Mentor & Student Teachers PAIRS COLLABORATION WORKSHOP MSU Denver School of Education for Spring 2019 Thank you for making time to join us today! “Those having torches will pass them onto others” - Plato

Objectives for today Plan for MT/ST collaboration Discuss importance and roles of MT as a mentor Instructional Coaching Review different models of Co-Teaching Answer any questions you may have Capture questions on post-its as we go This is NOT “Everything you ever wanted or needed to know about mentoring and student teaching”…

Long Term Goals Develop MT library based on: Knowledge of effective practices Needs/wants you all identify Capture ideas on notecards as we go

Questions for today on post-its Resources, tools, support needed/desired on notecards

Beginning teachers Beginning teachers can only reasonably be expected to succeed if they receive intentional, comprehensive support catered to meet their unique needs. Good for us ALL to remember that while it is WONDERFUL that STs have had several field experiences…they are still BEGINNING teachers. Good for Mentors to remember Good for STs to remember (don’t expect to have it all figured out) And…that each ST’s experiences to this point have been different and they will have varied needs We use what we know of: good teaching practice and Learning to teach To figure out what this ST needs

No standard schedule And then map out a gradual release of responsibility that makes sense for that student…WE DO NOT HAVE A MANDATED SCHEDULE BECAUSE INDIVIDUALS! (ST, MT, contexts, etc.) Prep for student teaching by thinking about: Ways of getting to know students; Getting to know classroom structures; Learning about school; Learning about the curriculum; Observing the MT’s interactions and instruction… When to be introduced – how to be introduced. Then think about what they are taking on: In situations where there are multiple opportunities to teach similar/same content, you one then them one…or another one of the co-teaching models Can they take over responsibility for planning one period or one subject area? Teaching one period/one subject? Exploring co-teaching models…more coming soon… We’ll talk more about instructional coaching in a moment…FIRST, A FEW THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND…

Each situation is different… Luckily, have had multiple field experiences to draw upon and many MTs have previous experiences…BUT…each situation is different… DON’T BE PHOEBE…”AT MY OLD SCHOOL”…

Establishing a collaborative relationship Take a moment to talk about the realities of the student teaching context In my work here and at other institutions, we found it mattered that we recognized and named some of these challenges and had a shared understanding of the issues that Teacher Candidates and Mentors would likely encounter. Our goal for this quick session is to offer some shared framing for these issues and then to continue conversations into the future about how we are managing these issues.

Dilemmas v. conflicts Dilemmas/Tensions Conflicts We know, from our experiences, that there are both enduring dilemmas/tensions as well as conflicts to consider.   With dilemmas/tensions we’re talking about equally competing demands or responsibilities that make us feel like we’re in a tug of war. For example: supporting and evaluating the Teacher Candidate. These are both responsibilities as mentors and supervisors and they need to balanced. It is helpful to think of such competing demands or responsibilities as both/and or that we are constantly working with and through. There is no one right way to handle these tensions, it’s just being aware of them and consciously trying to balance them out. With conflicts, we’re talking about those moments when there is friction in the collaboration between or among the Teacher Candidate, Mentor Teacher, and/or the Supervisor. For example: the Teacher Candidate is consistently late.

Dilemmas v. conflicts Dilemmas/Tensions Conflicts Communication Sharing the classroom vs. head teacher’s classroom Teacher Candidate learning vs. student learning Opportunities to try/fail Developmental trajectory Replicating practice vs. inventing practice Communication Unclear/Unmet Expectations Lack of professionalism University/school divide/communication So many of these tensions are experienced because of lack of time.   Thankfully, in other ways, with options like co-teaching strategies, we also find that teachers are able to do more for their students with two teachers working with students at the same time and that opens up time to plan and work with the Teacher Candidate. In addition, by recognizing these as the underlying tensions they are working with and through, it helps partners realize that you are not doing anything wrong – it’s not about you – it’s about this complex context of learning to teach. MOST conflicts arise due to lack of communication and/or unclear or unmet expectations. Human communication is imperfect and there are many opportunities for misunderstanding. Helpful to think about as “student teacher” v. “student of teaching” in order to address in different ways. Examples: Mentor Teachers expect the Teacher Candidate to circulate and support the students while they work independently and the Teacher Candidate felt like they were not supposed to participate in a lesson that their Mentor leads, only in the ones they lead The Teacher Candidate expects that the Mentor Teacher will give them feedback on the lesson they teach immediately, and the Mentor Teacher is planning to go over it with them at the weekly planning meeting You can see how these examples are both about expectations and also about the need for clear communication… Lack of professionalism The Teacher Candidate does not arrive when the Mentor expects, or does not have lessons or materials prepared, or there are issues with professional dress or use of language, or my favorite, use of cell phones during lessons…

