Greg Williams - Elementary Project Portfolio Section 6 1

Section Six: Teacher Candidate Teacher Interview Video

Introduction

This section of the portfolio project consists of a screencast mock interview that you can

find on my Weebly website under the Portfolio tab. The mock interview introduces my

classroom teacher website, and provides background information about myself and my readiness

to teach by answering several predetermined interview questions. The screencast video can also

be found in my Weebly teacher website, here - http://mrgwilliams7.weebly.com/teacher-

candidate-teacher-interview-video.html.

Interview Questions and Responses

Briefly share a little about your background experiences that have led you to choose

a career in education.

It was in high school when I knew I wanted to be a teacher. I started to volunteer in

various classrooms with several of my current teachers. Usually, I helped in grade nine and ten

health classes. While I attended Brock University, I also took the opportunity to become a

seminar leader for my professor. Not only did I lead the weekly seminar for two classes but I

also had the opportunity to Grade papers and mark presentations and assignments. Immediately

after graduating from my undergrad, I accepted a position at Mentor College in Port credit

Ontario. During my two years at Mentor college I have the opportunity to teach high school

geography and physical education. I was also called upon to be the teacher for the grade 5,6,7,8

growth and development health classes. These of course were not the easiest of years in terms of

workload but I found them extremely rewarding as I immerse myself into the teaching

profession.
Greg Williams - Elementary Project Portfolio Section 6 2

After I completed my second year at the private school, Mentor college I decided to listen

to the travel bug inside of me. I traveled to New Zealand and obtained a working holiday visa.

The main reason of course was to visit my moms side of the family and do some soul-searching.

During my year in New Zealand I clearly couldnt stay away from being in the classroom. I

accepted an opportunity to teach English as a second language to students who were completing

their summer English credit in New Zealand. The students were from various countries, such as;

China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and Thailand. I had a wide variety of students in terms of

age groups. My first week of teaching was with six-year-olds from South Korea and by the last

class I was teaching five adult male rugby players from Japan.

Once I return from New Zealand I made the decision to obtain my teaching certification

and enrolled at Medaille College in 2006. I was able to complete both of my primary education

placements and all of my in-class courses. However, due to a family need I have to leave the

province and moved to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The reason for this was because my twin

nephews were diagnosed with autism at the age of two. Since my background in health and

physical education has a focus in special-needs education, I made the choice to help my brother

and sister-in-law with respite. Throughout my three years in Calgary I was able to work as an

education assistant at two schools. The first school, Emily Follansbee, was entirely dedicated to

the betterment of students with special needs. I absolutely loved working at this location. They

had all the amenities, nursing staff, education assistance, occupational therapists, and teachers. I

did my best to learn as much as possible I listening and working with a diverse professional staff.

It was truly fantastic to see a school based on equity.

Once I return from Calgary Alberta I spent six years as a sales professional developing

seminars and webinars to teach their business partners how to use security software effectively.
Greg Williams - Elementary Project Portfolio Section 6 3

Again, I was in a classroom, only this time it was in the business world. This opportunity

provided me with numerous occasions where I worked with people from all over the world and

all over North America, coming from all walks of life.

It was last year when I decided to return to Medaille College and finish what I had

started. Last year while I was working as a development manager for rugby Ontario, where I

was responsible for providing training opportunities for coaches and referees in the province, I

decided it was time to return to my true love and passion. Working with young students.

What have you learned in your teaching program that will make you an excellent

classroom teacher and colleague?

I have learned many significant aspects during my teacher training. One of the main

things I have learned, is how important equity and culturally responsive pedagogy is to the entire

educational process. Equity should be a consideration for all students, always keeping in mind

that fair and equal are not the same thing. You must always try to meet the needs of each

individual student. The amazing thing about this is that what is good for one student is usually

good for all students.

Through my teacher training I now understand that culturally responsive pedagogy is not

just a fad, a buzz-word or an afterthought. It is something that you must purposely think about

every day, for every lesson. You must consider how to best reach all of your students and ask

the questions: Whos voice is being heard? Whos voice is missing? What perspective will

I teach this lesson from? Its about identifying the needs of certain students. You must

consider what you hang on the walls, what holidays and celebrations you will address and always

look critically to see how you can be better.

