Employers ask, “What’s your classroom management style?” because they want to learn more about your teaching philosophy and how you plan to help students focus and learn. Here are some additional reasons why employers ask this question during an interview:
To determine your values
Different schools have different educational values and objectives for their students to achieve. Because of this, employers might ask about your classroom management style to see how your teaching methods could uphold those values. For example, a school that emphasizes the importance of autonomous learning might look to hire someone with more of an authoritative or indulgent classroom management style.
To learn about your professional experience
An employer can learn more about a teacher’s teaching philosophy and who they are as a teacher by asking about their classroom management style. They can also determine how much experience a teacher has had in the classroom by asking about their classroom management style.
Experienced teachers may find it easier to provide their students with a certain level of autonomy in the classroom. Newly qualified teachers, meanwhile, may have a more authoritarian approach so they can maintain control within an unfamiliar classroom environment.
To determine your ability to handle specialized needs
Once they get a job offer and start working, a teacher may receive certain students based on their classroom management style and teaching philosophy, which is why employers ask about it during a job interview. For example, an employer places students with behavioral problems with a teacher who describes themselves as authoritative. An employer knows that a teacher with an authoritative classroom management style can discipline them while also making them feel heard and valued.
What are classroom management styles?
Classroom management styles refer to the methods and best practices that teachers use to maximize student learning and engagement. You may divide classroom management styles into four categories:
1. Authoritative
An authoritative classroom management style includes high control and high involvement. This means that teachers with an authoritative style value discipline and order while also valuing student connections and learning more about their lives, hobbies or interests. Authoritative teachers also maintain frequent communication with parents if they notice changes in a student’s learning or behaviors.
Authoritative teachers also practice high involvement by letting students have some autonomy over their own learning. While they may deliver lectures, they may also encourage students to collaborate with their peers via group projects.
Under this leadership style, a teacher also lets students suggest changes they believe would benefit the classroom environment. Still, authoritative teachers establish clear boundaries and provide students with the necessary guidance.
