When interviewing for teaching jobs, it’s important to understand your teaching and leadership techniques so you can accurately represent yourself to an employer. Classroom management styles vary depending on the individual, and hiring managers want to learn more about how you would provide a positive learning environment for your students. Understanding classroom management styles and reviewing example interview answers can help you effectively prepare for an upcoming interview with an employer.
In this article, we discuss why interviewers ask about your classroom management style, review the different styles and explain how to discuss your specific style during a teacher job interview.
Why do employers ask “What’s your classroom management style?”
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.