Greg Williams - Elementary Project Portfolio Section 6 4

Another important thing I learned is the focus on caring. It seems so simple yet I have

learned that it is perhaps the most important aspect of teaching. Students know and can feel

when someone truly cares about them. When students feel that their teacher cares, they will be

more likely to take risks in their learning, ask questions, share their stories and become truly

invested in their time at school. Caring is the foundation for all great educators.

Provide us with an example of a lesson you taught. How did you integrate it with

other curriculum areas, address CLLS, technology, student engagement and

motivation? What were the results of the lesson?

I designed a language centers lesson that focused on learning about First Nations peoples.

All of the centers addressed the language curriculum but was cross-connected with at least one

other subject. The lesson was purposeful in that it was meant to activate prior knowledge about

First Nations peoples, while also introducing new information. The first center required students

to read about the Wampum belt and how it was a treaty between Europeans and the

Haudenosaunee people. Students had to complete a vocabulary match after reading and then got

to build their own Wampum belt made from gimp and beads. This connected to Grade 3 Visual

Arts and English Language Arts. This center could also be expanded to include patterning and

measurement in Math.

The next center required students to listen to traditional Aboriginal music and also look at

traditional First Nations artwork to infer what life was like when the art was drawn. Students

had to write down questions related to what their heard and what they saw. Students had to also

answer specific questions that were asked of them, including: What do you think life was like

for First Nations people at this time? How do you think they made their food? How did they

make their clothing? What instruments do you hear in their music? How did they make their
Greg Williams - Elementary Project Portfolio Section 6 5

instruments? What other questions do you have? This center is connected to Language, Social

Studies and the Arts.

The third center is for students to integrate technology by listening to a podcast on iPad.

The podcast was related to residential schools. The focus of this center was Listening to

Understand. Students had to complete a brainstorming sheet related to what they heard.

How will your knowledge of the current trends in education inform you as an

educator in our board?

I am very comfortable with technology and try to infuse it into all of my lessons. The

focus on technology in schools is critical because it will be a life skill that students must take

with them for future schooling and careers. It is important that students learn not only how to

use a variety of technology but also how to be safe on the internet. You cannot teach technology

without teaching students to be good digital citizens. Here, I have decided to showcase my

SMART Board presentation from one of my Artifacts and also my flipping Screencast-O-Matic

for my Ecosystem Lesson.

Here, I would like to discuss the focus on equity, an aspect of education that I feel very

comfortable implementing. It involves taking the time to know each and every one of your

students so that you can meet the needs of all of your learners. Along with this, students need to

be taught how to be critical thinkers so that they can ask appropriate questions and be allies in a

world that is not always equitable.

Critical thinking involves teaching students how to solve problems in ways that are

respectful and accepting of others. It is important that students are able to connect what they

learn to their immediate community and the global community in which they live. Students need

this life skill so that they can navigate a world that now involves fake news and media that builds
Greg Williams - Elementary Project Portfolio Section 6 6

its audience on fear. Critical thinking and the ability to ask good questions is what will keep our

students safe in the future.

Why should we hire you instead of the other applicants we have interviewed?

I am committed to excellence and bring an enthusiasm to the classroom that is second to

none. I have knowledge to satisfy a diverse group of learners who may come from different

backgrounds, abilities and experiences. I can communicate in both French and English and want

to be involved in the school outside of the classroom too. I intent to coach teams and lead clubs

for students at my school.

I intend to infuse technology in all of my lessons and use my teacher website to

communicate with both students and parents on a regular basis. I intend to make as many

curriculum connections in a given lesson as possible, so that students can see how what they

learn really does connect to many other things. I also want to allow students to ask questions

about the world around them so that they develop into caring and productive members of society.

Conclusion

This section summarizes my mock teacher interview answers via Screencast-O-Matic. It

highlights my background, my education, and my readiness to be a teacher, as well as the unique

attributes which I will bring into the classroom with me as an educator. This section displays my

love for education, my public speaking skills and my ability to answer effectively with

knowledge and confidence while providing a visually pleasing presentation.