Maths teacher Interview

[asdx2]

DD y12 has been invited to sit on interview panel on Friday with Head of Maths dept and one other teacher when they interview for a new maths teacher.
She has been asked to contribute some questions. Her contributions so far, that she has run past me, have been rather biased by her own preferences and learning style.
So what sort of questions would you want asking? Or what questions have you been asked that, you felt, were a good opportunity for you to demonstrate your talents?

Let your daughter ask the questions she has already suggested. She has been invited to sit in on the interview, presumably because whoever has invited her believes she can contribute. If they had wanted you, or MN to be on the interview panel, they would have invited us or you. They didn't.

The other members of the panel will be expecting your DD to ask questions that are biased from her point of view. That is what they want. To see how the candidates deal with something that they can have no prior knowledge of, or time to prepare.

Just a few notes:-
Make sure that you ask each candidate the same questions so that you can make a fair comparison.

What would you do to involve those students (traditionally Girls) that find Maths difficult and boring?

How would you motivate an unmotivated student that hates Maths?

(Similar to above)
Some students are good at maths and enjoy it. How would you keep the interest of a very able student that easily gets bored answering, what to them, are easy questions?

What do you think makes a good teacher?

Why do you want to teach at this school?

Tell me some difficulties that some students had with Maths and how did you help them?

What did you learn in your last school?

How would you set about teaching a mixed ability class?

How do you handle classroom management issues (naughty boys!)?

What makes good teaching?
Have you seen any good teaching taking place?
Why was it effective?
How could you tell?

Would you run a Maths Club?
What would take place in a Maths Club?

If you have some money to spend for the Maths Dept, what would you spend it on and why?

How would you actively involve parents?

If you had a troublesome student, at what stage would you refer the problem to your line manager (Head of Dept)? At what stage would you involve the parents?

What do you like about teaching Maths?
What do you hate about teaching Maths?

If you learn that a student is being abused, what would you do?

How would you inform a parent of a students progress?

How would you ensure that a students progress is maintained throughout the year?
What 'progress checks' would you use and how often?

Oh don't worry about her not using her own questions she know's it all anyway. Thought I might suggest a couple and then she'll go off on a tangent and maybe consider other views.
Current thoughts are anyone who suggests that using "My Maths" as enhancement to learning or group work to build confidence and enjoyment will definitely get a thumbs down. But that's simply because they don't suit her style.

I think its a valid point to bring up the "My Maths" asdx2 as my year 12 DD hates it with a passion too! I'd be interested to know why lots of Maths teachers seem to like it when pupils don't.

asdx2 & webwiz, I haven't come across mymaths before, just had a look at the samples, on first glance it looks a little bit boring, not much multimedia. What is it about it that your DDs don't like?

the games seem quite good

My DD (and DS year 8) don't like its inflexibility - it marks the answer wrong when you've just used a slightly different but still correct method or the order in which the answer is typed in may affect whether it is marked correctly or not. Cue lots of shouting at the computer.

thanks webwiz, I can see that that wouldn't go down too well

That's exactly dd's complaint it won't accept an alternative method even if it's one used in school and a more logical method.
Only one of dd's A2 maths teachers use it and it happens to be the one she considers poor and she sees it as a lazy way to teach.

thanks asdx2, good point that it can be an easy way out. Good quality direct teaching is better