Articulating expectations… Think…jot…discuss – using the Articulation of Expectations handout/thinking sheet.

Reminders CALENDAR: Required start date = January 22nd End date = May 16th unless you need to make up days STs follow the school district calendar for breaks NOT MSU Link to calendar: https://msudenver.edu/education/clinicalexperiencespartnershipsocep/students/calendarofevents/

More Reminders… HANDBOOK: Use this as your guide! Updated 2018-2019 is posted. https://msudenver.edu/education/clinicalexperiencespartnershipsocep/ Supervisors will be in touch at beginning of the semester 6-8 visits across the semester (spread out) Teacher Work Sample (will support work of unit plan & teach) Midterm and Final Evaluations (Supervisor enters electronically in discussion with triad)

Role(s) of the mentor teacher Next few slides give us opportunity to think about the roles, responsibilities, and approaches for effective mentoring. I’m going to go rather quickly to give you an overview and then you will have access to these in the electronic handout that will be shared.

Working Definition of Mentoring Professional practice that occurs in the context of teaching whenever an experienced teacher supports, challenges, and guides [pre-service] or novice teachers in their teaching practice. Odell and Huling (2000, p. xv). Quality Mentoring for Novice Teachers What words or ideas come to mind when we you think about Mentoring? Take a minute to think and brainstorm Then a few minutes to discuss at tables A few share out…

Significance of mentor Teachers (mt) (a.k.a. Cooperating teachers/CT) Effective MTs are critical to clinical experiences. Student teachers view student teaching as the most important component in preparation and consider MT as essential to their success. “Cooperating teachers are the most powerful influence on the quality of student teaching and shape what student teachers learn by the way they mentor” (Weiss & Weiss, 2001)

11 Ways mentor Teachers Participate in Teacher PREPARATION Providers of feedback Conveners of relation Gatekeepers of the profession Agents of socialization Advocates of the practical Modelers of practice Supporters of reflection Abiders of change Teachers of children Gleaners of knowledge Purveyors of context Brodie, Cowling, Nissen, (2009), Understanding participation: A literature review

Qualities: High-Performance Mentor Teacher Notice, it does not say, “has all the answers”…it is much more about a willingness and engagement and collaboration with the ST Rowley, J. (2009) The High Performance Mentor

4 Domains of support Physical Emotional Instructional Institutional Marzano’s research offers us one way (or framework) to think about the needs of student teachers and specific ways to support them.

effective mentoring: 4 Domains of Support In your handouts, you have a chart with the domains and a blank chart for notes. - Take a minute with your pair and discuss… - Collaboratively identify one support in each category as a beginning step Then, also, what are the things you want to work in these areas? Students…what are questions you have in these areas? Mentors-what are things you want to remember to address over the semester? What are other aspects of these domains that you want to add for your purposes? We will share out in a few minutes

effective mentor Traits (Johnson, 2008) Sensitive to the needs of beginning teachers. Ability to listen (invite discussion). Communicate openly (includes sharing struggles). Understanding of diverse learning preferences & past experiences. Restraint from judgment (use data to reflect). Model continuous professional learning. Shares understanding of state/national standards as well as district/school expectations and norms. This is another way to look at it, review it if helpful in the online materials

So…. what about instructional coaching? STs, once you have developed a sense of the classroom through purposeful observation, and have started to take on classroom management responsibilities and ST, you and your MT will decide on first instructional steps in this context…

