ERIC ED346091: Mentoring in Context: A Comparison of Two U.S. Programs for Beginning Teachers. NCRTL Special Report.

21 Pages·1992·0.39 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
SP 033 858
ED 346 091
Feiman-Nemser, Sharon; Parker, Michelle B.
AUTHOR
Mentoring in Context: A Comparison of Two U.S.
TITLE
Programs for Beginning Teachers. NCRTL Special
Report.
National Center for Research on Teacher Learning,
INSTITUTION
East Lansing, MI.
Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED),
SPONS AGENCY
Washington, DC.
ISSN-1054-7673
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PUB DATE
92
NOTE
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National Center for Research on Teacher Learning, 116
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*Beginning Teacher Induction; Case Studies; Change
DESCRIPTORS
Agents; Collegiality; Comparative Analysis; *Context
Effect; Elementary Secondary Education; *Helping
Relationship; *Mentors; Program Design;
Socialization; Teacher Orientation; Urban
Education
Albuquerque Public Schools NM; Los Angeles Unified
IDENTIFIERS
School District CA; *Protege Mentor Relationship
ABSTRACT
This study describes how the contexts of mentoring
shape the perspectives and practices of mentors in the Teacher
Trainee Program in Los Angeles (California), an effort to recruit
candidates to teach in inner city secondary schools by providing
on-the-job training to college graduates, and in the Graduate Intern
Program in Albuquerque (New Mexico), an effort to extend preservice
preparation by offering structured support to beginning elementary
teachers. Data were gathered by interviewing and observing mentors
and mentees to determine the kinds of things mentor teachers do; the
organizational, programmatic, and intellectual contexts in which they
work; working conditions; selection procedures; and preparation. A
comparative analysis related to broader claims about the power of
mentoring to improve teaching is then presented. Three perspectives
on mentoring are identified in relation to teacher induction: (1)
casting mentors as local guides; (2) casting mentors as educational
companions; and (3) viewing mentors as agents of cultural change.
Research on what mentoring looks like in different contexts and what
novices learn from their interactions with mentors can help
policymakers and program planners understand the power and limits of
this intervention in order to design more effective programs. (LL)
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Spring 1992
National Center for Research on Teacher Learning
N C
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office col Educahonal Research and Improvement
MIMEO
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
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C", This document has been
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NCRTL Special Report
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merit do not necessarily represent otfIclal
OERI position or pohcy
levAC
Mentoring in Context: A Comparison
of Two U.S. Programs for Beginning
e.c
Teachers
by Sharon Feiman-Nemser and Michelle B. Parker
thinking toward paths of growth that they think
. There's also a
would be useful for themselves. .
Sharon Feiman-Nemser, a professor of teacher
.
little bit of me in there thinking "You knon, I
education at Michigan State University, is an NCRTL
the
interests
Her
include
researcher.
senior
wonder if thic person knows there's this article or this
curriculum of teacher education, collaborative reform,
way you could teach math." So I make suggestions
learning to teach, and cultures of teaching.
and help people to look at possibilities, but I'd never
force them to take that road.
Michelle B. Parker, an instructor in MSU's College of
Pete, support teacher in Albuquerque
Education, is a research assistant with the NCRTL.
Her interests include teacher learning across the
career continuum, collaboration and its effects on
In these statements, two experienced teachers
student learning, teachers' practical knowledge, and
working with beginning teachers
different
in
professional development schoolwork (content, goals,
settings define their roles. Both see themselves as
forms, and roles).
helpers, sources of suggestions drawn from their
of teaching.
own experience and knowledge
Neither assumes that the novices they work with
have to follow those suggestions and both worry
about encroaching on the fragile autonomy of the
The mentor is supposed to just be there when you
beginning teacher. Terri tells her mentees that it's
They (the novice teachers]
need her for whatever:
all right not to follow her suggestions; Pete says he
know that, and I establish that with them at the very
to pursue the
would never force his
clients
beginning, that I'm here to help you in any capacity
possibilities he raises. In this regard, they reflect
but what I do is make suggestions. And I tell them
the value of individualism so deeply rooted in
if you don't follow them id all right. Maybe what I
professional (and popular) culture in the United
suggest is something that you feel that you can? use.
