Beginning Teacher January Forum #3 Working Memory Learning Environment (I-10) CIC adds name to this slide CIC:

Agenda Agenda, Outcome, Norms Connecting Activity Working Memory - What It Is and What It Does - How to Develop It with Skill Building Activities Learning Environment (I-10) - Effects of Stress Announcements Closing The Connecting part of the Forum Structure begins here with the Agenda and ends with the “Connecting Activity” slide.

Outcomes Teachers will: Understand what working memory is and what it does for learning. Learn the kinds of skill activities that build working memory. Understand how minimizing stress contributes to a better learning environment. Understand considerations in deciding the level of structure a teacher chooses to use for a class procedure or transition.

Norms Active Listening Appropriate use of electronics Equity of voice Respect for all perspectives Confidentiality Norms are the standards or expectations by which a group has agreed to operate while working together. They should be used whenever two or more people are working together for a productive outcome. Norms help to maximize the productivity and effectiveness in a positive setting and ensure that individuals are respected. They place responsibility on individuals for expected behavior helping to build community in your group, and, at the same time allow for risk taking. Norms should be positive, kept simple and be few in number. The optimum situation is for the group to develop their own norms.

Connecting Activity Add-a-Word Story Each table will begin with the sentence stem, “As a beginning teacher on my campus, I . . . . “ The teacher with the most years of experience begins by saying the sentence stem and then adding one word. Going counter clockwise, the next person says everything the first person said and adds another word. The third person says everything the second person said and adds another word. This continues until time is called. The person who spoke last will repeat the table’s story to whole group. The connecting activity is a working memory capacity building skills. It is an example of an activity that can be used at all grade levels. Explain to participants that they will learn the importance of building capacity for working memory during the training. Point out that the repeated words will probably not be remembered tomorrow. It is currently in working memory and gone tomorrow or later tonight unless you continue to practice.

What Is Working Memory? Working memory is a system for temporarily storing and managing the information required to carry out complex cognitive tasks such as new learning, reasoning, and comprehension. Working memory is the part of short-term memory that is concerned with immediate conscious perceptual and linguistic processing. Working memory is visual and auditory and is held for moments. Have a participant read each bullet. These are definitions taken from the internet. The activity that follows will exemplify using working memory so no need to elaborate on the content of each bullet. The end result is for BTs to understand that for some students there may be difficulty retaining a list of things or multi-step directions and also the impact of environmental distractions. These definitions of working memory tells us that it is exclusively within the capacity of short-term memory. Short-term memory can hold on to and recall only about seven items, usually words or numbers, and only for a few seconds to use in learning. Following are ways students need working memory to learn. The Learning part of the Forum Structure begins here with the this slide and ends with the “On-Line Games that Build Working Memory” slide.

Working Memory is Used to Complete Multi-Step Tasks Students rely on working memory to complete multi-step tasks. If they have weak working memory skills, it’s hard to remember what comes next while doing what comes now. Note-taking, for example, is difficult, since students have to remember the sentence they heard by using working memory, while calling on long-term memory to spell words and use correct punctuation in the sentence. Another example of working memory that may fail you is driving to the store (how to get there is in your long-term memory), but forgetting the few items you need from the store once you arrive (short-term working memory). Another example is looking back at notes taken, possibly in college, and noticing that some of the sentence are incomplete because the professor has already moved on to another important point. Teachers should be aware of the speed of their lectures if they require students to be taking notes. Providing a summary page of notes to students that requires them to fill in key words would be an accommodation.

Working Memory is Used to Access New Information The teacher asks a verbal math question. “What is the width of a rectangle that has a length of 20 cm and a perimeter of 70 cm:” A student has to recall information from long-term memory (the correct formula), and at the same time, use working memory to access new incoming information (the measures stated verbally by the teacher). Math formulas need to be stored in long-term memory, but the terms that are used to make and solve the equation need only be short term. The perimeter formula (P = 2L +2W) needs to be remembered long term, while the measures used to form the equation changes with each new problem and need only to be remembered short term. Students’ working memory enables them to go from problem to problem with new measures each time, while sorting out what has to be remembered long term (the correct formula). Requiring students to take notes from a lecture requires many skills working simultaneously, for example, strong short term memory skills, fast writing skills and strong focus on the incoming new information the lecturer is providing. The results may be gaps in the information recorded by the student if he or she falters at any point (ie distracted by door opening, sneezes, poor speller, etc.) Have participants think about accommodations to help students be successful in receiving the content.

