Mentor Training
Salisbury University
The Power of Two in Today’s Classroom
Congratulations!
You have just agreed to
co-teach with a Salisbury
University intern.
What are your next
steps?
Promptly sign and return your contract to
Salisbury University.
Remain engaged in all aspects of instruction
throughout the experience.
Provide constant feedback to the intern
daily.
Complete mid-term and final evaluations
online and on time.
Our PDS Website
Mentors
oversee…
 Welcome gestures (email, letter, phone call, banner)
 Introductions to faculty, staff, parents and students as your co-teacher (not a SU
student or student teacher)
 Work space with supplies
 Provide a map of the school and a tour
 Supply important school contact numbers
 Discuss school expectations (principal’s vision, dress code, arrival and departure
times)
Mentors also
oversee…
 Provide schedules (classes/subjects, planning time, duties, meetings, after school
activities)
 Supply handbooks (county, school, classroom) and curricular materials
(textbooks, manuals, teacher guides)
 Share class roster(s) and seating chart(s)
 Supply incidental information (copier info, supplies, faculty room, restroom,
parking, technology, media)
 Discuss school and class procedures (fire drill, crisis plan, delay schedules,
behavior policies, management strategies)
Teacher Retention
& PDS
2006 Towson University
Teacher Retention Study:

Study examined retention rates
for teachers prepared in
collaborative PDS settings vs.
those prepared in non PDS
settings.

87 beginning teachers were
followed for a five year period.
(2001-2006)

