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Mentoring New Teachers
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Mentoring New Teachers

Third Edition

Courses:
Principalship

April 2008 | 168 pages | Corwin

"A much-needed resource for teacher mentors. The new and updated strategies and practical approach will give mentors crucial support as they provide assistance and encouragement to new teachers. Portner has clearly demonstrated the importance of both theory and practice in this practical guide."
—Priscilla Miller, Director
Center for Teacher Education & Research, Westfield State College

A comprehensive guide for developing successful mentors!

Quality mentoring can provide the support and guidance critical to an educator's first years of teaching. In the latest edition of the best-selling Mentoring New Teachers, Hal Portner draws upon research, experience, and insights to provide a comprehensive overview of essential mentoring behaviors. Packed with strategies, exercises, resources, and concepts, this book examines four critical mentoring functions: establishing good rapport, assessing mentee progress, coaching continuous improvement, and guiding mentees toward self-reliance. Tools and topics new to this edition include:

  • Teacher mentor standards based on the NBPTS Core Propositions and validated by members of the International Mentoring Association and other practitioners
  • Classroom observation methods and competency instruments
  • Tools to assess preferred learning styles
  • Approaches to mentoring the nontraditional new teacher
  • A guide for careerlong professional development

School leaders, experienced and prospective mentors, and staff developers can use this step-by-step handbook to create a dynamic mentoring program or revitalize an existing one.


 
Foreword by Gerald N. Tirozzi
 
Preface to the Third Edition
Who Should Read This Book

 
Overview of the Contents

 
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
Introduction
Support for Mentoring

 
Effective Mentors Are Made, Not Born

 
Mentoring Is Not Evaluating

 
Mentoring’s Role in Induction

 
The Mentor’s Primary Role

 
What Mentors Do: The Four Mentoring Functions

 
Teacher Mentor Standards

 
 
1. Relating
Establishing Trust

 
Paying Attention to Thoughts and Feelings

 
Confidentiality

 
The Student Teacher Dilemma

 
Communicating Nonverbally

 
A Checklist of Relating Behaviors

 
A Mentoring Relationship Is a Serving Relationship

 
 
2. Assessing
The Nontraditional New Teacher

 
Generic Needs of New Teachers

 
Specific Needs of Your Mentee

 
Gathering Resources

 
Your Mentee’s Learning Preferences

 
Modes of Communication

 
Summary

 
 
3. Coaching
Coaching Assumptions

 
The Coaching Cycle

 
The Preobservation Conference

 
The Initial Classroom Visit

 
Focused Classroom Observations: When and How

 
Some Observation Considerations

 
The Postobservation Conference

 
When to Show and Tell

 
Coaching Adults

 
Feedback

 
 
4. Guiding
Guiding Your Mentee’s Journey: A Decision-Making Process

 
Identifying Your Mentee’s Problems

 
Guiding Principles

 
The Unwilling and Unable Mentee

 
The Moderately Willing and Somewhat Able Mentee

 
The Competent and Confident Mentee

 
The All-of-the-Above Mentee

 
From Mentor-Mentee to Peer-Peer

 
 
5. Mentoring’s Legacy: Career-Long Professional Development
Teacher’s Inquiry Process

 
From TIP to MIP

 
 
6. Tips and Observations
Set Ground Rules Early

 
Help Change Happen

 
Avoid Information Overload

 
Share Decision Making

 
Know When to Intervene

 
Mentoring, Remediating, and Peer Review

 
Maintain the Relationship

 
Don’t Forget Content

 
What Is Your Mentee Asking For?

 
Know When to Wean

 
Find Time to Mentor

 
Earn Points Toward Teacher Recertification

 
Reflect on Your Mentoring

 
Consider Multiple Mentors

 
Build a Mentoring Community

 
Find Networking Opportunities

 
Remember, Student Learning Is the Goal

 
Pass the Torch

 
 
Resource A. Teacher Mentor Standards
Core Propositions

 
Teacher Mentor Standards

 
 
Resource B. Learning Style Inventory: Discovering How You Learn Best
 
Resource C. Mentor’s Inquiry Process for Experienced Mentors
Focus

 
What Will It Be Like?

 
Activities

 
What Are Your Chances Of Completing the Activities?

 
When Do You Want It?

 
Costs

 
Does It Represent a Worthwhile Challenge?

 
 
Resource D. The Connecticut Competency Instrument
Management of the Classroom Environment

 
Instruction

 
Assessment of Student Progress

 
 
Resource E. Annotated Bibliography
 
References

“The book gets straight to the point of mentoring and provides practical, doable strategies and guidance to mentors, as well as the opportunity to practice those strategies with immediate feedback. A short and easy read for people who need good advice but don’t have a lot of time to spare.”

Kathy Grover, Assistant Superintendent
Clever R-V School District, MO

“Provides a concise overview of all the issues mentors need to consider when working with a new teacher. Mentors who are working on their own can easily use this text to support their development.”

Debra Pitton, Professor of Education, Gustavus Adolphus College
Author, Mentoring Novice Teachers

"Bravo for basing this on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards! Standards for mentoring are long overdue. This book will become a primary resource for our annual mentoring staff development, to be used with both mentors and mentees."

Mark Bower, Director of Elementary Education and Staff Development
Hilton Central School District, NY

"A much-needed resource for teacher mentors. The new and updated strategies and practical approach will give mentors crucial support as they provide assistance and encouragement to new teachers. Portner has clearly demonstrated the importance of both theory and practice in this practical guide."

Priscilla Miller, Director
Center for Teacher Education & Research, Westfield State College

“With the guidance of Hal Portner, our new teacher induction/mentoring program made a turnaround from a bare minimum, “letter of the law” program into a dynamic, teacher-affirming program! Our mentoring team now has a shared vision of the components of effective mentoring and, more importantly, our mentees are reaping the benefits. I wholeheartedly encourage anyone interested in improving their school’s mentoring program to read this book.”

William E. Collins, Principal
William E. Norris Elementary School, Southampton, MA

“Mentoring is an activity in which both participants gain experience and knowledge, and this book reflects that. Portner presents very practical suggestions for both the mentor and the mentee.”

Joy Rose, Retired Principal
Westerville, OH

"An essential key to passing on wisdom and an important pick for any education collection."

The Bookwatch, July 2008
Midwest Book Review
Key features
  • Brand new chapter on career-long professional development
  • Teacher mentoring standards validated by members of the IMA and other practitioners
  • A new learning style inventory
  • The Connecticut Competency Instrument
  • Revised and updated annotated bibliography

Sample Materials & Chapters

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1


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