How do I prepare for a learning mentor interview?

Don't just talk in general terms, as it's good to talk about specific experiences and the impact you've had on the children you've worked with in the past . If you don't have any experience then keep the focus on your studies but make sure you emphasise the particular strengths you have that will apply to the workplace.

What is an example of a mentoring interview?

Examples of these questions may include: Tell me about a time you trained a new hire . Describe a time you had to retrain an employee struggling with their role. Give me an example of a time you successfully mentored a coworker.

How to ace a preschool teacher interview?

Focus on what makes teaching preschool children unique, and what makes you awesome at it . You could share some insights about the importance of early literacy development, or how you enjoy working with children that are always curious and eager to learn more about their surroundings.

What are the 3 C's of effective mentoring?

Clarity, Communication, Commitment – the key to successful mentoring programmes. Mentoring has long been recognised as a highly effective development tool.

What are the 3 A's of mentorship?

Some best practices include the three A's of mentoring. Mentors should be available, analytic and active listeners in order to help their mentees grow. Part of this is asking the right questions and discussing the right topics.

What makes you the best candidate for preschool teacher?

Patience, communication, and a love of young children are just a few of the qualities you'll need if you want to become an early childhood educator.

How to answer tell us about yourself?

The best way to answer "Tell me about yourself" is with a brief highlight-summary of your experience, your education, the value you bring to an employer, and the reason you're looking forward to learning more about this next job and the opportunity to work with them.

Why do you want to be a learning mentor?

Learning mentors are passionate about helping young people and require patience and enthusiasm to work with challenging students . Alongside knowing that you have the skills and experience for the role, an interviewer asking this question wants to see that you have a genuine passion for the job.

Mentor Interview: Teaching Young Learners (2024)

Mentor Interview: Teaching Young Learners

08/28/2024

Michelle Skowbo

A Mentor Interview with Ela Gapeyeva: Teaching Young Learners

Learn best practices of making an EFL classroom a joyful place in this mentor interview with Ela Gapeyeva, a TESOL member, CATESOL conference site co-chair, and experienced teacher of preschoolers in Asia, Europe, and the United States.

Question: What age groups have you worked with?
Answer: I’ve mainly worked with children aged 3-5 years old. However, my experience also includes two years with toddlers, two years with children aged 8-9, as well as work with
teenagers and adults.

Question: Where have you taught English?
Answer: I have taught English in Shanghai, China; Minsk, Belarus; and San Francisco,USA.

Question: What is fun about teaching a foreign language to children? What is an activitythat they especially enjoyed?
Answer: Teaching English to children who do not speak it as their first language ischallenging for both the child and the teacher. However, it also offers many fun moments that
make the teaching experience unique. Over eight years of teaching, I’ve engaged with childrenof different age groups and learning abilities. What’s important to note is that no matter where achild comes from, they always have a curious and open mind.
Children love to learn, explore new concepts, observe, and test the world they live in. As ateacher, my duty is not just to present the material deductively but to ignite their curiosity and joy
in learning something new, especially a foreign language.
I’ve learned that remembering how it felt to be a child and how you used to absorb informationhelps in developing a teaching style, focusing on what activities may work best. Another
valuable insight is that when you, as an instructor, have fun in class and stay positive,respectful, and sincere with young learners, this attitude becomes contagious. Childrenunconsciously mirror the teacher’s behavior, which includes a cheerful mood set in classthrough interaction, communication, respect, and engaging activities.
Among the most effective, interactive, and engaging ways of teaching, I use methods that fusemusic, storytelling, dramatic play, self-presentation, and technology. I’ve adapted these to
benefit the children and incorporated them into my daily class planning, creating my personalmethods and style of teaching based on inquiry and project-based learning, as well as
Montessori methods.
Children loved completing projects on transportation, wind, or robots. We had weeklyShow-and-Tell classes where children would bring their beloved toys, books, or clothes and
share the stories behind them. They enjoyed art-based classes with sensory materials andmore. With my 3-4 year olds whose English is their second/third language, we would sing a lot,
learning even sophisticated terms like the names of the continents or counting by fives. The lyrics would stick in their minds, and the rhymes would make them laugh. Only in a joyful and
relaxed manner can a true love for learning and a new language develop.

Question: What is challenging about teaching a foreign language to children? What is aclassroom management strategy that you liked to use?
Answer: Being around children for eight hours a day is not a simple task for anyone. Evenparents can relate to this. Moreover, instructing these children, teaching them courtesy and
manners, and spending most of the day together implies certain responsibilities for teachers. Achallenge is always there: how to engage those who don’t feel like doing anything? Should I
give more space and time to that child, or should I try to invite them, insisting they join theactivity and give it a try? Being positive both internally and externally—having a smile and calm
expression throughout the day, even when I don’t feel good—is crucial.
Having endless patience and understanding towards the learning and personality differences ofall the children is essential. Over the years, I’ve developed a few classroom management
strategies that have worked for me:

State the ground (classroom) rules from the first days of school.
Use a calm manner of speaking, with distinct phrases. Speak clearly.
Make your emotions vivid when describing an event or reading a story: change voices and show real excitement with your facial expression.
Chant or recite a short, self-made rhyming poem or any circle time song beforegathering on the rug.
Use silence. Simple yet effective. Keep yourself silent and maintain eye contact.
Count backwards from 10 to 1, nice and calm, so as not to intimidate children.
Sit on a chair still with a book in your hands on the rug, in the place where younormally conduct your lessons.

Mentor Interview: Teaching Young Learners (2024)

A Mentor Interview with Ela Gapeyeva: Teaching Young Learners

FAQs

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