Considering the subject in mentoring The value that

Considering the subject in mentoring: The value that subject matching adds to mentoring Lynn Paine, Lisa Jilk, and Robert Hurd

Starting points: Mentoring is the dominant theme in induction. Mentoring literature ignores subject matter or treats it unproblematically.

Goals for today’s presentation • Reframe mentoring • Consider the terrain and how it changes when you take subject matter seriously • Explore variation in terms of salience of subject matter • Illustrate what is possible for new teacher learning

Ways mentoring has been framed Mentoring as support (Gold, 1996) – For survival – Emphasize role, relationship, and trust Mentoring as educative practice (Feiman. Nemser 2001) – For novice teacher learning – Emphasize practices

Subject matter matching Suggestion that it is desirable NTs with matched mentoring, common planning time and collaboration on instruction, less likely like to leave teaching Ingersoll and Kralik (2004)

Subject matter matching Evidence that it is not universal between 1995 -99, 66% of math and science NTs work with mentors, but only 52 % of math teachers have math mentors 38% of science teachers have mentor in subject (NSF, 2004)

MSTI study data related to mentoring • 6 sites, all with some version of mentoring • 2 -3 Interviews with NTs and Mentors • Observations--mentoring interactions, mentor training, monthly meetings • Document analysis--observation guides, rubrics, mentor handbooks • Subset in depth interview on activities--18 NTs, 12 Mentors

Activities and Interactions between Novices and Mentors classroom observations of NT by mentor reciprocal classroom observations debriefing after visit consultation co-plan co-teach demonstration lessons/demonstrate help with certification/professional development needs go together to observe another teacher's class advise about district regulations and policies provide formative and final assessment help locate resources work on classroom management issues work on subject matter issues help with instructional strategies look together/study samples of student work participate together in study group or book club attend a conference together regularly scheduled coaching/mentoring session script lesson (have their lesson scripted, get given the script) case discussions participate in a lesson study group developing assessments together or scoring student work with colleagues engaging jointly in curriculum topic study setting up new classroom together (or getting advice on this) get newsletter from mentor with ideas/tips/information get help with Praxis requirements and preparation get advice about jobs/ job change get moral support get oriented to the building/district help with time management

Activities mentors/novices engage in most often Get moral support Help with instructional strategies Help locate resources Classroom observation Classroom management Debrief observation Consultation Get advice on district regulations/policies Subject matter issues 53 42 39 38 38 37 37 34 34

Mentoring Activities • Moral support • Locate resources • Help with instructional strategies • Observation and debriefing • Consultation • Classroom management • Subject matter issues

Mentoring Activities • Moral support • Subject matter issues • Locate resources • Help with instructional strategies • Observation and debriefing • Consultation • Classroom management

Reported as most helpful • • Moral support Consultation Debriefing Developing assessments Looking together at student work Demonstrating work with content Co-planning

When there is no match: “she gave me an idea about how to speed up the process for checking them out…I said [to the class] “you know what guys, grab a calculator. ” I had them out there, they signed them and she said, “I don’t know Betsy. It took a while. It was kind of like a lot of movement. You might want to try this. ” And so what I’ve done is created like a spread sheet so that the kids can just find their names. You know they’ll grab a calculator, sit down get to work and then when the sheet comes around they’ll just sign their name and it will be all over. But for the most part, she’s given me advice here and there. ” (Betsy Thomas, 1 st year HS math)

When subject match is not a guarantee: • “Yes, I agree with you (the mentor who wrote that he was inconsistent on certain dimensions), but instead of telling me that I’m inconsistent in these things find me the tools to change. ” (Robert Jansen, 1 st year HS science teacher) • Hal Martinson (1 st year science)’s mentor-dropping off materials “when it’s done”-fragmented tips

When is a match of subject? Hunter: Bob’s really the person, Larry, me and Larry do sit down and we have some mentoring, but Larry’s physical science, whereas I teach biology. So if I’m looking for something in these specific classes I’d probably go to Bob. (1 st year Biology teacher, with Physics mentor)

What a subject match affords • Deepened understanding of content • Insights into representing content • Knowledge related to assessing student learning • Connecting kids and content • Recognizing learner diversity and connecting to content and pedagogy

Deepened understanding of content

Insights into representing content • Story of Larry and Hunter--probing about how kids will come to see an abstract idea

Knowledge related to curriculum and assessment She (the novice) and I spent a lot of time writing assessments, . . and that’s been a really good experience because it’s made us talk about what’s important. One of the things she and I did over the summer was to meet and develop these ten big ideas, we call them, in algebra 1 and geometry both, and what we basically did was sort of glean the whole curriculum and came up with ten big concepts that we can use as kind of guides. (Ellen Martin, math mentor to Glenda Robins, 2 nd year HS math teacher)

Connecting kids and content The mentor suggests an activity on charting what students do with their time, thus illustrating for them what their priorities are. Starting up his laptop he notes that Kate Conswella gave him this assessment for students and goes on to discuss supporting this priorities activity with a list of strategies for becoming/being a better student. He shows the novice a multiple-choice survey of study habits and conveys that priorities are culturally based and should be handled delicately. CF, looking at the resources on DK’s laptop, starts to look about the room for a printer that is hooked up. “I like to get a hard copy of that, the survey of strategies for doing math home work and the one of active problem solvers behaviors. ”

Implications and complications • Finding a match, of subject and level • Finding the focus and range of activities • Creating tools that support interaction around content • Demands on mentors and novices • Everybody is trying to do all this support and they want to know what can we do to be more supportive and you’re like I wish that I knew what to tell you but I don’t know, it just doesn’t feel supportive Like how do you take that support and make it feel like its working and that its not a burden?

Considering the subject in mentoring Subject Matter Local Context Novice and Mentor Student Learning Professional Community