How to Conduct an Effective
Mentor/Intern Co-teaching Forum
PDS Liaison Workshop
Worcestor Room GUC
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Ron Siers, Jr.
Expectations & Goals
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How to promote and secure time for the Forum from
Principals.
Augment collaborative and communicative skills
Learn the importance of value congruency for mentors
and interns
Learn why co-teaching & co-planning are effective
pedagogy
Learn what mentors and interns need and want
Conceptualize the roles of the mentor
Discover a new liaison tool kit
Acquire resources, information and confidence for
delivering a quality mentor/intern forum at your PDS
Have fun, laugh, learn and eat
Stockdale Paradox (Collins, 2001)
• All Good-to-Great Organizations embrace the Stockdale
Paradox. What is it and how does it apply to my role as a
PDS Liaison?
• You must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will
prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties, AND at the
same time have the discipline to confront the most brutal
facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.
Growth Opportunities
• Data Analysis (Mentor & Interns) revealed that
miscommunication and a lack of understanding of roles
and expectations were major causes of problems during
the Internship.
• How can we improve interns’ and mentor teachers’
common understanding of roles and expectations during
the Internship?
• How can we improve communication between interns,
mentor teachers and university faculty during the
internship?
• Thus…
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Thus…
Administrative Buy-In
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Meet individually with Principal
Present Co-Teaching data & value of the Forum
Use multiple methods of providing information
(i.e. PP, handouts, newsletter, website, etc.)
Provide on-going updates to Principal as the
program is implemented.
What Principals Can do to Promote CoTeaching and the Forum
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Publicly share rationale for Co-Teaching and the Forum
(Benefits for K-12 students, Mentors & Interns)
Share academic achievement data from St. Cloud study.
Provide opportunity for Co-Teaching pairs to give
updates (i.e. faculty meetings, newsletter, website).
Allocate PD time for education on Co-Teaching
Provide time for Co-Teaching pairs by relieving them of
non-instructional duties.
Educate school and community members about the PDS
partnership & success of Co-Teaching.
Now …The Forum 2013
Relationship Building
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One Liaison will role play an Intern
One Liaison will role play a Mentor
Pair Communication
Discuss & Determine
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What type/frequency of communication
would we like to have with each other
during the internship?
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How will we ensure regular
communication with each other during the
internship?
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What is the best way to give each other
feedback during the internship? (RSSE)
Pair Communication
Discuss Responses to the Following
Co-Teaching Statements
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I am comfortable telling my Co-Teacher what I
need.
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I find it difficult to express my opinions when
my Co-Teacher doesn’t share them.
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I tend to postpone discussing touchy topics
with my Co-Teacher.
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I find it important for tasks to be clearly defined
and distributed when Co-Teaching.
Pair Communication
Discuss Responses to the Following Personal
Statements
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I am comfortable being told by others what they
need from me.
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I express my opinions, even if others disagree
with me.
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I become defensive when I am being criticized.
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I am able to resolve problems without getting
emotionally intoxicated.
Millennial Generation
Millennial Expectations & Technology (Carter, 2012)
Millennial Generation
• Generation X
• Boomer Generation
• Traditionalist Generation
1982 – 2013 (79 million) (Interns)
1961 – 1981 (Small Cohort) (Mentors)
1943 – 1960 (80 million) (Mentors)
1925 – 1942
Millennial Interaction with Multiple Technological Resources
• Unfamiliar with life before networking technologies.
Consider themselves to be technologically savvy (Carter,
2012).
• No experience with life before cell phones, instant
messaging, Internet applications, Facebook, Twitter, IPods,
IPhones, IPads, & handheld technologies (Howe & Strauss
2000; Raines, 2003, Carter, 2012).
• Learning occurs through social collaboration.
• Social networking & Social negotiation are the norm (Howe &
Strauss, 2000; Carter, 2012).
Values & Self-Discovery Exercise
Values & Self-Discovery Exercise
1) Quickly go through the handout and place an x in the
appropriate column for each value.
2) This is a personal activity and there are NO right or
wrong answers.
3) It doesn’t matter if it is something that you currently
possess or do or if it is something you want to improve
on. If it is important, place an X in the column.
