Title: Mentoring Structures and Processes That Produce High Levels of Performance in Teacher Candidates
1Mentoring Structures and Processes That Produce
High Levels of Performance in Teacher Candidates
- A Symposium Presented by
- The Renaissance Partnership for Improving Teacher
Quality
2Symposium PanelPresenters
- Julie Birdsong and Jack Newsome
- Idaho State University
- Toby Daniels
- Western Kentucky University
- Lillie West
- Millersville University
3Symposium PanelCritic/Discussant
4The Renaissance Partnership1999 2003A Small
Stream That Has Deepened and Widened
5Project Goals
- Become accountable for the impact of teacher
candidates on P-12 student learning - Improve teacher performance in key areas and show
an increase in teachers ability to facilitate
learning of all students
6Project Objectives
- Accountability Systems
- Teacher Work Samples
- Team Mentoring
- Program Redesign
- Networking Across Project Sites
- Research that Links Teacher Performance to P-12
Student Learning
7Year Four Work PlanMentoring Teams
- Five Year Objective All eleven Renaissance
institutions will develop and implement a team
mentoring model consisting of school
practitioners, arts science faculty and teacher
educators that facilitate the ability of teachers
to impact student learning in partner schools
8Year Four Work PlanMentoring Teams
- Year Four Objectives
- Implement Mentoring Programs That
- Involve teacher educators, arts science faculty
and school practitioners - Are functional for the context, conditions and
resources at each respective site - Facilitate the performance of candidates on
teacher work samples to achieve proficiency or
above
9History of Renaissance TWS Development
10History of Renaissance TWS Development
11Teacher Work Samples Produced by Eleven Project
Institutions
12Candidate Performance on Teacher Work Samples
13Symposium Agenda
- Mentoring Program at Idaho State University
- Mentoring Progress at Western Kentucky University
- Mentoring Progress at Millersville University
- Coaching Candidates Through Teacher Work Samples
A New Mentoring Manual - Audience Participation and Discussion
14Partnering with Instructional Technology
Effective Strategies and Processes That Mentor
Teacher Candidates
- Jack Newsome
- Assistant Professor - Idaho State University
- Julie Birdsong
- Assistant Professor - Idaho State University
15Instructional Planning, Delivery And
AssessmentEducation 309
- Introduction to the TWS
- Guided Practice of TWS
- Pre-internship
- Field Experience
- Co-Requisite-Instructional Technology
16Instructional Technology Education 311
- Co-Requisite Education 309
- Guided Practice of TWS with Technology
- Pre-internship
- Provides technological skills to produce the TWS
document and state certification in technology
17Mentoring Structure and Processes
- Instructors team teach the TWS processes and
skills - Shared field experience
- Both instructors evaluate candidates LAP
- Monthly planning meetings for
- alignment of courses
- reflection
- adapting and modifying requirements
18Benefits of Mentoring Structure and Processes
- Team Teaching
- Expertise of two instructors
- Collaboration between instructors
- Field Experience
- Teaching Performance Evaluations from two
different perspectives
19Benefits of Monthly Planning Meetings
- Share questions/concerns regarding courses
- Alignment of requirements and grading
- Discuss future revisions
- Discuss student progress
- Share ideas for planning and teaching
- Report to COE faculty
- NCATE course alignment requirement
20Conclusion
- We have found collaboration between Teacher
Education and Instructional Technology faculty to
be a highly effective mentoring structure for - assisting candidates in creating the TWS
- faculty collaboration, support, and course
alignment
21Mentoring is the dance of spiraling generations,
in which the old empower the young with their
experience and the young empower the old with new
life. Parker J. Palmer, 1998
22WKUs Teacher Preparation Mentoring Model
- presented
- by
- Dr. Tabitha Toby Daniel
- Dr. Sam Evans
- Western Kentucky University
23Rationale
- Mentoring team members work together to support
teacher candidates with his/her teacher work
sample during his/her student teaching semester.
