Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Well-Trained Mentors: The Missing Component Of The Comprehensive New Teacher Induction Program In The Silver Oak Area School, Daniel Bosnic

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

“If well-trained, competent, caring teachers were present in every classroom, we would witness a staggering increase in student achievement, motivation, and character improvement along with a marked decrease in discipline problems” (Breaux & Wong, 2003, p.22). If school districts do not take the initiative to design and implement effective induction programs with embedded mentoring, they are essentially setting their teachers and students up for failure. Regardless of educator training programs, new teachers are unprepared to face the diverse and challenging needs of education today (Bartell, 2005). All individuals entering education need assistance in applying their prior knowledge and experience to …

Mentee And Mentor Teacher Perspectives On The Effectiveness Of School-Based Mentorship In High-Poverty, Low-Performing Schools., Amanda Leigh Santos-Colon, Carlisha Smith Kent

College of Education & Human Development Capstone Projects

This capstone intends to seek a teacher’s perspective on the effectiveness of school-based mentorship in a high-poverty, low-performing school setting. The first study investigates the perspectives of new teachers, while the second study focuses on the perspectives of the mentor teachers. When new teachers complete the undergraduate program, they become certified teachers but have never actually had the opportunity to be alone in a classroom with up to thirty students. New teachers are often prepared to teach the curriculum but unprepared for the student behavior and classroom management. Furthermore, teachers may be assigned a mentor, but the mentor may lack …

Out Of The Shadows The Matriarch Rises: A Case Study Of Women Academic Deans At A Southern, Research One Institution, Jacob Lee Vaughn

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

This study examined the experiences of women in higher education as a career as well as the challenges women face in pursuing an appointment as Dean of a college. Selected participants were interviewed to gather data from their own narratives about the experiences and challenges as current women Deans in higher education. Each participant attributed their success to family support and proper mentoring, while highlighting institutional policies acting as a form of gendered oppression. Recommendations were suggested to higher educational representatives and legislators concerning the correction of the gendered environment favoring the advancement of men into a more equitable …

Investigating Transformation: An Exploratory Study Of Perceptions And Lived Experiences Of Graduate Teaching Assistants, Christina M. Partin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are becoming increasingly responsible for undergraduate instruction in the landscape of higher education. These experiences may serve as a pipeline for career readiness and success in faculty positions. Yet, the experiences of graduate teaching assistants are largely unexplored. This study describes the perceptons and experiences of a selected sample of GTAs, including their perceptions of available support, and the role of that support in navigating potential disorienting dilemmas.

Existing literature suggests that disorienting dilemmas lead to transformative experiences through an internal process of critical self-reflection, but neglects the possibility of differential outcomes to disorienting dilemmas. Further, …

Help! I'Ve Been Asked To Mentor A Robotics Team, Mary L. Stephen, Sharon M. Locke

SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

What Impact? Professional Learning In Timor Leste, Adeola Capel

International Developments

ACER’s work in Timor Leste is seeking to identify the impact of professional learning and mentoring on student learning outcomes over time, as Adeola Capel explains.

Developing An Internal Leadership Pipeline In Urban Districts: A Pathway To Capacity Building, Marnie G. Mckoy

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand how an urban school district designs and implements leadership development programs for internal candidates. The challenge of continuously developing a cadre of committed and qualified leaders is not new (Darling-Hammond, LaPointe, Meyerson, Orr, & Cohen, 2007). To maintain the high standards of instructional leadership and to continue sound practices in teaching and learning, school districts must think and move strategically to protect their investments in professional development and coaching, and to secure the future growth of its students and staff. The literature is clear and consistent on the elements of effective …

Working Together: Building K-12/College Mentor Partnerships To Support Students With Learning Differences, Tammy J. Graham, Renee N. Jefferson, Koy Mai, Christopher "Gage" Russell, Ashley Cannon, Mary Taylor

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

In an interactive discussion with audience members, presenters will share ideas for developing positive mentor-mentee partnerships between K-12 schools and colleges; discuss the impact of two recently established mentor partnerships, as well as perspectives from college student mentors and K-12 teachers of student mentees with learning differences; collaboratively examine data to discuss potential program adaptations; and provide mentoring activities that audience members can utilize.

