Mentor September Forum #1 Targeted Support for BTs “It’s all about student achievement.” CIC:

Connecting Forum Structure Part A Forum structure

Agenda Outcomes and Norms Connecting Activity Targeted Support for BTs - Using Attitudinal Phases of First Year Teaching - Addressing BTs’ Needs Identified by CIC Reminding BTs of Dates and Available Training Closing

Outcomes Mentors will know how the phases chart helps anticipate and understand BTs’ needs Mentors will be prepared to give specific targeted support needed by BTs as identified by CIC. Mentors will be aware that BTs need reminding of important dates.

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.

Introductions Going around each table (room, if you have a very small group) and state: Your name What you teach Something that will make us all smile Icebreakers or preparing for the learning.

Connecting Activity Rita’s Story To bring participants mindset to the training: Dr. Rita Pierson (who passed away recently) shared wonderful stories and anecdotes about her experiences in education. She was a trainer for Ruby Payne’s Framework of Poverty. Think about the relevancy of this story for your new teachers, who most often believe that they will have classrooms of the kind of students they were themselves with parents the same as their parents. Have participants share a relevant take-away. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bndCdOeMO3Y 7

Learning Forum Structure Part B

Targeted Support for BTs

PHASES OF FIRST YEAR TEACHING: ATTITUDES TOWARD TEACHING Read the Phases Chart article that is found on the website: http://houstonisdpsd.org/pd/step/mentors Scroll down to CIC corner – Click on documents – Scroll down to September 2014 TOT – Click on Phases Chart and Phases Article Moir, Ellen (1990) New Teacher Center, Santa Cruz, California

Anticipation Phase has likely come and gone BTs were excited about: Having a job/getting a paycheck Committing to changing the world Getting/decorating their room Making teacher friends Preparing to greet students Planning exciting and engaging lessons BTs are likely past the Anticipation Phase, but you should go over the way that they were probably feeling during this phase. The Survival and Disillusionment Phases will be covered on the next slides as an activity for the participants.

Focus on Survival and Disillusionment Participants will be assigned to either a “Survival” group or a “Disillusionment” group. Each participant will read Ellen Moir’s narrative of their assigned phase. The recorder for each group will write ideas from the group about what a BT needs in their assigned phase and ideas about how the BT’s mentor can support the BT to address each need. Make a poster using the t-chart template.

Draw a chart on poster paper using this template. T-Chart Template Draw a chart on poster paper using this template. Design an icon that represents your phase. Specify three BT needs. For each need, identify a way to support the BT. Assigned Phase Icon BT Needs Mentor Support Often for the beginning teacher, it is not knowing campus procedures (little details like where to find something or preparing something by a deadline) that adds to their confusion, and increases levels of stress. Campuses can be very overt in sharing procedural information and informing BTs of deadlines in advance (with reminders that we all like to have). At the end of this activity the mentors should help identify areas with significant common BT needs that should be addressed with campus training (instead of addressing the issues one on one by each individual mentor).

Share Charts Each group will display their chart and chose a reporter. Each reporter will share out one BT need and one way to support the BT that addresses that need. After each group has shared, determine if there are significant common BT needs that should be addressed with campus training. Completing the actions in the 3rd bullet is extremely important. Review the charts for significant common BT needs. Brainstorm how these needs can be addressed.

Common Concern: Classroom Management Since classroom management is an easily predictable common concern for BTs, the BT Forum #1 focused on addressing and preventing behavior issues. Mentors can reinforce the training by encouraging their BTs to prepare and practice responses to minor behavior infractions. Mentors should help BTs master responses that are in a brief, calm, immediate, and consistent manner. CIC develops their own list of concerns discovered during the CIC’s one-on-one conferences and at the 1st BT Forum. These will be shared with mentors during this mentor forum.

Expectations for Behavior All Expectations Must: Be clearly defined and posted Be monitored constantly and consistently Have consequences when not followed Rules: Should address 3 – 6 of the most frequently occurring and/or the most unacceptable behavior Must be specific and observable Activity/Transition Procedures: Must be taught, modeled, and practiced until they are performed automatically, and then monitored Must, must, must include an attention signal Although BTs have had some classroom management training, in a stressful situation they may revert to yelling and issuing threats. BTs need guidance that is easily understood and easy to implement. Good classroom management begins with clear expectations. This slide and the next speaks to developing expectations and consequences. Slide 19 speaks to providing intervention guidelines. Slide 20 is a role play activity to give the BT the experience of developing a polished response to misbehavior. 16

Consequences Can be specific to the offense - Chewing gum: Scrape gum in detention - Broke in line: Last in line for one week Can be generic and graduated - First Offense: Warning - Second Offense: Call home - Third Offense: Teacher detention - Fourth Offense: Office Referral Can be in response to how serious the offense is - Minor - Moderate - Severe Although BTs have had some classroom management training, in a stressful situation they may revert to yelling and issuing threats. BTs need guidance that is easily understood and easy to implement. Good classroom management begins with clear expectations. This slide and the next speaks to developing expectations and consequences.

Assertive Approach to Intervention Be sure your message is clear Use proximity Stay calm and lower your voice Keep the focus of your message on the behavior Be direct and specific Be firm and matter of fact Specify any consequences Follow through with accountability Be consistent Be fair This slide speaks to providing intervention guidelines and the next slide is a role play activity to give the BT the experience of developing a polished response to misbehavior using the actions in the assertive approach to intervention.

Effective Intervention Practice Form groups of three and assign roles: - Student - Teacher - Observer Student chooses a scenario from the stack of five and reads it aloud. Teacher role-plays a response directed to student. Observer gives positive feedback to teacher. Teacher incorporates feedback from observer and responds to the same scenario. Teacher asks observer for specific advice and gives a polished response to the scenario. Repeat the above activity 2 more times until each participant has played all 3 roles. This is an activity to highlight that responding to issues is a process developed over time and requires time to practice. BEGINNING TEACHERS NEED time to practice. Provide new teachers with multiple opportunities to practice role out speeches through out the year. Practicing includes at least three rounds to practice and polish the same delivery. In this way the BT can develop confidence. The more you practice the more automatic it becomes. 19

Discovery of BT Needs by CIC Examples of what might be listed by CIC: Lack of mentor entries in MAS Lack of grades in Gradespeed by BTs BTs not showing up for teacher duty CIC develops own list of discoveries compiled during the CIC’s visits with the beginning teachers during the month of Sept.

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

Instructional/Testing Dates Examples of what might be included: BOY 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.

Available Training for BTs Log on to http://houstonisdpsd.org. Follow this pathway: Click on PD Departments. Click on STEP (which stands for Supporting Teachers through Exemplary Practice). Click on New Teacher. Must open links while using Chrome This is the pathway to find the Fall Training calendar for beginning teachers located on the website.

Managing Forum Structure Part C

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!). 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 - 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.