24Mentor Group Models
Tabitha Daniel
- Integrated Team (Elementary Students)
- Content Specific Teams (Middle Grades and
Secondary Students) - Specialist Teams (P-12 Students)
25Integrated Teams
- Teacher Education faculty member
- Public School Cooperating Teacher
- National Board Certified Teacher
- University Supervisor
- Arts Humanities/Language Arts faculty member
- Math/Sciences faculty member
26Content Specific Teams
One of the following Teacher Education content
faculty, university supervisor, public school
teacher, National Board certified teacher plus
faculty member from
- Arts and Humanities/Language Arts (from
integrated teams) - Social Sciences (from integrated teams)
- Math/Sciences (from integrated teams)
27Specialist Teams
Teacher Education content faculty, public school
teacher and university supervisor plus faculty
member from
- Agriculture
- Art
- Business Marketing
- Consumer Family Science
- Health Education
- Modern Language
- Music Education
- Physical Education
- Special Education
28Fall 2002 Mentoring Training
- All University Supervisors
- 26 Teacher Education faculty members
- 16 Arts and Science faculty members
- 94 Public School faculty who have a Student
Teacher and National Board Certified Teachers.
29Mentor Team Formation
- Each Student Teacher (if possible) is assigned to
a three person mentor team - Team Assignments are based on the content of the
students Teacher Work Sample and public school
grade level assignment
30Mentor Teams Consist Of
- Student Teacher
- Content specialist (Arts and Sciences)
- Teacher education faculty or University
Supervisor - National Board Certified Teacher
- Cooperating Teacher (public school)
31Job Descriptions for Mentor Groups
- All group members assist teacher candidate with
writing expression and format - All group members provide teacher candidate with
contact information, office hours, E-mail, phone
numbers, etc. for questions
32Job Descriptions for Mentor Groups
- Arts and Sciences faculty work together with
those of similar content and across integrated
groups - Teacher education faculty coordinate times for
mentor groups to work with students and meet
with mentor group to discuss group and student
progress (during their on-campus seminar time).
33 Benefits to Students
- Receive a refresher from Arts and Sciences
faculty regarding content and teaching techniques - Identify with their mentor group and have
contact information - Observe model of teaching teams
34Benefits to Arts and Sciences Faculty
- Discussion regarding best teaching practices
- Opportunity for faculty collaboration across
colleges/departments - Public service credit for mentoring and
presentations - Working with teacher candidates on the Teacher
Work Sample promotes understanding of common
content misconceptions among education students
35Benefits for Teacher Education Faculty
- Kept up-to-date with current content information
- Assistance in editing Teacher Work Sample drafts
- Have specific group members available to assist
with content questions
36Number of Student Teachers Mentored in Fall 2002
- Elementary- 120
- Middle Grades- 18
- Secondary- 50
- P-12 22
- 5-12 18
- Total 228
37Number of Student Teachers to be Mentored in
Spring 2003
- Elementary- 127
- Middle Grades- 19
- Secondary- 35
- P-12 30
- 5-12 19
- Exceptional Ed. 9
- Total 239
38Lessons Learned
- Microsoft Access works well for team formation
- Mentor team initial feedback indicates preference
for Student Teachers to have one mentor only - Student Teachers need to have experience with
mentoring prior to student teaching to feel
comfortable with the experience
39Next Steps
- Consider assigning a mentor to Teacher Candidates
the semester prior to student teaching when
candidates are producing a Mini Teacher Work
Sample and Teacher Work Sample (two semesters) - Have mentors assist with the grading of the
Teacher Work Sample during the student teaching
semester
40For Additional Information
- Tabitha Toby Daniel
- tabitha.daniel_at_wku.edu
- or
- Sam Evans
- sam.evans_at_wku.edu
41Recruiting, Building, and Supporting Mentoring
Teams at Millersville University
- Strategies and Processes that Produce Highly
Effective Teams of Teacher Educators, Arts and
Science Faculty and School Practitioners
42Functions 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
43Mentoring Team
- Public School Educators
- Education Faculty
- Arts and Humanities Faculty
- Science and Mathematics Faculty
- Field Supervisors
44Responsibilities Mentors
- Model and explain skills and
Education Faculty - expertise required to do the
Field Supervisor R-TWS.
