Mentoring Matters: Fundamentals of Mentoring Beginning Teachers

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Mentoring Matters Fundamentals of Mentoring
Beginning Teachers

• Alabama Teacher Mentoring Program

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Learning Outcomes, Day 1

• Participants will
• Know the potential benefits of effective
  mentoring of beginning teachers
• Understand appropriate roles and how to develop
  supportive relationships among beginning
  teachers, mentors, principals, and other school
  staff
• Be able to talk about the purpose and scope of
  the Alabama Quality Teaching Standards and the
  Alabama Continuum for Teacher Development
• Review alternative types of mentor support and
  match these to customary needs of beginning
  teachers

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Agenda Mentoring Matters

• Overview Goals, Agenda, Norms, Warm-up
• The WHY of Mentoring
• The Mentor Mission
• The WHO of Mentoring
• Defining Roles and Expectations Developing
  Relationships

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Agenda Mentoring Matters

• The WHAT of Mentoring
• Needs of Beginning Teachers
• Alabama Quality Teaching Standards
• Alabama Continuum for Teacher Development
• The HOW of Mentoring
• Three Spheres of Mentoring Activity
• Strategies and Tools for Mentoring

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Group Norms

• Be a learnerbe open to new ideas.
• Respect otherslisten to understand.
• Ask questionsseek clarification.
• Keep things confidential within the group.
• Have fun!

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Bingo

• Find someone to sign and answer each of the
  squares on your Bingo card. (No one can answer
  more than one of the squares on your card.)
• Complete all squares to score Bingo!

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The Why of Mentoring
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Some of the Facts Beginning Teachers

• Beginners in teaching are expected to do
  essentially the same job on the first day of
  employment as the 20-year veteran. In addition,
  teachers spend the majority of their time
  isolated from their peersFurthermore, beginning
  teachers are often given some of the most
  difficult teaching assignments.
• Holden, 1995, p.1

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Some of the Facts Beginning Teachers

• 14 percent quit after the first year
• 33 percent leave within three years
• After five years, between 40 and 50 percent of
  all new teachers have left the profession
• --Ingersoll and Kralik, 2004

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Some of the Facts Beginning Teachers

• Initiation of new teachers has traditionally been
  sink or swim

• In a survey of 1st and 2nd year teachers in
  Alabama
• lt 40 said they had received help in
  establishing relationships with colleagues and
  managing class time
• gt 80 wanted assistance through professional
  development and an assigned mentor teacher
  (2000)

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Mentoring Matters

• well-designed mentoring programs raise
  retention rates for new teachers by improving
  their attitudes, feelings of efficacy, and
  instructional skills.
• 
  --Darling-Hammond, 2003, p. 11
• Research studies demonstrate that mentoring
  improves retention of new teachers.
• Carr, Herman, and Harris. Creating Dynamic
  Schools Through Mentoring, Coaching, and
  Collaboration. ASCD. 2005

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2007-2008 Formative Assessment of Alabama
Teacher Mentoring Program

• In response to the question, Do I intend to
  continue in the teaching profession? nearly 98
  responded probably or yes.

This means mentors are making a difference!
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Alabama Teacher Mentoring

• When asked How important has your mentor been to
  your successful induction to the teaching
  profession? over 92 percent of beginning
  teachers in the state replied they had been
  important.
• Forty-four percent responded their mentors had
  been extremely important.
• Data from 2008 survey of beginning teachers,
  Alabama Department of Education

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Alabama Teacher Mentoring Mentoring Matters

• Near the end of the first year of teaching,
  having worked with a mentor, beginning teachers
  in Alabama responded
• I feel competent to serve as a new teacher
• 61--to a great extent 32--adequate 1.2--not
  at all
• I am enthusiastic about serving as a new
  teacher
• 80--to a great extent 14--adequate 1--not at
  all
• I am committed to the success of my students
• 93--to a great extent 6--adequate 0.4--not
  at all
• --Data from 2008 survey of beginning teachers,
  Alabama Department of Education

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The Why of Mentoring

• More importantly, mentors provide a helping
  hand so that beginning teachers develop into
  effective teachersas soon as possible.

