extra education Teaching Job Interview - What to Expect

Because a special education teacher's job requires far more than just teaching, administrators will seek candidates who are true specialists in the field. If you're hoping to be hired as a special ed teacher, you need to be an scholar at the art of adapting lessons, an active advocate for learner needs, a pro Iep writer, a wealth of facts on learner disabilities, and a dedicated individual who is 100% committed to doing anything it takes to help all students reach their fullest potential.

As with any teaching interview, I suggest you tip off yourself with potential questions beforehand. This will make the interview questions seem familiar so you'll be more comfortable answering them. You will be asked a series of general teaching questions as well as questions that specifically impart to special ed.

Below are a few thoughts on ways to be get ready for the special education questions that will be asked.

1. Be ready to perceive and acknowledge to all of the jargon, acronyms, and special requirements of special education. You should know exactly how an Iep and/or Cse meeting is conducted. You need to speak and act as though you are very familiar with Iep meetings, Cse meetings, child study meetings and any other special education committees the school may have. Understand how least restrictive environment works. Know what services and support the school district does and does not offer.
2. Be sure you understand and are able to talk about a wide range of disabilities. Familiarize yourself with Asperger's/autism, Adhd, emotional disorders, processing delays, speech disorders, corporeal handicaps, and every other base disability children may be classified with in the district.
3. Emphasize your ability to work cooperatively with colleagues. Special education teachers are commonly required to work closely with and/or team teach with regular education teachers. They'll also be communicating commonly with special education administration, group workers or counselors, Pt/Ot teachers, and reserved supply teachers. There's a lot of specialized teamwork complicated in educating children with special needs. You need to understand your role in acting as an advocate for each of your students and in meeting their group and academic needs.
4. Know how to utilize support staff. Oftentimes special education students will have teachers' aides or assistants. Be sure you know how to use the support staff in a pro way the benefits the student. You don't want the child to become dependent on a teacher's aide for doing uncomplicated tasks that he/she can accomplish himself. On the other hand, you want to be sure the learner is receiving the full support he/she needs.
5. Be sure you're an scholar in differentiation. While all teachers should differentiate their lessons based on their students' needs, special education teachers need to be especially positive in their ability to adapt lessons to meet the very unique needs of their students. You naturally can't teach a idea and expect every child to be doing the same work, the same way. You need to individualize education so that it is presented in a way that all of your students can learn. You will not be able to look at the school's curriculum or instructional materials and use them as-is. You'll need to show that you can adapt your resources to meet the studying needs of your students.

Final thoughts: To corollary in a special education interview, you need to be able to talk-the-talk, understand how to be an advocate for special needs students, fully understand responsibilities connected with the job, and be willing to go above and beyond to meet the unique instructional needs of classified students.