Terri, mentor teacher in Los Angeles
States.
Besides these similarities in role definition, there
/ see myself as someone wl.o thinks with the clients
Terri defines her
are also subtle differences.
I'm working with and can maybe help turn their
"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS
MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
Page 1
Michigan State University, East Lansing. Michigan 48824-1034
2
TO.THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)."
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
certification program sponsored by the school
teachers
terms of
contribution
to
novice
in
The beginning teachers, called trainees,
district.
emotional support and practical suggestions. Her
are college graduates with no previous professional
job is to be there, ready to listen and give counsei.
preparation. As a support teacher in Albuquerque,
Like Terri, Pete also makes suggestions, but he
Pete works with beginning elementary teachers,
through
thinking
emphasis
on
places
more
some of whom are also enrolled in a mastett
her
Terri
suggestions
reflect
possibilities.
program at the University of New Mexico. Called
diagnosis of the situation; after all, she has the
graduate interns, these beginning teachers have
Working from
experience and
expertise:
a
completed a preservice program.
developmental view of learning, Pete considers
their own
definitions
of
teachers'
beginning
The Los Angeles and Albuquerque programs are
his knowledge of
learning needs as well
as
part of a larger study of teacher education and
professional literature and practical alternatives.
teach conducted by the Nat;onal
learning to
Center for Research on Teacher Education' at
These two role definitions echo many of the
Michigan State University (National Center for
themes and tensions that run through the U.S.
Research on Teacher Education, 1988).
The
literature on mentoring, especially in relation to
Center chose these two programs because each
teacher induction. The chance to "mentor" a new
represents a significant policy initiative in current
serious
problems
teacher
addresses
in
two
teachingthe abrupt and unsupported entry of efforts to improve teaching. The Teacher Trainee
Program in Los Angelei is a serious effort to
novices into the field and the difficulty of keeping
recruit strong candidates to teach in hard-to-staff,
good, experienced teachers in the classroom. The
inner city secondary schools by providing on-the-
provision of mentor, teachers is considered a big
job training to college graduates (Stoddart &
improvement over the more typical "sink or swim"
Floden, in press). The Graduate Intern Program
experience of many beginning teachers in the
a serious effort to extend
in Albuquerque is
United States. Mentoring also offers an incentive
structured
preparation
offering
to experienced teachers who can take on a new
preservice
by
support to beginning elementary teachers (Odell,
role without giving up classroom teaching.
1990).
The "mentor phenomenon" is also related to larger
The opportunity to study two U.S. programs where
teaching
about
aspirations
improving
by
experienced teachers play a central role in the
Little (1990)
transforming professional relations.
induction and socialization of beginning teachers
draws a distinction between social support that
enabled us to consider how different contexts
puts newcomers at ease and professional support
support different versions of mentoring. Observing
that advances knowledge and practice. From this
mentor teachers and support teachers in these two
perspective, the promise of mentoring lies not in
settings as they worked with beginning teachers
its contribution to novices' emotional well-being or
and interviewing them about what they did and
survival, but in its capacity to foster an inquiring
it, we noted striking
how they thought about
stance toward teaching and a commitment to
differences in the way they defined and enacted
developing shared standards for judging good
their roles. As we learned more about the overall
practice.
programs as well as about how mentors and
support teachers are selected and prepared in each
Both Terri and Pete work in assistance-oriented
setting, we began to see how the conditions of
programs for beginning teachers.' As a mentor
mentoring shaped the practices of mentors.
teacher in Lcs Angeles, Terri works with beginning
an alternative
secondary teachers enrolled
in
Michigan Stale University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1034
Page 2
mentor and as well as the character and quality of
In this paper we explore connections between what
what they do and how they think about it.
mentor teachers and support teachers do and the
programmatic, and
intellectual
organizational,
In Los
Mentoring part time and on your own.
contexts in which they work. First, we discuss the
Angeles, all mentor teachers are assigned to work
procedures, and
working conditions,
selection
with beginning teachers in the teacher trainee
preparation that mentors and support teachers
program, an alternate training and certification
Then we present brief descriptions of
receive.