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The Why of Mentoring

• Of the in-school factors that affect learning,
  the quality of teaching is the most important by
  far.
• Marzano, Robert J. What Works in Schools
  Translating Research into Action. 2003.
• What teachers doand dont doaffects student
  learning outcomes.
• Mentors can help beginning teachers develop into
  quality teachers.

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Mentoring Mission

• To help support beginning teachers as they
  develop the skills and confidence to become
  quality teachers

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The Why of MentoringFinal Word

• Read the excerpt from Working Towards
  Excellence Support for Beginning Teachers Must
  Become a Top Priority.
• As you read, select three ideas that are
  interesting or seem important to you. Underline
  or highlight them so you can refer to them later.
• Be prepared to talk about why you think they are
  important.

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The Final Word

• In your group
• Select a facilitator, who will keep your group on
  trackfollowing the protocol.
• Select a timekeeper, who has a watch with a
  second-hand and can multi-task (listen and talk
  and keep track of time.)
• Select a volunteer, who agrees to introduce an
  idea first.

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The Final Word

• The protocol
• One person volunteers to lead offtaking up to
  three minutes to talk about one idea.
• Moving in clockwise fashion, every member, in
  turn, responds for up to one minute about the
  idea introduced by the lead speaker.
• The opening speaker has one minute for the final
  word.
• Repeat the above process for the next personand
  a different idea.

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The Final Word

• Listen actively.
• Be open to what each speaker is saying.
• Take notes.
• Speak only when it is your turn.

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Debrief the Final Word

• Why might we have used this process rather than
  (1) lecture or (2) read and discuss at your
  tables?

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Find a Partner

• Find someone who is not sitting at your table to
  sign the Why of Mentoring block on your
  handout. When they sign your Why of Mentoring
  block, you should sign the Why of Mentoring
  block on their paper.

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Find a Partner

• Find a different person to sign each of the other
  blocks on your handout. Again, when they sign
  one of your blocks, you should sign the
  corresponding block on their paper.

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The Who of Mentoring
Beginning Teacher
All school staff
Principal
Mentor
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Expectations for Mentoring Say Something

• Find your handout, Expectations for Participants
  in Alabama Teacher Mentoring Program.
• Find your The Who of Mentoring partner.
• Read each assignment. When you finish, turn to
  your partner and say something about what you
  read listen as they say something to you about
  what every new teacher in Alabama can expect.

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The Who of MentoringSchool Principal is Key

• When mentors were asked, How important was the
  support of your principal to your success as a
  mentor? 79 percent responded important or
  extremely important. Another 16 percent
  thought the principal was somewhat important.
  Support of the principal was the most important
  variable to success, in the opinion of the
  mentors.
• Data from Formative Assessment survey, 2008,
  Alabama Department of Education

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The Who of Mentoring School Principal is Key

• In your table groups, speculate Why is the
  principal so important?
• Talk about what, specifically, your school
  principal could do to support beginning teachers
  and to facilitate your success as a mentor.

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The Who of Mentoring Defining Roles and
Responsibilities

• Watch the video of a meeting between a mentor
  teacher and the building principal at the
  beginning of the school year.
• What are some key ideas that were communicated
  about roles and responsibilities?

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Plan a Session with the Principal about the ATM
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Continuing the Communication

• Watch the video of the meeting one month into the
  school year.
• Talk with a partner about the kinds of issues
  that you would want to discuss with your building
  principal throughout the school year.