Results: Retention rate of PDStrained teachers is 37% higher
than that of non-PDS trained
teachers. At the end of 5 years
71% of PDS trained teachers were
still teaching, while only 34% of
non-PDS trained teachers were
still teaching.
The PDS Difference
“Student Teachers” vs. Interns
 a cohort of interns placed exclusively in PDS sites
 interns complete a 100-day extensive internship
experience over two semesters.
Approach to the Experience
 mentors remain engaged
in instruction throughout
the internship
 co-teaching model
Mentor & intern
collaborating together
in the…
- planning of instruction.
- delivery of instruction.
- assessment of student
learning.
Mentor &
intern remain
engaged in
instruction.
A win-win for
everyone involved in
PDS:
- P-12 students and parents
- SU teacher candidates
- Teachers
- Local schools
What is Co-teaching?
Co-teaching is NOT…
The mentor and
intern “taking
turns” teaching.
The mentor
disengaging
after a week of
modeling.
(sink or swim)
An extended
“coffee break” for
mentors.
Interns “taking
over” classes on a
set timeline.
A “free ride” for
interns.
Co-teaching & Accountability
St. Cloud TQE Initiative
 5 year U.S. Department of Education, Teacher Quality
Enhancement Partnership Grant
 Awarded in October 2003
 Looked at co-teaching during
internship
 Collected 4 years of data
(qualitative and quantitative)
 Training and support for
mentors and university
supervisors
 Teacher candidates get coteaching as part of their
program
 Workshop for pairs
Reading Proficiency
Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment
MCA Reading Proficiency
2004-2005
MCA Reading Proficiency
2005-2006
100
100
75.7
78.7
80
65.3
60
40
20
Percent of Students
Percent of Students
82.1
73.5
80
65.0
60
40
20
0
CoTeaching
Candidate
(N=318)
One
Teacher
(N=934)
Traditional
Student
Teacher
(N=101)
χ² (2 df, N=1353) = 12.79, p = .002
0
CoTeaching
Candidate
(N=484)
One
Teacher
(N=1597)
Traditional
Student
Teacher
(N=160)
χ² (2 df, N=2241) = 12.54, p = 002
Math Proficiency
Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment
MCA Math Proficiency
2004-2005
MCA Math Proficiency
2005-2006
100
100
82.3
70.5
80
60
40
20
Percent of Students
Percent of Students
75.8
80
68.9
64.7
57.9
60
40
20
0
CoTeaching
Candidate
(N=317)
One
Teacher
(N=927)
Traditional
Student
Teacher
(N=105)
χ² (2 df, N=1349) = 8.31, p=.016
0
CoTeaching
Candidate
(N=524)
One
Teacher
(N=1660)
Traditional
Student
Teacher
(N=171)
χ² (2 df, N=2355) = 7.35, p=.025
Last facts to consider…
With the high stakes testing in Maryland
and across the nation, schools cannot
afford to have their “A-List” teachers
disengage from instruction.
With two teachers in the classroom, the
student-to-teacher ratio decreases;
making differentiation a reality.
Who supports co-teaching?
Your school district superintendent
Your administration
SU education faculty and students
The Maryland State Department of Education
BOTTOM LINE… PDS and co-teaching are not “SU
things”… they just make sense!
What does co-teaching look like?
Four basic models
1. Supportive Teaching one teacher is the lead
instructor while the other
teacher provides support for
individual students and
observes particular
behaviors.
Strategies: graze & tag, proximity, conferencing, strategic
pull-out, 1-on-1...
Co-teaching models continued…
2. Complementary Teaching when one co-teacher enhances the instruction
provided by the other co-teacher.
Strategies:
record & edit,
demonstrations,
simulations,
activity/lab
set-up & break
down,
technology
assistance,
modeling,
planted
question...
Co-teaching models continued…
3. Parallel Teaching when two or more people work with different groups
of students in different sections of the classroom.
Strategies: tiered instruction, stations, cooperative learning,
literature circles...
Co-teaching models continued…
4. Team teaching both teachers are
actively engaged in
instruction and
management of the
class.
Strategies: role playing, modeling, cooperative learning,
think-alouds, staged argument
Our PDS Website
Co-teaching
Tools
 Co-teaching SelfAssessment Checklist
 Co-teaching Issues for
Discussion & Planning
 Co-teaching Daily
Lesson Plan Form
 Co-teaching Daily
Lesson Reflection Form
Training benefits include…
a Salisbury University “Clinical
Mentor” designation and
certificate…
a $50 bonus each time you host a
SU intern for an 8 week, full-time
internship experience…
the satisfaction of knowing that
you are making the most of
classroom human resources.
Co-teaching in action!
DVD Discussion Questions:
 List 3 new strategies that you would be willing to
try that you viewed in the co-teaching video.
 What are your concerns?
 What benefits did you see?
Our PDS Website
For more information…
Please contact the Interim Regional
Professional Development Schools (PDS)
Coordinator for Salisbury University:
Sara Elburn
410.677.5042
sjelburn@salisbury.edu
References
Bing, J., Dunn, A., Veditz, J. (April 2007). A Royal Flush:
How to Maintain a Successful PDS Partnership.
Brown, J., Conners, K., Ennis, T., Gasior, P, Houghtaling, C.,
Johnson, J., Lutz, M.K., Siers, S. (April 2007). 21 strategies in
21 minutes: hands-on ideas for co-teaching in PDS
internship.
Conners, K., Gasior, P., & Siers S. (November 2006). Re-
inventing the student-teaching internship to maximize P12 student achievement.
Elburn, S., & Siers, R. (2007, June). The power of two:
Maximizing the collaborative experience - A
phenomenological study. Paper presented at the
Professional Development Schools Workshop, Salisbury,
Md.
References continued…
MidValley Consortium for Teacher Education (2000).
Partners for Student Achievement: A Co-Teaching
Resource Handbook.
http://coe.jmu.edu/esc/Consortium_Co-Teaching.shtml.
Towson University. Teacher Retention PDS Study, Phase 1
findings. Retention Class of 2001.
Thousand, J.S., Villa, R.A., & Nevin, A.I. (2006). The many
faces of collaborative planning and teaching. Theory
Into Practice, 45 (3), 239-248.
St. Cloud State University (2010). Teacher Quality
Enhancement Center.
Villa, R.A., Thousand, J.S., & Nevin, A.I. (2004). A guide to
co-teaching: Practical tips for facilitating student
learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Created by…
The Regional Professional Development Schools
Program of the Seidel School of Education and
Professionals Studies, Salisbury University