What are your best strategies for answering questions about your teaching goals?

If you are applying for a teaching position, you may be asked to describe your teaching goals and how you plan to achieve them. This is a common interview question that allows you to showcase your vision, passion, and skills as an educator. However, it can also be challenging to answer, especially if you have multiple or complex goals. Here are some strategies to help you craft a clear and convincing response that demonstrates your value and potential as a teacher.

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1 Reflect on your purpose

Before you answer the question, take some time to reflect on your purpose as a teacher. What are the main reasons why you chose this profession? What are the core values and beliefs that guide your teaching practice? What are the outcomes that you hope to achieve for your students, yourself, and the wider community? These questions can help you identify your overarching teaching goal and how it aligns with your personal and professional identity.

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Moisés Jauregui

Educator | Human-Computer Interaction Researcher | GenAI
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As I reflect on my purpose as a teacher, I am reminded of the profound motivations that led me to choose this profession. At the core of my commitment lies a genuine passion for inspiring and facilitating the growth of others. The belief that education is a transformative force drives my teaching practice. My core values include fostering a love for learning, promoting critical thinking, and cultivating an inclusive and supportive learning environment. I see teaching not only as a means to impart knowledge but also as a way to empower students to navigate the complexities of the world with curiosity and resilience.

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Ilena Maslać

Challenging the Status Quo in Education I Head of Year 6 at The British International School Shanghai, Puxi I Passionate & Progressive Educator I Lifelong Learner I The Odds Beater
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Before establishing our goals and targets, we need to reflect on our teaching, or if you are a middle or senior leader, on your leadership. Reflection does not occur in isolation but should be based on your lesson observation feedback, team feedback, and school needs. It is important that your goals align with your school's goals because your job is to contribute to both students' and the school's growth. After the reflection, talk to your appraiser, as a second opinion is very important, and then set up goals and targets that will help both you and the school move forward.

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2 Choose specific and realistic goals

While it is important to have a big picture of your teaching goal, you also need to break it down into specific and realistic objectives that you can measure and achieve. For example, if your goal is to foster critical thinking skills in your students, you can set a sub-goal of designing and implementing inquiry-based learning activities in your curriculum. You can also use the SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) to help you define and refine your goals.

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Angelique Schoorens, EdD

Special Education Teacher
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SMART goals should be adaptable to fit different student needs. While many students may be able to demonstrate mastery at 80% for a task, for some their level of mastery may never exceed 70%. Keep your goals specific, keep them measurable, but make sure that they are flexible enough to be achievable by all students regardless of ability.

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3 Explain your rationale and evidence

After you have chosen your specific and realistic goals, you need to explain why they are important and how they relate to your teaching context. You can use your knowledge of the subject matter, the students' needs and interests, the curriculum standards, and the school's vision and mission to justify your goals. You can also provide evidence of how you have pursued or achieved your goals in the past or present, such as examples of lesson plans, student work, feedback, assessment results, or professional development.

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4 Describe your actions and strategies

Next, you need to describe how you plan to pursue or achieve your goals in the future. You can outline the actions and strategies that you will use to implement your goals in your teaching practice, such as methods, techniques, tools, resources, collaboration, or evaluation. You can also mention the challenges or obstacles that you anticipate or have faced and how you will overcome or have overcome them. You can also demonstrate your willingness to learn and improve by stating how you will seek feedback, reflect, or update your goals.

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5 Connect with your audience

Finally, you need to connect with your audience and show them how your goals match their expectations and needs. You can research the school or institution that you are applying for and tailor your answer to their culture, values, and goals. You can also express your enthusiasm and interest in joining their team and contributing to their vision. You can also ask questions or invite feedback to show your curiosity and engagement.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What are your best strategies for answering questions about your teaching goals?

1

2

3

4

5

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1 Reflect on your purpose

2 Choose specific and realistic goals

3 Explain your rationale and evidence

4 Describe your actions and strategies

5 Connect with your audience

6 Here’s what else to consider

Teaching

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What are your best strategies for answering questions about your teaching goals?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Reflect on your purpose

2 Choose specific and realistic goals

3 Explain your rationale and evidence

4 Describe your actions and strategies

5 Connect with your audience

6 Here’s what else to consider

Teaching

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