12 minute read
Injecting New Life into New Teacher
Dr. Bobb Darnell
Richard Lange
Article
Injecting New Life into New Teacher Induction Programs for Increased Satisfaction, Retention, and Effectiveness
Education has not been immune to the negative effects of the pandemic. Why are we still doing new teacher mentoring the same way that we’ve done for the past number of years? Challenges in recruiting, hiring, supporting, and retaining teachers, paraprofessionals, and other school personnel have caused serious shortages. Schools have had to be canceled, settle for non-qualified teachers, and pivot to virtual learning and services. It’s no wonder that millions of teachers, students, and parents have had to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing work and learning environment. Schools have gone from face-to-face instruction to virtual instructional delivery to hybrid models, and now mask-to-mask instruction back in the classroom. Each delivery system has its challenges. One thing is for sure, there are growing gaps in student achievement and there is a great need for new teachers.
School leaders and teachers are much more aware that bringing the newest teachers into our education communities who are 21 years of age, fresh out of college, and have no teaching experience, is no longer
Figure 1 Types of New Teachers 1. ____First year out of college 2. ____2 or more years experience from other schools/district/state 3. ____Have been out of the teaching profession for 5 or more years 4. ____Changing from educational setting (e.g., private, public, charter, university, state, country) 5. ____Changed content area 6. ____Changed grade level 7. ____Moved from administrator to teacher 8. ____Career changes from industry, military, business, etc. to education 9. ____Teachers starting mid-year
the norm. It appears that sometimes only a small percentage of new teachers that join a school fall into this stereotypical category. Many “new teachers” that are hired for a given school/district may already have as much as ten years of experience and have taught in other schools with a diversity of learners. Figure 1 illustrates the diversity of teachers that may be new to a school. Induction programs are necessary to get teachers ready for a new learning environment and provide the support they need to help students learn. The challenge of finding, inducting, and supporting highly qualified teachers has never been more complex. Schools must face the challenges of differentiating, prioritizing, and scheduling new teacher orientation and ongoing support activities. Historically, many “new teacher” induction program activities may have only included one to three
days of activities that were delivered before the start of school. Those Differentiated support features must not only consider the range of orientation traditional programs provided a deluge of information about school/ induction activities; it must also be sensitive to the need for varied on-going support for district policies, procedures, curriculum new teachers. For example, consider how to address the needs of a teacher with over ten guides, and methods of accessing employee benefits, school resources, and years of experience in public or private school systems. How does the school address the services. And that was it, nothing more. Schools must now resist a “one size fits needs of this teacher who may feel that any form of mentoring may not be needed and all” approach to new teacher induction and support. Presented in this article that only some induction activities are necessary? Or, think of how the design of are valuable tools to approach new teacher induction. Those planning these induction activities and ongoing support may be different for teachers who just graduated programs can more effectively identify from college and are in their first teaching position. The induction and support must be the types of new teachers, determine school and new teacher needs, and varied to meet their professional needs and not treat them all the same as in the past. match those needs to orientation activities and ongoing support services. What does a school do to address the needs of a teacher who comes to a school midyear New teacher induction and support and or needs of teachers coming from private industry, business, or the military? Each programs can be effective if schools 4 differentiate their activities and support based upon various types of professional
experiences and career settings. An examination of the types of new teachers in Figure 1 illustrates that new teachers can differ with regard to years of
teaching experience, educational setting, previous career settings, educational content area, grade level, and previous role. Several background factors must be addressed when deciding how to meet the professional development needs of these newest school members. The school must now vary the type of learning needed, the depth of training, the length of induction activities and topics, and even vary the specific context for learning. Failure to vary the activities and support based on teacher characteristics can result in a range from boredom to feelings of being overwhelmed. The lack of differentiation for induction and support can also be a significant drain on time, human resources, and money.
