a+ on your - cornell career services · get an a+ on your city year / teach for america interview...
TRANSCRIPT
Rebecca Sparrow !Craig Jones!
!
Get an A+ on Your City Year /
Teach for America Interview
Cornell Career Services!February 20, 2013!
Todays Lesson
Answering & Asking Questions
Knowledge
Five-Minute Lesson Prep
The Interview
1
2
3
4
5 Questions / Concerns
Knowledge: Knowing City Year / TFA
Knowing Yourself
I: Knowing City Year
Is this the right one-year opportunity for you? Corps members work to improve student attendance, behavior, and course performance in English and Mathematics.
What to Research Potential Sources • Focus and Mission • City Year Website
• Core principles, ideas, and goals • Online articles, City Year Info Session
• What the organization looks for in its employees
• Dialogue with City Year Recruitment Director, Career Services Staff, City Year Alumni
• Details about what your job would look like • (link from their website)
I: Knowing TFA
Is this the right two-year opportunity for you? TFA seeks teachers who will be the most successful at closing the achievement gap in their classrooms—what does this mean?
What to Research Potential Sources • Focus and Mission • Teach For America Website
• Core principles, ideas, and goals • Online articles, TFA Info Session
• What the organization looks for in its employees
• Dialogue with TFA Recruitment Director, Career Services Staff, TFA Alumni
• Details about what your job would look like • (link from their website)
are you interested in a service or teaching position? are you qualified? City Year and not Teach For America? Teach for America and not City Year?
II: Knowing Yourself
Why…
Know your…
Interests – Abilities – Goals – Values – Strengths – Weaknesses – Experience – Education
The “Framework”
City Year Is Seeking: My Qualifications • Ability to work on a team 1.
• Leaders 2.
• Capacity to develop leadership skills 3.
• Willingness to commit 10 months to full-time service 4.
• Previous experience with service, tutoring, mentoring, or leadership help strengthen candidacy
5.
• Review your application; be ready to comment on specific experiences • Use specific examples to illustrate a point rather than general responses
At City Year’s 21 locations across the United States, teams of diverse young people Called Corps Members serve full-time in schools for 10 months working to improve
student attendance, behavior, and course performance in English and math.
The “Framework”
Teach For America Is Seeking: My Qualifications • A deep belief in the potential of all kids and a commitment to do
whatever it takes to expand opportunities for students 1.
• Demonstrated leadership ability and superior interpersonal skills to motivate others
2.
• Strong achievement in academic, professional, extracurricular, and/or volunteer settings
3.
• Perseverance in the face of challenges, ability to adapt to changing environments, and a strong desire to do whatever it takes to improve and develop
4.
• Excellent critical thinking skills, including the ability to link cause and effect and to generate relevant solutions to problems
5.
• Superior organizational ability, including planning well and managing responsibilities effectively
6.
• Respect for individuals’ diverse experiences and the ability to work effectively with people from a variety of backgrounds
7.
• Review your application; be ready to comment on specific experiences • Use specific examples to illustrate a point rather than general responses
Based on 20 years of data and research, TFA identifies these traits as characteristic of the most successful teachers.
Define Leadership
TFA Lesson Plan
ü Presentation -‐ Convey con*idence and energy through your tone of voice -‐ Use an appropriate, consistent volume and speed -‐ Enunciate clearly and be articulate -‐ Use body language to bene*it, without being distracting
ü Content -‐ Target your material for grade level -‐ Strike a balance between interactive and informative material -‐ Demonstrate that you have put effort into your exercise preparation -‐ Present cohesive, well-‐organized content from start to *inish
ü Timing
-‐ Remain within 5-‐minute restriction -‐ Maintain your composure and pace yourself to avoid anxiety over timing
ü Involvement
-‐ Greet “students” and end the “class” -‐ Use effective and appropriate feedback -‐ Employ an appropriate number of prop(s)
Lesson Plan
- Keep it simple - Maintain good eye contact - Convey confidence and enthusiasm - Keep your “classroom” engaged with an interactive lesson - Check for class understanding; have them do an example
on on their own, or quiz them orally
- Be caught off guard if Corps members or “students” ask questions - Stray off topic - Overuse “like,” “um,” “you know?”
• - Read directly from a script
Do
Don’t
The Interview
Interviewing Differences Between City Year & TFA
City Year Teach For America
• Focus on service and volunteer experiences
• Students should show their demonstrated impact/achievement in what they’ve committed themselves to—regardless of whether that’s in service/education or something else
• (2) 20-minute pre-screening phone interviews –(1) 45 minute phone interview
• Phone interview and on-campus interview
• No Lesson Plan • 5-Minute Lesson Plan
TFA Phone Interview VS. On-Campus Interview
Expect The Unexpected
During the Interview
- Dress professionally - Arrive on time - Be yourself - Prepare to address anything on your resume/application - Ask questions – but don’t fake it!
- Dwell on your lesson plan performance if you think it
“ “fell short” - Stray off topic - Overuse “like,” “um,” “you know?”
• - Use an obviously memorized script
Questions: Answering and Asking
Open-Ended Questions – “Tell me about yourself.” – “Walk me through your resume.”
Two-Part Positive & Negative Questions – “What would you consider to be your greatest strength and weakness?”
Tough Questions – “Can you think of anything that might make you leave TFA earlier than your two-year
commitment?” – “What would you do when a student does not cooperate or misbehaves?” – “What is a social justice issue that concerns you?” – “Would you have lower expectations for students in low-income communities?”
Group Role-Playing Questions – “You are a fourth grade teacher, and I’m the principal of your school. I have just cancelled
all field trips, school-wide, until test scores increase. You have already promised your students a field trip. Convince me that I should change my policy.”
I: Answering Questions
Behavioral Questions: ★STAR Technique
• Use your questions to show enthusiasm
• Examples: - What do I need to do in preparation for Institute? - How will my teaching responsibilities and performance be evaluated? By whom? - What was the biggest challenge you faced as a first-year teacher (or Corps
Member)? - Why do you think City Year/TFA matters?
• Interviewers may interpret a lack of questions as a lack of genuine interest
II: Asking Questions
• Concern over GPA and/or major • Perceived lack of leadership or teaching experience • Acute nervousness–body language, facial expressions, demeanor • The “perfect” weakness
Self-Induced Stress Factors
TFA Lesson Plan Practice Sessions Friday, February 22
Friday, March 29