Transcript Session Goals - University of Houston

Session Goals
• To share mentoring thoughts, ideas, current
research, and resources
• To engage participants in conversations and
activities about mentoring practices
• To identify indicators of a mentoring culture and
critical components of a mentoring model
• To encourage the cross-collaborative modeling,
grappling, sorting, thinking, listening, etc. . . .
Think about your first day of
teaching.
• Did it go something
like LouAnne
Johnson’s first day?
Who mentored you?
• Most of us in this room can identify a
person who had a positive and
enduring impact on our personal or
professional life
• If that person is in this room today, shake
his/her hand and say “Thank you.”
About Mentoring Moments
• A mentoring moment, or
“M&M,” occurs when you
have a thought or idea
specific to mentoring a
science teacher.
• When a “mentoring
moment” arises at your
table, raise your hand
and share your M&M
with the rest of the
group.
• Have some M&M’s for
your good thinking and
sharing.
MOLD A MENTOR
• Using the material on your table
MOLD a MENTOR!
• You have 5 minutes!
• Share your model with another table.
• What characteristics does your mentor
model have?
What is a Mentor? Mentoring?
A Mentor
A wise and knowledgeable person who
undertakes a special commitment to
counsel, teach, and advise a less
experienced person.
Mentoring
• A deep and extended relationship, or
individualized learning and guidance.
Hughley, J. (1997)
A Brief History of Mentoring
• Homer created Mentor to be
Odysseus’s trusted
counselor and teacher.
Theirs was a circle of two-one teacher, one student.
• Odysseus symbolized the
inquirer and adventurer in
all of us; thus, it was his
mission to the mythical seas
in search of answers and
truths.
• With the aid of Mentor, his
wise trusted counselor and
teacher, Odysseus
succeeded in exploring the
wonders, mysterious
creatures and events of the
world around him.
(Hughey, 1997)
The Mentor Chain
• Mentor advised
Odysseus, then Athena
(goddess of wisdom and
the arts) took on the
guise of Mentor in order
to teach Odysseus’s son
Telemachus.
• A chain was established
and the ability to mentor
was passed from one to
another.
Mentoring Today
• The tightly closed
circle of one-to-one
mentoring has
expanded to include a
greater number of
participants.
• From one-to-one to
one-to-many, or from
many-to-many.
Who Mentors?
• Expert Teacher
• Veteran Teacher
• Stage 5 Teacher
– Spector, 1992
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Nurturer
Peer
Scientist
University Professor
Anyone
Who is Mentored?
• Induction year teachers (First 3 years)
• Teachers new to a school or district
• Post-baccalaureate teachers seeking
certification
• Administrators
• Anyone, everyone . . .
Qualities of a Good Mentor
A Good Mentor . . .
• Is committed
• Has empathy
• Is skilled at providing instructional
support
• Understands interpersonal contexts
• Models continuous learning
• Communicates hope and optimism
The Problem
• While professional development is now
recognized as a vital lever of change, the
fact remains that most teachers rarely
receive meaningful training and mentoring
in their early years of teaching, and even
more lack the continued learning
opportunities to stay current in their
profession.
Before it’s Too Late, 2000
Research Highlights on
Mentoring
• Mentoring is by far the most common
induction practice in the U.S. (What Matters Most,
1996)
• Much of the literature on mentoring asserts
that formal programs produce dramatic
changes for new teachers.
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Retention goes up
Attitudes improve
Feelings of efficacy and control increase
Wider range of instructional strategies is
demonstrated
• Mentoring provides valuable experience for
veteran teachers – formalizing the mentor
role for experience teachers creates another
niche in the career ladder for teachers and
The two most practical ways
experienced teachers can help
new teachers are through chance
meetings in the hallways and
through scheduled discussions
during common preparation time.
Mary Delgado, Teacher
“Telementoring”
• On line communication promotes
professional development by breaking
down barriers of time and distance.
• Telementoring is emerging as a way to
pair teachers and learners with subjectmatter experts who can provide advice,
guidance, and feedback on learning
projects.
• See Judi Harris, UT
www.tapr.org/emissary
Mentoring Beginning Teachers in Texas
• A bit of some Texas history:
– Texas created an alternative certification program with
mentoring as a requirement in 1990 and in 1991 the
mentoring requirement was mandated (but not
funded) for all teachers during their induction year.
– In 1995 this mandate was challenged by legislation
that released district to comply with unfunded
mandates.
– In 1996 SBEC included mentoring their strategic plan
for all educators granted a conditional teacher
certificate.
More Texas Mentoring History
– As of September 1, 1999 the Texas Education Code
includes the following ammendment to 19 TAC
Chapter 230, Subchapter V, Induction for Beginning
Teachers:
• General provisions. Beginning teachers who do not have
prior teaching experience shall be assigned a mentor
teacher.
