add all of the standards to the Reference page as a web resource.
Buzzle.com (2013). Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/why-is-education-so
-important.html
Cliffs Notes. (2014). An essay concerning human understanding. Retrieved from
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Council for Exceptional Children. Retrieved from http://www.cec.sped.org/
Dictionary.com (2014). Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/education
Edutopia.org. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/assessment-guide-description
Harvard University. (2015, June 8). Faculty experts. Retrieved from
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INTASC Standards (2013). Retrieved from
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ISTE Standards. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/
Kuypers, L. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.zonesofregulation.com/
John Locke (1632-1704). (2014). Retrieved from http://www.iep.utm.edu/locke/
John Locke Biography. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.egs.edu/library/johnlocke/biography/
John Locke Biography. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/john-locke9384544#synopsis
John Locke Foundation. (2014). Retrieved from
http://www.johnlocke.org/about/who_is_john_locke.html#essay
New York State Code of Ethics for Educators. Retrieved from
http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/resteachers/codeofethics.html#statement
NYS Learning Standards. Retrieved from http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/standards.html
P-12 NYS Common Core Learning Standards. Retrieved from https://www.engageny.org/

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TEAC Claims. Retrieved from http://www.teac.org/
Tuckness, A. (2010). Locke on education and the rights of parents. Oxford Review of
Education, 36(5), 627-638. Retrieved from http://www.informaworld.com/
openurl?genre=article&id
Unesco. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes
/strengthening-education-systems/quality-framework/core-resources/curriculum/
United States. National Commission on Excellence in Education. (1983). A nation at risk: The
imperative for educational reform : a report to the Nation and the Secretary of
Education, United States Department of Education. Washington, D.C.: The Commission.
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