There are many international schools in the Asia region, and I would guess around the world, that are 1:1 (One computer per student) or are headed there in the next two to three years. At the EARCOS Administrators Conference earlier this year, all 26 business managers that I talked to were working at schools that were 1:1 already or would be 1:1 in the next one to two years.

Yes…change is happening in our international schools and it’s a great time to be an international school educator.

With all this change happening, and Shanghai American School itself looking to go 1:1 in the near future, Andy and I worked to put together a list of questions similar to the list that I created last year. Our aim is to help administrators as they start recruiting with some questions they can ask during the interview process.

Of course these are just technology/learning focused questions and we understand that there are many more questions that should be asked during an interview. Our hope is that an administrator might be able to take a few questions from this list based on their school’s individual needs and use them to find teachers who would be successful in a 1:1 school.

We have arranged the questions in order, with the first 5 questions we feel being the most important, and getting into deep understanding of changed teaching practices as the questions progress. It’s my experience that many of the teachers out there will struggle with the first five questions…which gives those that don’t, a real leg up.

So…here are our questions! You can download the PDF at the bottom of the page.

Questions for teachers entering a 1:1 school

What computer platform are you most comfortable with, Mac, PC or Tablet?
I think this is an important question as schools become focused on a platform. It’s not an indication of whether or not you are going to hire the person, but their answer to this question based on what your school is (Mac, PC, or Tablet) might lead you to ask other questions about their computer use. If they are most comfortable with a Mac for example you might ask them how they would feel working in a PC school? At this point in time I think it’s a question that you have to get on the table early so you each know where the other is coming from.

Why do you want to work in a 1:1 school?
In my opinion the answer to this question is crucial! I’m looking for excitement in their response. I’m looking for them to be excited at the opportunity that they get to teach in a 1:1 school. I think the answers are going to be all over the board, but are they excited? At some point hopefully they talk about enhancing student learning.

What particular challenges and learning opportunities excite you about working in a 1:1 school like ours?
Can the candidate articulate why they are excited to work at your school? Why do they see 1:1 schools as being exciting places to work. I would be looking for an answer that talks about changing the classroom environment. Changing the way teaching happens and the way learners learn. I want to hear about the opportunities that the candidate sees for their classroom and their subject area.

Being able to look up information and resources on the web is an important skill. Explain how you go about looking up information on the web. How do you verify that the information you found is trustworthy and of use to you and your students?
This question is asked to see if candidates understand the importance of verifying information found on the Internet. Do they understand .edu sites? Do they know how to check a WHOIS? Listen to their response and see if they can tell you how they verify information on the web and do they sound confident enough that they could teach this to students in their class?

Knowing we are a 1:1 school and that we expect students to use their laptops for learning. What is something that you would start learning and thinking about today to prepare you for this new learning environment?
I want to know they are thinking about the change that happens to the classroom when you introduce a computer to every child. Are they thinking about classroom management, are they thinking about online resources, are they thinking about how their class can be student-centered, how when you put this tool in the hands of students that you no longer control the content in your classroom and you, the teacher have just become a facilitator of learning. I want to know they are thinking about the changes that happen to learning. If they say that teaching is teaching, I’d be worried.

At what times do you feel that it would be appropriate to have “lids down”?  When do you believe a laptop is not a tool for appropriate use?
I think this would be telling. Many teachers stuck in the lecture/listen mode would tell you that when they want kids to “listen” or “work with others” an interviewer would have to pry.  Those of us who have used the tool as collaborative note taker (think live blogging  or back channel notes here!) know the power of this, but a traditional teacher may struggle with the giving away the power of the tools to the kids.

How comfortable are you with using online resources in your classroom? What are some resources you have used in the past? How have your found these resources?
Hopefully your candidate has used online resources in their class before and they can articulate what and how they use those resources. I would continue on this question asking probing questions that lead me to the next question on this list. Do they use Wikipedia? How do they use it? Do they only name online databases or paid sites? In part you might be able to learn about their ability to search and find information on the Internet through the answers to this question.

Tell me how you think the future you are preparing children for will be different?
I’d love to hear the answers to this one. Of course as an administrator, you too better understand the new connected digital world we are preparing students for.

How often do you/have you taken part in technology Professional Development opportunities?
We know that constant professional development in the use of technology is needed. Both before and during the implementation of a 1:1 program. I want to know that the teacher candidate has continued to seek out and find w
ays to learn about technology. If it has been years since they have been to any technology PD courses/conferences/sessions, then this is an indication that they will need some support.

On the other hand hopefully they answer with something like “I take part in Professional Development opportunities every day.” This response would definitely be a notch up for an applicant. It would tell me two things. 1. That the teacher candidate is and believes in being a lifelong learner. 2. That they understand how to learn and take opportunities everyday to learn by connecting themselves into a network of professionals either locally or virtually.

Do you read any professional magazines or educational blogs as part of your own PD? If so, which ones?
With this question you are trying to find out if the candidate is comfortable with reading online resources. I believe this question also is a good lead question into the other questions below as they give the candidate a heads up that you are looking for a teacher that really understands how a 1:1 classroom is different, and that you expect your teachers do be reading online, researching online, and using the Internet as a resource in their classroom.