4) Now, only look at the X’s you placed in the “Very
Important” column.
5) Choose 3 that represent the values that are most
important to you at THIS moment, realizing you choices
do not define you for life.
6) Reflect & then discuss your reflections with your coteaching partner.
Triangular Personal Value Congruency
(Siers, 2013)
Thoughts or
Dreams
Words
Actions
Communication is the Key to a
Great Co-Teaching Partnership
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Chit Chat
Deeper Communication & Uncomfortable
Issues
How Do You Toss Your Slippery Eggs?
Be Careful That You Do Not:
• Save your “slippery eggs” for a long time and hurl them!
• Throw your “slippery eggs” hard & fast because you
can’t hold on to tough issues!
• Avoid people so that you don’t have to toss your
“slippery eggs.”
• Wrap your “slippery eggs” in so many layers of
expectations & apology that no one is sure you have
tossed them.
Communication: Learning to
Address Difficult Issues
• Mentors & Interns will alternate Role-Playing the
individual issues on the next slide.
• 1 minute for each issue.
Outstanding Co-teaching Award Recipients
Communication: Learning to
Address Difficult Issues
Mentor Teacher Issues With Student Interns
• Lateness
• Personal Hygiene/Body Order
• Unrelated Work During School Day (Text, Twitter, Facebook, Iphones, etc)
• Grammar Issues
• Classroom Management Issues
Student Intern Issues with Mentor Teachers
• Lack of Specific Feedback
• Inappropriate Use of Co-Planning Time
• Unwillingness to Allow Intern to Try New Ideas or Methods
• No Individual Space in the Classroom/Gym
• Stepping In Too Much and Too Soon
Collaboration Self-Assessment
Tool (CSAT)
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1 Minute Partner Discuss: What is the Difference between
Cooperation & Collaboration?
Collaboration: A philosophy of interactions with the
focus on the process of working together (Myers, 1991).
Cooperation: Stresses the Product of such work (Myers,
1991).
Individuals become more effective collaborators by
evaluating their role in the process.
Nancy Bacharach
Teresa Heck
Kathryn Dahlberg
Teaching Challenges:
Why Co-Teach
• Landmark research in 1996: 50% of new teachers
leave the profession within the first 5 years of teaching
(Darling-Hammond & Schlan, 1996)
• Clinical Experiences are Needed that allow interns to
learn from expert modeling of practice alongside
teachers who show them how to teach in ways that are
responsive to diverse learners (Darling-Hammond,
2006)
• Co-Teaching Model has great promise for transforming
the educational landscape (Bacharach, Heck, &
Dahlberg, 2010)
WHAT IS CO-TEACHING?
It is an attitude: we are both teaching
Definition of Co-Teaching
• Co-Teaching is defined as two teachers
working together in a classroom with groups of
students; sharing the planning, organization,
delivery and assessment of instruction as well
as the physical space.
• Both teachers are actively involved and
engaged in all aspects of instruction.
(Bacharach, Bergen-Mann & Washut Heck, 2010)
Sharing Responsibility
Communication is the Key for:
• Co-Planning
• Co-Instructing
• Co-Assessing
Nancy Bacharach
Teresa Heck
Kathryn Dahlberg
St. Cloud’s Initiative
• October 2003-2008 - 5 year U.S. Dept. of Education
Teacher Quality Enhancement Partnership Grant
• Looked at co-teaching in student teaching
• Collected 4 years of data (qualitative and
quantitative)
• Training and support for cooperating teachers and
university supervisors
Bacharach, N., Heck, T., & Dahlbeg, K. (2010). Changing the face of
student teaching through coteaching. Action in Teacher Education,
32(1), 3-14.
