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Prepared by: Alison Davies, Co-ordinator, New Teacher Mentoring Project

Phone: 604-871-1823 or Toll-free 1-800-663-9163, local 1823

Cell: 604-347-6184

adavies@bctf.ca

Guidelines for Developing Mentorship in your District/Local

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The New Teacher Mentoring Project is delighted to be able to provide collaborative support to your district/local in development and growth of effective mentorship within a quality induction program. This guide is organized to lead your leadership group through some core considerations and decisions to aid the planning process. The key topics are outlined in the first diagram. Each topic is then expanded on the following pages including insights from research, guidelines developed from NTMP participant feedback, and specific questions for your team to consider. The guide is followed with a definition of terms, and principles and practices of high quality mentoring and induction for your reference. Supplementary materials and forms identified within the guide are provided on a separate memory stick. These can be adapted and edited for your purposes. The core aim of this guide is to support the development of a coherent, research-based, and sustainable system of mentorship support for teachers in their early years as they engage in their professional life within your district schools. Feedback on the usefulness of this guide is welcome. Alison Davies, Co-ordinator, New Teacher Mentoring Project

Phone: 604-871-1823 or toll-free 1-800-663-9163, local 1823

Cell: 604-347-6184

adavies@bctf.ca

We acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Education.

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1. Building the Mentorship Steering Committee

Research insights: “ Collaboration with all stakeholders is critical. Strong communication and collaboration among stakeholders, including administration, school boards, union/association leadership, and professional partners, creates a culture of commitment and ensures success.” (New Teacher Center, University of California

at Santa Cruz, 2007).

Questions to consider: Who are the representatives from administration, union, district staff, and teacher groups who are able to commit to establishing a mentor program steering committee? What roles will members of the committee be responsible for? (chair, recorder, publicity, etc.) What will be the “terms of agreement” (organization and structure, frequency of meeting, process of decision making, communication) for the steering committee? Supplementary materials available: Terms of Agreement between the NTMP and your district/local

NTMP Guidelines: All New Teacher Mentorship Projects are built in collaboration with district administration and the teacher local, and include representation from school principals and interested teachers. This assures coherence of purpose and commitment on behalf of teacher development. It also builds leadership capacity and sustainability for the ongoing growth of the program. The Mentorship Steering Committee (in collaboration with the NTMP coordinator for the duration of support) assumes general responsibilities for the organization, development, and implementation of mentoring activities undertaken in the district and local. It is necessary to appoint a chairperson for this committee, who will be the key person to connect and communicate with the NTMP coordinator. A recorder should also be appointed to keep notes on behalf of the committee. It is recommended that the Mentorship Steering Committee meet a minimum of four times during the school year (for example, September, October, January, and May). The Mentorship Steering Committee should include the following members:

a local executive representative

a district superintendent or designate

a school administrator representative

a teacher representative (usually a current mentor or mentee–can be appointed later on)

(a district tech leader if possible).

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2. Clarifying beliefs and conceptions of mentorship Research insights: There are hundreds of definitions of mentorship that have evolved over the last 50 years, in an attempt to define the shift from an informal ‘buddy’ system of orientation and support to more formal educative mentoring which “combines instructional, technical and emotional support with rich opportunities for mentor and beginning teachers to work collaboratively on authentic issues of development of high quality practice that impacts student learning.” (Feiman-Nemser, S. From Preparation to

Practice: Designing a continuum to strengthen and sustain teaching. Teachers College Record, 103(6), 2001)

How beginning teachers are viewed, and how adult learning is understood impacts the type of mentorship that develops to meet the needs of beginning educators. “We outline the importance of not viewing beginning teachers as a homogenized group without the necessary skills to teach. We suggest viewing them as teachers who are beginning and seeing them as full of potential, possibility, ideas and as learning to live their lives as teachers. This allows us to think about them as individuals with agency to negotiate support networks, mentorship and contexts.” (Clandinin J. et al. (University of

Alberta). Early Career Teacher Attrition: Problems, Possibilities, Potentials, 2012)

Questions to consider:

What are the different assumptions, beliefs and mental models that we each carry about mentorship? What do we think are the primary challenges for new teachers entering our profession? What are the professional values and teaching dispositions we want mentorship to foster?