The Need to Build Working Memory Working memory is required for problem solving, language, math, prediction, and every higher order process. Stress and other environmental factors can impact working memory. Working memory is a teachable skill and should be practiced daily. Accommodations to support working memory should be planned. Eric Jensen recognizes that kids in poverty may have weaker working memory. Card players may have very well come from poverty and their working memory is exceptionally strong.

Ways to Build Working Memory Every few minutes when teaching, pause to let content sink in. Divide content into smaller chunks to aid understanding, then review. Do a physical activity to get oxygen to the brain. Make it a priority to do 10 minutes of working memory skills 3-5 times a week for 8-12 weeks. Having weak working memory creates obstacles to learning. But there are ways to get around these obstacles. You can try working memory boosters like playing cards or numbering directions. With help from you and supports at school, students can build up working memory skills so learning is less of a struggle.

Examples of Activities to Build Working Memory Tell participants to pair off. One partner faces the power point screen, while the other turns his/her back to the screen. Once participants are in place, go to the next slide.

Have your partner repeat these numbers backwards. 5, 3, 8 2, 7, 4 9, 6, 3 5, 1, 7 Tell the partner who is facing the power point screen that they will the set of 3 numbers to their partner and have their partner repeat the 3 numbers backwards. One this has been done with all four sets of numbers, go to the next slide.

Now, have your partner repeat them from greatest to least. 5, 3, 8 2, 7, 4 9, 6, 3 5, 1, 7 Begin again by having the partner facing the power point screen to read the number exactly the same way, but this time have the partner who is practicing the exercise repeat the numbers back in order of greatest to least. While participants are engaged, find ways to make distracting noise: Slam a door, and kick a waste basket. The purpose is to simulate stress or environmental distractions. Have participants share if they were distracted enough to loose concentration. Discuss that adults are more capable of filtering distractions. What might the impact on students be from noises or visual distractions inside or outside the classroom. After this exercise has been completed, ask the partners to switch positions.

Make two words from these letters. p s o t u e r l m t i e p t a r In the same manner, have the partner who is now facing the screen read each set of 4 letters to their partner. The partner is to spell 2 words, from the letters. Spot, post, tops, stop Rule, lure Time, mite Part, rapt, trap

On-Line Games that Build Working Memory Secondary: www.lumosity.com Elementary: www.junglememory.com New research on working memory indicates that mental training exercise may promote reasoning and problem-solving. The bottom line is that practice and rehearsal enhances the limited potential of working memory.

Learning and Long-Term Memory By a complex system of neurons and dendrite connections, the brain is able to simultaneously process data continuously from our senses to store and catalog every experience. The communication system takes place via the nervous system by a series of electrical and chemical interactions. This picture represents the communication pathway, Dendrites send information to the axon. Speed and efficiency of this process can vary. Reoccurring, targeted practice can increase the speed and efficiency. This is the point to make to BTs. Myelin sheaths surround each axon, and increased practice seems to thicken this area thus increasing speed. Practice must be perfect or else the wrong skill or actions will be reinforced.

Effects of Stress on Learning The amygdala is the emotional part of the brain. When it shuts down, every part of the brain changes, and there is no metabolic activity. Such things as threats, insults, put-downs, and any other form of bullying can activate the amygdala. When this happens, it takes at least 30 – 90 minutes to calm down so that learning can occur. The point of this slide, including experiencing the activity, is that emotions play a huge role in learning and memory, (both positive and negative). The purpose of the activity described below and demonstrated to you during the forum TOT, was to bring awareness to the importance of the learning environment which should be free from threat, and to be aware of one’s own body language and gestures that may suggest negativity. Students (and adults) who have previously experienced threat and negativity in the classroom are especially vulnerable to hints of displeasure from instructors. Students may shut down (therefore limited learning occurs) or become disruptive. This demonstrates why IP 1-10 (Builds a positive and respectful classroom environment) is so important. Activity: You will arrange ahead of time to stage an incident where you will become very angry at a participant for using their cell phone or lap top. After you demonstrate anger to the participant, then try to continue teaching for about 30 seconds. Give participants several seconds to have an emotional response (hopefully to themselves). Then ask the questions on the next slide.