program. Tiie state pays each mentor a stipend of
mentoring to illustrate common characteristics of
$4000 and gives local districts $2000 to cover such
the practices we observed in Los Angeles and
costs as substitute teachers and travel. While the
Albuquerque and to show how they relate to
state requires mentors to continue teaching 60
In the concluding section, we
contextual factors.
percent of the time, the district lacks the resources
relate our comparative analysis to broader claims
to reduce the mentor teacher'S class load. As a
about the power of mentoring to improve teaching.
result, mentors in Los Angeles teach full time and
fit their mentoring in around the edges.
Their
term lasts three years.
The Contexts of Mentoring
From her
the
districth
downtown
office
in
quarters, the director of the Mentor Teacher
of
aspects
especially
context seem
Several
training, and
Program oversees the selection,
important in accounting for the kind of mentoring
assignment of over 1200 mentors a year. Asked to
we observed and in
explaining differences
in
defme the mentott role, she said:
These include the
mentors' roles and practices.
job description itself, the programmatic setting, the
Mentors are to guide the new teachers, to provide
selection process, and the preparation that mentors
assistance, to help them in securing skillsall the
The job description and programmatic
receive.
things that the teachers are lacking, that they have
setting define the conditions of the work, the
either not had because they've not had any teacher
personal
defines
selection process
relevant
classes and those everyday things that they learn just
experiences and qualities, and the training or
by virtue of teaching.
preparation defines the intellectual framework and
concrete images that guide what mentors do.
Later she described the kind of local help that
These factors seem to influence how mentors
mentors should be giving across the school year.
conceive and carry out their work.
At the
beginning, mentors should help new
teachers figure out what content to cover and how
to break that down into quarterly, unit, and daily
Conditions of Work
lesson plans; where to keep attendance cards; how
When the first
to avoid discipline problems.
By "conditions of work" we mean the time
grading period comes around, the mentor should
for mentors to do their work, the
allocated
show the novice how to record gades, stressing
structure of the program in which their work is
the importance of keeping gadebooks in order.
embedded, and the extent to which mentors
At the end of the school year, the mentor should
practice alone or with the support of colleagues.
help the new teacher
out end-of-the-year
fill
The comparison Los Angeles
and
between
records so that everything will be in order for the
Albuquerque
these
underscores
much
how
next teacher.
variables affect the opportunity mentors have to
Michipn State University, East Lansing Michigan 48824-1034
Page 3
Mentors provide the school-based portion of the
Mentor teachers work with two to four trainees
teacher trainee program which includes a three-
located in the school where they teach or at a
week session before the school year begins and
nearby school. To minimize the time they spend
weekly seminars and workshops during the year.
away from their own students, mentor teachers
Although the administrative staffs of the mentor
often talk with novices before or after school or
teacher and teacher trainee programs work closely
during lunch if they teach in the same building. If
together, the programs themselves are managed
they want to visit the new teachert classroom, they
separately. One result is that the mentor teachers
have to arrange for a substitute to cover their own
we studied knew little about what the teacher
class.
trainees were exposed to in their workshops and
cooperating
teachers
seminars.
in
According to one mentor we interviewed, the "best
Like
conventional preservice programs, they did not
of all possible worlds" is to work with novices in a
trainees draw
have the information
help
to
school where you have been successful and where
you are perceived by the administration and the
connections between the academic and the clinical
other teachers as This not only
components of their program.
leader.
a
guarantees peer support; it also means that the
The mentor teacher program tries to help mentors
mentor is readily available to the novice as the
feel a part of something large and important. The
need arises.
training communicates this message. In addition,
Working with a new teacher, oftentimes things
mentors are given a directory of trainees, a mentor
I know that Carol [a trainee] comes in at
pin, a training notebook, business cards, and a bag
happen.
nutrition
to
talk.
to carry all their supplies. Some regions in the
and
[recess]
got
says,
"I've
Something has really happened." And I'm there for
district hold monthly meetings. According to one
That doesn't happen when you report to a
her.
administrator, mentors appreciate the opportunity
school where you don't know your way around in the
talk among themselves
together and
get
to
first place and then every couple of weeks, you check
"because they feel comfortable that you have the
in with the young person and you never really get a
really not me."
same problem and it
chance to develop a relationship.
