Interview Question

Instructor, Mathematics Interview

I didn't know the definition of summative and formative

  , and that hurt, and I didn't have a good answer for the "next 5 years" question.

Interview Answer

10 Answers


summative is like an end of chapter test, formative is like checking on the learning progress of the student in real time, good answer would be activity like think-pair-share

Interview Candidate on Jul 17, 2012

do you have any advise for the interview or the teaching demo??

will interview in a few... on Oct 8, 2012

It is a group interview or 1 on 1? I have an appointment for my teaching demonstration, is it in front of the other applicants? how many people were in your demo? btw I applied to teach biology

going to job fair on Oct 8, 2012

For my teaching demo (they asked me to do a simple topic like slopes of lines) I just wrote on the board and talked as I would to a class. They want to see your handwriting, if you can project your voice, how you explain things, how you act at the front of a class (talking into the board the whole time as you write is bad).

The guy that went before me brought lots of interactive props. I don't know if it worked out for him. I was interviewed not with other candidates but in front of 4-5 faculty members. (This was the math dept a few years ago). The interviews were scheduled every 15 minutes so I didn't wait with anybody.

I advise that if you write on the board, do it, and then turn to face your audience to talk, so you're not talking into the board. Lead them along as you would a class. Obviously they all know what the slope of the line is but ask them as you would a group of students, because they want to see how you would interact with your class. Pick a topic that you can lecture on without notes, but still have notes in case you get nervous. I've done slope and lines so many times that I don't have to think about how to introduce the topic and what to say.

I advise that you brush up on some current topics in teaching- find a teaching journal and read some articles that are new, so you can answer questions involving current trends in teaching methodology. Think about how you've used those methods in your own class. Think about something you tried and whether it succeeded or failed, and why.

There will probably be technology related questions. How do you use tech in your classroom, what do you think about a fully-online class, what are pros and cons of a class where the lectures are on video and there is only a TA there to answer students questions, would you give online tests, what would a typical group project be like in your class- how would students interact through the online component of valencia's website (atlas, blackboard, ...).

I was once asked how I would treat special needs students differently. The answer is that you don't, except for whatever the Office of Students with Disabilities provides for them.

If you've taken the professional development classes, go back over those reading assignments and notes so you can have buzzwords fresh in your mind like "learning-centered" and look at the official course outline of the classes you teach so you can see what the department expects are the course outcomes for the class. Use some of the words on the rubrics.

Go in with the mindset that you want to be a teacher there, it's the best opportunity for you, and you want to do it for the foreseeable future. Don't say you want the job now but you'd like to move on / move up / or run your own business in 5 years from now.

Have confidence in yourself. Good luck.

OP on Oct 8, 2012

Wow.. thank you for your reply!!! very helpful

going to job fair on Oct 16, 2012

have an interview with demo the 24th! im a young guy wondering what should I wear... nice khakis with long sleeve shirt and tie, or just nice khakis with a polo shirt; I have no clue

NHL on Oct 16, 2012

to NHL:

I suggest you wear what you would normally wear to teach in, on a good day. The first time I did it, I wore a slick tie and a sharp shirt, name-brand, and I felt awkward because nobody else was dressed like that. The second time I think I wore a more sears-style tie and khakis, and felt more relaxed. But I also tried to teach a class that way and it was harder to maintain control over and respect from the classroom when I had my tie on. I don't think anything's wrong a tie if that's what you're comfortable in, but seriously I only know 2 out of maybe 10 male math teachers that wear a tie to teach in (excluding the dean), and they are older-looking adults.

So I'd say a polo is fine- they are more interested in how you speak and write and explain things, and if you go tie, go white-collar sears style, not Armani or Express.

On a subconscious psychological note, it's good to not look better than the person you're trying to impress. I found that with my PhD advisor, if I worked out and got tan all week and showed up in his office with short sleeves, he had a short temper; but if I stayed inside on my computer all week, got pale and skinny and didn't shave, and wore long sleeves to his office, he was much nicer.

So wear a tie if you want but don't make any girls' heads turn on the way to the interview.

OP on Oct 16, 2012

LOL you made my night, i just laughed out loud! but thank you I really appreciate your response! let me ask you something, you said you went 2 times. You had two different interviews or you went to two different job fairs?

NHL on Oct 16, 2012

I was hired as a 4-month faculty member each time, which means I'm considered (and paid as) a full time faculty member for one semester. But for 4 years, every time, the second semester's contract was almost guaranteed and I got it every time, so Fall and Spring contracts were always practically bundled together. Again, this is math dept west campus, i don't know about other departments. My paycheck after taxes is about $1774 every two weeks (after 5 years with PhD), and it changes with years in and degree, and all that is publicly available on the website.

But, during each summer, I had to re-interview for my same job, which I always found very depressing. Also, during the summer I was paid as an adjunct faculty member, which meant about half the paycheck with the same amount of work, except no office hours. When you tell your students in your summer classes that you don't have office hours, they all look at you like 'WTF' and 'obviously you don't care about us'. But I looked at it like, if they didn't pay me enough to live, then I'll spend those 10 hours a week somewhere else trying to make money some other way.

That summer break in pay is one of the main reasons why I just left Valencia for another full-time (all-year-long) job.

OP on Oct 16, 2012

wow, interesting I would like to tell u a little bit about me to see what you think about it... but you know here is like public, i can give u my email address so I can explain u something bout my situation! Thank you so much again my email is

NHL on Oct 16, 2012

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