Administrator/Teacher Mentoring

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Teacher Mentoring Helping New Teachers Succeed
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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
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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 protégés understanding of
  content and ability to teach content to a
  particular audience

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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?

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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)

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What a good Mentor does

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

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Expectations

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

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Suggested Topics Weekly Meetings

• Instructional strategies
• Teacher wellness
• Goal setting
• Classroom management
• Parent communication and conferences
• Goal setting
• Reflection
• Teaching standards

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Goal Setting

• Putting the pieces together
• setting the schedule

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• Comments and Questions