In schools with large numbers of new teachers,
describing the
ideal working
Interestingly,
in
mentors sometimes meet on their own to plan
this mentor did not mention being
situation,
school-wide orientation programs. By and large,
assigned to trainees in her subject area.
In most
however, once mentors complete their required
cases, mentors and trainees do teach the same
training, they are pretty much on their own. As
subject, but not always.
Obviously this
has
one mentor explained: "The district is very large,
consequences for the kind of guidance a mentor
and when we are made mentors, we are turned
One trainee we
can
provide.
interviewed
I keep abreast of teacher training mostly
loose.
described her less than ideal situation:
through trying to read professional journals and
keeping up on research."
had a mentor teacher.
She was at a different
I
school and she was in a different subject area so it
Full-time mentoring within a community of
was harder to communicate. She wasn't there at my
In Albuquerque, people use the term
learners.
door asking me. She wasn't readily available where
clinical support to
describe what experienced
I could take her off to the side and then, she wasn't
in my subject matter so she didn't feel comfortable
teachers do with beginning teachers.
The term
with teaching math.
support is supposed to signal the absence of formal
responsibility for evaluation.
Page 4
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mkhigan 48824-1034
The director of the Graduate Intern Program has
these meetings emerges from the concerns of the
a clear idea of the kinds of support that beginning
participants.
teachers need and that support teachers should
offer. She detailed these in an interview with us:
Support teachers attend the Wednesday evening
intern seminar taught by the director of the
program and a professor from the University By
The support teachers bring resources and materials
to new teachers. They offer instructional assistance
participating in this seminar, support teachers
related to content and methodology. They give a lot
learn what interns are reading and discussing so
of emotional support through empathetic listening
that they can help them make connections with
and sharing experiences. In
this, support
all
their teaching. The professor responsible for the
teachers work from cues that they receive from new
seminar encourages support teachers to take part
teachers.
seminar and "model
the
thinking
about
in
teaching": "You can function as models, bring in
Later in the same interview, the director offered
your experience, show them how to think about
additional
evidence
of
the
developmental
their own thinking and learning."
orientation in Albuquerque: "If we were to blend
assistance and assessment in New Mexico, we
On Friday mornings, support teachers meet with
would sacrifice the patience that sometimes is
the director in a three-hour staff seminar for which
necessary in order for people to demonstrate
they receive graduate credit. Here they talk about
growth."
their ongoing work with clients, read and discuss
pertinent articles, and conduct program business.
Support teachers work full time with beginning
In addition, the support teachers are divided into
This is possible because of a unique
teachers.
two teams, each containing new and seasoned
collaborative arrangement between the University
support teachers. The teams meet informally as a
of New Mexico and the Albuquerque Public
support group. They also take turns publishing a
Schools. The University accepts 28 interns into a
monthly newsletter for all new teachers in the
special masters program. During the school year,
district.
interns teach fulltime in the district while receiving
a fellowship stipend equal to half of a beginning
Finally, support teachers receive tuition vouchers
teacher's salary. The money saved by not paying
so that they can take a course each term at the
full salaries to these 28 beginning teachers enables
Further evidence of the commitment
University
release seventeen experienced
the
district
to
to continued learning promoted by the program,
teachers to work full time for two years in the
this opportunity is possible because of the full-time
preservice
induction
and
programs.
These
status of support teachers. During the two years
teachers continue to receive their regular salary
we studied the Albuquerque program, support
nefits.
teachers took courses in Spanish, creative writing,
aerobics, supervision, and administration.
The eight support teachers work with graduate
interns as well as with other first-year teachers in
Support teachers value the flexibility and control
the district. Each support teacher has between 10-
that they have over their schedule. Though they
12 "clients," usually clustered in three or four
work hard and often late, they appreciate the
schools, whom they visit once a week. Besides this
chance to go out for lunch, run errands during the
one-to-one,
school-based
each
support
work,
day, and arrange their own calendars which they
teacher forms a study group with his or her clients
turn in to the director each Friday.
that meets every other week.
