No new teacher is totally prepared for the first day of school. In assuming all the responsibility for the success of their students, new teachers must quickly learn how to assess students' knowledge, plan the curriculum, set expectations for classroom behavior, and build relationships with parents—all while planning and delivering daily lessons. The choice for Principals is to allow new teachers to learn through trial and error or provide a comprehensive induction program.
Fewer than 1 percent of teachers get what the Alliance for Excellent Education (2004) calls a “comprehensive” induction package: a reduced number of course preparations, a helpful mentor in the same field, a seminar tailored to the needs of beginning teachers, strong communication with administrators, and time for planning and collaboration with other teachers. Such a package could make a real impact in teacher attrition, according to researchers who have investigated the variables that correlate with teacher turnover.
Can induction programs improve the instructional practice of new teachers? Experts claim that induction programs can accelerate the process, especially if such programs provide training targeted to beginning teachers' needs and pair new teachers with carefully selected mentors who are given the necessary time and training (Anderson & Pellicer, 2001; Shields et al., 2004).
What you can do - Research on principal leadership and induction indicates that school leaders can promote instructional development among beginning teachers in several ways:
1. Insist on quality mentoring.
2. Integrate new teachers into school wide learning opportunities.
3. Promote learning during evaluation.
A good resource on designs and funding strategies for induction programs is Susan Villani's book Mentoring Programs for New Teachers (2002). An older but still excellent resource is Learning the Ropes, published by Recruiting New Teachers (Fideler & Haselkorn, 1999).
Warning: When developing induction programs, remember that although new teachers need support, forcing them to participate in too many learning activities can adversely affect their teaching. Principals must be realistic. Sometimes the best way to strengthen induction is to allow the new teacher some discretion about which activities he or she would find most valuable.
Source: Wayne, Youngs, and Fleishman, Educational Leadership, May 2005,
Friday, April 11, 2008
The Purpose of Instructional Coaches
Why does your site assign Instructional Coaches to New Educators? This question needs to be answered early because assigning effective Instructional Coaches will have a strong influence on this part of your induction process.
If your only reason for assigning Instructional Coaches is that the New Educator Support System (HRD) provides a supplement, you may as well stop now and let the district use the resources in a more effective way. However, if your purpose for assigning Instructional Coaches is more like one of the following, then you can evaluate effectiveness of your Instructional Coaches:
1. To accelerate learning a new job or skill and reduce the stress of transition
2. To improve instructional practice through modeling by a top performer
3. To attract new staff in a very competitive recruiting environment
4. To retain excellent veteran staff in a setting where their contributions are valued
5. To alter the culture of the school by creating a collaborative subculture.
Most programs identify several purposes. The best way to achieve your purposes is to provide activities and events that are linked and support those purposes. These activities and events become the bedrock of your site-based induction program.
Source: Dr. Doug Miller, NESS Program Facilitator, HRD
1. To accelerate learning a new job or skill and reduce the stress of transition
2. To improve instructional practice through modeling by a top performer
3. To attract new staff in a very competitive recruiting environment
4. To retain excellent veteran staff in a setting where their contributions are valued
5. To alter the culture of the school by creating a collaborative subculture.
Most programs identify several purposes. The best way to achieve your purposes is to provide activities and events that are linked and support those purposes. These activities and events become the bedrock of your site-based induction program.
Source: Dr. Doug Miller, NESS Program Facilitator, HRD
The Instructional Coach’s Role & Tasks
What are your Instructional Coaches supposed to know and be able to do? A complete induction support includes orientation, mentoring, visitations, staff development tailored to Instructional Coaches needs, & support groups. Defining the role of the Instructional Coach is particularly important if your site has expectations for results and understands that the Instructional Coach cannot do it all by themselves. Predetermined expectations help identify the training and support needs of your Instructional Coaches.
The following are some ideas for developing the role and tasks of the Instructional Coach.
1. Define the mentor's role in terms of functions such as "support or encourage".
2. Define the mentoring tasks in terms of activities, such as "observe, coach, or plan".
3. Focus first on activities that new teachers value the most (class management and lesson planning and delivery)
4. Teach Instructional Coaches to diagnose the New Educator’s needs and to target help in those areas.
5. Communicate the expectation that the Instructional Coaches will receive job-embedded, on-going training & support for mentoring.
