Teacher Mentoring: Helping New Teachers Survive

Mentoring Definitions Jacobi (1991) – a one-to-one helping relationship or nurturing process Christensen (1991) – guiding of a novice in professional development and the journeying together toward professional excellence

PURPOSE STATEMENT Research demonstrates that many novice teachers are denied necessary support in their beginning years. Too often, young teachers leave the profession before having the opportunity to become effective and confident. One in ten teachers who left the profession say the primary reason they left was inadequate support. And one-third of the teachers who have left the profession say that if a high quality-mentoring program had been in place, they would have likely continued teaching. (Source: NJEA Study of New Jersey Teachers Who Have Left the Profession, Sept. 2000).

Functions of Mentoring To provide direct assistance To provide emotional and psychological support To act as a role model To give advice and guidance To act as a coach To develop and refine protégé’s understanding of content and ability to teach content to a particular audience

How Did You Survive? Think back to your first couple of years as a teacher: What do you remember about your first day, week, or month as a new teacher? Did anyone help you? Who? Did you ask for help or was it offered? Looking back, what information, materials or support might have been of help to you? Do you have a chance for professional discussions/sharing? If so, what do the professionals in your building share and how is it shared?

Adults Learn Best When… They are originators of their own learning. They are in a climate that encourages experimentation. They are recognized and given increased responsibility for their own learning. They can experience and do rather than be told. They see the results and get immediate and accurate feedback. They can individualize and adapt, rather than adopt. They are placed in informal learning situations with extensive social interactions. (Woods and Thompson, 1980)

What a good Mentor does: 1.Help your mentee with unwritten practices and policies 2.Meet on a regular schedule to discuss the mentee’s concerns, questions, progress and instructional practice 3.Help with organization, materials, record keeping, classroom management, unit plans, curriculum, lesson plans, assessments, etc. 4.Respond to specific requests by mentee 5.Model/suggest techniques for parent communication 6.Assure confidentiality when discussing mentee’s concerns 7.Provide information about professional development 8.Help mentee identify specific skills, competencies or strategies which need improvement 9.Invite mentee in to observe demo lessons with follow up conference 10.Offer to observe mentee’s class with pre/post conference discussions 11.Identify resource people in and out of the district 12.Encourage mentee to try new ideas and plans

Expectations Mentor visitations of novice teacher Mentee visitations of Mentor Regularly scheduled formal meetings (minimally 1 time per week for 1 hour) Maintain an “electronic” log CONTINUOUS COMMUNICATION

Suggested Topics Weekly Meetings CommunicationCommunication Teacher wellnessTeacher wellness Parent/TeacherParent/Teacher conferences conferences ReflectionReflection ClassroomClassroom management management CurriculumCurriculum InstructionalInstructional Strategies Strategies AssessmentAssessment TeachingTeaching Standards Standards Goal-settingGoal-setting New TeacherNew Teacher Support Plan Support Plan PDP

Goal Setting Putting the pieces together

Comments and Questions

Together we are a puzzle Unique pieces made to show, that when we work together, there’s no place we can’t go.