Differentiated support features must not only consider the range of orientation induction activities; it must also be sensitive to the need for varied on-going support for new teachers. For example, consider how to address the needs of a teacher with over ten years of experience in public or private school systems. How does the school address the needs of this teacher who may feel that any form
of mentoring may not be needed and that only some induction activities are necessary? Or, think of how the design of induction activities and ongoing support may be different for teachers who just graduated from college and are in their first teaching position. The induction and support must be varied to meet their professional needs and not treat them all the same as in the past. What does a school do to address the needs of a teacher who comes to a school midyear and or needs of teachers coming from private industry, business, or the military? Each new teacher requires a type of individualized new teacher plan that results from analyzing the characteristics of the new teachers, determining required induction content, and examining the professional support that is specific to teachers’ professional needs.
In addition to analyzing the characteristics of new teachers, the needs and requirements of the school must be considered. Figure 2
illustrates a sample of required school and optional topics that are needed to assure educator effectiveness. Those responsible for new teacher induction and support activities must be clear about the required topics such as policies and procedures, safety requirements, teacher evaluation system, and employee benefits and responsibilities. Figure 2 also provides optional induction topics that may be relevant for specific new teachers. Creating the right menu of topics for each teacher can be an efficient and effective way to meet individual teacher needs.
Differentiated induction and support programs must be matched to required
Figure 2 Types of Teacher and School Needs Required of All New Teachers Options for Individual New Teachers
1. School/State policies and procedures 2. Curriculum 3. Special Ed law and ELL placement, policies, and practices 4. School improvement process and goals 5. District/school traditions and rituals 6. Community demographics 7. Student Information System 8. Employee benefits 9. Union information 10. Safety (e.g., avoiding injuries, bloodborne pathogens, hazardous materials,
Covid protocols) 11. Sexual harassment policies, procedures, and respectful behavior 12. Grading policies, procedures, and practices 13. Teacher evaluation system components, processes, and procedures 1. Instructional practices 2. Assessment practices 3. Behavioral management and intervention practices 4. Data collection, analysis, and use 5. Working with PLC/teams 6. Use of technology for instruction 7. Preparing for and conducting open houses and parent-teacher conferences 8. Supervising co-curricular activities
induction topics and to topics specific to the years of teaching experience, previous education and career settings, educational content area, grade level, and role. New teachers find value in professional learning that is sensitive to their readiness to learn relevant strategies and ideas and to induction and support that is aligned to their interests.
Just analyzing new teacher characteristics and school and individual needs will not be enough to make new teacher induction and support programs more relevant and effective. Designers of school/district induction and support programs must be sensitive to differences in teacher learning preferences and styles. It is important to vary the delivery systems of professional learning to address the ways adults can learn.
Figure 3 provides a range of delivery techniques that can support professional development. Professional literature recognizes the importance of different multi-modal (e.g., visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile, social-emotional) ways that match learning preferences and styles for students. These modes of learning are just as important for adults. Figure 3 also represents an organizing scheme for selecting induction activities.
Figure 3 Forms of Support for Teachers
1. ____Peer observation and coaching 2. ____Curriculum mentoring 3. ____Instructional mentoring/ coaching 4. ____Small and large group presentations 5. ____PLC/team meetings 6. ____Content/job-alike meeting 7. ____Independent technology-assisted instruction 8. ____Observing peers teach 9. ____Co-teaching 10. ____Using data from instructional walkthroughs 11. ____Journaling 12. ____Teacher evaluation process 13. ____Data analysis of student work and setting improvement goals 14. ____Recording instruction and reflection 15. ____Taking graduate courses 16. ____Using professional networking 17. ____Joining professional organizations 18. ____Attending conferences and professional workshops 19. ____Study groups
It is challenging for schools/districts to bring in new teachers and hope that they select teachers who will effectively meet the learning needs of students, gain
parental support, and work collaboratively with colleagues. It can be both challenging and exciting for new teachers to become included in a positive school culture. Effective new teacher induction and support programs can facilitate the accomplishment of these goals by accurately identifying the types of new teachers,
