By Megan M. Bettis, CASE 4 Year College Director

The time for new school supplies and fresh starts is here! When I was in the classroom I always loved the beginning of the school year, even though it marked the end of summer. Now, I’m working with pre-service science teachers and inevitably I’ll get texts from my students who just earned their credential in June and are embarking on their first year of teaching. They’re excited and nervous, looking for reassurance and answers. My time as their official guide and mentor has passed and now it’s up to another - YOU!

Three Mentoring Practices
A collaborative of university researchers found that in the mentor-mentee relationships they studied the mentors needed to be supported in ways that allowed them to effectively share their knowledge and experience with their mentees (Mentoring Teachers, 2018). Based on their observations, the researchers developed mentoring practices and tools that better support the mentor-mentee relationship (Mentoring Teachers, 2018). Consider these mentoring practices as you work with new teachers at your site, pre-service teachers you might be working with, or those you work with as part of induction.

Making thinking explicit

First-year teachers are still figuring out the what, why, and how of teaching. During coaching sessions or in department meetings and PLCs, mentors can make thinking about their instructional practices explicit so new teachers begin to understand how experienced teachers make decisions. To get started, first, clarify the decision you have to make and describe possible alternatives. Then, share the principles that guide your action and why you chose a specific action plan. Hearing this type of reasoning can help a new teacher internalize the process for their own practice.

Co-planning

Co-planning is another mentoring practice that can help reinforce good instructional practices for new teachers. Mentors can help beginning teachers think about their goals for student learning, the pros and cons of instructional strategies in connection with learning goals, and considerations to support specific learners. Mentors might ask:

• What is (are) the learning goal(s) for this lesson?
• How is this lesson situated within the overall storyline?
• Are there any specific skills or practices that students should be developing?
• Where can you anticipate challenges in this lesson? How might you address those challenges?

Analyzing Student Work

For many first-year teachers at the secondary level, this is the first time they’ve been responsible for assessing student work for multiple classes. While they might know what the “right” answer is, they likely still need help looking for trends in student work and determining how to adjust their instruction to meet students’ needs. One way to support new teachers is to work together to sort student responses into groups or along a continuum, paying attention to partial understandings or other trends that arise. Then together, talk about what was unexpected or stood out when looking at students performing above, at, or below standard. Next, help the new teacher think about how what they’re noticing might impact their current instruction or how they address this learning goal in the future.

Extending Your Mentorship
Consider extending your mentorship beyond your school site and join the CASE Mentoring and Leadership Committee or attend our Networking for Science meet-ups. Networking for Science is an opportunity for TOSAs, teacher leaders, department chairs, and others to collaborate and share ideas and resources. Networking for Science happens on the fourth Wednesday of the month from 4:15 - 5:00 pm.

Reference/Resource
These practices and more can be found at Mentoring Teachers. The site is specifically geared towards supporting mentors and teacher candidates during candidates' clinical experiences and offers free resources and suggested timelines for support.
Mentoring Teachers (2018). Mentoring Teachers. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
 

About the Author
Megan M. Bettis is a supervisor/lecturer of Teacher Education at UC Davis and serves as the director of the UC Davis Young Scholars Program and the CASE 4 Year College Director. Megan earned her EdD at Arizona State University and her research focused on social and emotional learning and STEM identity development.
 

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