Cooperating Teacher - Coach the TCs analytical and
Education Faculty - reflective thinking and writing. Field
Supervisor - Cooperating Teacher
45Responsibilities Mentors
- Help the TC to move from naïve Content
Faculty - concepts (or lack of knowledge
(Arts Sciences) - to a new skill or understanding
Education Faculty - Field Supervisor
- Cooperating Teacher
46Recruitment of Faculty Mentors
- Who?
- How?
- Personal acquaintances
- Congruent Initiatives
- Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher
Preparation (CETP) NSF Grant - Characteristics of Possible Mentors
47Recruitment of Cooperating Teachers
- School partnerships
- Compensation
- Training
48Cooperating Teachers Responsibility
- Elementary and Special Education Teachers
- Supervise Professional Block II student in one
semester - Supervise student teachers the following semester
- Secondary Mathematics Student Teachers
- Co-supervision by faculty from Math and
Educational Foundations departments - Three partner schools
49Supporting Mentoring Teams
- Joint Meetings
- Compensation
- Training
50Training
- Training Session
- Initial 4 hours with dinner
- Goals
- Communication and Trust Building Skills
- Presentation of R-Teacher Work Sample
- Mentoring
- Timelines and Logistics
- Cooperating Teachers, Education Faculty, Arts and
Sciences Faculty
51Training
- Training Session
- Follow-up 2 hours several weeks prior to teacher
candidate placement - Review of R-TWS
- Review of Communication and Trust Building Skills
- Assessment of Whole Class and Individual Students
- Cooperating Teachers, Teacher Candidates,
Education Faculty
52Typical Mentoring Meeting with Content Faculty
- Student Teacher and Mentor Coordinator
- 45 60 Minutes
- Focus on accuracy of content
- Questions concerning teaching strategies for a
particular audience - Questions concerning performance assessment
53Typical Mentoring Meeting With Elementary
Education Majors
- Written Teacher Work Sample
- Oral Teacher Work Sample
- Seminars with Mentoring Coordinator
- Timeline for Teacher Candidate
54Training Secondary Teams
- 2 workshops for cooperating teachers and teacher
candidates - Instruction in supervision practices, Authentic
Reflection, technology, constructivist practices,
assessment
55Typical Mentoring Meeting Secondary Education
- Student teachers meet with supervisor and
colleagues 4 times per semester - Group readings with critical friends
- Discuss questions related to how students learn
- Reflection What did you learn about how
students learn?
56In Summary
- What we have learned
- Benefits of Mentoring Teams
- Challenges
57Renaissance Partnership Project Mentoring Manual
- Coaching Teacher Education Candidates Through the
Renaissance Teacher Work Sample
58Development of Manual
- 11 Institutions Nationwide
- Individual Unique Needs
- Complexity of Renaissance Partnership Project
59Outline of Manual
- Overview of Renaissance Teacher Work Sample
- Definition and Process for Mentoring Teacher
Candidates - Tips for Mentors When Guiding Teacher Candidates
Through the Preparation of the RTWS
60Overview of Renaissance Teacher Work Sample
- Description of Teacher Work Sample and Directions
Given to Teacher Candidates
61 Renaissance Partnership Mentoring Definition
- As defined by Costa Garmston (2002)
- To us, coaching is a means of conveyance, like a
stagecoach. To coach means to covey a valued
colleague from where he or she is to where he or
she wants to be. Skillful Cognitive Coaches
apply specific strategies to enhance another
persons perceptions, decisions, and intellectual
functions. The ultimate purpose is to enhance
another persons self-directedness the ability
to be self-managing, self-monitoring, and
self-modifying. Within this metaphor, the act of
coaching itself, not the coach, is the
conveyance.
62Conceptual Framework
- Cognitive Coaching Model
- Costa and Garmston
- Lipton and Wellman
- Cognitive Apprenticeship
- Continuum of Mentoring Approaches
- Language and Communication Skills
63Mentoring TCs Through Common TWS Challenges
- General Tips for Helping TCs
- Common Challenges Found in TWS
- Vignettes Illustrating How to Mentor
- Proficient Examples
- Common Challenges
64Discussion Questions
- What are the potential benefits and challenges of
focused mentoring? - What has experience shown us about the merit and
challenges of team mentoring? - Who should be recruited to be mentors?