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The Who of Mentoring
Central Office
Beginning Teacher
All School Staff
Principal
Mentor
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The Who of Mentoring System Liaison is Important

• When mentors were asked, How important was the
  support of your systems mentor liaison to your
  success as a mentor? 67 percent responded
  important or extremely important. Another 22
  percent thought the system support was somewhat
  important. Support of the system liaison was
  the second most important variable to success, in
  the opinion of the mentors.
• Data from Formative Assessment survey, 2008,
  Alabama Department of Education

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The Who of Mentoring Other School Faculty
Members

• When mentors were asked, How important was
  support from colleagues in your school to your
  success as a mentor? 68 percent responded
  important or extremely important. Another 24
  percent thought support from colleagues was
  somewhat important. Support of colleagues was
  very important to their success, in the opinion
  of the mentors.
• Data from Formative Assessment survey,
  2008,
• Alabama Department of Education

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The Who of Mentoring Prepare an Elevator Speech

• What would you want to say to your facultyin two
  minutes or lessabout the mentoring program and
  about their role in helping to provide a
  successful year for the beginning teachers in
  your school?
• Work with your table group to plan an elevator
  speechsomething you could say in the time it
  takes to ride an elevator from the lobby to the
  10th floor.

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The What of Mentoring

• What can we do to ease the difficulties that
  beginning teachers face during the first year?

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The What of Mentoring

• What do beginning teachers most need from a
  mentor?
• Watch these video segments of beginning teachers
  as they talk about what they face during their
  first year.
• Source Videos of The Merrow Report. Teachers
  WantedNo Experience Necessary and Teaching The
  First Year

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Lets think together

• About the major challenges that beginning
  teachers will face this year. It may help for
  you to remember your first year as a teacherand
  the feelings and difficulties that you confronted
  at that time.
• Individually, make a list of the challenges that
  you expect teachers will face. List at least
  three.

Challenges Faced by Beginning Teachers

• ________________
• ________________
• ________________
• ________________
• ________________

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Give OneGet One

• Stand up and find a partner. Listen as your
  partner shares one of his or her ideas. If you
  dont have that, add it to your list.
• Be sure to share at least one idea with your
  partner that is new to his or her list. If you
  both have the same items, create a new idea that
  you can both add.
• Move to a new partner every time the leader calls
  time. From each partner, get a new idea to add
  to your listand give one from your list.

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Alabama Teacher Mentoring Program Spheres of
Activity
Classroom
Personal
School
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Application of the Spheres of Activity
Classroom
Personal
School
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Beginning Teachers Emotions During Their First
Year
Eagerness
Reflection
Endurance
Hope
Renewal
Distress
Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan
Feb Mar Apr May Jun July
43
Beginning Teachers Emotions During Their First
Year
Eagerness
Reflection
Endurance
Hope
Renewal
Distress
Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan
Feb Mar Apr May Jun July
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The What of Mentoring

• Among the greatest challenges perceived by
  rookie teachers were classroom management,
  motivating students, dealing with the individual
  differences among students, assessing student
  work, and relations with parents.
• --Stansbury and Zimmerman, p. 12.

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The What of Mentoring

• Tools available to mentors
• Alabama Quality Teaching Standards
• Alabama Continuum for Teacher Development

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The What of Mentoring Alabama Quality Teaching
Standards

• Developed by the Governors Commission on Quality
  Teaching, 2007
• Based on research about effective teaching
• Adopted by the Alabama State Board of Education

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Alabama Quality Teaching Standards

• A framework for thinking about quality teaching
• Provides a common reference, shared vocabulary
• Relates to ALL levels of teaching (K-12) and ALL
  content areas

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Uses of Alabama Quality Teaching Standards

• Teacher preparation
• Supervising student teachers
• Teacher recruitment and hiring
• Mentoring beginning teachers
• Structuring professional development

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The What of Mentoring Learning about the
Standards

• Picture a classroom where all students are
  learning at high levels and where the teacher is
  thoughtfully and intentionally using
  instructional strategies to ensure this high
  level of learning.
• What are some things that teacher would be doing?
  
• What would the teacher have probably done before
  the lesson? After the lesson?
• What would you see in this classroom that would
  lead you to the conclusion, This is a classroom
  led by a high quality teacher?

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Setting a Vision of Quality Teaching
Write legibly. Use no more than 3-4 words for
each idea.
List each idea on a separate post-it.
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Setting a Vision of Quality Teaching

• In your groups, Share-Around your ideas.
• One person begin by sharing one Post-it idea.
• Move around the table sharing. Continue to share
  one idea per person until all ideas have been
  presented.
• As the group shares, look for commonalities among
  ideas. On easel paper, create clusters of ideas
  that are similar.
• Name each cluster.

