Browsing by Subject "Mentoring in education"
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Item Exploring an alignment focused coaching model of mathematics professional development: content of coach/teacher talk during planning and analyzing lessons(2007) Bradley, Janice; Empson, Susan B.This exploratory case study examines an alignment-focused coaching model of mathematics professional development during a school district's second-year implementation of the coaching model. Specifically, the study describes the content of coach-teacher talk as five coach-teacher pairs, grades K-8, engage in planning and analyzing mathematics lessons. Using an alignment framework designed around the components of curriculum, instruction, and assessment to analyze talk, four patterns unfold. Issues of curriculum, instruction, and assessment were more often discussed in isolation than interconnected, mathematics was most often the content focus when teacher and/or coach were using the state standards document to plan, student thinking and learning were most often a focus when students were struggling, and teachers often talked about instruction as actions isolated from student thinking and learning. In addition, teachers reported changes to instruction as an outcome of participating in coaching. Self-reported benefits to teachers' practice included planning lessons that focused on student learning, that is, considering the mathematics in the standards and ways students would learn the content. Teachers also reported asking "better questions" more often and in different ways, using models such as manipulatives and representations for connecting mathematics ideas, thinking more about student learning, and analyzing and scrutinizing textbooks to align with the state standards.Item Functional feedback : a cognitive approach to mentoring(2001-12) Garza, Rubén; Black, Mary S.The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine feedback from multiple sources received by beginning alternative certification teachers, enrolled in an alternative educator certification program at Education Service Center, Region XIII, during their initial year in the classroom. This study examined the feedback provided to the novice teacher by the mentor, this researcher (in the role of supervisor) and two clusters of the Teacher Activity Profile (TAP) instrument. The comments provided to the beginning teacher were examined to determine if there was consistency between the feedback from the various sources, to classify the feedback into categories, and to analyze the written feedback for elaboration and precision. Data were collected from 20 beginning teachers, their respective mentors, and the supervisor. Data included mentor consultation and observation reports, supervisor consultation reports, and two performance clusters of the TAP assessment tool. Qualitative methods were utilized to chunk, sort, manage, xi categorize, and classify emerging themes and patterns into five major categories. Five major categories emerged: (a) classroom climate; (b) positive reinforcement; (c) rules, procedures, and routines; (d) classroom management; and (e) instructional strategies I and II. The five categories also included critical attributes that described teacher behaviors in each respective category. In addition, the critical attributes were then identified as general or precise to determine what type of feedback appeared to be more specific to the beginning teacher. There was more corroboration between the feedback provided by mentors and the supervisor. The feedback afforded to the beginning teacher from multiple sources revealed a major emphasis on classroom management and instructional strategies, with instructional strategies containing the most critical attributes. The findings also identified those critical attributes that seemed more likely to contribute to the growth and professional development of novice teachers. These findings may assist instructional leaders, administrators, supervisors of student teachers, supervisors of alternative certification teachers, field observers, mentors and institutions that prepare teachers, in recognizing the potential precise and accurate feedback has in influencing the instructional performance of beginning classroom teachers.Item Impact of a mentoring program on beginning Hispanic teachers(2004) Salinas, Ignacio; Scribner, Jay D.This study examined the impact of a mentoring program on beginning Hispanic teachers in a low socioeconomic, predominately limited-English-proficient (LEP) district in South Texas. The purpose of the study was to determine what components of a mentoring program, if any, impacted first or second year teachers during the first year with the district, and how the mentoring experience impacted the beginning Hispanic teachers decision to return for a second year to the profession and/or the district. The framework of the study was established through a literature review that included an investigation of several statewide programs in the nation and Texas Beginning Educator Support System, known as TxBESS in Texas. The study used a survey to gather both quantitative and qualitative data. The survey was sent to identified participants in one school district in South Texas. The school district distributed and collected survey forms for the researcher. The survey asked respondents to prioritize components of the mentoring program as to relevance to their first-year teaching experience. There were also questions concerning their decision to return or not to return for the second year in the profession. Demographic information was collected from the respondents to create two groups from the respondents. One group was made up of beginning Hispanic teachers with TxBESStrained mentors and the other group was made up of beginning Hispanic teachers who were assigned mentors without TxBESS training. The researcher used a Likert Scale instrumentation to determine rating scores, and also included open ended questions at the close of each section of the survey. This information was analyzed and summarized. Then, generalizations and recommendations were made to the district about the mentoring program in place, as well as, adding to the body of work in the field of mentoring. Four major components of an effective program emerged from the data analysis. These components included (1) sharing of information support and assistance between mentors and beginning Hispanic teachers, (2) importance of time in a mentoring program, (3) the need for frequent contact between mentors and beginning Hispanic teachers, and (4) the emotional support and assistance received by the beginning Hispanic teacher by the mentor. These components were matched to findings from other studies and the research available on mentoring programs. Information from this study should provide the reader with an opportunity to investigate mentoring program components and the feasibility of implementation of a mentoring program at the district level.Item A phenomenological case study of mentoring outcomes : benefiting the mentor in student development, self-esteem, and identity formation(2007-12) Conrady, Lara Lee, 1977-; Somers, Patricia (Patricia A.)This qualitative study sought to provide a list of outcomes that mentors have as a result of being involved in a service-learning course over the course of one academic semester. The service learning course, Leadership in the Community, requires the enrollees to serve as a mentor to a local middle school student. Specifically, this study examined the mentoring outcomes of student development, self-esteem, and personal reflection. Data included semistructured interviews, researcher observations, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE), mentor journals, and personal reflection papers. Twenty-one participants were included in this study. An analysis of the data sources illustrated how each participant experiences mentoring and its outcomes and was informed using literature on mentoring, self-esteem, student development, and service-learning including: Maslow (1976), Chickering and Reisser (1993), Boyer (1990), Kram (1985), and Rosenberg (1965). In summary, this study's purpose was to identify mentoring outcomes and how participation in a service- learning course can contribute to changes in student development, self-esteem levels, and personal reflection. This study found that participants enrolled in the course for specific reasons, which included (a) forming relationships, (b) providing hope and promoting personal development, and (c) modeling goal setting. In regards to self-esteem development, the Leadership in the Community course provided the participants with a positive support system, a forum for sharing personal accomplishments, and an outlet to serve the local community by serving as a mentor. The participants displayed the ability to personally reflect about themselves and their mentoring experience in classroom interactions, mentor journals, interviews, and personal reflection papers. Themes and patterns noted in the participants' personal reflection were reflections about (a) personal growth, (b) identity formation, (c) past experiences, and (d) experiences with their classmates. This study suggests that service-learning courses that require mentoring as an enrollment requirement provides participants with an opportunity to develop as a student and as a person by contributing to the local community, increasing self-esteem, and reflecting upon one's past experiences. This study also makes a contribution to the literature by examining the mentoring relationship from the mentor's perspective. This departure from the existing literature on the mentoring relationship provides a new perspective for future research.