Special Education Instructor

A couple of months ago we had a situation where one student had a complete breakdown in class. I was able to remain calm by following our program's protocol and taking the appropriate steps to ensure the safety of the student and everyone in the classroom. I am generally quite good under pressure and even better when I feel well equipped to manage the situation.

Students with different special needs demand varied approaches to discipline. Provide examples of at least two different approaches you used that were effective for the particular students in question. Focus on your attempts to understand what the problem behavior really means as well as how to modify it.

When working with special needs children, you will likely discover that you will be required to implement disciplinary procedures that may differ from those used in typical classrooms. Your interviewer will ask you this question for various reasons. First, he or she will want to learn about your feelings towards students who tend to be disruptive and how you handle this on a personal level. Next, the interviewer will want you to list the steps you have taken to correct such behaviors in a way that is conducive to not only the disruptive child, but also for the rest of the classroom.

Since your primary goal as a special education teacher is to ensure that your students obtain the education necessary to lead productive lives, your interviewer will likely ask you how you maintain calm in the classroom so that everyone has equal learning opportunities. You should reply in the following manner: “I set clear rules at the beginning of the school year and apply a routine to everyday learning. I work with my students so that they understand which rules and procedures apply directly to them at all times. I also explain and demonstrate the penalties for breaking the rules clearly and ensure that each student is treated fairly.”

Your experience of student assessments will be explored with these special education teacher interview questions. Show that you have in-depth experience and knowledge of a variety of assessment techniques.

Demonstrate how you adapt the assessment to make it appropriate to the student's needs, strengths and limitations with specific examples.

I am very expert in assisting and facilitating students with various learning tasks and bring 5 years of experience in the field. I am a strong motivator and also a compassionate person.

Handling special education means good communication skills. It is important to get along with every individual that is part of a special education program. It is only through getting along that the objectives of a program are met.

Definitely! Special education demands more team work than an ordinary teaching position since the job requires collaboration with other teachers, mainstream teachers, instructional aides, parents and management on regular basis to develop and implement unique teaching strategies to cater for the children’s special needs.

Focus on your planning and organizational skills. Provide an example of the time management techniques you utilize. Demonstrate your understanding of the need for the large amount of administration (including Committee on Special Education meetings) and paperwork involved and your willingness to take accountability for the process.

After assessing each child thoroughly by applying various evaluation techniques I develop a lesson plan utilizing differentiated instruction which covers the learning styles of majority of the students. I then also develop IEP’s for some students as needed.

If you are coming into an education interview out of state, you don't need to sweat the specifics for topics like IEPs that will have some differences in different areas. Instead, focus on the basics of all IEPs, including the following:

☛ a general understanding of how to write an IEP

☛ why you need to understand the needs, goals, strengths, and weaknesses of a student to write an effective IEP

☛ how IEPs impact the general education setting and how you will structure this general education setting time

This is one of the few special education interview questions that has one consistent answer: differentiated instruction. No matter what level of special education and age group you will be working with for the given position, differentiated instruction will be a huge component of the job. Be prepared to talk about specific adaptation methods, such as creating modified materials with pictures, and how you will incorporate these materials into various types of lesson plans.

Be honest. What indeed did motivate you? Perhaps it was a need to work with those that have the biggest need. Maybe the impact you could have, watching transformations of personality and ability. Or was there someone in your life who benefitted from a S.E. teacher, which inspired you? Express yourself enthusiastically.

The multi-tiered approach is a teaching model that enables the teachers to pay attention to needs of all the students in the classroom. The approach divides the needs onto three tiers in shape of a pyramid, beginning form universal needs, moving up to the second tier offering group targeted interventions to enable better learning. While the top tier addresses intensive individual needs and call for individual interventions through IEPs. It is usually implemented when resistance to intervention surfaces.

I had an 8 years old ADHD child in my classroom once. Rest of the children were having different problems and did not disrupt the lesson. He would make loud and sudden noises that disturbed the other children and also upset some. I developed a strategic short term plan based on negative reinforcement that worked wonders for the child and his behavior became under control within a month.

Highlight your expertise in differentiated instruction when answering special education teacher interview questions. Discuss development of individual educational plans (IEPs). Give specific examples of modifications, group work, assessments and explicit communication techniques.

Show your understanding of the different classifications such as speech disorders, ADD, emotional disorders and language processing difficulties. You will be expected to have basic knowledge of a wide range of disabilities.

Effective classroom management depends on providing the structure and routine required by special education students.

The students need to know what rules and procedures apply to them. Specific and clear communication of these rules and procedures is key. Each student needs to know on a daily basis exactly what is expected of them.

It is a given that special education is nothing like regular education which means that all lesson plans designed for a special education class need to cater to the individual needs of students. For me, differentiated instruction is the route to success here. I rely highly on adaptation methods such as modified materials, possibly with pictures and ensure that these are incorporated into lesson plans for efficacy.

Highlight your role on the team as an advocate for your students. Emphasize your ability to work collaboratively with other teachers and support staff to help your students succeed including regular consultation regarding progress towards educational, social, emotional and physical goals.

Demonstrate that you act as a valuable resource for the general education teachers by providing specialized activities, modifications, IEPs for your students.