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The What of Mentoring Alabama Quality Teaching
Standards (AQTS)

• Standard 1 Content Knowledge
• Standard 2 Teaching and Learning
• Standard 3 Literacy
• Standard 4 Diversity
• Standard 5 Professionalism

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AQTS JigsawCooperative Learning

• Number off from 1 to 5.
• Your number matches the standard to which you are
  assigned to learn more so that you can share with
  other members of your group.

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AQTS Jigsaw

• In your expert groups,
• Review your assigned standard.
• Read the description, the rationale, and the key
  indicators.
• Standard 1..page 6 and the top of page 9
• Standard 2pages 6 and 12
• Standard 3pages 6 and 19
• Standard 4pages 7 and 24
• Standard 5page 7 and the top of page 30

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AQTS Jigsaw

• In your expert groups,
• Create a definition (in your own words) for this
  standard. Look for sample ideas you generated in
  the last activity.
• Be prepared to present to the other members of
  the group.

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Alabama Quality Teaching Standards

• Standard 1 Content Knowledge

Teachers have deep knowledge of the subject
matter they are teaching so that they can (1)
connect curriculum to state standards, to other
content areas, to student interests, and to real
life and (2) adapt instruction to meet the needs
of each learner.
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Alabama Quality Teaching Standards

• Standard 2 Teaching and Learning

In a classroom environment conducive to learning,
teachers use best practice instructional
strategies to engage students. They use, as
appropriate, both formative and summative
assessments to help adjust instruction and
monitor learning.
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Alabama Quality Teaching Standards

• Standard 2 Teaching and Learning
• Organization and Management of Learning
• Using Instructional Strategies to Engage Learners
• Assessment of Learning

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Alabama Quality Teaching Standards

• Standard 3 Literacy

Teachers model and teach effective oral and
written communication, integrating basic reading,
math and technology as appropriate.
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Alabama Quality Teaching Standards

• Standard 3 Literacy
• Oral and Written Communications
• Development of Reading Skills and Accessing K-12
  Literary Resources
• Development and Application of Mathematical
  Knowledge and Skills across Content Areas
• Utilizing Technology

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Alabama Quality Teaching Standards

• Standard 4 Diversity

Teachers differentiate instruction in ways that
exhibit a deep understanding of cultural, ethnic,
and social backgrounds second language learners
and children with special education needs and
differing learning styles.
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Alabama Quality Teaching Standards

• Standard 4 Diversity
• Cultural, Ethnic and Social Diversity
• Language Diversity
• Special Needs
• Learning Styles

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Alabama Quality Teaching Standards

• Standard 5 Professionalism

Teachers engage in continuous learning and
self-improvement through collaboration with
colleagues. They adhere to the Code of Ethics as
well as federal, state, and local laws and
policies.
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Checking For Understanding

• Numbered Heads Together
• Number off at your table from 1-4 or 1-5.
• Use your handout, Standards in Action.

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Checking For Understanding

• As I direct your attention to a statement, get
  with others in your home group to decide To
  which of the standards does this relate most
  closely?
• Be ready to respond and give a rationale for your
  selection.

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The What of Mentoring The Alabama Continuum for
Teacher Development

• Tool for understanding and using the AQTS
• Encourages and informs teacher self-reflection
• Supports the setting of professional goalsfor
  focused teacher learning and development
• Articulates a vision of teacher development over
  a lifetime career, with an emphasis on teacher
  leadership and collaboration

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The What of Mentoring Alabama Continuum for
Teacher Development

• Continuum describes five levels of practice
• Pre-Service and Beginning
• Emerging
• Applying
• Integrating
• Innovating

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Alabama Continuum for Teacher Development

• Teachers do not progress automatically based on
  length of service the continuum is
  developmental, based on teachers continued
  development.