The agenda for
Michigan State University, East Lansing. Michigan 48824-1034
Page 5
As members of a
teachers in Albuquerque.
Analysis. In comparing the working conditions of
professional learning community, they have regular
mentor teachers in Los Angeles and Albuquerque,
opportunities to problem solve with colleagues and
several differences stand out. The first concerns
to evolve a shared understanding of their role.
the part-time versus full time status of mentors.
The second concerns the structural relationship
between the mentor component and the beginning
Mentor Teachers and Support
teacher program. The third concerns the social
Choosing
context of mentoring. These factors not only affect
Teachers
the
they
rnentoring,
time
also
available
for
influence the ways that mentors can learn about
While the working conditions set the boundaries
and experience their new role.
within which mentors work, the selection process
further defines role expectations and practices.
Because mentors in Los Angeles teach full time,
What a program looks for in applicants says
students and novice
obligations
to
balancing
something about what mentor teachers should be
teachers, they have limited time to work with
like, what they need to know, and what they should
trainees and to discuss their work with fellow
be able to do. In this section we highlight features
mentors. This may help explain why we saw more
of the selection process that reinforce official role
advice giving in Los Angeles. When time is short,
definitions and reveal similarities and differences
telling beginning teachers what to do may be more
the conceptual underpinnings of the two
in
than
them think through
helping
efficient
programs.
Support teachers
alternative
possibilities.
in
Albuquerque
classroom
not
have
do
Some differences in the selection procedures stem
This means they have time to
responsibilities.
from differences in the sheer size of the two
work in a developmental way with interns and time
programs. In Los Angeles, for example, a standing
to meet regularly with colleagues.
committee of three union and three
district
officials oversees all phases of the mentor selection
integral part of the Graduate Intern
As an
district-wide
holding
includes
process
which
Program, support teachers know what is going on
elections for regional selection committees and
in all of the program components. Thus they can
providing six hours of training on how to review
help interns connect the ideas and information
applications and observe, interview, and rate those
they encounter in seminars and workshops with
About a third of the applicants, or
who apply.
the experiences they have in school. The situation
1200 mentors, are chosen through this process.
is quite different in Los Angeles where mentor
The elaborate procedures are designed to ensure
teachers know little about what goes on in the
equity and fairness in a context where selection
academic components of the teacher trainee
committee members will not know the candidates.
Besides limiting the mentor teacher's
program.
contribution to trainees' learning, it also reinforces
In Albuquerque, where the numbers are smaller,
the mentors' feeling that they are on their own.
the procedures are less bureaucratic. Two-person
teams consisting of a principal and a practicing
By and large, mentor teachers in Los Angeles
support teacher interview all applicants (60-70
shoulder their new responsibilities without the aid
teachers) and select about 20 who return for a
and support of fellow mentors. Once their training
second interview with the program director, the
is over, they are on their own, much like most
director of elementary education at the University,
beginning teachers who survive without the help of
and the district
coordinator of staff development.
true for support
a mentor.
The opposite
is
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1034
Page 6
were to visit your classroom, what would we see
From this pool, 8 support teachers (and 9 clinical
supervisors) are chosen.
children
assumptions
doing?"
about
"What
teaching and learning inform your work with
in what the
We were particularly
Interviewers also ask candidates to
interested
children?"
selection criteria say about what it takes to be a
respond to vignettes about situations that could
their classroom or in
good mentor in Los Angeles and Albuquerque. To
arise
their
novices'
in
that end, we interviewed program directors and
Still, the orientation of the interview
classrooms.
analyzed application forms, interview schedules,
is less on the teacheit classroom performance and
observation guides and rating sheets. From these
more on student activities and teacher thinking.
sources, we discovered some clear similarities.
Both programs seek mentor teachers who are
The Albuquerque process seems to stress the
reputed to be excellent practitioners and both
candidates personal qualities as leader, learner,
programs rely on the testimony of principals and
and member of a team. Interviewers are asked to
colleagues. But we also discovered some striking
consider the following: Does the candidate have
differences in what programs are looking for.
a "realistic view of self?" Is the candidate "flexible,
tolerant of individual differences and capable of
An emphasis on teaching performance. The Los
learning from new situations?" Does the candidate
Angeles process seems to emphasize teachers'
As the
"demonstrate enthusiasm for learning?"
