Mentors Monthly
2021-2022 Edition: JANUARY Issue
Our Inaugural Issue
"Beginning teachers who participate in a comprehensive induction program stay in the profession longer, report greater job satisfaction, demonstrate stronger instructional practices, and increased student achievement."
(Harris, 2015; Ingersoll & Strong, 2011)
A high quality induction program includes a system that involves the selection of high-quality, trained instructional mentors; small mentor caseloads; formative assessment systems that guide instructional decisions and student supports; regular job-embedded, in-person, one-on-one feedback, focused on instruction and mentoring practices; and consistent use of data for induction program improvement (Schmidt, Young, Cassidy, Wang & Laguarda, 2017).
A comprehensive system of support that builds capacity in all stakeholders includes ongoing
professional learning opportunities, peer-group collaborative teams (e.g. mentor PLCs), and in-field coaching of mentors to include one-on-one observations with feedback to promote positive outcomes for beginning teachers and their students.
As a mentor in OCPS, it is important to engage in and regularly employ the Exemplary Practices for Mentors, outlined in the OCPS Induction and Mentoring Guide and depicted below. One of those practices is mentor development. Once you complete Clinical Educator to become a mentor, it is important to participate in ongoing professional learning. But what is available for mentors beyond Clinical Educator?
First, we are releasing numerous mentor modules within the OCPS Mentors course this year. These modules address a wide range of skills that mentors need and can practice with their mentees. Badges can be earned for each module completed and equate to 1 hour of inservice points. The more modules you complete, the more badges and inservice points you earn!
Additionally, we will release these newsletters monthly with a specific topic of focus that will help further cultivate your skills as a mentor. The newsletters will include resources, readings, research, practice opportunities, and more.
This inaugural issue highlights a data collection method that you can use as a mentor to support the needs of various developing educators. Take a few moments to read the overview of the data collection method below, examine the sample data, and practice collecting physical movement data using a video provided.
Data Collection Method: Physical Movement/Class Traffic
Purpose & Focus of the Physical Movement Data Collection Method
Used to collect patterns of teacher and student movement in the classroom. This includes the traffic pattern and the students conferred with.
As an observer, you will:
Prepare a seating chart
Determine categories
Observe the class
Record movement
Data patterns that may emerge include:
Off-task/relation to the teacher
Distribution of teacher attention
Teacher efficiency, with-it-ness
Student independent work
Physical Movement Sample
Click on the button below to examine a sample of Physical Movement data. Notice the numbers on the seating chart. These denote when and where the teacher stops walking as they move throughout the room. When the teacher starts moving again, the observer simply continues the line.
Physical Movement Practice
Try using the same symbols from the Physical Movement sample to practice collecting data while watching a video.
- This video observation occurs in a middle school woodshop class.
- During the Observation Planning Meeting, the teacher shared that he wanted to see how he was monitoring for the desired effect of the element "Helping Students Practice Skills, Strategies, or Processes."
- The Physical Movement tool was determined to be the best data collection method to use.
Use the seating chart provided to capture data as you watch.
Noticings & Wonderings
Based on the Physical Movement data you just collected, generate one noticing and one wondering. Remember:
- Noticings are specific evidence-based, non-evaluative data related to teaching and learning gathered during the observation
- Wonderings are questions you have about the educator’s thinking or decision-making
Add your noticings and wonderings to the Padlet linked below.