6. Develop a plan for monitoring and identifying problems, and create a collaborative process to support Instructional Coaches and New Educators in dealing with problems.
Source: Dr. Doug Miller, NESS Program Facilitator, HRD
The following are some ideas for developing the role and tasks of the Instructional Coach.
1. Define the mentor's role in terms of functions such as "support or encourage".
2. Define the mentoring tasks in terms of activities, such as "observe, coach, or plan".
3. Focus first on activities that new teachers value the most (class management and lesson planning and delivery)
4. Teach Instructional Coaches to diagnose the New Educator’s needs and to target help in those areas.
5. Communicate the expectation that the Instructional Coaches will receive job-embedded, on-going training & support for mentoring.
6. Develop a plan for monitoring and identifying problems, and create a collaborative process to support Instructional Coaches and New Educators in dealing with problems.
Source: Dr. Doug Miller, NESS Program Facilitator, HRD
Selection of Mentors
How does your site select Instructional Coaches? The recruiting process for Instructional Coaches should begin in the spring for the coming year. The process of selecting Instructional Coaches cannot be accomplished effectively until the purpose, role and tasks have been defined and communicated. The following include factors that need to be taken into account when selecting an Instructional Coach.
1. Can the Instructional Coach handle a high degree of stress often associated with mentoring a New Educator?
2. Can the Instructional Coach handle evaluating a New Educator’s performance?
3. Does the Instructional Coach complete expected tasks?
4. Does the Instructional Coach have the knowledge, aspirations, skills, attitudes, and behaviors of an effective mentor?
Source: Dr. Doug Miller, NESS Program Facilitator, HRD
1. Can the Instructional Coach handle a high degree of stress often associated with mentoring a New Educator?
2. Can the Instructional Coach handle evaluating a New Educator’s performance?
3. Does the Instructional Coach complete expected tasks?
4. Does the Instructional Coach have the knowledge, aspirations, skills, attitudes, and behaviors of an effective mentor?
Source: Dr. Doug Miller, NESS Program Facilitator, HRD
Matching Instructional Coach & New Educator
How does your site match an Instructional Coach to a New Educator? This is one of the most important decisions that the Principal and the NESS Liaison make in supporting the New Educator. If the Instructional Coach has little to offer or if they cannot get along with the New Educator, the New Educator will usually suffer in silence. Therefore when matching the Instructional Coach with the New Educator consider some of the following:
1. Similar job assignments, close proximity, and common plan or lunch periods
2. experience differences of 5+ years are often sought but can not always be accomplished
3. often the principal does the recruiting and is usually in the best position to help decide on matching
4. allow the new educator to participate in the decision making process.
Source: Dr. Doug Miller, NESS Program Facilitator, HRD
1. Similar job assignments, close proximity, and common plan or lunch periods
2. experience differences of 5+ years are often sought but can not always be accomplished
3. often the principal does the recruiting and is usually in the best position to help decide on matching
4. allow the new educator to participate in the decision making process.
Source: Dr. Doug Miller, NESS Program Facilitator, HRD
Expectations for Instructional Coaches and New Educators
What are your expectations for your Instructional Coaches? Educators too often make assumptions that are unrealistic or unfounded. One of those assumptions is that Instructional Coach through some mystical process or through osmosis inherently knows the support New Educators need and how to provide that support. The most important job a Liaison has is communicating the schools expectations of their Instruction Coaches. If I were a coach at your school, what do you want me to do and how will I document that I have done it?
The following are some ideas about setting the expectations for Instructional Coaches (IC):
1. Ask Instructional Coaches, New Educators (NE) and Administrators for input in developing IC expectations,
2. Communicate expectations and commitment needed prior to assignment to New Educator,
3. Support Instructional Coaches professional development through training and learning communities
4. Monitor support provided by Instructional Coaches
5. Plan for worst case scenarios – IC or NE not performing or overloaded
New Educators are already overloaded with just doing their job. Guard against too many requirements for release time, extra workshops, no planning period, coaching etc., especially in the first months.