(Bernhardt, O’Neill, & Tate, 2010) We recommend a “collaborative clinical model” of coaching that engages planning, observing/teaching, reflection and analysis, and discussion. We just discussed first steps in building a collaborative relationship to draw upon when engaging with the teaching and learning. [in particular, notice the less common components…planning for observation, separate analysis of data, conferring with notes and plan…] (Bernhardt, O’Neill, & Tate, 2010)

Structures to support Collaborative Clinical Mentoring Model Establish: Co-planning time. Observation routine. Conferencing opportunities to provide feedback and engage in a process of continuous improvement. To consider, for example: When will we schedule? What times of day are available? How can we make it consistent? Can we implement each step of the process? What will this look like? Challenges?

Post-Observation Conferencing: effective feedback Effective feedback is timely, addresses intended learning, and offers clear, specific details. Describe observations rather judge. What did you see? Occurs during the learning process, when one can act. Effective feedback does not “do the thinking. Discuss alternatives and ask questions rather giving solutions. Effective feedback limits the corrective information to an amount a receiver can practically process/implement. Feedback should lead to action. This is NOT the traditional version of just telling the ST all the things to do differently or how you would do it…and not “mini me” – it IS, asking prompting questions to help the student teacher reflect upon and think about their understandings of what happened in the lesson and what the experience is telling them about their students’ learning. Think creatively about ways to share information: Communication journal Voice notes Weekly meeting Shared google document Etc. etc. Our goal is to share more tools and resources for this work on the website soon…stay tuned…

INSTRUCTIONAL mentoring High Leverage Teaching Practices http://www.teachingworks.org/work-of-teaching/high-leverage-practices (Included in Workshop Electronic Handout) When thinking about what practices to help the ST develop, consider this tool that outlines high-leverage teaching practices.

Gradual release mapping Use the “Gradual Release of Responsibility Plan for “Lead/Take-Over Teaching” to begin to think through steps for engaging the ST in daily classroom life. Goal is to work up to leading 3 consecutive weeks. K-12 teacher candidates with two 8-week placements can work with supervisor in licensure area for specific guidance on what has worked well for others across the two placements.

Co-Teaching Traditional student teaching models have the student taking over the entire day after a certain amount of weeks into the semester. We encourage the students to take over much of the teaching day to make sure they are truly able to “teach” on their own. However, we also urge you To explore co-teacher models as a way to ease into this and offer different ways for STs to grow their teaching.

Co Teaching: TEACHER Benefits Teachers involved in co-teaching report increased professional satisfaction, professional growth, and opportunities for collaboration. Exposure to new teaching approaches. More hands-on teaching and interaction with students. Encourages sharing of expertise and providing feedback. Those experiencing co-teaching report feeling more energized and creative and had more fun teaching. More on-task student behavior. From Collaborative Teaching in Secondary Schools (p. 26)

CO-Teaching Approaches (cook & Friend, 1995) One Teach, One Observe One Teach, One Support/Assist Parallel Teaching Station Teaching Alternative Teaching Team Teaching Key Points to Consider: Parity between educators – switch roles often Heterogeneous groups – switch students often Use a variety of approaches! This is ONE framework for co-teaching approaches. There are some models more suited to particular student learning goals, to ST learning goals, and to times in the semester… Purposeful use requires thoughtful planning

Choose your own adventure… Group with me to review all together Partner work to review and start to plan Look through the explanation and suggestions/cautions with each model Use the note-taking handout to begin to plan for ways to engage with the various models This grouping is not about whether or not you have knowledge of the co-teaching models, it is about how you prefer to engage with material. With me Partner work to review and start to plan (suggestion of this space for those who ARE familiar with co-teaching models, but you decide) See handouts on Co-teaching models and use handout for planning… We’ll take some time to review in pairs and then reconvene…keep adding post-its and notecards as needed…

Approach #1: One Teach, one Observe In One Teach, One Observe, Co-teachers can identify in advance what skills, method, behaviors, etc. are to be observed. Pairs use district/school specific observation tool to document notes and to inform de-briefs.