Type of Student Teaching
Reading Proficiency
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Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA)
Compares Traditional and Co-taught student teaching settings
Statistically significant in each year with sufficient data (3 of 4)
Significance between co-taught and traditional student teaching highlighted
Co-Taught
One Licensed
Teacher
Traditional
Student
Teaching
P
OVERALL
(4 Year Cumulative)
78.8%
67.2%
64.0%
(N=1461)
(N=6403)
(N=572)
< .001
Free/Reduced Lunch
Eligible
65.0%
53.1%
49.5%
(N=477)
(N=2684)
(N=222)
Special Education
Eligible
74.4%
52.9%
46.4%
(N=433)
(N=1945)
(N=179)
English Language
Learners
44.7%
30.7%
25.8%
(N=76)
(N=515)
(N=31)
MCA Reading
Proficiency
< .001
< .001
.069
Type of Student Teaching
Math Proficiency
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Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA)
Compares Traditional and Co-taught student teaching settings
Statistically significant in each year with sufficient data (3 of 4)
Significance between co-taught and traditional student teaching highlighted
Co-Taught
One
Licensed
Teacher
Traditional
Student
Teaching
P
OVERALL
(4 Year Cumulative)
72.9%
63.7%
63.0%
(N=1519)
(N=6467)
(N=597)
< .001
Free/Reduced
Lunch Eligible
54.2%
47.3%
45.7%
(N=513)
(N=2778)
(N=232)
Special Education
Eligible
72.0%
54.7%
48.9%
(N=472)
(N=1906)
(N=180)
English Language
Learners
30.5%
28.8%
26.8%
(N=118)
(N=671)
(N=41)
MCA Math
Proficiency
.032
< .001
.656
Co-Teaching Benefits for Students:
Co-Teaching Benefits for Students (K-12)
Percent Responding
N=1,686
More help with questions
79.7%
Different Styles of teaching
68.9%
More individual attention
66.4%
Get two-perspectives
65.8%
Teachers build off each other
60.3%
More creative lessons
51.2%
Assignments graded & returned faster
50.9%
More energy between teachers
46.1%
Better discussions
45.0%
More in-depth knowledge
43.1%
No benefits
4.0%
Co-Teaching Drawbacks for
Students
Co-Teaching Drawbacks for Students (K-12)
Percent Responding
N=1,686
No drawbacks to co-teaching
57.6%
Confusing with two explanations
18.8%
Confusing who to go to
13.5%
Grading issues
13.0%
Contradicting information
11.6%
Teachers interrupt each other
8.8%
Intern too dependent
8.3%
Co-Teaching Benefits for
Student Interns
Co-Teaching Benefits for Student Interns
Percent Responding
N=249
Improved classroom management skills
92.4%
Increased collaboration skills
92.0%
More teaching time
90.0%
Deeper understanding of curriculum through coplanning
89.2%
More opportunities to ask question and reflect
88.6%
Increased confidence
88.4%
Co-Teaching Benefits for
Mentor Teachers
Co-Teaching Benefits for Mentor Teachers
Percent Responding
N=326
More help for students with high need
94.5%
A better relationship with student intern
92.3%
Professional growth through co-planning
90.5%
Enhanced energy for teaching
89.0%
Ability to host intern without giving up classroom/gym
87.1%
Co-Teaching Myths & Realities
Co-Teaching Myths & Realities
• Myth 1:Interns must be left on their own to
sink or swim.
• Reality 1: Interns are supported to become a
licensed professional.
• Myth 2: Co-Teaching inhibits the development
of classroom management skills.
• Reality 2: Support given so Interns can
eventually take the lead.
Co-Teaching Myths & Realities
• Myth 3: Interns do not get enough solo
teaching time with Co-Teaching.
• Reality 3: Interns must have opportunities to
teach alone. This must be demonstrated.
• Myth 4: It take too much time to Co-Plan.
• Reality 4: True in early stages. Yet, deeper
understanding leads to increased academic
performance.
Co-Teaching Myths & Realities
• Myth 5: SI who Co-Teach will never have full
responsibility of the classroom.
• Reality 5: SI will lead the planning, organization,
assessment, and human resources.
• Myth 6: Co-Teaching does not provide “real world”
experience.
• Reality 2: Diversity requires Interns to be able to CoTeach with Special Education, ELL, Title 1 teachers,
as well as paraprofessionals.
Co-Teaching Myths & Realities
• Myth 7: Co-Teaching does not work at the
secondary level.
• Reality 7: Effective for larger classes and
greater diversity of classes.
• Myth 8: Co-Teaching can only work if both
have the same teaching style.
• Reality 8: Interns must be able to partner with
different styles and respond appropriately.