What just happened? How did that make you feel? Do you feel like engaging in learning right now? What if a teacher had reacted this way to a student in front of the class? How would the learning environment be affected? What can you do to get centered and to bring the class back? What can you do to prevent your-self from getting so off-center? Get participants to answer these questions and have a discussion around their responses.

Announcements BTs verify in mentors activity in MAS Board policy says that new hires must complete the following within 15 working days from their start date: - IPDP - Participate in a goal-setting conference Other announcements pertinent to your campus BTs BTs verify in mentors activity in MAS The Managing part of the Forum Structure is this slide only. CICs add other announcements pertinent to your campus BTs.

Reflecting on the Learning Complete the CAL Survey: What’s working? (What is going well so far this year?) What are your challenges/concerns? (Have there been any challenges or concerns that have been difficult to resolve?) What might be your next steps? (What might you do to address any pending concerns? Will you use anything that has been addressed in this learning?) What can I do for you? (What kind of support would you like from your mentor and what kind of training would you like from your CIC?) The Closing part of the Forum Structure is this and the next slide.

CAL Survey: Activities Completed with Mentor Which activities have you completed with your mentor? Check the boxes on the CAL Survey for the specific activities that you and your mentor completed together. Be sure to verify the completion in MAS.

Mentor January Forum #3 Targeted Support for BTs “It’s all about student achievement.” CIC:

Agenda Agenda, Outcome, Norms Connecting Activity Working Memory - What It Is and What It Does - How to Develop It Learning Environment (I-10) - Effects of Stress Level of Structure for Optimal Classroom Management Announcements Closing The Connecting part of the Forum Structure begins here with the Agenda and ends with the “Connecting Activity” slide.

Outcomes Mentors will: Understand what working memory is and what it does for learning. Learn the kinds of skill activities that build working memory. Understand how minimizing stress contributes to a better learning environment. Understand considerations in deciding the level of structure a teacher chooses to use for a class procedure or transition.

Norms Active Listening Appropriate use of electronics Equity of voice Respect for all perspectives Confidentiality Norms are the standards or expectations by which a group has agreed to operate while working together. They should be used whenever two or more people are working together for a productive outcome. Norms help to maximize the productivity and effectiveness in a positive setting and ensure that individuals are respected. They place responsibility on individuals for expected behavior helping to build community in your group, and, at the same time allow for risk taking. Norms should be positive, kept simple and be few in number. The optimum situation is for the group to develop their own norms.

Connecting Forum Structure Part A Forum structure

Connecting Activity Add-a-Word Story Each table will begin with the sentence stem, “As a beginning teacher on my campus, I . . . . “ The teacher with the most years of experience begins by saying the sentence stem and then adding one word. Going counter clockwise, the next person says everything the first person said and adds another word. The third person says everything the second person said and adds another word. This continues until time is called. The person who spoke last will repeat the table’s story to whole group. The connecting activity is a working memory capacity building skills. It is an example of an activity that can be used at all grade levels. Explain to participants that they will learn the importance of building capacity for working memory during the training. Point out that the repeated words will probably not be remembered tomorrow. It is currently in working memory and gone tomorrow or later tonight unless you continue to practice.

