Sample Questions for Domain 1 - Leading Teaching and Learning

When preparing your application form and for interviews for management positions in primary and post-primary schools, it’s important to have examples prepared under the four domains – Leading Teaching and Learning, Managing the Organisation, Leading School Development and Developing Leadership Capacity.

The interview board will be looking for relevant, concrete examples of times that you have shown leadership qualities as evidence of your ability to perform at the management level in the school. It’s your job to provide those examples, elaborate on them and communicate your value to the school.

Finding examples from your teaching career to date

In today’s blog, I look at the first domain – leading teaching and learning and invite you 1. to reflect on the questions and prompts below and 2. find stories from your teaching career to date that illustrate your expertise in that area.

Leading Teaching and Learning - Some questions to reflect on

• Do you have leadership qualities? What are they?

• What opportunities have you had to lead teaching in your school?

• Have you contributed to Croke Park meetings?

• Facilitated staff training based on the courses you’ve taken.

• Shared your area of expertise?

• Have you led Sacramental Preparation in your school at any stage?

• Assessment of Learning – have you ever assessed the learning and teaching methodologies utilised by your school and implemented a whole school plan for change?

• Used your initiative?

• How have you supported a pupil’s wellbeing?

• How well do you take into account the school’s school mission statement and school plan in your planning?

• When have you promoted a culture of improvement, collaboration, innovation and creativity in learning, teaching, and assessment?

• In which ways have you fostered a commitment to inclusion, equality of opportunity and the holistic development of each pupil?

• In which ways have you managed the planning and implementation of the curriculum in your teaching?

• If given the opportunity - how would you foster teacher professional development in such a way that enriches teachers’ and pupils’ learning?

Remember, it’s a good thing to include examples from other areas of your life too.

It may be useful to refer to:

• Your school, personal and community life

• Special education

• Voluntary work you’ve done

• Inclusion

• Diversity

• Aistear

• New Primary School Curriculum

• Pastoral care (post-primary)

Other posts from this series:

• AP Applications: How to Prepare for Domain 2: Managing an Organisation

• School Management AP Applications: Domain 3 Leading School Development

• Principal Interviews: Domain 4 - Developing Leadership Capacity

If you have found this blog post useful, please share it online so that others can learn from the post.

Want help to use the STAR technique, pinpoint the answers that make make them impressed and curious about what you can do for their school? Book a mock interview directly with me here: https://calendly.com/orladempsey/leadership-interview-confidence-session-90mins