Mentoring Graduate Student Staff In A Center For Teaching And Learning: Goals And Aligned Practices, Kristin Rudenga, Joseph Lambert

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Graduate student staff (GSS) positions, commonly used in centers for teaching and learning (CTL) to expand capacity and extend disciplinary connections on campus, also offer the potential for a meaningful developmental experience for the students who fill them. Drawing on the literature on graduate student mentorship, we lay out goals and aligned practices to inform the mentoring of GSS in CTL aimed at advancing their pedagogical, professional, and personal development. Such deliberate attention to mentoring in a CTL context can enhance the experience and development of the GSS themselves, as well as improve the work of the CTL.

Relationship Between Novice Teachers' Perceptions Of Mentoring Support And Job Satisfaction, Karen Nichola Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Low job satisfaction among novice teachers is a problem that has become a concern for administrators at school districts, advancing the need for effective mentoring and induction programs. Induction programs provide opportunities for collaborative relationships through mentoring support to address areas such as professional growth and development, teaching practices, and other challenges faced in the early years of novice teachers' careers. The purpose of this correlational explanatory study was to examine the relationship between mentoring support and novice teachers' job satisfaction at a school district in southern USA. Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory was the theoretical foundation for the study. The research …

The Effects Of Mentoring And Induction Programs And Personal Resiliency On The Retention Of Early Career Teachers, Lucinda Lett Leugers

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this research study was to examine the effects of K–12 early career teacher participation in a mentoring or induction program as well as personal resiliency on intention to teach next year and still be teaching in five years. Teacher retention has been an issue for over 50 years and is one of the least understood issues in the education profession. High teacher turnover rates are costly to districts and impact student learning. Teacher resilience is an emerging field and researchers are beginning to study teacher resilience to understand what enables some teachers to carry on in the …

Creating Conditions For Strong Mentoring, Melanie S. Pavao

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

In this article, the author identifies best practices for mentor selection, pairing, education and implementation of mentoring programs for new teachers in schools. These best practices include careful selection of mentors with strong communication and collaborative skills, mindful matching of mentor to mentee, mentor education that includes a focus on reflective practices and strategies to deal with philosophical differences between the mentor and mentee, and release time and financial incentives for mentors to new teachers. Then, the author compares this research to current state mentoring policies, noting that while in many states a lack of structural and financial supports for …

Inside The Mentors’ Experience: Using Poetic Representation To Examine The Tensions Of Mentoring Pre-Service Teachers., Sharon L. Mcdonough

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The supervision and mentoring of pre-service teachers during professional experience is complex work that requires a range of skills and capacities. Professional development for this work has traditionally been limited, however, and mentor teachers report experiencing tensions in their work stemming from their roles as both supporter and assessor of pre-service teachers. Despite the central role that mentors play in professional experience, their voices are underrepresented in the literature. In this paper, I draw on interview data to examine teachers’ experiences as mentors and the tensions they experience. I use poetic representation to illuminate the tensions and emotions of …

A Continuum Of Care: School Librarian Interventions For New Teacher Resilience, Rita Reinsel Soulen

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

School librarians occupy a unique position to offer supports for first year teachers to build resilience, reduce burnout, and ensure retention. The researcher used the psychology theory of resilience to develop the Continuum of Care model which initiates in mentoring and moves toward a collaborative partnership. Fifteen school librarians in one urban district recruited 26 new teachers in their schools to form the treatment group. All new teachers in the district were surveyed to establish their initial level of resilience and collect demographics. A comparison group of 26 new teachers were matched by scores on a resilience scale at the …

Developing A Partnership In Teacher Preparation Program Between Colleges, Universities And School Districts: A Policy Advocacy Document, Leah Gauthier

Dissertations

Teachers are leaving the profession at an alarming rate. Many are unprepared for the rigors of the job, and others become overwhelmed with new initiatives. This problem is due in part to school districts in Illinois not currently being a part of the teacher preparation accreditation process for colleges and universities. This policy advocates for creating that partnership. The findings indicate that doing so will build expertise for the new teachers and help them stay in the classrooms. This, in turn, will help improve student achievement.

