homework,
I see homework listed from Bennet's book from 1986, in Creemers' 1994 list, and in Hattie's 1992 list. I am wondering what contemporary research says about the topic, especially considering that this is a factor that extends beyond the classroon and is beyond the teacher's control in most cases.
In fact, ineffective teachersmight actually impede the learning of theirstudents.
So, while students may be improving with the least effective teachers, they are improving at a declining rate and are almost guaranteed to fall behind over time. Therefore, those teachers who say, "well, my students grew, even if they did not meet their goals," are missing the point. We need coaches and practices to make all teachers effective, or the least effective teachers should not be in classrooms.
Coaches must give themselves permis-sion to take time for practice and somemistakes.
Just as teachers have to be able to make mistakes, coaches do, as well. It is important for coaches to take accountability and foster respectful, collaborative relationships in order to be able to make mistakes safely.
The coachwhoisalearner avoidsthe£becomingcomplacentorbeingewayofseeing thingsand doinghecoachfresh,awarepotentialostuckinonthings.
This also enables the coach to continue being a catalyst for change by having the knowledge to ask thought-provoking questions.
Coachesactingascatalystsforchangemustbesatisfiedwithplantingseeds rather thanbeingthedirectorofeverychangeeffort.
Indeed. Change and progress are slow and not everything can change at once. A coach can have questions and "plant seeds," but it is ultimately the staff that makes change take root.
Theygather evidence,exam-‘ine it critiitically, and make recommendations orte iquests without expectation.
I would push back on the part, "without expectation," because coaches, as catalysts for change, do have the expectation that educators examine their mental models and biases, have conversations about challenging questions, and think about ways of doing things differently.
celebratesuccess,yetnever allowittoleadtocomplacency.
This approach is so important with educators and with students. When we, as coaches and educators, can model this type of innovation, we are holding ourselves to higher standards and can influence students to do the same.
Catalysts for changefacilitate educators’ examination of deeply-heldmotivations and unspoken assumptions.
It is important for a coach to take a balcony view while facilitating educators' examinations of motivations and assumptions because, at the same time, the coach has to let go of judgment, in order to provide educators the space to change their mindsets.
The lack of automaticity with basic moves, such as getting and maintaining student attention, giving clear directions and establishing routines for smooth classroom transitions, consumes the emotional and physical energy of beginning teachers.
I appreciate this quote because it puts into words what was happening during my TC's first lesson. It was good, overall, but moved slowly for these reasons. Now, I see that this is an opportunity for her to practice giving clear instructions and using strategies to maintain student attention.
It is important to remember that young teachers fresh out of college are not fully formed adults. They have many developmental challenges to master at the same time that they are mastering a new and demanding profession.
I appreciate this quote because I need to be mindful that my TC falls in this category and I have to be careful to give her grace, as she is still young and learning how to balance school and the responsibilities of young adulthood.
During.the planning and teaching over time with clear outcomes in of a reading lesson, for example, they consider the needs of specific mind; skillfully managing learners and tailor the lesson to help each student develop literacy skills.
If teachers are expected to meet the needs of all learners, then how do we help our beginner and advanced beginner teachers become competent more quickly?
There is a vague awareness of some magic that the confident veteran next door seems to possess.
This makes me think back to my early teaching career and it is interesting because there is a shift as one becomes more experienced. There is no "magic," but it is difficult to articulate how veteran, master, teachers realize their confidence.
a mentor teacher is crucial in ensuring a beginning teacher understands the major components of the teacher evaluation process.
The evaluation process is different between districts, but there are some common components and effective, research-based teaching is good teaching no matter the district.
This type of support helps a teacher find his or her place in the profession and may involve helping a beginning teacher learn more about school and district cul- ture, explore the intricacies of the evaluation process, join local school and district initiatives, or become involved in various local, district, and national organizations.
This is an intersting piece that we don't always consider, but, even though we have some large school districts, they are actually small in that it seems everyone knows everyone or has connections.
s a result of this approach, 96 percent of CUD candidates reported on our LPI survey that they feel “well” or “very well” prepared to teach students from diverse racial, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds, and more than 80 percent report being “well” or “very well” prepared
This makes me feel really excited to be a mentor teacher to a UCD teacher candidate; I know it is a great responsibility, but I am confident that my TC is going to be a prepared, exceptional teacher.
This context further complicates the task of pre- paring teachers to provide historically underserved students equitable access to deeper learning.
I do have to say that my TC is a product of a DPS school that would be considered to "provide underserved students equitable access"...and she is excited to serve in these schools.
It is important to resist our own impulsivity ° jump in and do the bulk of the analysis and thinking.
I notice my TC wanting to "jump in" and have to stop to push her thinking; I know she is excited, but I want her to be mindful of "why" before moving to action.
A useful template to guide mentoring practice is a pattern of sharing the ‘What’, ‘Why’ and ‘How’ of an idea or suggestion.
As I read, I am thinking that I need to spend more time consulting with my TC, instead of going directly to collaboration. We can both benefit from this because it leaves more space for reflection.
The pattern we suggest to mentors is one of ‘Whether, When and How’: the first decision is whether to share the judgment at all. If the choice is yes, then the subsequent choices of when and how . offer an array of possibilities that align with a learning-focused intention.
I wonder if a judgent has to be shared as judgment, or whether a probing question could be as effective in helping a TC reflect on a decision or an action? I might also share a judgment as an "I noticed..." with a follow-up question.
behaving congruently signals a safe climate for thinking, risk-taking, and problem- solving.
Alignment!
