MLTAV Mentoring Project Project Manager: Kylie Farmer PL@mltav.asn.au Project Goals To match Languages teachers in their first 5 years of service with accomplished teachers of Languages to provide high quality assistance with all aspects of the beginning teachers’ work. To use the Professional Standards for Accomplished Teachers of Languages & Cultures to reflect on the teaching and learning of Languages and develop an investigative stance to: Improve student outcomes Use evidence and data to improve and measure impact and guide improvement To facilitate effective mentoring through: Collegiate classroom visits Innovative use of ICT Support from project manager Project Timeline Date Activity 1 May Workshop 1@ MLTAV Conference 2015 -Registration & 1 day CRT funds provided Collegiate Classroom Visit -1 day CRT funds provided OR 1 day registration @ AFMLTA Conference May 2016 Workshop 2 @ MLTAV Conference -Registration & 1 day CRT funds provided Dec 2016 Conclusion of project Presentation of Certificates @ MLTAV AGM Online collaboration Ongoing Mentoring Assists teachers in reflecting on their work and improving their practice. Allows the individual needs of the new teachers to be met in a timely and relevant manner and guides their progress to demonstrate the Standards of Accomplished Teaching of Languages and Cultures As beginning teachers experience the full range of responsibilities of the teaching role, the mentor as a professional and critically supportive colleague assumes greater importance. Principles of Effective Mentoring Mentoring is a two way relationship that continues over time (not a coaching exercise). Both teachers bring many skills and much knowledge to the relationship that can enrich and develop both teachers’ practice. The process should be guided by the Beginning Teacher’s professional learning needs and concerns. The mentor is there to help Beginning teachers identify their professional learning needs and help find positive and effective ways to support that learning. Commitment to the process and to “meeting” on a regular basis to discuss concerns, to plan and work through suggestions for developing professional practice and to celebrate achievement is essential. The capacity and willingness of mentors to listen, to ask questions, to challenge and share critical professional knowledge often determines the effectiveness of the mentoring relationship. The rich professional dialogue and opportunity to investigate and articulate elements of professional practice with other teachers is empowering and leads to very sound professional learning. Characteristics of Successful Mentoring Roberts’ (2000) review of mentoring research found that successful mentoring has the following characteristics: A supportive relationship A helping process A teaching-learning process A reflective process A career developing process A formalised process Source: More Leaps (AFMLTA) AITSL Convention – Feb 22 2012 Fred Brown, Learning Forward, US Standards based PL Changes in educator knowledge, skills and dispositions Changes in student results Changes in educator practice Professional Standards Links AFMLTA Professional Standards for Accomplished Teaching of Languages & Cultures http://pspl.afmlta.asn.au/doclib/Professional-Standards-forAccomplished-Teaching-of-Languages-and-Cultures.pdf AFMLTA Professional Standards for Lead Teachers of Languages & Cultures http://afmlta.asn.au/mldocuments/Professional%20standards%20 for%20lead%20teachers%20of%20languages%20and%20cultur es.pdf AFMLTA Language Specific Annotations of the Professional Standards http://pspl.afmlta.asn.au/standards.html Professional Standards Aligned AFMLTA Lead and Accomplished Standards aligned with AITSL Standards Chinese: http://www.lls.edu.au/teacherspace/assets/uploadResources/tm12a/ AFMLTA_AITSL_Standards_alignment_v3_FINAL.pdf Japanese: http://www.lls.edu.au/teacherspace/professionallearning/2073 Indonesian: http://www.lls.edu.au/teacherspace/assets/uploadResources/challen ges/PL%20modules/AFMLTA%20Alignment%20of%20Indonesian% 20standards%20Combined_VL6.pdf Why Professional Standards? Professional Collaboration Framework to guide Professional Learning Resource for Professional Review Processes A retirement goal? TASK Look at the “Aligned Standards” document to facilitate a conversation and help you get to know each other a little more – you, your school and your students Focus on the Graduate column of AITSL Standard 3 then refer to the left hand column to see if the AFMLTA Standards provide some useful detail specific to the teaching of Languages which helps you identify possible areas of improvement AITSL Illustrations of Practice http://www.teacherstandards.aitsl.edu.au/Illus trations/Details/IOP00152 Many more also available More video clips also available on the Independent Schools Victoria website: http://is.vic.edu.au/teachers/learning/innovati on.htm The process of mentoring The process involves making decisions about: The context The goals of the mentoring program The activities that will be undertaken Evidence that will be collected Reflection & re-framing Documenting/reporting the process, outcomes and reflection Source: More Leaps (AFMLTA) Collaborative Inquiry Model This model acknowledges that: All participants have knowledge to bring The knowledge that participants bring may vary because of different experiences and this is valuable Inquiry – questioning, challenging through collaborative, constructive, respectful dialogue is crucial Planning your Investigation See sample investigations provided Select one from samples or modify/ develop your own Plan to implement between now and May 2016. You may then decide to start a new project or to continue the current one. Keep focus of investigation narrow and “GO DEEP” rather than trying to do too much and only making surface level changes! Resources to support your investigation Language Learning Space Lls.edu.au Teaching & Learning Languages: A Guide http://www.tllg.unisa.edu.au/examples.html ICT – archived webinars http://mltav.asn.au/index.php?option=com_co ntent&view=article&id=350&Itemid=100134 A-Z to Language learning resources 01. Animation (stop-motion) 02. Blogs 03. Cartoon dialogues 04. Collaborative spaces 05. Digital images 06. Digital story telling 07. E-books 08. EduSTAR software 09. Film making & green screens 10. Flashcards / vocabulary lists 11. Foreign films/subtitles 12. FUSE (DEECD) 13. Games . 14. Guides/phrase-books 15. Learning objects 16. Online dictionaries 17. Online media - radio, TV, newspapers 18. Podcasting 19. Proficiency testing 20. Pronunciation correction tools 21. Quizzes 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. Robotics (Bee Bots) Screen casting Self-paced language courses Social networking Songs and lyrics Translation (online) tools Ultranet Video conferencing Video dialogues Virtual classrooms Virtual trips / streaming webcams Virtual worlds (see Games) Vodcasting VOIP (Skype) Vokis / Avatars Web conferencing Web presentations & slideshows Web quests (see games) Wikis Word clouds/Word walls DEECD eBook available on FUSE: https://fuse.ed ucation.vic.go v.au/?SB9L8N 19 Collaborating throughout your investigation Share your journey/your questions and your ideas on our collaborative space throughout the project: Mltavmentoring.weebly.com Plan your next meeting together: Collegiate classroom visit Decide on date and focus of visit Decide on venue – either school of mentor/mentoree or neutral venue (eg. LMERC / MLTAV office – Carlton) OR meet at the AFMLTA Conference on 10th or 11th July, 2015 Melbourne University Exchange email and phone details with your mentor/ mentoree Contact Details Kylie Farmer – PL@mltav.asn.au MLTAV – ph: 9349 5759 Mentoring has forced me to be reflective about my own beliefs about teaching, students and learning, and teaching as a career, (and) continued contact with mentees provides some of my richest collegial interactions. Teacher mentor quoted by Huling & Resta 2001, p2