What types of techniques would you use to get students to participate? First, I would observe the class and try to determine the reason why some students may not be participating as much as others. In my experience, low participation can be attributable either to distractions or to difficulty in understanding that causes some students to lose interest or give up. With respect to students whose low participation is a function of distraction, I would make seating (and other) changes necessary to reduce distractions. With respect to students who seem to give up because of comprehension limitations, I might conduct short one-on-one tutorials to help me identify and overcome specific learning barriers.

5. Aside from your education and experience, what will you do to help better educate your students? What methods would you implement to aid in their education?

I am a proponent of the Multiple Intelligences concept of cognitive learning, according to which many students have much greater capacity to learn from different instructional methods than the traditional focus on textbooks and passive lecture. If permitted, I would...

identify the strengths of students who do not seem to respond to traditional teaching methods and 2. re-engage those students in learning.
6. What will you do if you are met with opposition by your students? How are going to handle difficult students?

I admit that this is my greatest area of apprehension. I intend to consult more experienced educators about this issue for their suggestions before beginning my teaching career. On one hand, I know it is important not to allow difficult students to disrupt the lesson; on the other hand, I do not have any experience in that regard. Intuitively, I would imagine that it is important to discuss the situation privately with the student to try to understand the source of the problem. If necessary, I would make an attempt to gauge the potential helpfulness of the parents in resolving the situation in the manner most beneficial to all of my students.