Teachers may sometimes feel threatened by having other adults in their classroom. Because the observation-then-reflection cycle is associated with supervision and evaluation, teachers often equate a coach’s observation with one done by a supervisor.
This is absolutely true. I think the UCD program my TC is in is especially helpful in this way because she will be in several different classrooms, with different mentor teachers, throughout the course of her program, so she will be better used to having other adults in her classroom.
professionals regularly examine their own practice, coaches help teachers become more self-reflective
I think this is among the most important ways in which we all grow and I take time to reflect with my TC about my own practice, as I encourage her to do with me and on her own.
Co-teaching requires the coach and teacher to reach fundamental agreements about their collaborative work so they are both comfortable.
These agreements ensure that students see that the teachers are on the same page and prevent the teacher and coach from "stepping on each other's toes," which could result in frustration or hurt feelngs.
Teachers who are learning new practices or are yet unable to envision the practices in their own classroom may be helped by seeing them in action.
This is especially true for TCs. When my TC and I plan or talk about a lesson, we identify a focus, or specific "look-for" so she can try it on her own later.
Effective growth-goal statements specify the following three components. 1. The element on which the mentee has chosen to focus (for example, celebrating success) 2. The amount of growth the mentee wants to make in regard to the element
This is a great idea and will help TCs set SMART goals later when they are teachers.
The idea that new teachers might score at the Beginning (1) level for many elements of effective teaching at the end of their first year runs counter to the traditional view that all new educators should teach at a proficient level immediately upon entering the profession.
Indeed, however, teaching is a practice. There are third year teachers who do not teach at a proficient level. As a mentor, I am guiding my TC to use effectiive instructional strategies so she has that foundation, but she will probably not be perfectly proficient in her first year of teaching in her classroom. We all have room for growth!
As Lipton and Wellman (2001) pointed out, mentors sometimes feel tempted to spend an inordi- nate amount of time offering comfort and emotional support to beginning teachers. powers once beginning teachers are through the survival and disillusionment phases, mentors vos S i . © focus toward helping beginning teachers develop effective teaching strategies.
I agree, but think that mentor teachers need to focus on effective teaching strategies from the beginning. If a TC has a good foundation with teaching strategies, they may need less emotional support.
The connection making, generalizations, applications and personal learnings that emerge at this phase increase the likelihood of transfer of new awareness and insight.
This is important because it takes the learning from a specific instance to a greater understanding that can be applied across many situations.
This is especially important to emphasize to novice teachers, who tend to spend more of their time designing activities and approaches, and less of their time clarifying goals and success indicators.
I have definitely noticed this with my TC and we have to back up to define what her goals are, as well as how she will know students have met them, as opposed to simply planning a fun and engaging activity.
uring the Activating and Engaging phase in a goal-setting conversation. it 1s important to take some time to clarify the roles, responsibilities and options available for both mentor and protégé.
I like this because it removes the ambiguity around responsibilties and forces us to be attentive to what we might otherwise take for granted (and might, therefore, be overlooked).
his listening block occurs when we are sure we know the solution to the problem, sometimes before we’ve listened enough to be sure that we understand the problem.
I notice that I have been guilty of ths already this year. I have had to walk back what I have said to get back to the problem my TC is having.
Personal referencing often leads to judgmental responses.
This also might lead to a mentee feeling invalidated.
These include times when ve anticipate tension or anxiety or when tension or anxiety emerges wit in the conversation.
I think in times like these, it is important not to match our TC's posture, speaking, and breathing because they may be elevated. In these instances, we might be the ones to have an open stance, calm tone, and slower breath so our TCs can pick up on our cues to establish rapport.
Alignment has three distinct categories: physical, which includes muscle tension, posture and gesture; vocal, which includes intonation, pace and word choices; and breathing, which includes depth, duration and rate.
I appreciate this definition of alignment because it is more detailed than what I previously thought, with its inclusion of breathing. I naturally speak and breathe more quickly than my TC and I have to purposely slow down to match her.
We actually maximize our time together by focusing our full attention on our protégé.
This is so important and sounds simple, but it is challenging when other adults need a minute of our time or the phone is ringing during planning. I have found that closing my door and putting up a sign helps for my TC and me to keep our time "sacred" and free from distractions.
Mentors and mentees can use double-entry journals as a vehicle for sharing questions, fears, con- cerns, celebratory remarks, and future aspirations.
This is a great idea because we often forget what we want to say or don' have time during the day to have these important conversations, and this would allow us both a place to write down our thinking and to guide our discussions.
dditionally, share personal reflections and anecdotes from your own first years as a teacher to help the mentee feel a sense of camaraderie.
I have to be mindful when doing this to continue to make the conversation about the TC or new teachers, and not about myself.
By paying attention to both verbal and nonverbal communications, a mentor can see indications of distress before they come to a head and show the beginning teacher that he or she cares.
This requires mentors to be proactive and facilitate a relationship built on trust. It is impossible to show vulnerability with someone if there is not trust.
At this phase, a mentor can be a lifesaver. Relieve some of the pressure and feelings of exhaustion by offering strategies for increasing efficiency and cultivating a work-life balance.
This really resonates with me because I also support new teaches with their induction requirements and we have monthly Community of Practice meetings, during which we work to relieve some of the pressure new teachers feel.
staying very late after school to work, even after all the other teachers have left the building.
When I was a new teacher, I was told that this was normal and I always came to school very early and stayed very late. It seemed like no matter how much planning or "catching up" I did, there was always more to do and I had no real life outside of work. My hope is that I can help my TC will come to the realization that there is always something to do, but that it is so important to prioritize herself so she does not have this experience in her first year.