Increased Intern Self-efficacy
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Transformational Mentor Teachers positively
impact the Self-Efficacy of Student Interns
during the Internship experience in
Professional Development Schools (Siers & Gong,
2012; Gong & Siers, 2011)
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Positive impact in efficacy in classroom
management, instructional strategies, and
student engagement (Siers & Gong, 2012; Gong & Siers, 2011)
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p< .05
Translation…
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Co-teaching matters
Co-teaching works
Co-teaching is good pedagogy
Co-teaching affects student outcomes
SU Co-Teaching Pedagogy
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 pullout, 1-on-1...
Co-teaching models continued…
2. Complementary Teaching when one co-teacher
enhances the instruction
provided by the other coteacher.
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
What is Your Role?
Intern or Mentor?
MENTORING
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? WHAT DOES IT
FEEL LIKE?
A mentor is someone who shows you the ropes, helps you in your journey and
guides you through the rough parts. What are some key qualities of a strong and
supportive mentor? Independently, construct your own list. Identify 8-10
characteristics of an effective mentor.
1.
6.
2.
7.
3.
8.
4.
9.
5.
10.
Working as a team (mentor teacher/intern) share your lists. Merging your thoughts
and ideas, list the top 4-5 characteristics of an effective mentor.
• Interns with Interns
& Mentors with
Mentors
• Independently list
characteristics
• Mentor/intern
partners share list
• Discuss as a whole
group
• Big idea- What
kinds of things
should a mentor
teacher do?
1.
2.
3.
45
INTERNS
• Interns with Interns &
Mentors with
Mentors
• Independently list
characteristics
• Mentor/intern
partners share lists
• Discussion as a
whole group
• Big idea – What are
the qualities of an
intern ready to
improve her/his
craft?
Like a mentor teacher, interns who are going to have a positive experience and grow
as a professional possess certain haracteristics. What are some key characteristics of
a strong and professional intern? Independently, construct your own list. Identify 810 characteristics of a strong intern.
1.
6.
2.
7.
3.
8. c
4.
9.
5.
10.
Working as a team (mentor teacher/intern), share your lists. Merging your thoughts
and ideas, list the top 4-5 characteristics of a strong intern.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Student Intern Focus Group Data
Monday, March 25, 2013
Successful Student Intern
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Flexible
Organized
Possess Classroom Management Skills
Honest
Knowledgeable **
Listens to Feedback and Advice
Punctual
Takes Initiative **
Student Intern Focus Group Data
Monday, March 25, 2013
Successful Mentor Teacher
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Flexible **
Caring
Gives Honest Feedback **
Experienced
Helpful & Supportive
Open Minded
Organized **
Mentor Teacher Focus Group Data
Monday, June 3, 2013
Successful Student Intern
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Self-Motivated
Takes Initiative & is Proactive **
Holistic view of Teaching
Sees a Career rather than a Job
Knowledge of Pedagogy **
A Passion for Content & Teaching
Challenges the Status Quo
Mentor Teacher Focus Group Data
Monday, June 3, 2013
Successful Mentor Teacher
• Flexibility & Realistic **
• Provides Space for Lead Role in Teaching: Proper
Balance
• Model the Way
• Well-Planned & Organized **
• Give Honest & Open Feedback & Communication **
• Determine Personal Value Congruency
Phases of Teaching
(Moir, 1990; Siers, Elburn, & Ramey 2012)
Anticipation
Efficacy
Change/Loss
Anticipation
Anxiety/Euphoria
Reflection
Confidence
Improves/Competence
Week 8
Week 7
Week 6
Critical
Week 4
Week 3
Week 2
Week 1
Disillusionment
Inadequacy/Competence
Rejuvenation
Feedback/New
Awareness
Week 5
Survival
Confusion/Clarity
Conceptualizing the Roles of Mentor
Teachers During the Internship
(Butler & Cuenca, 2012)
Take 1 minute with your partner and discuss the following
statements. Be prepared to share with the whole group.
1. Collaborative Dissonance between University & Field-based
Teacher Education (PDS sites) is more the norm than the
exception. True or False?