Learning Forum Structure Part B

Continuum Activity Demonstrates how differently people approach the completion of identical tasks. Listen to instructions from the facilitator, then move to the approximate place on the human continuum that best fits your approach to the first task. Look at the positions of the other participants in relationship to your position. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the next two tasks that are explained by the facilitator. Keep your third task place on the continuum while forming groups of 2 or 3. Discuss your observations and be prepared to share your thoughts about what happened and why? Tell participants that it is their turn to host the greatly anticipated annual department party. There are three phases; the planning, the execution, and the cleanup. Ask participants to think about how detailed (or not) they will perform each phase, but tell them not to move until you are through describing the different approaches they might take. First is the planning of the party. Those who will plan in great detail will be on one end of the continuum. These folks will color coordinate everything: invitations, paper plates, eating utensils, napkins, toothpicks for hors d’oeuvres, serving trays, flower arrangements, etc. These same folks will prepare party food that will accommodate everyone from carnivores to vegans, from those who are gluten intolerant to lactose intolerant, those who are diabetic, and those who have food allergies. They will, of course, place a card with ingredients in front of each serving dish. Then, on the other end of the continuum are those who send an email invitation that says, “Bring something to eat or drink. Pizza and beer is preferred.” They will clear a table and throw out miss-matched paper plates and a roll of paper towels. Then there will be many participants between each extreme. Designate which end of the continuum is which, and tell those who are somewhere between the extremes to find a place that describes them best – in the middle, or closer to one end or the other. Once participants have found their places, tell them to look around and see where they are in comparison to everyone else. Second is the execution of the party. Tell participants to stay where they are and listen to the descriptions. At one extreme are those who greet everyone as they come in. They want everyone there to be introduced to anyone they do not know and they are constantly monitoring to see that everyone is feeling comfortable and welcome and has someone to talk with. They are also constantly monitoring the food to make sure no serving tray runs out, and that everyone always has a beverage in their hand. They have several play lists displayed and invites anyone to change the music whenever they want. They continue to make everyone feel welcome until the last person has left. On the other end of the continuum is the host(ess) that is in the shower when people begin to arrive. He/she yells out for everyone to make themselves at home and put out the food and drinks they brought - there is a large table that has been cleared off. These folks just let the guests take care of themselves, and “let the party happen.” When it gets late, he/she announces that he/she has to work tomorrow and is going to bed, but that everyone should stay as long as they want and to let themselves out. No one is offended since they know their host well, and they stay until they are ready to leave. Again, designate which end of the continuum is which, and assuming some participants will change their positions, tell them to find their places the same as they did before. Once participants have found their places, tell them to look around and see where they are in comparison to everyone else and where they are in comparison to the first task. Do not invite conversation at this time. The third task is cleaning up. Again, have participants stay where they are and listen to the descriptions. At one extreme are those who get busy cleaning up immediately and do not stop until their house looks like a team of professionals were hired. Every item is put away, the trash is on the curb, and leftover food is properly stored. On the other end of the continuum are those who close the door when the last guest leaves, and walks through the house to turn off the lights on the way to bed, if they aren’t already in bed asleep. Designate the extremes of the continuum and have participants find their places. After they have a change to look around to see where they are in comparison to the others and how they have moved themselves, have them stay on the continuum where they are and discuss how they and/or others changed throughout the activity. Did they noticed anyone go from one extreme to the other? Why was there such diversity among the participants and even with the same participant from one task to another? After the discussion, Invite everyone to return to their table.

Structure for Optimal Classroom Management To determine the level of structure for a class, there are just as many decisions and considerations about what is the best for optimal teaching and learning. Are students generally self-motivated or reluctant learners? Do they have SPED, 504, or ESL modifications? Are the teacher’s procedures and expectations in place, understood, and followed? Does the structure need to be different for different activities or transitions? The following slide describes and gives an example for each the different levels of structure. Information on the slide is self-explanatory. You might have participants discuss other variables how different situations changes the structure level for optimal learning.

Classroom Structure Examples Sharpening Pencils Low Structure 1) When you need to sharpen your pencil. 2) When someone is not addressing the class. Medium Structure 1) When there is no line at the pencil sharpener. 2) Sharpen quietly with no talking. 3) Respect personal space of others along your way. High Structure 1) Always have two sharpened pencils for class. 2) Raise hand for permission to go to the sharpener. 3) Sharpen and return quickly and quietly to your area. Explain that each structure includes the expectations in the previous structure.

