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Mentoring New Special Education Teachers
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Mentoring New Special Education Teachers
A Guide for Mentors and Program Developers



December 2004 | 184 pages | Corwin
How do you avoid the high cost of turnover and retain high-quality special education teachers in such a demanding field?

Surveys show that 98% of school districts are reporting shortages of special education teachers, and that nearly a quarter of a million new special education teachers will be needed over the next few years. Special education teachers are leaving the field at twice the rate of general education teachers. Why?

Special education teachers can quickly become overwhelmed by the myriad of responsibilities in their jobs-managing IEPs, alternative assessments, paraprofessionals, assistive technologies, complex legislation and paperwork, and the physical and emotional toll of such individualized instruction.

Mentoring New Special Education Teachers will help administrators and other educators develop and sustain effective mentoring programs specifically designed for special education teachers, providing practical, field-tested activities and resources for both the mentors and the mentees, including such critical elements as:

  • Effectively identifying, recruiting, and selecting mentors
  • Action planning
  • Evaluating progress
  • Addressing diminishing support
  • Dealing with burnout and isolation
  • Vignettes of real-life mentoring experiences
  • Figures, tables, appendices, Web sites
  • A ready-to-use two-day workshop for training mentors

Real-life vignettes and "What If" questions weave throughout the book, and trouble-shooting appendices direct you to additional Web sites and resources for further help. Mentoring New Special Education Teachers provides everything you need to effectively support and mentor your special education teachers, increase their job satisfaction, and keep your retention rates high!


 
Introduction: Overview
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Authors
 
1. New Special Education Teachers
Vignette

 
Who Are New Special Education Teachers?

 
Where They Come From

 
What New Special Education Teachers Need

 
Supports ESE Mentors Can Provide Mentees

 
Fears and Anxieties of New Teachers

 
School Administrator's Role

 
Assignment of New Teachers

 
What If?

 
 
References
 
2. Supports for Special Education Teachers
Vignette

 
Uniqueness of Special Education

 
Special Education Processes

 
Professional Issues

 
What If?

 
 
References
 
3. Designing Mentoring Programs
Vignette

 
Critical Elements for Designing Effective Mentoring Programs

 
Roles and Responsibilities of the Mentor and Mentee

 
Roles and Responsibilities of the School Administrator

 
Mentor Selection

 
Mentor Training

 
E-Mentoring

 
Mentoring Activities Calendar

 
Action Planning

 
Funding Mentoring Programs

 
What If?

 
Online Resources for Designing Mentoring Programs

 
References

 
 
4. Becoming a Mentor
Vignette

 
Who Should Be a Mentor?

 
What Do Mentors Do?

 
What Do Mentors Do When the Mentoring Relationship Isn't Working?

 
What Do Mentors Gain From the Experience?

 
What If?

 
References

 
 
5. Effective Communication Skills
Vignette

 
Effective Communication Skills

 
Observing and Coaching

 
Teaming: Working With Others Effectively

 
Problem Solving

 
What If?

 
References

 
 
6. Learning About Adult Learners
Vignette

 
Working With Adults

 
Adult Learning Theory

 
Styles of Learning/Personality Types

 
What If?

 
References

 
 
Resource A: Action Plans
 
Resource B: CEC Standards and Mentoring Resources
 
Resource C: Professional Resources
 
Resource D: Mentor Workshop
 
Resource E: Timeline for Mentoring Activities
 
Index

For instructors

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ISBN: 9781544348582

Hardcover
ISBN: 9780761931331
$89.95

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ISBN: 9780761931348
$41.95

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