Teachers As Mentors

"A much-needed resource for teacher mentors. The new and updated strategies and practical approach will give mentors crucial support as they provide assistance and encouragement to new teachers. Portner has clearly demonstrated the importance of both theory and practice in this practical guide." —Priscilla Miller, Director Center for Teacher Education & Research, Westfield State College A comprehensive guide for developing successful mentors! Quality mentoring can provide the support and guidance critical to an educator′s first years of teaching. In the latest edition of the best-selling Mentoring New Teachers, Hal Portner draws upon research, experience, and insights to provide a comprehensive overview of essential mentoring behaviors. Packed with strategies, exercises, resources, and concepts, this book examines four critical mentoring functions: establishing good rapport, assessing mentee progress, coaching continuous improvement, and guiding mentees toward self-reliance. Tools and topics new to this edition include: Teacher mentor standards based on the NBPTS Core Propositions and validated by members of the International Mentoring Association and other practitioners Classroom observation methods and competency instruments Tools to assess preferred learning styles Approaches to mentoring the nontraditional new teacher A guide for careerlong professional development School leaders, experienced and prospective mentors, and staff developers can use this step-by-step handbook to create a dynamic mentoring program or revitalize an existing one.

This book draws together various theoretical and research-based perspectives to examine the institutionalization of mentoring processes for beginning teachers. Teacher induction, defined as the guidance provided to new teachers, is increasingly gaining traction as a key stage in promoting quality education. Major efforts have been put into reducing transitional challenges from being a student teacher to a practicing teacher; optimizing professional relationships and socialization into school dynamics; and increasing teacher retention. Mentoring has been proven to add benefits in assisting beginning teachers during the early years of their teaching career, because it provides the required knowledge and skills to face uncertain school scenarios and the complexities of practice. However, teacher induction programs are not part of regular instruction in many countries. The lack of teacher training during the induction phase might result in lower levels of commitment, professional isolation, or even attrition. This book calls for more concrete mentoring processes for early career teachers, and questions how this can be put into practice.

This practical guide helps mentors of new science teachers in both developing their own mentoring skills and providing the essential guidance their trainees need as they navigate the rollercoaster of the first years in the classroom. Offering tried-and-tested strategies based on the best research, it covers the knowledge, skills and understanding every mentor needs and offers practical tools such as lesson plans and feedback guides, observation sheets and examples of dialogue with trainees. Together with analytical tools for self-evaluation, this book is a vital source of support and inspiration for all those involved in developing the next generation of outstanding science teachers. Key topics explained include: • Roles and responsibilities of mentors • Developing a mentor—mentee relationship • Guiding beginning science teachers through the lesson planning, teaching and self-evaluation processes • Observations and pre- and post-lesson discussions and regular mentoring meetings • Supporting beginning teachers to enhance scientific knowledge and effective pedagogical practices • Building confidence among beginning teachers to cope with pupils’ contingent questions and assess scientific knowledge and skills • Supporting beginning teachers’ planning and teaching to enhance scientific literacy and inquiry among pupils • Developing autonomous science teachers with an attitude to promote the learning of science for all the learners Filled with tried-and-tested strategies based on the latest research, Mentoring Science Teachers in the Secondary School is a vital guide for mentors of science teachers, both trainee and newly qualified, with ready-to-use strategies that support and inspire both mentors and beginning teachers alike.

What is in the Toolbox? What is a teacher? What should I be teaching? How do I plan lessons? What are teacher-directed models of teaching? What are student-engaged models of teaching? How do I reach all students? How do I manage student behavior What are the interpersonal, reflection, and observational skills required of a mentor teacher? What is the core knowledge base a mentor needs to have about how one learns to teach? About the Author Having collectively spent over seventy years in teaching students and training teachers in the public school arena, Dr. Richard and Elaine Solomon are now focused on improving Jewish education. They have created a seven-stage career development ladder from madrichim to mentor and expert teacher that can transform how Jewish educators are recruited, developed, and supported.

Promote a climate of trust, academic growth, and positive behavior by launching each school day with a whole class gathering. This comprehensive, user-friendly book shows you how to hold Responsive ClassroomMorning Meetings, a powerful teaching tool used by hundreds of thousands of teachers in K-8 schools. In the new edition of this essential text, you'll find: Step-by-step, practical guidelines for planning and holding Responsive Classroom Morning Meetings in K-8 classroomsDescriptions of Morning Meeting in action in real classrooms100 ideas for greetings, sharing, activities, and messages: some tried-and-true and some newUpdated information on sharingGuidance on adapting meeting components for different ages and abilities, including upper grades and English Language Learners.Explanations of how Morning Meeting supports mastery of Common Core State Standards, 21st century skills, and core competencies enumerated by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL).

The unique relationship between mentors and students informs the art of teaching and enhances the intellectual vitality of higher education and quality of teacher and student life. This collection of original essays presents autobiographical vignettes of important professors of our time. These essays reflect the appreciation of the authors-now successful academics-for their teachers/mentors, whose drive and creativity had such on influence on the careers of their students. No other collection presents such an autobiographical and biographical portrayal of college of education faculty. The essays examine what it means to be a professor in today's academia, with its erosion of the professoriate and the emergence of a questionable entrepreneurial pragmatism. The writers and their subjects explain their vision of the academic life sustained by a community and perpetuated through the lives of their teachers and their students, a tradition not only in teaching but also in mentoring.

Providing 13 cases of teachers who are going through the National Board Certification process, this book highlights common challenges encountered in the mentor and mentee or supervisor and teacher relationship. It is useful to teacher educators, staff development professionals, supervisors, and mentor teachers.

A useful guide for teacher mentors as they face new and difficult challenges in their work New teachers often struggle to apply their knowledge in real-world settings, and the idea of mentoring these teachers during their first years in the classroom has captured the imagination of schools all over the world. Drawn from the experiences over the last twenty years of the New Teacher Center, the book illuminates the subtleties and struggles of becoming an excellent, effective mentor. The book discusses the five big tensions of mentoring: developing a new identity, developing trusting relationships, accelerating teacher growth, mentoring in challenging contexts, and learning leadership skills. Describes in-depth the most common challenges of the mentor role A wonderful guide for both new and veteran mentors Includes engaging firsthand narratives written by mentors working in a variety of settings This book is from the New Teacher Center, an organization whose highly respected mentor training model has served over 50,000 teachers nationwide. The New Teacher Center is dedicated to improving student learning by accelerating the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders through comprehensive mentoring and professional development programs.