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We use technical skills in the recruitment and selection process for all teaching vacancies. These have been chosen to define the teaching skills necessary to fulfil a job.
The technical skills will apply at different levels depending on the particular job. It is important to address how you meet these by giving concrete examples from your own experience at the interview stage.
The five Teaching Skills are:
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Classroom management |
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Course and lesson planning |
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Subject knowledge |
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Understanding your learners |
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Learning technologies |
Often ‘Learning Technologies’ is a desirable skill rather than an essential one as it is recognised that not all candidates have had the relevant experience or training.
Each professional teaching skill has three levels: level 1, level 2 and level 3. Level 1 is for Certificate qualified teachers working towards a Diploma level qualification. Level 2 is the level at which all teachers should be working. Most teachers at this level will be Diploma qualified. Level 3 is for Diploma level and above teachers to work towards. Each teaching skill has a number of different Skills Focuses. Teachers may be at different levels for different skill areas and for different teaching groups. For example, you may be a Young Learner specialist, with a PGCE, operating at level 3 as a Young Learner teacher. However, you may also have just gained a Certificate level qualification and so be operating at level 1 as an Adult level teacher.
In the interview you have to demonstrate what you have done with specific examples. Here is an example for Course and Lesson Planning (level 1)
Can you describe to us how you plan your lessons?
I suppose I follow a yearly syllabus set by the centre at the beginning of the academic year, but inside this I work on smaller more achievable plans which I set myself based on students needs. I break these up into terms, weeks and finally days. I like to plan ahead, and give students achievable goals.
Planning a lesson really depends on what I am aiming to cover, for example, if the aim is to practise modals, I will research why my learners would need to use it. The context and the relevance.
I make sure the aim of the lesson is clear to me and my students. Especially with adults. They want to know what they are doing in the lesson and more importantly WHY. I have the aim of the lesson up on the board before they come in, and the steps we will take to reach our goal i.e. ‘Short answers’ – do & don’t.
Please can you provide an example of where you have demonstrated this?
This year I taught a group of 17-19 year old CPE students with a low level of motivation and I had to re-assess the planning I had done.
I consulted colleagues who I had observed, and sought their advice. I learnt I had to modify my initial planning to incorporate students’ needs and reach a compromise with them. The syllabus, and contents of the CPE book had absolutely no relevance to their interests, however, their goal was to pass the Cambridge exam, and I wanted to make it as motivating as possible.
I used a technique I picked up from observing a peer, and this is to make brief notes throughout the lesson, pron. Problems, new vocab, etc which is the base for the following lesson. I always start my lesson off with a quick revision game using the notes from the previous lesson. This gets them to reflect upon what they have done, and just how much they have improved or learnt, and they really enjoy it. It also allows for the late comers.
I then put the lesson aims up on the board.
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