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13 Ways
of Providing TIME for Mentoring
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© Barry Sweeny, May 1994
NO RELEASED TIME?
Some mentoring programs do not provide any released
time for the mentors and proteges who work in their program. When
this is the case it is often because there are few expectations
placed on the mentoring pair. Typically these programs only expect
work on orientation and friendly support of the proteges.
If there are expectations for mentoring that go
beyond orientation and friendship, then the program must provide
the time during the school day for the mentoring pair to interact.
You will not attain the results you desire if you do not provide
the time to work toward those results. For example, how can instruction
improve if there is no opportunity to view and provide feed back
on actual instruction.
Certainly there are some other ways of collecting
classroom data (as described below) besides actual, on-the-spot
observation, which will limit the costs of teacher released time,
but there will also be limited benefits captured by using only
these means.
OTHER RELEASED TIME OPTIONS - require
a financial commitment to some extent. The cost is worth it, however,
because these options maximize the potential of mentoring for
new teachers and the students in the classrooms of both the new
and mentor teachers and MINIMIZE the disruption to instruction
and students' learning. The approaches listed below ensure that,
despite releasing a mentor and new teacher, the students still
have one of their regular teachers providing the leadership and
a continuity of instruction for students.
A. MENTOR & PROTEGE TEAM TEACHING:
Assign the new teacher and the mentor to one classroom
with 30 students. or to two adjacent classrooms with 45 students.
The two teachers coordinate their schedules and class planning,
sometimes jointly teaching, or dividing to groups for instruction,
or providing whole group instruction. The mentor is able to provide
leadership, experience and modeling in both classrooms. The new
teacher can work jointly with the mentor when learning new curriculum,
strategies, etc, and can work independently when that is appropriate.
Peer observation and coaching can be almost continuous. The mentor
could be assigned to work with 2-4 other new teachers in addition
and the new teacher in the original team can cover the full assignment.
B. ONE MENTOR & TWO PROTEGES IN TWO CLASSROOMS:
There are times when more than one new teacher is
hired for a grade level or department. In this case a single mentor
can be assigned as a third teacher in both of these two classrooms.
Team and individual teaching, small group and combined classes
are all possible instructional formats. When one or both new teachers
need extended assistance, planning, observation and coaching,
a substitute can be provided to help with supervision and the
other new teacher can arrange to lead instruction and maintain
continuity.
C. GRADE LEVEL OR DEPARTMENT TEAM MENTORING:
The mentoring of the new teacher in a department
or grade level is assigned to the whole teacher team at that grade
level or department. The individual experienced teachers discuss
and volunteer for specific mentoring roles and tasks based on
their strengths and the needs of the new teacher. If the new teacher
establishes an especially close relationship with one or two of
the team members they can assume greater roles by agreement. If
released time is needed it can be easily arranged by the team
covering the teaching assignment while the new teacher and one
of the team observe and coach, visit a second classroom, or meet
for long-term planning.
D. ONE CLASSROOM-TWO MENTORS:
One mentor teaches one half day in the morning,
the other mentor teaches in the afternoon, both in the same classroom.
Joint planning at lunch ensures continuity.
E. PROVIDE A SUB BUDGET:
Each mentoring pair is provided a specific number
of days each year which they can use to access substitutes as
they need for conferences, observation, joint staff development,
and joint planning. Two half days a month is typical.
F. VIDEO TAPE THE LESSON:
This approach can save a lot of costs but should
not be over used, or used to the exclusion of actual classroom
observation. The teacher may set up a camera in the back or on
the side of the classroom, and just leave it on for the appropriate
time period to capture the teaching and student interactions.
The tape can be viewed later by the protege, and by the mentoring
pair to form the basis for their analysis of the lesson.
The limitations of this method are that the camera
cannot zoom in on specific activities of students or the teacher
so there will be events, writing, objects, facial expressions
and other things which can not be seen on the finished tape. Also,
the camera can not move to follow teacher or student activities.
In other words the video is better for capturing static, up front
teaching than a classroom where learners and teachers are active
and engaged.
G. PROVIDE A COMMON PLAN PERIOD:
Although this is not always easy to do, making common
planning periods a priority means that mentors and new teachers
can do their work as a mentoring pair at a much reduced additional
cost because the time for conferencing and joint planning is available
daily. A great deal of mentoring and a great deal of growth and
modeling will occur during that common time. The only remaining
cost is trhe actual time to observe each other teaching.
H. PROVIDE A COMMON LUNCH PERIOD:
While not as desirable or helpful as a common planning
period, a common lunch period can allow for some mentor-protege
interaction on a routine basis, and that's good. The more opportunities
the mentor and protege have to interact on a daily basis the more
accelerated will be the protege's learning and professional growth.
However, common periods are only useful fro some mentoring purposes.
There are other mentoring purposes, such as observation of teaching,
which still require some released time for the mentoring pair.
ADDITIONAL OPTIONS FOR SECONDARY
MENTORING :
I. REDUCED TEACHING LOAD:
Some districts provide released time for mentoring
by reducing the teaching load of the protege and mentor by one
class, For maximum benefit this reduced class should be during
the same class period or at least be on the supervision, planning
or lunch period of the other member of the mentoring pair. in
this way the actual taking of lunch or the planning can be shifted
to a different period to create common mentoring time.
J. ALLOW MENTORING TO COUNT AS THE SUPERVISION
PERIOD:
Some districts provide released time for mentoring
by eliminating the requirement of a supervision period or a study
hall supervision assignment. Such a change recognizes that mentoring
is a contribution to the school community at least as important
as hall or study hall supervision.
K. PROVIDE A COMMON SUPERVISION PERIOD
Although this is not as desirable as a release from
supervision duty it is a help. It is not always easy to do either,
but making common supervision periods a priority means that mentors
and new teachers have some increased opportunities to do part
of their work as a mentoring pair at no increased cost.
L. REDUCED NUMBER OF PREPARATIONS:
This option essentially trades reduced work for
mentoring work. Usually the option reduces the "home"
work required of both the new and mentor teacher during "beyond
the school day" time by simplifying the teaching assignment
of the two teachers. An example is changing a teachers schedule
from 3 periods of US History, 2 periods of World History and 1
period of World Cultures, to 3 periods each of US History and
World History, eliminating the extra preparation required for
teaching World Cultures. This option should also include some
released time for peer observations and coaching.
M. PROTECTION FROM EXCESSIVE NUMBERS OF CHALLENGING
STUDENTS:
This approach is one way of limiting the time that
a mentor will have to spend on dealing with the problems of routinely
unruly students, such as attending staffings, making parent calls,
parent conferences, and staying after to supervise detentions
in the mentor's own classroom. This increases the ability of the
mentor to meet with the new teacher and to do the mentoring.