Where do you land? If you were asked to place yourself on a human continuum for your preferred classroom structure, where would you be if: - the far right was very high structure, - the far left was very low structure, and - the middle was halfway between high and low? Where would your beginning teacher be? Where do you think your new teacher should be? Have participants think about where they would place themselves on a human continuum and how they might change depending on different situations. Ask participants if they know where their beginning teacher would place themselves and if they agree that where they chose to be is the level of classroom structure they need. If not, should they tell their beginning teacher that they are wrong? Of course not. Mentors should never be prescriptive. Mentors can urge changes by using the mentoring language and by offering suggestions, but should value the trust and rapport they have built. Think about the human continuum of hosting a party. If you were good friends with someone who was on the opposite end of the continuum from you for a task, would you try to change them? Have table mates discuss the correlations between trying to change your beginning teacher’s mind about classroom structure and trying to change your friend’s mind about hosting a party. If you would try, how would your conversation look? If time allows, have participants share out.

Determining Level of Structure There are many considerations in deciding the level of structure a teacher chooses to use for a class procedure or transition. A mentor can have a conversation with their beginning teacher to talk through the many variables, and a mentor can offer suggestions, but a mentor should not prescribe a structure. Like the human continuum activity, determination is based on many factors, and the beginning teacher should be the one to make the decision. If changes need to be made, the beginning teacher is the one to make the change, although discussing it with their mentor can be beneficial. Information is self-explanatory, so you might have participants read the paragraphs and a discussion can be invited.

Survey of facts about your campus Take the survey in the handout materials. Add up the points you scored. Look at the survey results and determine if you agree with the recommended structure. If not, what considerations and variables were not taken into account in the survey. Discuss and record these considerations with your table mates and be prepared to share out. Have participant take the questionnaire and total their points. Look at the next slide and see what level of structure is suggested based on the points. Have participants discuss with their table mates the variables that were not mentioned in the questionnaire and how those considerations might change the suggested structure level.

“Survey says…” 0-30 LOW: Students can be successful with LOW, MEDIUM, or HIGH 31-60 MEDIUM: Students need MEDIUM or HIGH structure 61-120 HIGH: Students need HIGH structure Overall the needs of students will determine the type of structure necessary, regardless of teacher personal preferences.

What Is Working Memory? Working memory is a system for temporarily storing and managing the information required to carry out complex cognitive tasks such as new learning, reasoning, and comprehension. Working memory is the part of short-term memory that is concerned with immediate conscious perceptual and linguistic processing. Working memory is visual and auditory and is held for moments. Have a participant read each bullet. These are definitions taken from the internet. The activity that follows will exemplify using working memory so no need to elaborate on the content of each bullet. The end result is for BTs to understand that for some students there may be difficulty retaining a list of things or multi-step directions and also the impact of environmental distractions. These definitions of working memory tells us that it is exclusively within the capacity of short-term memory. Short-term memory can hold on to and recall only about seven items, usually words or numbers, and only for a few seconds to use in learning. Following are ways students need working memory to learn. The Learning part of the Forum Structure begins here with the this slide and ends with the “On-Line Games that Build Working Memory” slide.

Working Memory is Used to Complete Multi-Step Tasks Students rely on working memory to complete multi-step tasks. If they have weak working memory skills, it’s hard to remember what comes next while doing what comes now. Note-taking, for example, is difficult, since students have to remember the sentence they heard by using working memory, while calling on long-term memory to spell words and use correct punctuation in the sentence. Another example of working memory that may fail you is driving to the store (how to get there is in your long-term memory), but forgetting the few items you need from the store once you arrive (short-term working memory). Another example is looking back at notes taken, possibly in college, and noticing that some of the sentence are incomplete because the professor has already moved on to another important point. Teachers should be aware of the speed of their lectures if they require students to be taking notes. Providing a summary page of notes to students that requires them to fill in key words would be an accommodation.