Approach #2: One Teach, One Support/Assist In One Teach, One Support/Assist, Co-teachers can identify in advance what supports are necessary. One person would keep primary responsibility for teaching while the other professional circulates through the room providing unobtrusive assistance to students as needed. 

Approach #2: One Teach, One Support/Assist looks like… Whole Class Teacher Teacher

Approach #2: One Teach, One Support/Assist What it does not looks like… One Teach, One grade papers One Teach, One catch up on IEPs One Teach, One catch up on lesson planning

Approach #3: Parallel Teaching In Parallel Teaching, Teachers are both teaching the same information, but they do so to a divided class group. Parallel also may be used to vary learning experiences, for example, by providing manipulatives to one group but not the other, or by having the groups read about the same topic but at different levels of difficulty.

Approach #3: Parallel Teaching Parallel Teaching looks like… Half of Class Half of Class Teacher Teacher

Approach #3: Parallel Teaching What is Does NOT look like… I will plan and teach on my island You plan and teach on your island

Approach #3: Parallel Teaching Strategies for Parallel Teaching What can these look like? Break groups by learning preferences, strengths, etc. Ensure heterogeneity by using variety of grouping strategies. Include “brain breaks” or times for teachers to connect and debrief. Identify physical space needs/locations so this approach can be effectively utilized.

Approach #4: station Teaching In Station Teaching, In this co-teaching approach, teachers divide content and students.  Each teacher then teaches the content to one group and subsequently repeats the instruction for the other group.  Third and Fourth "stations" will give students an opportunity to work independently. As co-teachers become comfortable with their partnership, they may add more groups or otherwise create variations of this model.

Approach #4: station Teaching Station teaching looks like… Small Group Small Group Small Group Teacher Small Group Teacher

Approach #4: station Teaching What is Does NOT Always look like… Gifted Average SPED

Approach #5: Alternative Teaching In Alternative Teaching, In most class groups, occasions arise in which several students need specialized attention. In alternative teaching, one teacher takes responsibility for the large group while the other works with a smaller group.  These smaller groups could be used for remediation, pre-teaching, to help students who have been absent catch up on key instruction, assessment, etc.

Approach #5: Alternative Teaching Alternative Teaching looks like… Small Group Large Group Teacher Teacher

Approach #6: Team Teaching In “Teaming,” In teaming, both teachers share delivery of the same instruction to a whole student group.  Some teachers refer to this as having “one brain in two bodies.” Others call it “tag-team teaching.”  Most co-teachers consider this approach the most complex, but satisfying way to co-teach. It is the approach most dependent on teachers’ styles.

Approach #6: Team Teaching Strategies for Team Teaching What CAN YOU DO? Develop nonverbal and verbal signals. Use questions of each other as a teaching strategy. Facilitate multi-use learning games or activities . Provide strategic instruction for whole class: mnemonics, graphic organizers, visual notes

Questions about Co-teaching?

Final Questions? Address post-its and any other in-the-moment questions Be sure to put your name on any remaining post-it questions and also on the index cards indicating the resources you would like – and leave them with Jordan. We’re excited for you! Please do not hesitate to reach out if we can support you in any way!

References Brodie, E., Cowling, E., & Nissen, N. (2009). Understanding participation: A literature review. London, England: NCVO, IVR & Involve. Johnson, K. (2008). Being an effective mentor: How to help beginning teachers succeed. Thousand Oak, CA: Corwin. Odell and Huling (2000).Quality Mentoring for Novice Teachers. Joint publication: Washington, D.C.: Association of Teacher Educators and Indianapolis, Indiana: Kappa Delta Pi. Rowley, J. (2009) The High Performance Mentor. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. Weiss, E. M., & Weiss, S. (2001). Doing reflective supervision with student teachers in a professional development school culture. Reflective Practice, 2, 125–154.

Working Definition of Mentoring Professional practice that occurs in the context of teaching whenever an experienced teacher supports, challenges, and guides [pre-service] or novice teachers in their teaching practice. Odell and Huling (2000, p. xv). Quality Mentoring for Novice Teachers This is the 2nd piece of slide 13