Becoming
a
Working with MSU’s
Secondary Teacher Preparation
Team
Team 4 Website: http://ed-web2.educ.msu.edu/team4/
Contents
Priorities for MSU’s Teacher Preparation Program
Priorities
for the program as a whole
Priorities
for mentor teachers
Programmatic
support for Partnership Schools.
Comments
on Being a Mentor Teacher
Priorities for Mentor Teachers
Opportunities
for Secondary Teachers to Participate in MSU’s Teacher Preparation Program.
Teacher
Participation Information Form
Team Four Website and Relevant Links To
Information/Materials
- Team Four Homepage: http://ed-web2.educ.msu.edu/team4/
- Team Four Handbooks: http://ed-web2.educ.msu.edu/team4/handbooks.htm
- Team Four Calendar: http://ed-web2.educ.msu.edu/team4/calendar.htm
- College of Education Website: http://www.educ.msu.edu/
- “Learn To Teach At MSU”: http://ed-web3.educ.msu.edu/college/coe-movielist.htm
For additional information contact:
Secondary Team Secretary
323
Phone: (517) 355-1726
Fax: (517) 432-5092
E-mail: kurf@msu.edu
Priorities for MSU’s Teacher Preparation Program
Priorities for the program as a whole
·
High
standards for our graduates
·
Knowing
subject matters and how to teach them
·
Working
effectively with culturally and academically diverse students
·
Creating
and managing a classroom learning community
·
Working
effectively with adults in schools, universities, and communities
·
An
effective support system for learning both in schools and in MSU courses
·
Working
arrangements that benefit our graduates, Partnership Schools, and MSU
Priorities for Partnership Schools
·
Shared
goals for teaching and teacher preparation
·
Departmental
clusters of interns or students
·
Renewable
three-year commitments between MSU and
·
Communication
and coordination between MSU and school personnel
·
Balance
among urban, suburban, and rural schools
·
Support
for technology, including E-mail and Internet connections
·
Financial
support for interns
Priorities for mentor teachers
·
Active
mentoring of teacher preparation candidates
·
Communication
with other mentors and MSU staff, including attendance at mentor meetings
·
Support
for collaborative work among candidates and between candidates and teachers
·
Participation
in evaluation of interns and undergraduates
·
Interest
in learning about teaching and teacher education
Programmatic support for Partnership Schools
·
Mentor
teachers’ individual professional accounts
·
Teacher
learning site development funds
·
Support
for mentor teachers’ participation in course instruction
·
Opportunities
for professional development
Support System for Interns
|
|
Comments on Being a Mentor
Thinking about working with
an intern next year?
Becoming a good mentor for a prospective teacher means taking on a new role: going from being a good teacher to being a good teacher of teachers
Here’s
what experienced mentoring teachers have said they need to do...
• welcome the intern “as a learner” and “let her in on your thinking” about how you teach;
• become a personal mentor for your intern, who is “part student, part colleague, part friend”;
• “tolerate (maybe even enjoy) questions, philosophical discussions about teaching”;
• “be prepared to re-examine my own teaching with my intern”;
• “give up a lot of privacy” in inviting another person into your classroom and your teaching;
• “make space in your teaching style and in the curriculum” for the intern to try out ideas”
• practice “shoulder to shoulder” teaching in guiding the intern’s development;
• learn to “step in and out of each others’ teaching” in ways that respect the integrity of both individuals;
Mentoring teachers are also expected to do the following:
• meet with intern at least once a week at a regularly scheduled time to
co-plan and discuss concerns;
• assist intern in getting to know students, parents, and school colleagues;
• help intern gain familiarity with district curriculum and grade level objectives,
school policies, curricular resources;
• consult regularly with the MSU liaison / field instructor and participate in evaluating intern’s progress at mid-term, end-of-semester, and end-of-
the-year conferences:
• participate in professional development activities for collaborating teachers
(e.g. Summer Institute, periodic school-based CT study group sessions).
Here’s
what experienced mentoring teachers have said they gain from having an
intern...
• “I get nudged off my personal plateau and challenged to re-think my own teaching practice”
• “I become better able to talk about my teaching and to have an impact on education more broadly than just in my own classroom”
• “I have an opportunity to ‘give something back’ to my profession by helping to develop future teachers”
• “I have someone else to talk to who has seen the day to day classroom events and appreciates the struggles and successes we experience”
• “I get a chance to see my intern grow and develop as a teacher over a whole school year.”