"We are making sure that
performance.
director explained:
classroom
the
According
to
application
mentor
teachers
people are very open to learning, that they don't
form,
must
"demonstrate
think they have arrived because they've been
evidence
of
effectiveness
in
management,
classroom
veteran teachers and know everything there is to
directed
discipline,
instruction, and communication with peers." The
know." In making the final selection, the director
central event is the classroom observation. The
also said that she thinks seriously about building a
fact that L.A. sends trained observers to watch
team of support teachers who complement each
each candidate teach a lesson is
all the more
otheit strengths and will be able to work well
significant given the sheer numbers involved.
together.
The observation guide favors a particular kind of
teaching, called direct instruction. Observers look
Learning to Mentor
for evidence that the applicant's lesson follows the
district-approved format with stated objectives,
Just as the selection criteria
tell us something
instruction, guided group practice, independent
about the official requirements for becoming a
practice
and
evaluation.
of
the
Many
mentor, so the preparation that mentors receive
recommended follow-up interview questions deal
tells us something about what mentor teachers in
with the lesson itself (e.g., "Tell me about your
different contexts are expected to know and be
lesson objectives today." "How do you feel students
able to do. Training is an apt label for the type of
responding?"
were
"What
would
do
you
sessions that L.A. mentors must attend before they
differently?").
It does not fit the
begin working with novices.
Albuquerque context where support teachers learn
An emphasis on thinking and learning.
The
their job by doing it and by talking about it on a
Albuquerque program also seeks support teachers
Many of the
regular basis with colleagues.
who are good with children.
While there is no
mentoring practices we observed could be traced
formal
classroom
observation,
interview
two
to the kind of preparation that mentor and support
questions focus on the candidate teaching: "If we
teachers received.
Michigan Slate Univcrsity, East Lansing. Michigan 48824-1034
Pagc 7
In Los Angeles, all mentor
Mentor training.
They practice these skills in small groups, scripting
teachers, regardless of grade level and subject
videotaped lessons and role-playing conferences.
matter area, participate in
the same 30-hour
LA. mentors
training which is offered in one-three hour sessions
little
receive
help
Analysis.
and delivered by a variety of presenters.' Created
integrating the variety of information and ideas
they are exposed to with the actual demands and
by the district's professional development staff, the
training shapes mentors' expectations about their
their
requirements
of
Because
they
work.
role and teaches them strategies and techniques to
complete their training before starting their work
use. A big message is that mentors require new
with novices, mentor teachers must figure out for
skills because their work differs from classroom
themselves how to form a working relationship
teaching.
with their trainees and how to adapt the coaching,
procedures
conferencing
scripting, and
to
The opening sessions orient mentors to their new
particular situations.
The modularized training,
with separate
sections on
topics by
Veteran mentors describe the "wonders and
discrete
role.
traumas" of the work and state and local officials
different presenters, further complicates the task
review procedures and guidelines which mentors
of putting together a coherent approach to helping
Separate workshops
focus on
must
novices learn to teach.
follow.
leadership
balance
to
styles,
how
classroom
Although mentors have been chosen for their
teaching
mentoring
and
responsibilities,
and
elements of good teaching as identified by teacher
reputation as good classroom teachers, the training
effectiveness research.
does not build on their practical expertise. Rather,
of
the
emphasizes research-based
value
it
In sessions on assisting new teachers, mentors
prescriptions
about
The
teaching.
effective
about
learn
problems
that
checklists and formats distributed throughout the
typical
beginning
teachers face and hear suggestions for how to
training promote a view of teaching as a composite
respond (e.g., develop a resource file of materials
of discrete skills and strategies.
The training
manual hardly mentions issues related to the
useful to beginners, hold one or more orientation
framing of worthwhile purposes, the needs and
meetings at your school to explain procedures such
as filling out grade reports). They also discuss the
interests of students, the nature of the curriculum
issue of developing relationships with novices.
or the community.