Supplementary Materials:

Sharon Feiman-Nemser, Beyond Solo Teaching, Educational Leadership/May 2012

NTMP Guidelines: The Mentoring framework and processes developed within the New Teacher Mentoring Project are founded upon the following foundational principles of belief about the professional lives of teachers:

The work of a teacher is complex and challenging, and professional learning needs to be

continuous and responsive to the changing contexts of teacher work.

New teachers contribute fresh ideas and innovative practices that rejuvenate teaching

workplaces.

Including new teachers in communities of practice allows them to develop a sense of

professional self and a sense of belonging within the profession .

New teachers seek evidence-based, formative and progressive feedback on their developing

practice within a trusting relationship.

Inquiry into practice in the company of colleagues is a core process of teacher growth.

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3. Defining purposes and a model of mentorship

Research insights:

“Decades of research confirm the power of school context to shape what teachers do and what they learn. Across this body of scholarship, collaboration stands out as a key variable. When Ingersoll and Smith examined the relationship between teacher turnover and different forms of support for beginning teachers they found that the most salient components were (1) having a mentor from the same field and (2) having common planning time with other teachers in the same subject area or collaboration with other teachers on instruction, and 3) being part of an external network of teachers.” (Ingersoll,R.&Smith,T. Do teacher induction and

mentoring matter? NASSP Bulletin 88 ,638. 2004)

“New Teacher programs cannot be preparing teachers for mere survival in the complex and demanding world of today’s schools. Instead, these programs must also have as part of their vision a new image of the successful teacher whose leadership capacity is developed from the moment the teacher enters a classroom.” (Moir, E. and

Glass, J. Quality Induction: An Investment in Teachers. Teacher Education Quarterly, 109-114, Winter 2001)

-114, Winter 2001)

Questions to consider:

What are the purposes we have identified for a mentoring program within the district/local? In what ways do we want a mentoring program to enhance the teaching and learning for our district teachers? Who is the mentoring for? Who is eligible to participate as a ‘new teacher’? Is mentorship open to teachers changing assignments? In what ways can a mentoring program align with the teaching and learning initiatives already established within our district/local?

NTMP Guidelines:

Integrated school cultures that promote professional exchange across experience levels benefit novice and veteran teachers alike.

Mentorship models need to be non-evaluative, non-remedial, voluntary, and respectful of teacher confidentiality.

NTMP participants value targeted release time and flexibility in how to use it.

Mentees needs and goals drive the mentoring, and frequent opportunities for learning-focused conversation, observation and collaboration drive the professional growth.

Most successful partnerships are based on trust and shared understanding of the context of each others’ work.

Mentees highly value receiving and discussing formative feedback on their work.

Beginning teachers appreciate opportunities to have a mentor, observe other colleagues, and build connections with their early career peers as well.

Providing mentorship to new teachers over two years provides opportunity for deeper learning and inquiry.

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What model of mentoring is most congruent with the purposes we envision for our program? What are the ‘principles of practice’ that will be fundamental to our mentoring program? For example, will our program be evaluative in any form? How will the confidentiality of the teachers work be assured? Can mentors and mentees be referred to participate in the program? How can technology be used to assist our teachers to connect and communicate for mentoring purposes? Supplementary materials: Models of Mentorship in BC

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4. Describing roles and expectations of teacher participants

Research insights: “Neophyte teacher mentoring can be an effective support when used in conjunction with other components of the induction process (Smith & Ingersoll, 2004; Want, 2004) however, failure to appropriately match mentor with mentee, unsuccessful new teacher/mentor dyads, lack of willing and/or able mentors, lack of mentor training, or individual factors (e.g. burnout, lack of professional respect) may result in failed efforts.” (Benson, 2008; Johnson & Kardos, 2005).