Working Memory is Used to Access New Information The teacher asks a verbal math question. “What is the width of a rectangle that has a length of 20 cm and a perimeter of 70 cm:” A student has to recall information from long-term memory (the correct formula), and at the same time, use working memory to access new incoming information (the measures stated verbally by the teacher). Math formulas need to be stored in long-term memory, but the terms that are used to make and solve the equation need only be short term. The perimeter formula (P = 2L +2W) needs to be remembered long term, while the measures used to form the equation changes with each new problem and need only to be remembered short term. Students’ working memory enables them to go from problem to problem with new measures each time, while sorting out what has to be remembered long term (the correct formula). Requiring students to take notes from a lecture requires many skills working simultaneously, for example, strong short term memory skills, fast writing skills and strong focus on the incoming new information the lecturer is providing. The results may be gaps in the information recorded by the student if he or she falters at any point (ie distracted by door opening, sneezes, poor speller, etc.) Have participants think about accommodations to help students be successful in receiving the content.

The Need to Build Working Memory Working memory is required for problem solving, language, math, prediction, and every higher order process. Stress and other environmental factors can impact working memory. Working memory is a teachable skill and should be practiced daily. Accommodations to support working memory should be planned. Eric Jensen recognizes that kids in poverty may have weaker working memory. Card players may have very well come from poverty and their working memory is exceptionally strong.

Ways to Build Working Memory Every few minutes when teaching, pause to let content sink in. Divide content into smaller chunks to aid understanding, then review. Do a physical activity to get oxygen to the brain. Make it a priority to do 10 minutes of working memory skills 3-5 times a week for 8-12 weeks. Having weak working memory creates obstacles to learning. But there are ways to get around these obstacles. You can try working memory boosters like playing cards or numbering directions. With help from you and supports at school, students can build up working memory skills so learning is less of a struggle.

Examples of Activities to Build Working Memory Tell participants to pair off. One partner faces the power point screen, while the other turns his/her back to the screen. Once participants are in place, go to the next slide.

Have your partner repeat these numbers backwards. 5, 3, 8 2, 7, 4 9, 6, 3 5, 1, 7 Tell the partner who is facing the power point screen that they will the set of 3 numbers to their partner and have their partner repeat the 3 numbers backwards. One this has been done with all four sets of numbers, go to the next slide.

Now, have your partner repeat them from greatest to least. 5, 3, 8 2, 7, 4 9, 6, 3 5, 1, 7 Begin again by having the partner facing the power point screen to read the number exactly the same way, but this time have the partner who is practicing the exercise repeat the numbers back in order of greatest to least. While participants are engaged, find ways to make distracting noise: Slam a door, and kick a waste basket. The purpose is to simulate stress or environmental distractions. Have participants share if they were distracted enough to loose concentration. Discuss that adults are more capable of filtering distractions. What might the impact on students be from noises or visual distractions inside or outside the classroom. After this exercise has been completed, ask the partners to switch positions.

Make two words from these letters. p s o t u e r l m t i e p t a r In the same manner, have the partner who is now facing the screen read each set of 4 letters to their partner. The partner is to spell 2 words, from the letters. Spot, post, tops, stop Rule, lure Time, mite Part, rapt, trap

On-Line Games that Build Working Memory Secondary: www.lumosity.com Elementary: www.junglememory.com New research on working memory indicates that mental training exercise may promote reasoning and problem-solving. The bottom line is that practice and rehearsal enhances the limited potential of working memory.

Learning and Long-Term Memory By a complex system of neurons and dendrite connections, the brain is able to simultaneously process data continuously from our senses to store and catalog every experience. The communication system takes place via the nervous system by a series of electrical and chemical interactions. This picture represents the communication pathway, Dendrites send information to the axon. Speed and efficiency of this process can vary. Reoccurring, targeted practice can increase the speed and efficiency. This is the point to make to BTs. Myelin sheaths surround each axon, and increased practice seems to thicken this area thus increasing speed. Practice must be perfect or else the wrong skill or actions will be reinforced.