The following are some ideas to reduce the stress on New Educators:
1. reduce class sizes, number of preparations, number of difficult children,
2. eliminate floating the first year, second and third year teachers can float
3. assignments that are not the new teacher's strength ,
4. eliminate athletic or dramatic coaching, extra-curricular student activities or clubs
5. differentiate professional development to meet the needs of New Educator
Brainstorm with your Induction team ideas and processes for supporting Instructional Coaches and New Educators.
Source: Dr. Doug Miller, NESS Program Facilitator, HRD
The following are some ideas about setting the expectations for Instructional Coaches (IC):
1. Ask Instructional Coaches, New Educators (NE) and Administrators for input in developing IC expectations,
2. Communicate expectations and commitment needed prior to assignment to New Educator,
3. Support Instructional Coaches professional development through training and learning communities
4. Monitor support provided by Instructional Coaches
5. Plan for worst case scenarios – IC or NE not performing or overloaded
New Educators are already overloaded with just doing their job. Guard against too many requirements for release time, extra workshops, no planning period, coaching etc., especially in the first months.
The following are some ideas to reduce the stress on New Educators:
1. reduce class sizes, number of preparations, number of difficult children,
2. eliminate floating the first year, second and third year teachers can float
3. assignments that are not the new teacher's strength ,
4. eliminate athletic or dramatic coaching, extra-curricular student activities or clubs
5. differentiate professional development to meet the needs of New Educator
Brainstorm with your Induction team ideas and processes for supporting Instructional Coaches and New Educators.
Source: Dr. Doug Miller, NESS Program Facilitator, HRD
Training The Instructional Coach
Another false assumption that many educators make is that veteran teachers or master teachers inherently make good coaches. Good teachers of children do not necessarily make good coaches. There are many skills needed to work with adults that are not learned in classrooms. NESS Program Facilitators, experienced Instructional Coaches, and NESS Liaisons recommend the following support strategies:
1. Broward County encourages all potential and acting coaches to attend Clinical Educator and Instructional Coach Professional Development (ICPD) training
2. each site should design a training to instill attitudes and promote skills to accomplish the site’s purposes
3. instructional Coach training should begin with the NESS Liaison who serves as a coach to the coaches. Beginning steps can include, sharing strengths, coach growth goals, and providing feedback on coaching experiences
4. training/support must be on-going for coaches
5. training/support should provide numerous opportunities for coaches to develop supportive relationships with other coaches
6. periodic coach support group meetings help to hold coaches accountable to each other and to the program expectations
7. a primary purpose of the support groups should also be to uncover, refine, and write down the growing knowledge base about mentoring practices.
Note: Liaisons examine the mentor's roles and tasks for training needs.
Source: Dr. Doug Miller, NESS Program Facilitator, HRD
1. Broward County encourages all potential and acting coaches to attend Clinical Educator and Instructional Coach Professional Development (ICPD) training
2. each site should design a training to instill attitudes and promote skills to accomplish the site’s purposes
3. instructional Coach training should begin with the NESS Liaison who serves as a coach to the coaches. Beginning steps can include, sharing strengths, coach growth goals, and providing feedback on coaching experiences
4. training/support must be on-going for coaches
5. training/support should provide numerous opportunities for coaches to develop supportive relationships with other coaches
6. periodic coach support group meetings help to hold coaches accountable to each other and to the program expectations
7. a primary purpose of the support groups should also be to uncover, refine, and write down the growing knowledge base about mentoring practices.
Note: Liaisons examine the mentor's roles and tasks for training needs.
Source: Dr. Doug Miller, NESS Program Facilitator, HRD
Reflect on Success
As accountability has increased, it has become evident that the relationship between teacher quality and results for students is significant. Yet, many new teachers are leaving our schools and the profession every year, particularly in lower-performing schools.
Several studies have attempted to identify why teachers leave and how to stem their turnover, but few have identified the quality of teachers who are departing. As in any profession, not all attrition is bad, but whether bad or good, it has a negative impact on student performance and on the financial resources of a district.