Do you have an RSS reader? If so, what do you subscribe to?
This is a huge hiring point for me. If candidates say they have an RSS reader and they understand what RSS is and what it means to “subscribe” to something, then they are on their way to understanding how teaching and learning changes in a networked digital environment. It also indicates a lifelong learner who has some understanding of how the web is changing.

Do you belong to any online communities?
What communities does the teacher belong to? Twitter? Any educational Ning sites? A Google or Yahoo group maybe? If a teacher answers he/she belongs to an educational community, then you have a lifelong learner on your hands who is open to learning and thinking in new ways.

Do you have a Personal Learning Network? If so, can you tell me a story of how you learn from your network.
Now you’re starting to separate the wheat from the chaff. If you can find a teacher that A. Knows what a PLN is and B. Can tell you a story of how they learn, you are looking at a teacher who might not know the platform that your 1:1 program is, but knows they have people that can help them learn it. A teacher that knows how to use a Personal Learning Network (PLN) is a teacher that will need little “official” professional development as they will be learning on their own, and most likely will be a leader in your school in helping others to learn.

How often do others come to you for guidance in using technology? Do you offer guidance when not asked? If so, describe how you did this recently?
Is this teacher viewed as a technology leader by others? Chances are you already knew that based on questions above. In a 1:1 teaching environment you can never have to many technology and learning experts in your grasp.

Downloads:

PDF: Interview Questions for 1:1 Schools – With Answers

PDF: Interview Questions for 1:1 Schools – No Answers

At one point in the show we start talking about teachers and what we (as technology people who are helping to embed technology into the regular classroom) want to see. We talk about teachers who are willing to learn and banter that around for awhile until we land on this:

“We don’t want teachers as learners, we want teachers as risk takers!”

If you listen to the podcast you’ll know when I say it because there is a long pause as we all let that sink in. But it’s true, as a teacher, as an administrator I want risk takers.

What if we change the interview question from:

Do you consider yourself a life long learner? (A question I’ve been asked in every interview)

to

Are you a professional risk taker?

Do you believe it’s OK to fail?

Either way it was a great conversation around what types of teacher we have access to as integrators. We all agreed it was teachers who are willing to take that professional risk and invite you into the classroom that have the most success.

On another podcasting note and while we’re on the topic of risk taking. Dereck Rhoads left a comment the other day on what has become my most popular post to date about Interview questions for International School Job Fairs. While recruiting Dereck used some of the questions that I put forth in the post, changed them, adapted them to fit his needs and used them while recruiting.

But Dereck didn’t stop there. He recorded an interview with a teacher candidate and then posted it to his blog to share with the rest of us.

This has me thinking on so many different levels:

• How does this change the interview process? Specifically for international educators where distance and costs are a factor?
• What insight does a candidate now have not only on the questions that Dereck is most likely to ask, but also in getting a feel for what Dereck and his school are looking for in teacher candidates? We international teachers know it is all about the “fit”, about feeling that connection with those in the interview process.
• How does this change the recruiting process, when you can go back to an interview and listen to the questions and answers and get a feel for a teacher candidate from almost a “fly on the wall” point of view?
• How does this change the recruiting process for the candidate? Being able to go back and listen to your answers to questions?

What if every interview ended with the administrator handing you a mp3 file of the interview. I think that would be fair. You go into an interview, are asked if it is OK to record the interview, and both parties leave with the recording. Benefiting both the teacher candidate and the administrator in allowing them to further reflect on the interview.

Powerful…….

This is just the beginning of what I foresee as a new way of recruiting teachers. International recruiting services better stand up and take notice of what’s happening here. The old recruiting fair model, in my opinion, is on its way out. Like other industries, either find a way to adapt and stay in the game, or be prepared to be asking the question “What happened?”

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[tags]interview questions[/tags]

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(Side Note: I wonder if any international schools take their IT Directors with them recruiting? Why or why not? If you were a technology-focused school, don’t you think you’d want them in on an interview?)

You will notice that my list says absolutely nothing about integrating technology or how the teacher uses technology in his/her classroom. No, this list focuses directly on the skill set and the tools these teachers use for their own learning. I want to know what personal technology skills these teachers bring to my school. I want to know how much PD time it is going to take to get them from where they are, to where I believe they need to be in order for the learning environment to change. This list of questions is broken into parts starting with basic computing skills and then moving to more advanced knowledge and skills. During the interview, I would also be looking at the body language in response to the questions and their responses. I want to see teachers get excited when they talk about the latest gadget they bought. I don’t want to hear “I bought a digital camera, but can’t get the darn pictures onto my computer.” Instead, I want to watch someone’s face light up when he/she talks about the new cell phone, or new iPod. I don’t care what the gadget is, it’s the body language and the tone of the response that is important.

Every applicant must first understand the technology situation at your school. Do not bother going through an interview process with prospective teachers if they do not want to or are not excited about teaching and learning in a networked environment. By starting an interview off by being up front and frank, you might save both you and the interviewee some time.

