Tips for Mentoring Success

Modeling

Modeling is key to a successful experience. You are a model for your student along with other teachers they observe. The more they see effective lessons and instructional strategies, the more confident they become with their own teaching. Scaffold your student into instruction/content as they are capable.

Unpack Your Teacher Thinking with Think Alouds

Think-aloud as you plan and reflect. Discuss the purpose for your choices. Reflect aloud on how instruction and management went so your student can internalize the reflection process. Some questions to “answer aloud”:

Why do you do what you do? Why not something else? What variables inform your choices? What about your philosophy and beliefs about children inform your choices? What did you like about the lesson? What would you do differently next time? Interns want and need to know what goes on in your mind. The modeling of self-reflection helps them to be vulnerable when it’s their turn to self- reflect on their choices, philosophy and teaching style.

Lesson Plan Writing

The students come with minimal lesson plan writing experience. Therefore, we give them a model to use for the year. All lessons must be written out prior to teaching, and reviewed & approved by the cooperating teacher. If students do not have a lesson plan, they do not teach!

Teacher Time

Give your student an opportunity to engage in the work of a teacher as soon as possible, whether they are taking a lead or supporting role. Ask them to take over daily routines such as attendance, lunch count, snack time as well as lesson Blocks such as calendar, read-aloud, SSR or advisory. Students do not take full control of the classroom first semester.

Student Observation, Reflection, and Feedback

The cycle: teach, reflect, give feedback. Think of post-observation feedback as a time when your student is learning to self-reflect using professional standards. If your student teaches a lesson, ask him/her/them to reflect first on what went well, what he/she/they would change for next time.

When the student has had a chance to illustrate his or her basic understanding of the lesson’s success, begin your feedback process. Discuss positives first, make links to their perspective, and give suggestions. Pick and choose the challenges you want your student to work on so he/she/they will be able to focus on improvement.