“New teachers become reflective thinkers and co-learners if the mentoring environment is based on collaboration”. (Clandinin, Davies, Hogan, & Kennard, 11993; Kochan & Trimble, 2000)

Questions to consider:

How would we describe the dispositions necessary for successful participation in mentorship for both new teachers and for mentors?

What are the specific responsibilities and potential learning tasks of mentors and mentees in this program?

How will we provide opportunities for participants to reflect on the effectiveness of the mentoring relationship at some point in the year?

Supplementary materials: Sample Criteria and responsibilities of mentors Sample Criteria and responsibilities of mentees Mentoring Partnership Mid-year Discussion Guide

NTMP Guidelines: NTMP guidelines:

Participants are encouraged to participate in mentorship for two years, with provision that mentees can change mentors if assignments and goals change.

Clear explicit descriptions of the dispositions needed for positive engagement in mentorship and the expectations of responsibilities for both mentors and mentees, clarifies roles and formalizes commitment to the relationship.

Mentoring requires both informal and formal interactions to be successful.

Informal interactions take advantage of incidental learning opportunities that arise in the ongoing day to day work of teaching .

Formal interactions involve facilitating learning-focused conversation and goal setting, modeling effective teaching and learning strategies, conducting observations with follow up evidence-supported feedback, collaborative planning and teaching and review of student work.

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5. Planning for communication and assignment of partnership/teams

Research insights: “Studies suggest that the success of beginner teacher mentoring is, in part, a function of the ways mentors are selected and paired with mentees. Mentors should be effective practitioners who are able to model good professional practice, and it is important that mentees have ‘professional respect’ for their mentors which entails that they possess sufficient knowledge and experience of teaching and their subject specialism. Yet being an experienced and effective teacher is a necessary but not sufficient condition for being an effective mentor – not all good teachers make good mentors, while not all good mentors make good mentors of all beginning teachers.” (Hobson et all, Mentoring beginning teachers: what we know and what we don’t, Teacher and Teacher Education 25, 207-216, 2009)

Questions to consider:

How will we inform our teachers and school administrators about the opportunities for mentorship in our district/local? What process fits our district approach to recruit, select and connect mentoring partners or teams? What can teachers do to respectfully change a partnership that is not working out? Supplementary materials:

Sample district Q&A form Sample application form for mentors

Sample application form for mentees

NTMP Guidelines: Proximity matters: teachers find that ease of accessibility to their mentor/mentee

facilitates the combined support of informal and formal meeting.

Strongest partnerships are well matched with common role, grade level, subject area, or teaching interest. This is not always possible within the same school site.

Potential mentors and mentees often want to choose a colleague to work with, and these relationships have worked well. Teachers brand new to a district or school will often need help from the steering committee in finding a mentoring partner .

All members of the steering committee need to develop a communication plan to inform and interest beginning teachers, veteran teachers, and administrators in the mentorship program and its potential.

School administrators hugely influence the success of a mentoring partnership in providing active support .

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6. Planning for continuous mentor and new teacher support

Research insights: “Induction programs including mentoring for the purposes of teaching beginning teachers “the ropes”, that is, structures and procedures needed for assuming the role of teacher may be shifting in purpose and direction. In recent literature we found a move away from a narrow, technical, and fixed goal-oriented framework of inducting beginning teachers towards conceptualizing the development of becoming a new teacher as a process.” (Clandinin J. et al. (University of Alberta). Early Career Teacher Attrition:

Problems, Possibilities, Potentials, 2012)

“Mentors need time to mentor, and opportunities to learn to mentor. In particular, mentors need opportunities to 1) critically examine their beliefs about teaching and learning to teach 2) connect their practice as mentors to novices’ learning 3) discuss dilemmas and problems that arise in the course of helping novices learning to teach.” (Learning from Mentors: A study update from the Teacher Education and Learning

to Teach (TELT) study, National Center for Research on Teacher Learning, Michigan State University.)

