Sample Mentor Teacher Interview Questions
effectively support each and every candidate. This is particularly important in mentoring relationships where mentor teachers and preservice teachers do not share the same social or cultural identities and backgrounds. For example, preservice teachers of color can experience exclusion in teacher education programs( Amos 2010; Cheruvu et al. 2015) and may“ ha [ ve ] to negotiate their racialized relationships with peers and mentor teachers”( Cheruvu et al. 2015, 259). By having open and honest conversations early and often— such as in an interview or a guided conversation— mentor teachers and preservice teachers can support each other in countering such biases and strengthen their relationships( Gold 1985; Murray-Harvey et al. 2000; Horgan et al. 2018; Barry 2024).
Not all teacher education programs will have such an assignment. In these cases, mentor teachers can initiate guided conversations, such as sharing responses to common concerns or questions that
Sample Mentor Teacher Interview Questions
Here are some other questions that can be included in an interview assignment like the one we created: previous candidates have had. They can even share questions they had as preservice teachers. This could include
› Explaining classroom routines and schedules
› Setting expectations and boundaries for interactions with children
› Asking about assignments that need to be completed during the field experience
› Learning about the teacher candidate’ s previous experiences working with children
› Asking about the teacher candidate’ s goals and their preferred ways of receiving feedback
Whatever form this activity takes, it reinforces an important consideration about adult learners: Each preservice teacher comes into the classroom with their own experiences, interests, skills, and areas for growth( Muñoz et al. 2018). All have the potential to learn and grow over time. Mentor teachers contribute to that growth by getting to know each candidate, sharing expectations early on, and offering individualized supports, as echoed in the tenets of DAP( 2020a).
The Observation and Documentation Project
INNOVATIONSINHIGHEREDUCATION
› What is the daily schedule like in your classroom, including both structured and unstructured times?
› What are school / classroom policies I should be aware of?
› How would you like me to engage with the children in your classroom throughout the day?
› What would you like me to do when confidential discussions are happening in your classroom? Should I step out of the room or plan to participate?
› When should I share my lesson plans for the two lessons I will be teaching?
David began developing this project when he was introduced to it by his dissertation supervisor during his doctoral studies, and he has continued to refine it. In this project, which was originally developed to assess children, preservice teachers are asked to collect informal documentation for one child in their field placement, including work samples, observation notes, scribed conversations with children, and written reflections. They connect the documentation to relevant early learning standards or goals and explain what each shows about the child as a learner. Then, they craft communication to the child’ s family, describing the child’ s strengths and growth areas as shown through these samples.
Summer 2026 Young Children 79