2. Mentoring the student intern is an idiosyncratic affair, & the
mutual anxiety is further exacerbated between teacher
educators who claim mentor teachers are not “progressive”
enough and mentor teachers who claim university faculty are
not “realistic” enough. True or False?
Conceptualizing the Roles of Mentor
Teachers During the Internship
(Butler & Cuenca, 2012)
• Experts of Practice
• Apex of the Teaching Community
• Play a Highly Influential Role in how Student Interns understand the
work of teaching
• Lack of Clarity in research on The Mentor’s Role
• Perception of Clinical teacher education as an uncomplicated and
self-evident activity
• Little guidance on effective mentoring practices
• Conceptualization is based around their own experiences as
students, student interns, in-service teachers, unique school
contexts, & individual dispositions for teaching
• Mentoring is a socially constructed practice
• A lack of common language between the university & field-based
teacher education.
• 3 Conceptual Categories can provide purpose & goals for the
internship experience
Mentor as Instructional Coach
(Butler & Cuenca, 2012)
• Assisting in the development of the “craft” of
teaching.
• Observe & evaluate instructional practice
• Provide Constructive Feedback
• Model effective pedagogy
• Help student interns reflect on their experience in
order to gain insights on their teaching skills.
Mentor as Emotional Support System
(Butler & Cuenca, 2012)
• Help the Student Intern move past the fears of
uncertainty.
• Helpful rather than Evaluative
• An Ethic of Care & of Being There (Siers & Elburn,
2008, Phenomenological Study)
• Trust
• Collaboration
• Consistent Communication
• A needed Catalyst to Teacher
Learning
Mentor as Socializing Agent
(Butler & Cuenca, 2012)
• Powerful influence in shaping student intern
perspectives & practices.
• Interns lack practical knowledge regarding the “daily
grind of teaching.”
• Clarity of Purpose
• Formal & Informal requirements & resources in
teaching
• Can be positive or negative
• Conform & Penalize Innovation or
• Challenge the Status Quo
(Siers & Gong, 2012)
References
Bacharach, N., Heck, T., & Dahlberg, K. (2010). Changing the
the face of student teaching through coteaching. Action
in Teacher Education, 32 (1), 3-13.
Badiali, B. & Titus, N. (2010). Co-teaching: Enhancing student
learning through mentor-intern partnerships. School-University
Partnerships, 4 (2), 74-80
Butler, B & Cuenca, A. (2012). Conceptualizing the roles of mentor
teachers during student teaching. Action in Teacher Education
34 (4), 296-308.
Collins, J. (2001). Good to great: Why some companies make the leap…
and other don’t. New York, NY: Harper Collins.
Conners, K., Siers, R., Jenne, J., Brown, M., Booth, M., & Outten, C.
(2011, September). “High maintenance” interns and the challenge
of pds sustainability. PDS Partners 7 (2), 13.
Gong, T., & Siers, R. (2011). Linking transformational
leadership to student teacher’s efficacy: Contributions of
mentor teacher’s leadership behaviors. Academic
Leadership, 9 (1)
References
Moir E. (1991). A guide to prepare support providers for work with beginning
teachers: Training module. New Teacher Success: You Can Make a
Difference. Riverside, CA: California Department of Education and
Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
Siers, R., Elburn, S., & Ramey, C. (2012, September). The internship
journey through the lens of the student interns. PDS Partners 8
(2), 2-3.
Siers, R., & Gong, T. (2012). Examining the effects of mentor teacher’s
leadership practices and levels of interaction on student intern
efficacy in professional development schools. School-University
Partnerships, 5 (1), 63-74
Siers, R. (2011, May). Challenging the status quo in professional
development schools: Mentor teachers’ impact on student intern
efficacy. PDS Partners 7 (1), 4-5.
Siers, R. (2009). Teacher leadership. In D.W. Hammond & J. Buffone (Eds.),
Your first years of teaching: Beginning a journey of excellence
(pp. 117-119). Salisbury, MD: Seidel School of Education and
Professional Studies.
References
Teacher Quality Enhancement Center, College of Education (2010). Mentoring
Teacher Candidates Through Co-Teaching: Collaboration That Makes a
Difference. St. Cloud, MN: St. Cloud State University.