The following represents a list of critical terms used in the "effective mentoring" discourse. Let's see how we perceive how this language is used from the get-go. Use 5 terms that you are familiar with and string together a paragraph or so that reveal what they represent in the "effective mentor" conversation. (these were taken from the articles we will be reading).
1. interviewing
2. concept mapping
3. learning-to-teach
4. student teacher access to mentors' practical knowledge
5. teacher education (pre-service education)
6. induction
7. modeling
8. collaboration
9. retention
10. job stresses
11. coaching (instructional type)
12. Motivation
13. Attrition
14. Classroom Management
15. district policy
Through the mentor process the mentor should fulfill the role of coaching the mentee. The mentor should also discuss the pitfalls of a new teacher such as classroom management, job stresses, and time management. The mentor teacher needs to share and model his/her practical knowledge and collaborate with the mentee to help them become an effective teacher.
ReplyDeleteEffective mentoring involves teachers coming along side teachers to help them become better teachers and keeping them motivated to teach kids. Hanover has a formal teacher induction program that is run by York county and has become district policy. This induction program contains pre-service education, modeling, collaboration, and coaching. Mentors should be good teacher models and be willing to coach their mentees into becoming better teachers. Mentors should interview and discuss with mentees regularly to help them with their day to day teaching. (instead of using concept maps)! There are many job stresses with teaching that mentors can help their mentees to deal with. Many times it just involves listening or having an everyday discussion about life. One stressor with beginner teachers can be dealing with behavior, so discussing different classroom mangement strategies could be of great help. It is so important to have good mentor teachers to help beginner teachers to succeed in teaching.
ReplyDeleteAn effective mentor is someone who needs to impart knowledge from their own teaching experiences. Mentors could collaborate with their mentees on a regular basis to discuss various topics such as classroom management and district policies. When mentors and mentees share a partnership in teaching and learning both of them will benefit. Sharing ideas and suggestions is critical. Mentors should also be great role models in all aspects of teaching: lesson planning, management styles, communication with staff and parents, and how to deal with the everyday job stresses. If a mentee has someone whom they can look up to and respect, then a great teacher will be seen in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteIn order to become an effective mentor, one must first be an effective teacher. These teachers instill many qualities that are important to the teaching profession. It's important for beginning teachers to be given the opportunity to learn from highly qualified teachers. Effective mentors should be motivated not only to teach their students, but also to provide guidance to other collegues as well. Mentors should also model best teaching practices. When mentors are more like a coach, they can build a strong bond with their mentees. Collaboration is enhanced when a mentee can trust the mentor.
ReplyDeleteIn thinking about an effective mentor there are some things that you need to be mindful of as a mentor. Teacher education is very important in that the mentor teacher should go through some type of training in order to be a mentor. That would be in addition to participating in the induction program. An effective mentor should show good modeling and collabaorate with the mentee on a frequent basis. The mentor should not wait for the mentee to come to them they should be going to the mentee and asking how things are going. As a mentor you should be guiding your mentee and helping with classroom management by having the mentee observe different forms of classroom management.
ReplyDeleteThe induction program for new teachers can be a powerful tool. Each year school districts hire new teachers to fullfill open vacancies. Hiring good new teachers is a vital component for a successful school. Retaining those teachers yearly is as equally important for building a strong faculty. School Districts need to invest in their induction program to ensure they give the proper tools to help make each new teacher successful. The first year of teaching contains a lot of job stress so, it is imperative for the mentor to help provide modeling and colloboration with their mentee.
ReplyDeleteNovice teachers are subject to stress from a variety of sources, not limited to stresses within the classroom. An effective mentor can serve as a respite from this stress, helping these novice teachers find answers to their questions, providing them with resources and direction, and serving as a model for what an effective teacher within the district should look like. Mentor and novice should have time for collaboration built into the induction program explicitly to ensure that novices are given the greatest opportunity for success. In addition to curriculum, novice teachers need to be given direction in district policy. This could apply to someone who is new to the district but has experience in other districts – someone who taught for five years in one school may have effective techniques for classroom management and be familiar with their content, but not understand the differences in structure within their new district. If someone doesn’t serve as a mentor (if a different type of mentor) to these new teachers in the district, someone who is already an experienced and knowledgeable teacher may fail.
ReplyDeleteAn effective mentor needs to be many things to a new teacher. One of their most important roles will be modeling good instructional techniques that the new teacher can emulate. Appropriate modeling of professional behavior should occur when dealing with colleagues, administrators, parents, and the custodial staff. The mentor should allow the student teacher access to his/her practical knowledge, such as working with the grade book technology or arranging classroom seating, in order to reduce the inevitable job stresses that will be encountered from a first year teacher. Throughout the first year the mentor should observe the new teacher and through an interview process after the lesson, be asked to explain the why’s of what was happening in the classroom. This reflective process should help the new teacher clarify there thinking and reasoning for doing things in the classroom. A positive mentoring experience should help to lower the attrition rate of new teachers.
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