Sessions
classroom
management
on
and
organization
introduce
mentors
preparation
various
to
Ongoing
and
support.4
In
research-based systems and provide them with
Albuquerque, support teachers learn about their
checklists
different
work while doing
Aside from a weeklong
for
of
classroom
area's
it.
orientation at the end of August, most of the
management (e.g., organizing the room, developing
rules and procedures, maintaining a management
preparation
support
that
teachers
receive
system).
continues
throughout
the
school
year
from
September to June.
By talking together on a
The heart of the training focuses on classroom
regular basis about problems of practice and by
consultation, observation, and coaching. Mentors
reading and discussing selected articles about
review observation and conferencing strategies,
teaching and learning to teach, support teachers
the
proper
including
of
use
pre-
evolve a shared view of what it means to support
and
postobservation conferences, coaching, scripting
and assist a beginning teacher.
(taking anecdotal records as the lesson unfolds).
Page
University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1034
8
Mkhigan State
invite you into their classrooms and share their
Team building begins at a weekend retreat where
veteran support teachers (those with one year
problems and questions. Veteran support teachers
have a lot to say about this subject.
Besides
experience) and new support teachers spend two
talking about individual clients and suggesting ways
days walking, talking, eating, and exploring their
Talking about the retreat, a new support
to help them, the support teachers discuss various
role.
articles about teaching and learning to teach. For
teacher said she appreciated the chance to "get to
example, in conjunction with a discussion of the
know each other socially" and she was glad to learn
question, "What practices do support teachers
that her role was supposed to be "supportive and
encourage with their clients?" the group read the
non threatening."
Developmental
"Teachers'
articles:
following
Stages" by Lilian Katz, "Desirable Behaviors of
During the rest of the orientation, which takes
Teachers" by Nate Gage, "The Model of Good
place at the district's Educational Resources and
Teaching" by Marie Hughes, and "What is Good
Renewal Center, support teachers learn about the
structure of the Graduate Intern Program and
Teaching?" by Jim Raths. Such readings provide
food for thought and help support teachers place
their role in it.
They find out who their "clients"
their own beliefs within a broader framework of
They also set up
will be and where they teach.
their own office at the ER&R Center.
Support
ideas.
teachers help the director plan and run an
The Albuquerque program provides
orientation for all new teachers in the district.
Analysis.
support teachers with ongoing conversation and
They also form two teams of four, each consisting
of veteran and novice support teachers.
These
reflection about how to help novices learn to teach.
Having a weekly seminar means that support
teams function as informal support groups during
teachers can deal with concerns as they arise.
the year.
Because the group consists of first- and second-
year support teachers, there is always a more
The main forum where support teachers develop
experienced colleague to turn to for support and
their practice is a three-hour, weekly seminar with
of specific
the program director.
Combining discussions
These Friday morning
guidance.
problems with more theoretical discussions and
meetings have three agenda items:
(1) business
readings helps support teachers develop a shared
(e.g., who will attend different district workshops
and conferences; who will recruit and interview
language for talking about teaching and learning to
new teacher interns and support teachers); (2)
teach.
discussions of individual intern's progress (what is
happening in different interns' classrooms, how
Talking about the problems of individual interns
fits with the learner-centered view of teaching
individual interns are doing in their university
seminars); and (3) reading and discussion of
Just as support
associated with the program.
literature about teaching, learning to teach, and
teachers consider the needs of individual clients, so
teacher education selected by the director
they consistently focus novices' attention on the
in
and responses
response to emerging issues.
of
individual
needs,
thinking,
children. One of the ways that support teachers
the
Presenting individual cases is a regular activity in
of
taking
role
do this
on
by
is
participant/observer in the classroom, working
the staff seminar. Support teachers raise specific
with pupils, and then sharing with the novice
questions or describe particular situations which
information about pupils' responses. This strategy
they need help addressing. At the beginning of the
reinforces the importance of attending to how
year, the conversation typically focuses on how to
pupils make sense of the curriculum. It also serves
establish a trusting relationship so that novices will
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Michigan State University, East Lansing. Michigan 48824-1034