“We are a 1:1 school, meaning all students at our school have a laptop that they bring with them every day. You need to understand that we believe and expect the use of the laptop to be an integral part of your teaching and student learning. What are your thoughts about the use of laptop computers in the classroom?”

The answer, or non-answer to this question could save both of you time in the interview process. In fact at recruiting fairs, it would be great if schools that are 1:1, or see themselves as schools that truly embrace 21st Century Learning, put that information on their table, their banners, and everywhere else. Teachers should be excited about teaching in this new digital space. If they are not, then you do not want them at your school to begin with. Hiring teacher that do not get excited about teaching in a new networked space will not help to move any information literacy focused school forward.

A thank you to David Warlick and Doug Johnson for some of the questions and their posts on this topic as well.

Questions for teachers entering a technology focused school:

The Basic User: These questions are to get a simple base line of how the teacher uses simple computer tools. I use the Microsoft Office suite because that is what most schools use and these tools are the foundation for most school computer systems and communication.

Please rate your skill set for the following tools as a basic user, average user, or advanced user:

Basic User: Can use the program in its simplest form

Average User: Can use the program and can give examples of ways to use the program in the classroom for teaching and learning.

Advanced User: Can give an example of using the program in the classroom as part of the learning process. Has or is willing to teach others how to use it.

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Publisher

If a teacher answers basic or basic and average to all of these I’d say you have some work to do. In the 8 ½ years now that I’ve been working with teachers at all grade levels I would say that most teachers would rate themselves Average or Advanced on Word and Publisher and Basic on Excel and PowerPoint. So if you have a teacher that does just that…you have an average techie teacher who like most is going to need some support in the classroom.

What e-mail programs are you familiar with (Outlook, Thunderbird, Firstclass, Groupwise) and what do you see as the positive and negative aspects of using e-mail?

E-mail is still a major communication device in schools today. Knowing what system your school has and what system teachers are familiar with is a good way to find out if you will need to train them on a new system. True, most e-mail systems work the same but training is still needed. Also, understanding the positive and negative uses of e-mail is important. E-mail does take away from face to face contact within a school and understanding that there are some messages that are better received face to face rather than via e-mail is an important communication skill to understand.

Being able to look up information and resources on the web is an important skill. Explain how you go about looking up information on the web. How do you verify that the information you found is trustworthy and of use to you?

This question is asked to see if candidates understand the importance of verifying information found on the Internet. Do they understand .edu sites? Do they know how to check a WHOIS? Listen to their response and see if they can tell you how they verify information on the web and do they sound confident enough that they could teach this to students in their class?

What is your philosophy regarding the filtering of internet sites?

This is not a “game over” question but I think it is an interesting question to ask. Do the candidates’ philosophy match the school’s? How do they feel about information on the Internet? Do they answer that “There is nothing good on the Internet!” or “I always load pages for my students” or “We need to teach students to be safe in this new digitally connected world.” The response might tell you more about their teaching style and their own use of the internet within their classroom.

Do you read any blogs? If so, which ones?

Of course you would have to know which blogs are out there worth reading and/or write down the blogs mentioned and check them out later. But this could give great insight into candidates’ learning stream. Who are they learning from? What are they reading?

Do you have an RSS reader? If so, what do you subscribe to?

This is a huge hiring point for me. If candidates say they have an RSS reader and they understand what RSS is and what it means to “subscribe” to something, then they are on their way to understanding how teaching and learning changes in a networked digital environment.

Do you belong to any online communities?

What communities does the teacher belong to? Twitter? Any educational Ning sites? A Google or Yahoo group maybe? If a teacher answers he/she belongs to an educational community, then you have a lifelong learner on your hands who is open to learning and thinking in new ways.

Tell me a story of something you learned from your network?

I start looking for body language and excitement level here. Do your candidates get excited talking about learning? Do they explain how they learn in or from a network of other people? How long ago did they learn this new skill or gain this new knowledge? Again, this points to the teacher as a lifelong learner.

Tell me how you think the future you are preparing children for will be different?

I’d love to hear the answers to this one. Of course as an administrator, you too better understand the new connected digital world we are preparing students for.

What is your favorite gadget and why?

I want to see excitement, I want to feel the joy from the person when he/she explains the new gadget.. I want it to be something that the candidate really likes and even explains how he/she couldn’t imagine life without it..

How often do others come to you for guidance in using technology?

Is this teacher viewed as a technology leader by others?

Describe the last new technology that you used and how you used it — and how you learned it?

How old is the last new technology? What passion is in the candidate’s voice? If he/she were “stuck”, was help asked for? How did he/she use it for personal use?

Describe the last thing you learned related to your work, that you didn’t learn in a classroom or from a book, and describe how you learned it.

Teacher 2.0 learns from a multiple of sources. He/she understands that learning occurs in the network and because of the network. Was it learnedt from a blog, from a group? Was it learned from a conference or a presentation? Can the teacher explain how he/she learned outside of what we see as traditional learning vehicles? If so, you have a teacher 2.0!

Download PDF of questions only

Download PDF of questions with my comments for answers

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