Qualifications and Essential Functions
- Administer and Develop subject-specific assessments to enable the assessment of student competency levels and develop individual learning plans.
- Instruct students to ensure that they improve performance in academics by using a defined study course.
- Counsel students so as help them improve their performance, problem solving techniques, health status and various personal issues.
- Assess the progress made by students towards set objectives, goals and/or expectations to as to provide feedback to students, their parents and the administration.
- Advise parents or legal guardians on student progress so as to communicate student’s achievements; expectations; develop methods for improvement and to reinforce the goals set in the classroom in the home setting.
- Work with students from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
- Demonstrate and Differentiate methods needed to perform subject specific or classroom specific assignments so as to provide an effective program that addresses individual student requirements.
- Manage student behavior to provide a safe and appropriate learning environment.
- Monitor students in various educational environments like classroom, hallways, school ground, restrooms, and fieldtrips. The purpose of this is to provide a positive and safe learning environment.
- Participate in various professional development activities and meetings so as to convey and gather vital information that assist in the performance of functions.
- Report accidents (Eg. Substance abuse, suspected child abuse, fights, harassment and zero tolerance offences etc.). This enhances the maintenance the students’ personal safety while providing an optimal learning environment and in-keeping with State laws as well as Board policies.
- Respond to emergency situations. This ensures resolution of immediate safety concerns or re-direction to the appropriate personnel
- Manage the classroom in a professional and effective manner that ensures morale, discipline and attentiveness.
- Collaborate with colleagues while exhibiting teamwork to attain set objectives.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
- Tell me about yourself and your qualifications
- How do you evaluate and assess students?
- Describe teaching techniques that you find the most effective for you.
- How do you motivate ‘dull’ students and those with low esteem?
- Which methods do you use to assess progress of students?
- What is your experience with parents? How would you motivate them to become involved with their child’s education and the classroom? Which means do you use while communicating with parents?
- What is your experience with students from diverse backgrounds?
- How do you identify special needs of students?
- Which methods do you use to tackle discipline issues that arise in the classroom?
- Which kind of rules would govern your students while on a field trip?
- Why should teachers participate in professional development activities?
- How would you handle a case of a student who you caught buying alcohol outside school?
- How would you handle a case where one of your students was having breathing problems?
- Share three classroom Management techniques that you use in your classroom.
- Share an example of a project in which you worked with colleagues to attain objectives.
Key selection criteria
- Content of teaching
The candidate should show an outstanding level of understanding regarding the relevant main learning areas and how students learn;
The candidate should also demonstrate the ability and capacity to respond to emerging educational priorities and needs at the school level.
- Teaching practice
- Demonstrate high quality teaching skills for the classroom enabling students realize their full potential;
- Evaluation and reporting of student progress.
- The ability to assess and follow student achievement while providing feedback to parents in form of reports to keep the abreast with their children’s progress.
- Interacting with school community
- Ability to establish productive relationships with students. These relationships engender positive attitudes on learning.
- Demonstrate exceptional communications and interpersonal skills.
- Professional requirements
- Demonstrate commitment and the capacity to contribute actively to a wide variety of school activities as a team player;
- Demonstrate the capacity to reflect deeply on their professional practice. This enables them to improve the quality of teaching and the capacity to enhance the learning process by application of skills, expertise and insight obtained from
EVALUATION PER QUESTION
each question has a maximum of 5 points attainable
Question 1: Grading
In this question, first and foremost, the candidate should be able to exhibit his/ her communication skills and confidence levels. The candidate should express his or herself in a clear, calm and collected manner with a command of the language. Secondly, the candidate’s academic qualifications are crucial. A candidate who can communicate well will earn a point while a candidate who can communicate well with confidence will earn two points. A candidate who has attained the required threshold will get two points. A candidate whose academic qualifications exceed the minimum required will earn an additional point. This makes a total of five pints for this section.
Question 2-15: Grading
These questions help the interviewer gather information on the candidate’s skill level, education and training, and ability to relate with students, other teachers, general staff members and parents for the good of the student. The teacher should demonstrate outstanding ability in these areas for success in the interview. Grading will be done according to relevance of the answer to the question. Candidates who mention the key points expected will get two points. A candidate who displays reflective ability to think critically will get one points while candidate who has come up with creative ways to deal with issues and problems will get an additional point. Good articulation will earn the candidate a point.
Type of interview
This evaluation process will employ an open-ended interview. This is where all interviewees respond to the same questions and their responses are not restricted into “yes” or “no” formats. In-depth responses are expected.
Techniques used in the Job analysis
Observational techniques involve gathering firsthand data on processes, programs or behaviors under study. This method provides the interviewer with the chance to collect data on behavior from a variety of interactions.
An individual interview provides a rich, deep view into the interviewee’s behavior, life and reasoning. Individual interviews should be conducted in an environment that lets the participant feel at ease enabling the interviewer to get the most out of the interviewee.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GIVEN BY THE 3 INTERVIEWEES (A, B and C).
- Tell me about yourself and your qualifications
- I am a 30 year old American citizen, married with three children. I have a Bachelor’s degree in secondary education and two years teaching experience.
- I am a Mechanical engineering graduate with two and a half years’ experience in teaching- one of which was in Xyz high school and the other one and a half at Mno High school which is where I’m currently teaching. I love engineering but I love teaching more.