Improving Induction Of New Preschool To 12th Grade Teachers Through Differentiated Induction Activities Tailored To Individual Teachers' Needs, Timothy Teehan

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the mixed methods pilot study, which used qualitative interview data and quantitative survey data, was to investigate the impact of providing induction activities tailored to individual teacher's needs on new preschool to 12th grade teachers in their first to fourth year of teaching. The district's attrition rate has been significantly higher than the 30% attrition rate experienced across the nation. This study asks: How can an individualized targeted multi-faceted induction program for teachers in the first to fourth year of teaching prepare individuals for the responsibilities of teaching? From the perspective of mentors, principals, and teachers in …

Importance Of And Satisfaction With Characteristics Of Mentoring Among Nursing Faculty, Jacklyn Gentry

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The nursing faculty shortage and its contributing factors have been well documented in the literature. Contributory factors include lack of graduate prepared faculty, difficulty recruiting and retaining faculty, and a decrease in job satisfaction within the faculty role. The use of mentoring programs has the potential to impact the nursing faculty shortage by increasing job satisfaction while providing novice faculty with additional support during the transition from clinical nurse to nursing faculty.

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between the importance of and satisfaction with characteristics of mentoring in full time nursing faculty teaching in baccalaureate …

Amplify Your Teaching Impact: Capitalizing On 1-On-1 Instruction, Abby D. Benninghoff

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The objective of this essay, which is based on a keynote presentation delivered at the 2016 Empowering Teaching Excellence Conference at Utah State University, is to address this central question: how faculty can make a positive, substantive impact on students through 1-on-1 instruction? The consensus answer derived from experiences and anecdotes offered by this author, her colleagues, and students is to be deliberate in 1-on-1 interactions with students. This simple message is expanded through discussion of 10 key concepts that can help faculty amplify their teaching impact: 1) be available, 2) help students feel comfortable, 3) be a model, 4) …

Students Taking A Right Stand – Male Youth Violence Prevention Through Positive Development And Role Modeling, Katie Dight, Rolanda Patrick, Corey Graham

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Cabarrus STARS is a comprehensive program designed to promote positive youth development for minority male youth through a combination of system-, group-, and individual-level services. Program staff will discuss the successes and challenges they experience in working with a variety of schools, students, and families. Ideal for student support staff and community-based organizations focused on adolescent health.

The Impact Of Instructional Coaching On The Self-Efficacy Of Beginning Teachers In The Facilitation Of Student Learning, Shannon White

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to examine the impact of instructional coaching on the self-efficacy of beginning teachers in the facilitation of student learning. Beginning teachers are still learning their craft when they enter the teaching profession. Research indicates that schools are losing beginning teachers before they have adequately developed their abilities. Many systems are providing support to beginning teachers through mentoring and instructional coaching. It is essential that schools support beginning teachers as they hone their abilities to facilitate learning in their classrooms. To best meet the needs of beginning teachers, an understanding of best practices for coaching needs to …

Learning From Rookie Mistakes: Critical Incidents In Developing Pedagogical Content Knowledge For Teaching Science To Teachers, Suleyman Cite, Eun Lee, Deepika Menon, Deborah L. Hanuscin

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

While there is a growing literature focused on doctoral preparation for teaching about science teaching, rarely have recommendations extended to preparation for teaching science content to teachers. We three doctoral students employ self-study as a research methodology to investigate our developing pedagogical content knowledge for teaching science to teachers during a mentored internship in an elementary teacher professional development program. With our mentor, we examine critical incidents in the experience that supported new insights about teaching teachers and about ways in which beginning teacher educators need to develop their existing pedagogical content knowledge for teaching science to students in order …

New Teacher Mentees' Perceptions Of Mentorship As An Assimilation Strategy, Konstance Laverne Grimble

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Attrition among new teachers with fewer than 5 years of experience was high in an urban high school in Texas. The high attrition rate is a problem for students, because high teacher turnover can result in teachers with low expertise. In this study, the conceptual framework used was Hord's professional learning community (PLC) model, which emphasizes trust and a utilization of a cycle of inquiry among colleagues to prepare lessons and assessments that affect student achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine new high school teachers' perceptions of assimilation techniques used by their mentors in the new teacher …