Questions to consider:

How will the program provide ongoing professional learning for the mentors and also provide opportunities to discuss problems and dilemmas as they arise?

How will the program provide opportunities for the new teachers to network and provide peer support?

How will the mentorship steering committee monitor and respond to questions and needs as they arise throughout the year?

Supplementary materials: The Mentoring Cycle and Guide

NTMP Guidelines:

Ongoing mentor training is essential to assist mentor teachers in understanding the shift from teaching in the classroom to facilitation of adult learning.

A minimum of three facilitated training days be provided for both mentors and mentees during the school year.

The initial training occur as early as possible in the new year so support is in place for the first months of school .

Initial orientation include mentors and mentees together to help build a trusting relationship and share exemplars of how to use mentoring time for a balance of learning-focused conversation, observation and collaboration .

Maximize available district and school pro-d days for mentor/mentee training and networking.

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7. Planning for program evaluation, growth, and advocacy

Research insights: “Program leaders must pay attention to their mentors and new teachers; they must assume responsibility for supporting mentors in gathering and collecting data, making their work public, and regularly assessing their effectiveness. This sort of accountability transcends compliance and moves toward a cycle of continuous improvement – the essence of any strong induction program that seeks to accelerate new teacher effectiveness.” Moir, E. Accelerating Teacher Effectiveness: Lessons Learned from Two

Decades of New Teacher Induction. Kappan October 2009) Questions to consider:

How will we acknowledge and celebrate the contribution of participants to the learning of their colleagues?

How will we gather formative and summative feedback to know what is working well and what needs to change within the mentorship program? How will this feedback be shared with all the stakeholders involved in the mentorship program?

How will we know the mentorship program is making the difference we hope for within the district/local?

How will the Board be informed and kept up to date with development of the mentoring program and its effectiveness? Supplementary materials: End of year feedback form for mentors End of year feedback from for mentees

NTMP Guidelines:

Receiving ongoing feedback from participants allows the program to be accountable to its defined purposes and provide vision for its growth and development.

Towards the end of the school year, a session should be planned to receive summative feedback from the participants and celebrate the learning over the year.

A report and sustainability plan for the mentorship program presented to the school trustees helps to maintain targeted funding in support of new teachers .

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Practices for High Quality Mentoring and Induction

High quality practices Where are we now? Where to go next? Communication and collaboration among stakeholders including administration, union and principals’ leadership ensures commitment and sustainability

Focused on teacher directed formative professional growth rather than evaluation or remediation of practice

Clear criteria and processes are established for mentee eligibility and mentor recruitment and selection

Ongoing professional development and support for mentors develop critical skills for learning-focused engagement with their new colleagues

Planned professional development and opportunities for beginning teachers to participate in learning networks and feel included into school, district and the local community

Sanctioned time for mentor/mentee interactions allows for formalized professional conversations, observation and feedback, and collaboration between partners

Adequate funding for mentorship and induction is protected within district budgets and local committee responsibilities are defined

Aligns with other district professional learning initiatives (ie. inquiry projects, learning teams and networks)

Clear roles and responsibilities for school administrators ensures they understand their role in fully supporting induction

Integrated with technology to assist with accessibility for teachers and facilitate networks for greater communication

Ongoing review and feedback from participants informs program growth and development

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Principles of High Quality Induction and Mentoring

(adapted from Guidelines for Induction and Mentoring and Mentor Teachers 2011, New Zealand Teachers Council)

Builds on appreciative respect for new teacher knowledge, initiative, and commitment

Builds knowledge by using teaching as a site of inquiry

Links practice to a view of good teaching

Builds confidence by developing pedagogical expertise

Has a developmental (but not linear) view of learning to teach

Provides planned, and takes advantage of incidental learning opportunities

Engages in serious professional conversations

Develops teacher autonomy and agency Formative growth includes

evidence from observations, exploring student work, and collaborative teaching

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Mentoring terms and the BC context

What do we mean by our terms? New Teacher induction – Induction is the broad term which includes all support, guidance, development and orientation efforts (including mentoring) provided to new teachers as they undertake the responsibilities of teaching practice. Induction includes the many formal and informal ways new teachers enter the profession. Mentorship – Building relationships whereby experienced colleagues provide dedicated time to guide, support, give feedback and facilitate evidence-informed learning conversations with colleagues new to the profession or to an assignment. Mentoring is a central component of induction. New Teachers – teachers within the first five years of practice (including TTOC’s, and teachers with either temporary or continuing assignments.)