We know a new teacher’s decision to stay or leave a particular school is contingent on a variety of factors—ranging from teachers’ personal characteristics to their satisfaction with the school’s culture. However, in all cases, the key seems to lie in the level of success he/she has in raising students’ academic performances. For this reason, giving new teachers the support necessary to succeed is critical.
Now that the school year is almost over, take the opportunity to reflect with your New Educator, focusing on challenges that he/she overcame and successes he/she has accomplished during the school year. This simple conversation may be the difference in a quality young person deciding to stay or leave your school or the profession.
Source: Dr. Doug Miller, HRD-Program Facilitator
Several studies have attempted to identify why teachers leave and how to stem their turnover, but few have identified the quality of teachers who are departing. As in any profession, not all attrition is bad, but whether bad or good, it has a negative impact on student performance and on the financial resources of a district.
We know a new teacher’s decision to stay or leave a particular school is contingent on a variety of factors—ranging from teachers’ personal characteristics to their satisfaction with the school’s culture. However, in all cases, the key seems to lie in the level of success he/she has in raising students’ academic performances. For this reason, giving new teachers the support necessary to succeed is critical.
Now that the school year is almost over, take the opportunity to reflect with your New Educator, focusing on challenges that he/she overcame and successes he/she has accomplished during the school year. This simple conversation may be the difference in a quality young person deciding to stay or leave your school or the profession.
Source: Dr. Doug Miller, HRD-Program Facilitator
Reflective Practice
Teaching practices often reflect an unquestioned acceptance of strategies and programs defined by others about what is best for students. Teachers need to examine their own practice and new alternatives so that the learning and teaching strategies they use are consistent with their values, beliefs, and assumptions about learning.
This task can be accomplished through a process of self and collaborative reflection. Reflective practice is not new for teachers but is a systematic inquiry that can begin alone with reflecting on your own teaching and learning experiences and becomes collective when informed by your interactions with colleagues, students, and research.
Reflective practice begins with critical reflection in which a teacher questions and examines his/her own assumptions and practice about teaching. Examining one’s own positive and negative learning experiences can help a teacher understand why s/he gravitates toward certain ways of doing things and avoids others. This process helps teachers identify and communicate the values and beliefs that underlie the teaching and learning strategies they use.
After self-reflection, it is important for teachers to make their thinking public and therefore open to dialogue with their colleagues. In this way, teachers can reexamine their understanding of problems, assumptions, and responses against ideas offered by their colleagues who work in similar situations.
Ongoing internal examination and external dialogue have the potential to help a teacher become more effective in the classroom. The ultimate winners other than the teachers, who will become more confident and assured in why and how they do things, are the students. They will benefit from more effective learning experiences.
Source: Dr. Doug Miller, NESS Facilitator, HRD
This task can be accomplished through a process of self and collaborative reflection. Reflective practice is not new for teachers but is a systematic inquiry that can begin alone with reflecting on your own teaching and learning experiences and becomes collective when informed by your interactions with colleagues, students, and research.
Reflective practice begins with critical reflection in which a teacher questions and examines his/her own assumptions and practice about teaching. Examining one’s own positive and negative learning experiences can help a teacher understand why s/he gravitates toward certain ways of doing things and avoids others. This process helps teachers identify and communicate the values and beliefs that underlie the teaching and learning strategies they use.
After self-reflection, it is important for teachers to make their thinking public and therefore open to dialogue with their colleagues. In this way, teachers can reexamine their understanding of problems, assumptions, and responses against ideas offered by their colleagues who work in similar situations.
Ongoing internal examination and external dialogue have the potential to help a teacher become more effective in the classroom. The ultimate winners other than the teachers, who will become more confident and assured in why and how they do things, are the students. They will benefit from more effective learning experiences.
Source: Dr. Doug Miller, NESS Facilitator, HRD
Jokes only a math teacher could love…
Teacher: What's 2 and 2?
Pupil: 4
Teacher: That's good.
Pupil: Good? That's perfect!
Pupil: 4
Teacher: That's good.
Pupil: Good? That's perfect!
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