High School To College Transition Among Black Males: An Action Research Project, Orval Albert Jewett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A participatory action research project involving social workers as stakeholders from high schools and the local community college in Nassau County, New York, provided the basis for an inquiry that addressed the effectiveness and implementation of clinical social work practice with Black male students transitioning to community college from high school. This study addresses how clinical social work practice may be utilized to enhance the experience of the transition process for Black male students from high school to college. Through the use of a qualitative in-depth interview process, 16 school-based social workers provided professional perspective and expertise that resulted in …

Raising The Curtain: Investigating The Practicum Experiences Of Pre-Service Drama Teachers, Christina C. Gray, Peter R. Wright, Robin Pascoe

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The practicum is internationally recognised as a valuable component of teacher education. It is an opportunity for pre-service teachers to develop teaching skills in authentic ways and pursue professional inquiry into practice. While extensive research has been conducted into the practicum generally, little research focuses on the practicum experience for pre-service drama teachers. This article, investigates the preparation of drama teachers for the profession with a particular focus on the practicum component of pre-service education. Drawing on the experiences of 19 pre-service drama teachers from a Western Australian university, focus-groups were conducted in order to scope the key components of …

A Teacher's Journey: A Phenomenological Analysis Of The Lived Experience Of Beginning Teachers, Wanda Margarette Brubaker

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study was concerned with the challenges beginning teachers face when they enter the field of education. Through the use of reflective practice, beginning teacher personal reflections of experience were recorded and analyzed to discern particular experiences that present as the most challenging to these novice educators.

Reflective practice and experiential learning theories are used in this qualitative phenomenological study. This study includes reflective practice as first introduced by master theorist John Dewey, considered by many to be the father of reflection in education, and theorist Donald Schon. Dewey (1944) recognized reflection as an active and intentional action and further …

Becoming A Teacher Leader Within Your Classroom: A Dialogue, Jill Stacy, Nayantara Mhatre

Occasional Paper Series

Describes a spontaneous relationship that has equal measures of mentoring, peer coaching, and teaming.

Introduction: Teacher Leaders - Transforming Schools From The Inside, Gil Schmerler

Occasional Paper Series

Describes the issue's purpose, which is a "modest attempt to restore the issue of teacher leadership to the prominence it deserves and requires" -- author.

A Content Analysis Of Images Of Novice Teacher Induction: First-Semester Themes, Jennifer R. Curry, Angela W. Webb, Samantha J. Latham

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

The powerful nature of novice teachers’ experiences in their first years of teaching has been well documented. However, the variance in novices’ initial immersion in the school environment is largely dependent on perceived personal and professional support as well as the environmental inducements that lend to novice teachers’ success in the classroom. For the purposes of this study, 72 participating novices, who were participants in an alternative certification program, drew representations of their current teaching environments. Of the 72 initial participants’ pictures, 58 were used in this content analysis. The interrater analysis involving multiple documentation of codes between and among …

The Stem Teacher Enrichment Academy : Evaluating Teachers’ Approaches To Implementing Stem Education In Secondary School Contexts, Judy Anderson

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Amidst calls for a greater focus on STEM education in schools, attention is inevitably drawn to the quality of teaching and to appropriate means of supporting the teaching workforce so that more young people are engaged and interested in STEM subjects. This presentation describes the development and implementation of a STEM Teacher Enrichment Academy at the University of Sydney, and presents some of the outcomes from teachers’ efforts to implement STEM education across a variety of school systems. The findings draw on survey and interview data from two cohorts of participant teachers and their STEM mentors as they progressed through …

A Multiple Case Study Analysis Of Mentor-Mentee Perception Of The Effectiveness Of Self-Disclosure In The Field Experience, Khaled Ismail Alnajjar

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

During the field experience, the mentors and preservice teachers share personal and professional experiences on a daily basis. This process of information sharing is seen critical to the mentoring relationship development and preservice teachers’ learning to teach. This qualitative study investigates the mentor-mentee perception of the effectiveness of self-disclosure in the field experience. Data was collected from two mentor teachers and three preservice teachers through three different phases and via triangulated sources: semi-structured interviews, direct observation, and focus group interview. Moreover, the findings were reported based on the three themes that are related to research questions: topics and purposes of …