– SBEC sought and received funding from US Dept. of
Education to pilot Texas Beginning Educator Support
System (TxBESS)
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November 2000 Policy Research Report conducted by SEDL (Southwest Educational
Development Lab)
Go to www.sedl.org for full report
The SEDL Study on Mentoring
• How have schools and districts planned and
implemented mentoring programs to respond
to state policy on teacher induction?
• What are the characteristics of district or
school mentoring programs in the state with
respect to resource allocation, range of
activities, and effectiveness?
• What are the implications of current
mentoring activities for the retention of
teachers in districts or schools with
increasingly diverse student populations?
Go to www.sedl.org for full report
What they found out . . .
• Overwhelmed first year teachers
• “First things first” mentality
• Power of the Mentoring Culture
…mentoring has to be ongoing … the language and the
craft of teaching and learning with children and
ourselves is constantly developing. It doesn’t stop
after your first year. And you don’t get it after your
fifth year [or even] after 20 years.
A Principal
Recommendations
• Time is a critical resource and should also
be provided.
• The preparation of mentors and the
development of their capacity is critical.
• Support strategies are key – reciprocal
classroom observation, model teaching . ..
• Effective mentoring involves more than an
one-on-on relationship between mentor
and protégé.
Mentoring is an Art
• Mentoring is not a science.
• The art is not merely knowing what to say
but how and when to say it.
• There is no cookbook for mentoring, but
there is a process that works.
How Mentors Do It
• The process of mentoring can be best
described in eight words: lead, follow and
get out of the way!
Leading
• Showing the way by role modeling,
experience, or example.
Following
• Advising, counseling
(when asked)
Those having torches will pass
them on to others.
Plato, The Republic
Getting out of the way!
• The art of withdrawing from a supportive
relationship to a more collegial one.
“More Findings”
• Watch the film clip
from “Finding
Forrester.”
• Can you identify
examples of the
mentor – leading,
following, and getting
out of the way?
Key Elements for Mentoring
• A Focus for Learning or Improvement
• Mechanisms for Sharing and Feedback
• Opportunities for Interaction
Implementation Requirements
• A Climate of Trust, Collegiality, and
Continuous Growth
• Long-Term Commitment to Interaction
• Skill Building in Coaching and Mentoring
• Administrative Support
Grounding the Work
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Focusing on Learning
Maintaining the Focus
The Learner-Centered Paradigm
The Role of Experience
“Everything that happens to you is your
teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the
feet of your own life and be taught by it.”
(Berends, 1990)
Working the Ground
• Considering the Context
• Long Distance Mentoring
• Cross-Cultural Mentoring
– Become culturally self-aware
– Develop a working knowledge of and
appreciation for other cultures
– Improve communication skills
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To Everything There is a
Season
Predictable Phases
Preparing
Negotiating
Enabling
Closing
Readiness, Opportunity, Support
An Investment of Time
The ROS Tool
BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE
MENTORING MODEL
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TIME
RESOURCES
SUPPORT
FEEDBACK
CHEMISTRY
COMMUNICATION
TIME
RESOURCES
FEEDBACK
SUPPORT
CHEMISTRY
COMMUNICATION
GROUP TASK
• Brainstorm the mentoring category on the
other side of this page.
• Make a list that describes the ACTIONS of
the mentor with respect to the category.
Answer the question: What is the mentor
doing?
• Then make list that describes the ACTIONS
of the mentee. Answer the question: What is
the mentee doing?
• Select a spokesperson to share your ideas
with the whole group in about 15 minutes.
Top Ten indicators of a
Mentoring Culture
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Accountability
Alignment
Demand
Infrastructure
A Common Mentoring
Vocabulary
Multiple Venues
Reward
Role Modeling
Safety Net
Training and Evaluation
Design and Implementation
Challenges
• Define the purpose.
• Ensure visible support from
administration
• Identify the participants and
the initiative
• Define and create the mentor
pool.
• Identify roles and
responsibilities.
• Develop protocols.
• Build a mentor education
training program.
• Identify ways to reward,
recognize, and celebrate
mentoring success.
Mentoring is a critical topic in education today
and a favored strategy in U.S. policy initiatives
focused on teacher induction. Besides creating
new career opportunities for veteran teachers,
assigning mentors to work with beginning
teachers represents an improvement over the
abrupt and unassisted entry into teaching that
characterizes the experience of many novices.
Still, the promise of mentoring goes
beyond helping novices survive their first
year of teaching. If mentoring is to
function as a strategy of reform, it must be
linked to a vision of good teaching, guided
by an understanding of teacher learning,
and supported by a professional culture
that favors collaboration and inquiry.
Feiman-Nemser, 1996