Effects of Stress on Learning The amygdala is the emotional part of the brain. When it shuts down, every part of the brain changes, and there is no metabolic activity. Such things as threats, insults, put-downs, and any other form of bullying can activate the amygdala. When this happens, it takes at least 30 – 90 minutes to calm down so that learning can occur. The point of this slide, including experiencing the activity, is that emotions play a huge role in learning and memory, (both positive and negative). The purpose of the activity described below and demonstrated to you during the forum TOT, was to bring awareness to the importance of the learning environment which should be free from threat, and to be aware of one’s own body language and gestures that may suggest negativity. Students (and adults) who have previously experienced threat and negativity in the classroom are especially vulnerable to hints of displeasure from instructors. Students may shut down (therefore limited learning occurs) or become disruptive. This demonstrates why IP 1-10 (Builds a positive and respectful classroom environment) is so important. Activity: You will arrange ahead of time to stage an incident where you will become very angry at a participant for using their cell phone or lap top. After you demonstrate anger to the participant, then try to continue teaching for about 30 seconds. Give participants several seconds to have an emotional response (hopefully to themselves). Then ask the questions on the next slide.

What just happened? How did that make you feel? Do you feel like engaging in learning right now? What if a teacher had reacted this way to a student in front of the class? How would the learning environment be affected? What can you do to get centered and to bring the class back? What can you do to prevent your-self from getting so off-center? Get participants to answer these questions and have a discussion around their responses.

Managing Forum Structure Part C

Discovery of BT Needs by CIC Examples of what might be listed by CIC: Lack of mentor entries in MAS CIC develops own list of discoveries compiled during the CIC’s visits with the beginning teachers during the month of Sept. 50

Continue to Remind BTs: What, When, and Where For example upcoming book fairs, parent-teacher conferences, early dismissal day agenda, etc. 51

To Comply with ACP Requests Log on to MAS Click on Reports from the left navigation menu From Report dropdown menu, click on Mentor Activity by Date Set start date (end date is always current date) Click run report (bottom right of screen, you may need to scroll down) Ribbon at the top EXPORT dropdown Change SELECT Format to EXCEL or PDF (formatted information is better if you choose EXCEL). Click export link to view report

Instructional/Testing Dates Examples of what might be included: EOY Math and Reading District Assessments District Bench Mark Assessments (Continue to generate campus specific dates/topics) Campus and grade level/content specific for Elementary and Secondary therefore CIC will need to complete this slide with appropriate information. 53

Dates/Deadlines for Mentors Training requirement is differentiated. Explanation is found in DOCUMENTS on mentor website page. Using Chrome as your browser, log on to http://houstonisdpsd.org/pd/step/mentors. Click on MAS Weekly Entry Guidelines. Open Mentor Training, Stipends, MAS Location and Logs (document will not open if you are using Internet Explorer!). 100% completion of documentation and training is required for stipend payment. Have mentor training document open on desktop to review. Review deadlines and purpose of face-to-face and online courses.

Registering for Courses To register for online courses - Self-register in courses in OneSourceMe. Begin in Employee portal, click on OneSource icon located on the Employee Quick links ribbon. Click on OneSourceMe tab at the top. Click on the HOME dropdown tab and select Learning. In HISD Learning window, click on Browse All Courses. In the search bar type the course ID number. Hover cursor over the online course title: for an online course, click on Start Course; for a face to face course, click on Assign to Me. You will see the course listed in the My Learning Assignments window. CLICK ON THE LINK WHICH WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COURSE IN THE HUB. YOU MUST ALWAYS ACCESS PD THROUGH ONESOURCE. Self-register in courses in OneSourceMe.

Closing Forum Structure Part D

Reflecting on the Training Complete the CAL Survey: What’s working? (What is going well so far this year in your role as a mentor?) What are your challenges/concerns? (Have there been any challenges or concerns that have not been easy to address or to solve?) What might be your next steps? (What might you do to address any pending concerns? How will you use what has been addressed in this training?) What can I do for you? (What can I do to help you, your BT, and the mentoring program on our campus?) Mentors should put names on the CAL and turn in completed document to CIC.

Training Survey Indicate on the CAL Survey if you have registered for the Rick Smith Classroom Management training? Indicate the applicable courses you have completed? - Check the boxes for the completed courses. - To the right of the courses that you have not completed, write the date that you anticipate you will have it completed. CICs should review the information in the survey area to know which mentors have completed trainings. Reminders may need to be sent to those who have not completed trainings.