• “I can learn new ideas and approaches to teaching that weren’t part of my teacher education experience”
• “My students benefit by having another teacher in the room”
• “I get an opportunity to connect with other teachers in my building”
Priorities for Mentor
Effective
mentor teachers are often also excellent teachers of middle and high school
students. In our experience, though,
other qualities are even more important in a good mentor than excellent
classroom teaching performance. The
qualities and commitments that are most important to us in mentor teachers
include the following:
·
Active mentoring of teacher preparation
candidates. Being a mentor requires a variety of
activities in support of students and interns, including co-planning and
co-teaching (see page 11 of the Handbook for Mentor Teachers), support and
feedback during lead teaching, and helping with suggestions while giving the
student or intern freedom to experiment.
The most successful mentors are those who take their work as teacher
educators seriously and who find the right balance for their intern between
structure and guidance and freedom to experiment.
·
Communication with other mentors and MSU
staff, including attendance at mentor meetings.
Being a mentor requires regular communication with the field instructor,
coordinator, and course instructors. For
mentors working with interns, there are also required meetings (jointly planned
and led by teacher leaders and MSU staff) in which mentors discuss the program
and to talk with other mentors and MSU staff.
The first of these meetings is in August, before the beginning of
school. There will be several other
meetings during the school year, at times when interns can act as substitutes.
·
Support for collaborative work among
candidates and between candidates and teachers.
Collaborative planning and teaching are an essential part of learning to
teach for our students and interns. They
need opportunities to work cooperatively with one another and with experienced
teachers to plan lessons and entire units, to teach and evaluate their
students, and to reflect on what they have learned from their experiences.
·
Participation in evaluation of interns
and undergraduates. We ask mentor teachers to provide oral and
written evaluations of seniors and interns who work with them. Interns have conferences with their mentors
and field instructors at the middle and end of each semester (see pages 26-28
of the Handbook for Mentor Teachers).
The single most important piece of information considered by schools
hiring our graduates is the Exit Performance Description written by the mentor
teacher.
·
Interest in learning about teaching and
teacher education. The most effective mentor teachers are
teachers who want to learn more themselves, about teaching and about teacher
education. Participation in our teacher
education program offers many opportunities for professional growth, through
working with interns, with other mentor teachers, and with MSU staff. We are looking for mentor teachers who are
eager to take advantage of these opportunities.
Opportunities for Secondary Teachers to Participate
in MSU’s Teacher Preparation Program
The Teacher
Education Program at
|
Program Level |
TE Courses |
Time in Schools |
Time Period |
Professional Account
Allocation |
|
Intern (placed with a
teacher or several teachers and clustered in schools) |
TE
801/803, Professional Roles and Teaching Practice; TE 802/804, Reflection and Inquiry in
Teaching Practice |
4 days a week during non-lead teaching, 5 days per week during lead teaching (about 4 weeks fall semester and 10 weeks spring semester) |
1st
day that teachers start until the end of the MSU spring semester in late
April or early May |
$400
per intern per year for mentor teacher(s) $100
per intern per year for school |
|
Seniors (generally placed
in clusters of 2 or more with one teacher) |
TE
401/402, Crafting Teaching Practice |
4
hours a week |
Late
September until the end of the MSU spring semester in late April |
$80
per senior per year for teacher(s) $20
per senior per year for school |
For more detailed
and accurate information about schedules, see the Program Information for
Mentor Teachers handout or the Handbook for Mentor Teachers. The information above is for the 2001-2002
Academic Year. Since we make revisions
in the program each year, it may not be accurate for 2003-2004 or future years.
FAX
To: Team 4 ( attn : Paul John
Kurf ) Fax :
517-432-5092
From: ______________________________ Fax :
__________________
Teacher Participation Information Form
Name: ________________________________________________________
School: _______________________________________________________
Subjects Taught: ______________________________________
Grade: ________________________________________________________
School Number: _________________ Home Number: ___________________
E-Mail Address: ________________________________________________
I would be interested in working with MSU teacher candidates during the 2003-2004 school year:
____An Intern
____One or more Seniors
What additional information do you believe would be helpful for us to know about your classroom and schedule to best match teacher candidates with your situation and needs?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
____I
am not able to work with MSU teacher candidates next year, but please contact
me in the future.
Please
return this form to your school principal or MSU building liaison.
For
Additional Information or Mailing Address (if unable to fax form)
323
Phone: (517) 355-1726 Fax: (517) 432-5092, E-mail: kurf@msu.edu
Team
4 Website: http://ed-web2.educ.msu.edu/team4/