The mentor's role is an essential part of the teacher preparation program. Ensuring expectation of UTK's teacher preparation program are met and reporting any concerns in a timely manner so that we can collectively support the teacher candidate and solve problems as they arise.
Essential Characteristics of Effective Mentoring
Engaging in balanced, reflective conversations about instructional practices, efficacy, and intentionality
Make your “teacher thought process” apparent to teacher candidates.
Think about intentionality. You do things very intentionally that would not appear to be intentional to the teacher candidate.
Simple Examples: Your classroom seating chart and student grouping/small group instructional decisions. These are often done with multiple layers of intentionality - making sure you discuss this with your teacher candidate.
Incorporating practice into coaching sessions using precise feedback and modeling
Precise feedback designed for a NOVICE educator.
Simple example: you observe a lesson and notice it's pretty one-sided the teacher candidate is talking, students are listening). For an experienced educator, your feedback might be to “ask more questions to get students more involved.” For a novice educator, you will need to provide specific examples such as which questions they can ask, what types of student involvement would be appropriate for that lesson, etc.
Modeling - if your precise feedback includes utilization of an instructional practice, model that for the teacher candidate.
Simple example: Common feedback to teacher candidates early in their clinical practice includes “don’t turn your back to the students.” In addition to providing this feedback, intentionally model this to the teacher candidate through your lessons and point out tips/tricks on arranging your room and seating to allow for this practice.
Providing actionable feedback on instructional planning with clear next steps
Teacher candidates struggle with unpacking standards and linking these to student outcomes. As with other aspects of teaching, mentor teachers need to make the thought process of planning with the end learning goal in mind explicit to teacher candidates.
Simple example: Teacher candidates often excel at coming up with fun, engaging, and creative lessons! They struggle linking this to student learning and outcomes. When reviewing a lesson plan…”This sounds like a great idea for a lesson. What are students going to learn, and how are you going to know if they learned it at the end of the lesson?”
Sharing authority and responsibility (Gradual Release Model)
Utilizing observational data and student work to focus feedback
Teacher candidates will be observed and evaluated with On-The-Job Learning Competencies a minimum of four times a semester.
TALK about this observation data with your teacher candidate. Talk about what you agree with, what you disagree with, and what you would like to see the teacher candidate improve upon.
Setting goals, providing resources, and giving feedback
This can be based on observational data and/or the framework of ProCADS(Professional Competencies, Attitudes, and Dispositions expected of all teacher candidates).
If you believe that the candidate needs more resources and feedback than you can provide, please involve UTK. We can enact refinement plans in order to best support teacher candidates meeting goals.
Assessing candidate's skills, co-creating goals with the candidate, and holding the candidate accountable to goals
Mentoring is not just a “cheerleader” role for future teachers - sometimes mentoring includes having tough conversations and holding candidates accountable. UTK is here to help - contact us if you need assistance with this.
Simple example: please accurately assess your candidate’s ProCADS each semester. We can’t collectively help a candidate improve if we don’t have an honest and accurate assessment of their performance in your classroom. Holding a candidate accountable also includes not letting “little” things snowball into big issues (attendance, dress code, professionalism, etc.)
Developing the candidate's understanding of content pedagogy
YOU are the content and grade EXPERT.
Additionally (as you know!) teachers aren’t always provided with evaluators or coaches who are experts in their content/grade, and can’t always co-plan or learn from content and grade counterparts in schools.
Thus - the clinical experience is unique in that it provides direct access to an expert in content and grad-specific pedagogy. Make sure to maximize this learning experience for your teacher candidate!
Gradual release model - I do, We do, You do
First step - the mentor should model a teaching strategy, explaining why the strategy is effective and how to implement it. It is important that the mentor not move forward until the teacher candidate understands the rationale for using the particular strategy. One risk of rushing this step is that the teacher candidate might mimic a teaching technique without fully understanding its purpose or when to use it.
Next, the mentor provides opportunities for guided practice, during which the beginning teacher can try out the new strategy along with the mentor, ask questions, and build comfort. Activities during the “we do” stage are planned and implemented together. The teacher candidate is encouraged to take an increased amount of responsibility, accessing mentor support to think through possibilities, problem solve, rehearse, or co-teach a lesson. At this stage, the mentor needs to communicate clear feedback and a sense of confidence that can build the teacher candidate’s self-efficacy and motivation to try new practices.
Finally, the mentor provides opportunities for application, with monitoring by little direct support. If there are teacher candidates who are working together, they may practice this application together first, but ultimately they should aim to perform independently.
Gradual Release Timelines - variable by program and teacher candidate proficiency
Example - Year-Long Internship Program:
Gradual Release in the year-long internship program starts with Teacher Candidates observing the mentor teacher throughout the day. Teacher Candidates should quickly increase their participation in the classroom by assisting with small groups and/or engaging in co-teaching model with the mentor teacher. The intern should also be participating in planning and assessment tasks. As the intern gains skill and confidence, they may take on the role of planning, solo or lead instructor, and assessment for one lesson or unit. If in a secondary placement, this could be the intern taking on the lead role in one class period. By the end of the school year, the intern should be comfortable planning, instructing, and assessing all units of instruction or class periods throughout the day. The mentor should observe and provide feedback for improvement and refinement at this final stage of the gradual release process.
Example - Job Embedded Program:
Gradual Release with Job Embedded students may look a little different than it would with a traditional intern. Job Embedded students are teachers of record. The mentor is not in the classroom with them to gradually release classroom duties. Job Embedded will need support with planning, parent conferences, IEP meetings, etc... The Job Embedded student should have additional support until the student feels comfortable leading conferences and learning to individually plan. By the end of the school year, the intern should be comfortable planning, instructing, and assessing all units of instruction or class periods throughout the day. The mentor should observe and provide feedback for improvement and refinement at this final stage of the gradual release process.