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Alabama Continuum for Teacher Development

• Teachers are not at a given level in all
  standards or at all indicators within a standard.
• Level 3, Applying, is an experienced career
  teacher who is continually learning and
  improving. NOTE This level represents a good,
  high-quality teacher.
• Level 4, Integrating, is a master teacher with
  highly developed skills. At this level, teachers
  are contributing beyond the classroomto the
  school and community.
• Level 5, Innovating, is a teacher leader whose
  expertise is recognized beyond the classroom.
  This teacher is creating and testing new
  strategies. It is the rare teacher who rates as
  Innovating.

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Alabama Continuum for Teacher Development

• Once teachers reach a given level, they do not
  always stay at that level e.g. teachers can move
  from Applying to Emerging (from right to left) on
  the continuum when they
• Begin teaching at a different grade level
• Move to a new school or system
• Begin teaching a new content, curriculum, or
  text

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Alabama Continuum for Teacher Development

• Assess yourself on Standard One.
• Read through the five indicators, choosing the
  level for each that best represents your current
  performance. Remember to read from the left so
  that you understand all that is represented at
  any given level, as they are cumulative.
• Circle key words that cause you to select a
  particular rating. Write down examples or
  evidence for your rating of each indicator.

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Alabama Continuum for Teacher Development

• Find your The Why of Mentoring partner.
• Talk together about the continuum
• What were your areas of strength?
• Is there an area in which you would like to set
  goals for improvement?
• How did you feel as you read through the items?
• What did you learn?
• What seem to be the major differences between a
  level three (Applying) and a level four
  (Integrating)?

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The What of Mentoring The Alabama Continuum for
Teacher Development

• Pre-Service/Beginning is where most first-year
  teachers will be.
• Work of mentor is to ensure competency at the
  Pre-Service/Beginning level and help mentees move
  into Emerging in selected areas.

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The How of Mentoring

• As a mentor, the best thing we can do is to
  establish a relationship built on trust.

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Consider this

• Too often in the process of change, we have
  neglected the personal and interpersonal factors
  that contribute to the motivation to learn and
  the willingness to explore new ideas and new ways
  of being. First among these is trust, the sense
  that the relationship between knower and learner
  is solid, dependable, and honest.
• Frances OConnell Rust and Helen Freidus

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What characterizes a relationship built on trust?

• Individually, generate at least three ideas of
  your own on a piece of paper.

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Silent Sharing

• Share your ideas silently by writing one of your
  ideas on the easel paper in the middle of your
  table.
• If someone writes an idea and you can build on
  it, add to it by drawing a line and writing your
  idea.
• Continue writing in silence, adding ideas.
• Look at the ideas expressed at other tables.
  What are the commonalities that you notice?

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Trust Mistrust

• Open
• Supportive
• Willing to Risk
• Respectful
• Genuine
• Cooperative
• Problem Centered
• Accepting Warm
• Dependable

• Closed
• Controlling
• Unwilling to Risk
• Disrespectful
• Hypocritical
• Competitive
• Solution Minded
• Rejecting Cold
• Capricious

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Trust Its Multiple Dimensions

• AuthenticityBe yourself.
• HonestySpeak the truth.
• ListeningListen to understand, not to judge
• ConfidentialityKeep confidences.
• NOT putting another downAcknowledge and build on
  strengths.
• NOT trying to take overRemember your role.

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Authenticity

• Authenticity is simply being honest with
  ourselves and being direct and honest with
  others. For whatever the reason, authenticity
  continues to be rare in our workplaces. Most
  interactions carry an element of role play,
  positioning, and strategy. All are reflections
  of our wish to control our environment and the
  people in it. What is difficult about
  authenticity is that it is a high-risk strategy.
  It swims upstream in a culture of control.
• --Peter Block

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The How of Mentoring The First Meeting
Guidelines

• Begin to establish trust as the foundation of
  your relationship
• Have a conversation to clarify roles and
  expectations
• Listen openly to questions and concerns
• Share the big vision of the mentoring program
• Communicate enthusiasm and your interest in
  learning and growing together
• Adapted from Professional Development for
  Mentors. New Teacher Center _at_ UCSC

82
The First Meeting

• With your partner, role play a first meeting.
  Use the guidelinesas well as other issues that
  you believe are important.