- I am a 26 year old Psychology graduate with one year experience in teaching
- How do you evaluate and assess students?
- I use direct and indirect methods. Direct methods include written tests and essays while indirect methods include oral presentations and group work tasks.
- I categorize my assessment under four categories. The first category is “critical thinking” involving reports, essays and discussions. The second category is “problem solving”. This involves group work and problem scenarios. Third category is “performing procedures”. This involves demonstrations, role plays and lab procedures. The fourth category is “demonstrating knowledge” This involves written tests, essays and reports.
- My assessment methods include written tests, essays, reports, group work and oral presentations.
- Describe teaching techniques that you find the most effective for you.
- I use note-giving, class discussions, collaborative work and reading and writing assignments
- I use class discussions and presentations, writing assignments and note-giving through dictation and projector notes.
- I use assignments, dictation for note-taking, group work and peer review
- How do you motivate ‘dull’ students and those with low esteem?
- Investigate to establish the student’s strengths encourage them in a genuine way; show the student evidence of progress; showcase the student’s achievements in class.
- I make the student feel that they are important in class; talk with the student regarding their interests;
- I get the parents involved with their child’s progress and notify them of achievements. A student who gets approval from parents is less likely to have esteem issues; I help the student to deal with adversity.
- Which methods do you use to assess progress of students?
- I prepare a comparative report where each student’s performance is compared to previous performance and scores are entered into a progress line graph.
- I utilize summative, formative, formal, informal and peer assessment.
- I prepare charts for each student that show previous performances in relation to the current performance. I encourage the student to set goals and evaluate whether set objectives have been met.
- What is your experience with parents? How would you motivate them to become involved with their child’s education and the classroom? Which means do you use while communicating with parents?
- I get to know the students’ family. This makes it easy for them to open up; I use written communication to request for involvement; I use meetings where I invite all parents of students in a class. Interaction with other parents fosters involvement.
- I make parents feel welcome to visit school anytime and to contact me; I request for parents to sign their child’s assignments; I communicate openly with parents.
- I invite parents to class meeting to discuss performance; I notify parents regularly regarding their child’s progress.
- What is your experience with students from diverse backgrounds?
- My first job was in a dangerous neighborhood where gang activity was rampant. Involving the police was crucial to maintaining a safe environment around the school.
- I have taught Arab students who had difficulty opening up and interacting with other students during group discussions. I involved their parents and this improved their willingness to interact with others.
- I have not dealt with students from diverse backgrounds.
- How do you identify special needs of students?
- Through assessment, if a student is lagging behind in class or has problems expressing themselves.
- Which methods do you use to tackle discipline issues that arise in the classroom?
- Through detention and inviting their parents for a “sit-down” with their child.
- I warn the student and give detention if the problem persists.
- Which kind of rules would govern your students while on a field trip?
- Students should keep within the designated areas and within sight of at least one of their teachers; students should return to the bus before the time designated.
- Students should remain within sight of their teachers and not wander off. Students should be punctual.
- Students should follow instructions
- Why should teachers participate in professional development activities?
- How would you handle a case of a student who you caught buying alcohol outside school?
- I would note down their name and call their parents to school to discuss the matter.
- I would let the principal know and give a recommendation for their parents to be called to school.
- I would request the principal to review the matter and recommend suspension.
- How would you handle a case where one of your students was having breathing problems?
- I would have someone call 911 and perform CPR on the patient.
- I would have someone call the school medical personnel while I resuscitate the student.
- I would call 911 and have a student perform CPR on the patient.
- Share one classroom Management techniques that you use in your classroom.
- I appoint class representatives for every week. This fosters accountability in all the students.
- I appoint a class representative who manages student issues and grievances; I delegate duties to different students over time.
- I make students take turns at teaching various topics.
- Share an example of a project in which you worked with colleagues to attain objectives.
- It was a fundraiser where all of us had to devise methods to raise money. All of us received donations from friends and we pooled together our funds and attained the total we required.
- It was a team building competition against teachers from another school and I contributed to our teams points in the 4X400 relay. The team is only as strong as its weakest link.
- We the teachers had to devise a schedule for remedial classes. I chaired the meeting.
Fig 1: Table showing interview results
Decision
I would choose candidate B. This is because she attained the highest number of points. Additionally, she had better overall skills, education qualification, teamwork abilities and understood the teaching job best among the three candidates. Candidate B emerges as the teacher to be hired because she has the most experience; is vibrant and easy to open up and talk to. Students would find it easier to deal with a teacher like her. Additionally, she is a mother and therefore has the best interests of children at heart. Her communication skills and advanced understanding of the job gives her an edge over the other candidates.
Reflection and recommendation
Question one required the candidate to express himself or herself while making the first impression. The candidate had to show that they had the desired qualifications. Communication skills were vital in this section. Questions 2-15 were graded out of five points each. Good communication earned a point, understanding of the question and a correct response earned the candidate either one or two points depending on how well they answered the question. Explanations of the key points earned the candidate either one or two points depending on how well they could explain their main points.
The problems faced during the hypothetical interview include establishing how to distribute the points in a manner that does not favor any candidate. It was also difficult to decide whether all questions should carry the same number of points. The observation of the interviewee to determine non-tangible aspects like confidence was also difficult. The process can be improved by introducing two more interviewers so as to obtain an unbiased decision. First impressions can often cause bias for or against a particular candidate.
