 Hello, my name is Christopher Peacock. I'd like to welcome you to the series of Supporting Administrators in French Immersion. Let's get started with topic 3, Recruiting and Interviewing Staff. Topic 3 will provide you with information on recruiting staff for your French Immersion program. We will talk about the language proficiency of French Immersion staff and conducting interviews to staff your program. For further information, see the Handbook for French Immersion Administrators 2010, Chapter 5, Pages 48-51. There is a high demand for French Immersion teachers. Administrators need to be proactive and keep current when it comes to recruiting French Immersion teachers. Here are a few ideas on recruiting. Campus Saint-Jean hosts a job fair for their new Bachelor of Education graduates, usually held on the evening of the U of A Education job fair in mid-January. Students can send representatives to the Foire d'Emploi to recruit new teachers. It is possible to set up an interview on site with a candidate. For more information, visit the Campus Saint-Jean website. You may also access their Graduate Data Bank by clicking the link and the password is bonjour. Also note that some jurisdictions send representatives to recruit out of province, for example in New Brunswick and Quebec. Since teachers have a considerable influence on the overall success of students, staffing your French Immersion program is perhaps your single most important responsibility. The following areas of discussion are meant to serve as a guide for administrators when interviewing applicants for a French Immersion teaching position. What is the candidate's philosophy with respect to how children learn, particularly as it pertains to second language acquisition? One of the most important areas to consider is the candidate's philosophy of immersion, learning, and teaching. Ask them to talk about their understanding of learning a second language in an immersion context. Their ideas should include the following. Learners acquire their second language much the way they learn their first language. As a result, they must actively participate in language-rich activities that are meaningful to them. Learners must be exposed to a variety of authentic learning situations. Learners have to be given many opportunities to communicate. Priority should be given to the message before the form. Language teaching is important in all subject areas at all grade levels throughout the French Immersion program. Learn the French language, they learn about the French language, and they learn through the French language. What is the candidate's approach to teaching a second language? Ask them to describe how they would approach their teaching in a French Immersion situation. Do they see teaching in French Immersion as being the same or different as teaching the first language context? The teaching should correspond to their beliefs about language learning. There should be some discussion about the role of transfers and interferences between the French and the English language. Explore the candidate's knowledge of second language teaching methodology. Within the context of the French Immersion classroom, ask how the candidate would include students with diverse learning needs, differentiate instruction to meet the needs of students, ground their teaching in literacy, use all forms of student evaluation to inform their teaching, and describe their classroom management strategies. How will the candidate integrate French culture into their teaching? One of the goals of the French Immersion program is to introduce learners to Francophone cultural life in Alberta and the French-speaking world. Ask the candidate to explain his or her version of what it means to integrate French culture into his or her teaching. How will the candidate evaluate his or her students? Evaluating strategies should reflect both his or her philosophy of learning and his or her philosophy of teaching. Ask the candidate to explain the kinds of assessments and evaluations that he or she plans to use, and for what purposes. What are the French language skills of the candidate? Because French Immersion teachers serve as models for students, they should have an excellent command of the French language, both oral and written. The French oral language proficiency of the candidate should be assessed. To learn more about oral proficiency testing, consult the link with the Apprentice Public Schools slash data files slash French credentials. The candidate's written language skills should also be assessed. The following written assignment question is an example of what could be used to that end. Que feriez-vous afin d'encourager l'élève en Immersion française de continuer son développement langagier? Translation, what would you do to encourage a French Immersion student to continue to develop his or her language skills? Both of the following elements should be considered when hiring new staff. Not all teachers proficient in French had the teaching methods that will allow them to be effective in the French Immersion classroom. And not all teachers have the French skills to be effective French Immersion teachers. What are the English language skills of the candidate? Many French Immersion teachers at the elementary level teach their own English language arts classes. Again, the teacher serves as a model for students and should command good English language skills, spoken and written. French Immersion teachers also need good English language skills to communicate with parents, as most parents are English speaking. The candidate's written language skills should also be assessed. Lise May, French Immersion consultant with the Calgary Regional Consortium, has created a set of interview questions for administrators to use when interviewing prospective French Immersion teachers. Lise has graciously accepted to share this tool for administrators. Interview questions 1 through 17 are available for your use on www.erlc.ca slash resources. This PowerPoint has presented you with topic 3, recruiting and interviewing staff in this series, support for administrators of French Immersion. Consult the handbook for French Immersion administrators 2010 chapter 5 section D for further information on recruiting and staffing your French Immersion program.