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Reflecting on the Role-Play

• What thoughts, comments, or questions do you have
  about this first meeting?
• What did you learn from the role play experience?
• What do you want to accomplish during your first
  meeting?

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Set a Time to Meet Again

• Studies suggest that without regular, structured
  time set aside, paired teachers i.e., mentors
  and beginning teachers have less interaction.
• Stansbury and Zimmerman, p. 14

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The How of Mentoring How can we help bridge the
gap between
a teacher of students?
a student of teaching
and
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Alabama Teacher Mentoring Program Spheres of
Activity
78 of beginning teachers found mentor assistance
helpful in this area
Classroom
Personal
School
75 of beginning teachers found mentors helpful
in this area
78 of beginning teachers found mentors helpful
in this area
87
The How of Mentoring Strategies

• Read through the list of strategies on the
  handout.
• Indicate the amount of expertise or comfort you
  have with each strategy by rating yourself with a
  , a , or a ?

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The How of Mentoring Strategies

• Turn to the handout of vignettes, describing
  beginning teachers.
• With a partner, talk about which of the
  strategies would be appropriate to use in each
  situation.

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3-2-1
Ideas Ive thought about that are newor
affirming of ideas I believe
Questions I have
Thing I am committed to do
90
References

• Baron, Wendy and White, Jan. Professional
  Development for Mentors A Facilitators Guide
  for Induction Program Leaders. Santa Cruz, UCSC
  New Teacher Center. 2004.
• Block, Peter. Flawless Consulting A Guide to
  Getting Your Expertise Used. San Francisco
  Jossey-Bass. 2000.
• Carr, Judy F., Herman, Nancy, and Harris, Douglas
  E. Creating Dynamic Schools Through Mentoring,
  Coaching, and Collaboration. Alexandria, VA
  ASCD. 2005.
• Chartier, Myron R. The 1991 Annual Developing
  Human Resources, edited by J. William Pfeiffer.
  San Diego, CA University Associates. 1991.
• Darling-Hammond, L. Keeping Good Teachers Why
  it Matters What Leaders Can Do. Educational
  Leadership, 60(8), 6-13, 2003.
• Hargrove, Robert. Masterful Coaching
  Extraordinary Results by Impacting People and the
  Way They Think and Work Together
• Holden, J. Mentoring Frameworks for Texas
  Teachers Revised Edition. East Lansing, MI
  National Center for Research on Teacher Learning.
  (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED
  398227) 1995.
• Ingersoll, R. and Kralik, J. The Impact of
  Mentoring on Teacher Retention What the
  Research Says. Denver Education Commission of
  the States. 2004.

91
References, contd.

• Marzano, Robert J. What Works in Schools
  Translating Research into Action. Alexandria, VA
  ASCD. 2003.
• Moir, Ellen. The Stages of a Teachers First
  Year. A Better Beginning Supporting and
  Mentoring New Teachers. Ed. By Marge Scherer.
  Arlington, VA ASCD. 1999.
• National Commission on Teaching and Americas
  Future. No Dream Denied A Pledge to Americas
  Children. Washington, D.C. Author. 2003.
• Professional Development for Mentors. New
  Teacher Center_at_ UCSC
• Rust, Frances OConnell and Freidus, Helen.
  Guiding School Change The Role and Work of
  Change Agents. Teachers College Press, 2001.
• Senge, Peter and others. The Fifth Discipline
  Fieldbook Strategies and Tools for Building a
  Learning Organization. New York Doubleday.
  1994.
• Stansbury, Kendyll and Zimmerman, Joy. Smart
  induction programs become lifelines for the
  beginning teacher. Journal of Staff
  Development. Volume 23, Number 4. Fall 2002.
• Support for Beginning Teachers Must Become a
  Top Priority. Working Toward Excellence A
  Newsletter of the Best Practices Center. Fall
  2001.