Classroom Interviews: 10 Easy and Creative Ways to Interview Your Students

Implementing Classroom Interviews:

I have never had a middle school experience like this! It was challenging to guide students through the transition from elementary to middle school. I had to have a classroom environment that was engaging so my students would accept My Classroom Economy. Creating an environment that was welcoming for my students and fun for me was important to me as a teacher.

 When students get used to the class structure and start working, classroom interviewing will become more and more acceptable.  

Here are 10 Easy and Creative ways to Introduce Classroom Interviews:

1. Create a Job Board: It can be a fun way to make the interview process more official and professional by creating a job board using a digital tool like Padlet or Canva.
2. Use Ice Breaker Questions: Use ice breaker questions to help students feel more comfortable during the interview process. Questions like "What's your favorite hobby?" or "What's your favorite movie?" can help students open up and feel more relaxed.
3. Use Digital Whiteboards: Make use of digital whiteboards like Google Jamboard to help students brainstorm and organize their thoughts. Involving students in the process and helping them feel more confident is a fun and interactive way to do it.
4. Use Visual Aids: Use visual aids like videos, images, or diagrams to help students understand the job responsibilities and expectations. You can use this to get students excited about the open positions and help them understand what they'll be doing.
5. Make it a Game: Another way to make interviews more engaging is to turn them into a game. You can use digital tools like Kahoot, Quizlet, or Quizizz to create interactive quizzes with questions related to the job or position. This can be a fun and exciting way to test the student's knowledge and skills while also learning more about the job.
6. Video Platform: Use a video conferencing platform like FLIPGRID (now FLIP). Make up your group and share a link on your learning platform with them for virtual interviews. It's fun and engaging for students, as they can prepare by studying the questions beforehand. You can also share some amazing interviewing examples from the other students. Everyone in FLIP can check out the examples their classmates have done.
7. Assign roles: Have students take part in the interview process by being interviewers, note-takers, or timekeepers. This can help develop important skills like communication and teamwork.
8. Provide Feedback: It's super important to give students feedback during the interview process. This will help them learn what they can do to improve. Create feedback forms with digital tools like Google Forms or SurveyMonkey so students can share their thoughts about the interview process.
9. Celebrate Success: Celebrate the success of students who are selected for classroom jobs by publicly announcing their new roles and recognizing their achievements. Give them a Job Acceptance Letter and have them sign that they agree to the terms of their job responsibilities.
10. Follow-Up: Have students follow up halfway through the school year with another virtual interview to see how they are adjusting to their new job position and if they are interested in a new job position.

Middle school interviews can be fun and engaging by using digital technology and asking the right questions. They don't have to take a lot of time and effort.

Let me know if you have tried student interviews and if so, what platform did you use?

Until next time.