determining school and new teacher needs, and matching those needs to a wide range of professional development delivery systems. Effective new teacher programs that differentiate induction and support activities can facilitate a
commitment to ongoing professional learning and retain teachers if they resist the
1. School Principal/Assistant Principals 2. Dean/Administrator responsible for behavior/discipline 3. Administrator responsible for curriculum and assessment 4. Teachers (e.g., content area, grade alike) 5. Counselor 6. Special education teacher or coordinator 7. ELL teacher or coordinator 8. Technology director or media specialist 9. Support staff (e.g., clerical, paraprofessionals, aides) 10. Instructional coach 11. Union representative 12. Mentors 13. Second- and third-year teachers within the school
Induction and support activities can provide content in larger groups (e.g., presentations, video broadcasts), however large group activities in the past often result in content overload and boredom. Individual activities (e.g., computer-assisted instruction, reading, participation in webinars) can be used efficiently and effectively. New teachers can be required to watch videos or engage in interactive computer applications to gain knowledge of safety procedures, evaluation systems, or other topics. Professional development delivery systems can also include the use of small groups such as lesson study groups, PLC’s, or group troubleshooting. Still, other methods of learning include partners such as mentoring or peer
observers, and instructional coaches. These practices have the capacity to differentiate, however coaches and mentors require training to effectively support the new teachers. Regardless of the delivery systems selected to provide new teacher induction and support activities, it is important to recognize the most well-suited staff to provide the various forms of professional development activities and support. Figure 4 provides a list of possible stakeholders who can provide orientation activities and support services. It is challenging for schools/districts to bring in new teachers and hope that they select teachers who will effectively meet the learning needs of “one size fits all” approach to teacher induction and support.
students, gain parental support, and work collaboratively with colleagues. It can be both challenging and exciting for new teachers to become included in a positive school culture. Effective new teacher induction and support programs can facilitate the accomplishment of these goals by accurately identifying the types of new teachers, determining school and new teacher needs, and matching those needs to a wide range of professional development delivery systems. Effective new teacher programs that differentiate induction and support activities can facilitate a commitment to ongoing professional learning and retain teachers if they resist the “one size fits all” approach to teacher induction and support. Dr. Bobb Darnell is a teacher for over 25 years, a professional developer, author, international speaker, and he consults for schools, professional organizations, and national task forces. He has served on the Boards of the Illinois Everyone Reads, Learning Forward, and Illinois Staff Development Council.
Richard Lange is an adjunct faculty member for National Louis University and supervises student teachers in the Chicago area. He is an active board member of Illinois ASCD as he chairs the Advocacy and Influence Committee. Richard is a regular presenter on education issues for US and international organizations. He is the co-author of the book, Life Saver for New Teachers, (2011) and has helped schools design mentoring and new teacher induction programs.
In 2014 when IL ASCD reorganized our leadership team, the role of Area Representative was created. Our “Area Reps” as we call them are a link to and from the various regions of our state. IL ASCD follows the same areas established by the Regional Offices of Education. Our Area Reps are led by two members of our IL ASCD Board of Directors, Denise Makowski and Andrew Lobdell. Scott and Andrew are the Co-Leaders of our Membership and Partnerships Focus Area.
Denise Makowski
Chicago 773.535.7252
dmakowski@cps.edu
Andrew Lobdell
Principal of the Junior High School in the Lena - Winslow School District # 202 815.369.3116
lobdella@le-win.net
Current Area Reps
AREA 1: (Green) Chicago April Jordan North Cook Jennie Winters South Cook Josh Barron AREA 2: (Dark Blue) Chad Dougherty AREA 3: (Yellow) Heather Bowman AREA 4: (Pink) Kelly Glennon AREA 5: (Light Blue) Annette Hartlieb AREA 6: (Gold) Clarence Gross
Contact information for them can be found HERE.
The roles of the IL ASCD Area Representatives are:
• Encouraging IL ASCD membership to educators in their local areas; • Assisting with professional development; • Attend board meetings and the annual leadership retreat, when possible; • Disseminating information from IL ASCD board meetings or other sanctioned
IL ASCD activities to local school districts or other regional members • Being a two-way communication vehicle between the local IL ASCD members regarding IL ASCD or any educational issues. • Keeping IL ASCD Board of Directors apprised of pertinent information regarding personnel issues (e.g., job vacancies, job promotions) and district program awards/recognition within the local area. • Communicating regularly with IL ASCD Executive Director and the Co-Leaders of the Membership and Partnerships Focus Area.
