1. Cooperating Teachers and Student Teachers PAIRS WORKSHOP MSU Denver School of Education Spring 2018
“Those having torches will pass them onto others” - Plato

2. Objectives for today Plan for CT/ST collaboration
Discuss importance and roles of CT 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”…

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

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

5. 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

6. 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, CT, contexts, etc.)
It’s January – in majority of classrooms they’ve been together for several months already…
Ways of getting to know students; Getting to know classroom structures; Learning about school; Learning about the curriculum; Observing the CT’s interactions and instruction…
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…

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

8. Establishing a collaborative relationship
Take a moment to talk about the realities of the student teaching context
In my work 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.

9. 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.

10. Dilemmas v. conflicts Dilemmas/Tensions Conflicts Communication
Sharing the classroom vs. head teacher as accountable
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…

11. Reminders CALENDAR: Required start date = January 16th
End date = May 11th
unless you need to make up days
STs follow the school district calendar for breaks NOT MSU
HANDBOOK:
Use this as your guide!
Supervisors will be in touch shortly, if they have not been already.
Teacher Work Sample
Midterm and Final Evaluations
(Supervisor enters electronically in discussion with triad)

12. 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.

13. 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?
Give a minute to think and brainstorm
Then a few minutes to discuss at tables
A few share out…

14. Significance of Cooperating Teachers (CT)
Effective CTs are critical to clinical experiences.
Student teachers view student teaching as the most important component in preparation and consider CT 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)

15. 11 Ways Cooperating 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

16. 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

17. 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.

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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 CT will decide on first instructional steps in this context…

21. 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…]

22. 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?

23. 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…

24. INSTRUCTIONAL mentoring
High Leverage Teaching 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.

25. 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.

26. 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)

27. 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

28. 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 have about 30 minutes and then reconvene…keep adding post-its and notecards as needed…

29. 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.

30. 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. 

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

32. 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

33. 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.

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

35. 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

36. 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.

37. 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.

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

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

40. 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.

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

42. 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.

43. 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

44. Questions about Co-teaching?

45. 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!

46. 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.

47. 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