How many districts/locals have active mentorship programs in BC? A 2012 survey conducted through the BCTF determined that 30 of 60 BC school districts have some type of a mentoring program, many functioning for more than 10 years. These programs vary greatly in the use of informal to formal structures, depth and degree of support, and access to protected funding.

What is the attrition rate of BC teachers within the first five years of practice? It is difficult to determine an accurate attrition rate from current BC- focused research. The estimated teacher turnover in Canada is approximately 30 percent in the first five years of service (Canadian Teachers’ Federation, 2004). Interestingly, it is the first three to four years after initial training that are crucial in a teacher’s decision whether or not to remain in the profession (Jones, 2003).

What are the anticipated trends of employment for teachers entering the profession over the next 15 years? There are currently more teachers seeking work in the BC school system than available full-time positions, and this varies considerably depending on the region of the province in which new teachers are situated. We do know, however, that the 0‒19 population will rise consistently over the next 15 years. With growing enrolment and greater number of retirements expected, the percentage of teachers with

less than five years of experience will increase considerably. (Naylor, C. (2012). Mentoring the BC context.

Presentation made to the Teacher Mentorship BC network. http://teachermentorshipbc.com/2012/05/16/mentoring-the-bc-context/)

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Book Resources for Mentorship

Guides for mentoring practice

Jean Boreen, Mary K Johnson, Donna Niday, Joe Potts: Mentoring Beginning Teachers: Guiding,

Reflecting, Coaching. Stenhouse Publishing, Maine. 2000

Larent A. Daloz: Mentor: Guiding the Journey of Adult Learners (2nd Edition). Jossey-Bass. San

Francisco. 2012.

*Hal Portner: Mentoring New Teachers, 3rd edition. Corwin Press, California, 2008

*Laura Lipton, Bruce Wellman: Mentoring Matters: A Practical Guide to Learning-Focused

Relationships (2nd Edition). MiraVia, Sherman CT. 2003

Kathleen Johnson, Kathleen Feeney Jonson: Being and Effective Mentor: How to help beginning

teachers succeed (new edition) . Corwin Press, California, 2008

Sheryn Waterman: Mentoring and Coaching Tips, How Educators Can Help Each Other. Eye on

Education, New York. 2013

*Diane Yendol-Hoppey, Nancy Fitchtman Dana: The Reflective Educator's Guide to Mentoring; Strengthening Practice through Knowledge, Story, and Metaphor. Corwin Press, Califorinia. 2007

*Lois J. Zachary: The Mentor's Guide: Facilitating Effective Learning Relationships (2nd Edition). Jossey-Bass. San Francisco. 2012

Resources for developing an effective mentorship/induction program

Marge Scherer: A Better Beginning: Supporting and Mentoring New Teachers. ASCD Virginia, 1999.

Ellen Moir, Dara Barlin, Janet Gless, and Jan Miles. New Teacher Mentoring: Hopes and Promise for improving teacher effectiveness. Harvard Education Press. Cambridge Mass. 2009

Hal Portner (Editor) Teacher Mentoring and Induction: The State of the Art and Beyond. Corwin

Press, California. 2005.

Lois J. Zachary: Creating a Mentoring Culture: The Organization’s Guide. Jossey-Bass. San

Francisco. 2005

Jean Boreen, Donna Niday, Mary K. Johnson. Mentoring Across Boundaries: Helping Beginning

Teachers Succeed in Challenging Situations. Stenhouse Publications. 2003

Websites

New Teacher Center, http://www.newteachercenter.org/index.php

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