-
EXAMPLE
- One District's New
Teacher Orientation Program
Important Comments by Barry Sweeny
- This is the text from an actual school district document for
their newly established Novice Teacher Orientation Program. I
would expect that this plan is driven largely by the district's
sense of what novices need to know, and not much of the research
on what those same novices say THEY feel they need. This is not
to suggest that district priorities should be ignored. District
staff know much that novice teachers have not yet learned, but
soon will learn as they begin to teach. Rather, the issue is that
one perception is insufficient for effective planning, since,
at the very least, the district has made it's plans assuming that
novices will agree with the priorities, feel engaged in the activities,
and find them worthwhile.
I am confident that the planning group will be disappointed
with novice teachers' evaluations of the experience. Essentially,
the planned content "front loads" a lot of information,
probably information that novices can not yet value, due to their
lack of experience. Although many such topics should be addressed,
they must be conducted as something other than "presentations",
as stated here. The plans need to acknowledge the possibility
that leaners will not be ready to learn these topics and that
theur interest must be earned. Also, the plans need to provide
engaging activities which allow novices to explore what other
past novices have found were their unknown needs. Novices need
activities in which they can discover why the planned topics should
be viewed as crucial for teacher and student success. Case studies,
second year teacher testimonials, or panel discussions should
be used to prepare the novices and help them become ready to learn.
Finally, those topics which are not essential for
early teacher success should be postponed until novice teacher
staff development meetings at the end of each month throughout
the year. Then is the time when classroom experience will have
taught novices what is really needed. Also, such an approach allws
mentors and their proteges to get into the classroom and prepare
for the opening of school. THAT is a priority which all novices
will strongly sense.
Never-the-less, this program plan is presneted here
to assist YOU in reflecting on YOUR orientation program. To what
extent might you be making some of these same mistakes? To what
extent do you assume that your past programs have been "well
received" by participants? Do you have data collected both
before and after the orientation to assess what novices feel is
needed and their reactions to what is provided?
If you want novice teachers to adapt instruction
to the needs of individual students in their classrooms and meet
individual students' needs, then YOUR program needs to SAY that
and MODEL that IN the program and "instruction" YOU
provide to those novice teachers. THEN you will have earned the
right to expect it of them, because they will know what excellent
instruction looks like.
The Someplace School District
Novice Teacher Orientation Program
Participants
It is anticipated that approximately sixty (60)
licensed staff members will begin their first year of teaching
with the Someplace Schools on September 4th this fall. The Someplace
School System is planning to have a three-day Orientation Program
for its beginning teachers, with their mentors attending one full
day to engage in activities with the novice teachers to which
they are assigned. Participants will be drawn from the entire
school district.
Goals and Objectives of Orientation
The overall goal of this orientation is to encourage
novice teachers to approach problem-solving of ongoing classroom
challenges in the context of their strengths and the requirements
of public education.
Specifically, the novice teachers will leave this
session able to:
- identify their goals and objectives as they approach their
first year of teaching
- articulate the New ABC's of Public Education in our state
- identify their own classroom organization and management
strategies
- plan at least one integrated lesson using authentic assessment
- specify the requirements for enhancing their teaching effectiveness
as it relates to National Board Certification, and
- identify benefits and professional resources that accrue
from their employment with the Someplace Schools.
Activities
Prior to planning the activities, recent participants
in the novice teacher process were surveyed in order to gain knowledge
of the areas they felt needed stressing in a program of this nature.
The results of this survey and opinions of administrators gathered
through interviews, along with the requirements of the Model New
Teacher Orientation Program, were used to plan the activities.
The program in Someplace has been planned for three (3) days,
July 29th through 31st. The mentors will participate on July 31st.
Someplace's plan involves the novice teachers in
a wide variety of activities during these three days. The main
focus of the program will be toward organizational and instructional
strategies, parent conferencing, assessment and evaluation, classroom
management and student motivation, National Board Certification
issues, the new ABCs of Public Education, and integrating the
curriculum. A plan has been specifically designed to offer a meaningful
schedule of activities centered around these focus areas. A detailed
schedule of the planned activities is listed below:
Someplace Schools - Model
New Teacher Orientation Program
| Tuesday,
August 29 |
novice
teachers only |
Speaker |
| 9:00- 9:15 AM |
Welcome |
Superintendent |
| 9:15-9:30 AM |
Introductions and Overview of Activities |
Director of Personnel |
| 9:30 -10:00 AM |
Refreshments and Social Time |
|
| 10:00-10:45 AM |
Community Orientation |
Director of Community Schools |
| 10:45 - 11:45 AM |
Education Initiatives in Our State |
Director of School Improvement |
| 11:45 AM -1:00PM |
Lunch |
|
| 1:00-2:00 PM |
Behavior Management and Student Motivation |
Director of Human Resources Development |
| 2:00-2:10PM |
Managing Two Important Things: Your Time
and Your Stress Level |
Director of Human Resources Development |
| 2:10 -3:10 PM |
Break |
|
| 3:10-3:30 PM |
Daily Wrap-Up |
Director of Personnel |
Wednesday
August 30 |
novice
teachers and mentors |
Speaker |
| 8:30-10:15 AM |
- Curriculum and Instructional Issues
- Familiarizing Yourself with the CBC
- How to Maximize Student Learning
- Classroom Organization
- Effective Evaluation of Students
- Integrating the Curriculum
|
The Someplace Schools Curriculum and Instruction
Department & Asst. Supt for C & I |
| 10:15-10:30 AM |
Break |
|
| 10:30-12:00 Noon |
Continuation of the Curriculum and Instruction
Issues Session |
Someplace Schools C&I Department |
| 12:00-1:00 PM |
Lunch |
|
| 1:00-3:30 PM |
Novice teachers and mentors report to
their individual schools for site orientations |
Coordinator, Principal and Mentors |
Thursday,
August 31 |
novice
teachers only |
Speaker |
| 8:00-8:30 AM |
Review of Central Office Services |
Director of Personnel |
| 8:30-9:15 AM |
New Teachers and the Law |
Assistant Superintendent |
| 9:15-10:15 AM |
Parental Involvement and Effective Parent
Conferencing |
Assistant Superintendent |
| 10:15-10:30 AM |
Break |
|
| 10:30-11:00 AM |
Staff Development Issues - Individual
PD planning requirements |
Director of Human Resources |
| 11:00-12:00 Noon |
Someplace School's Observation and Evaluation
Process |
Director of Personnel |
| 12:00-1:00 PM |
Lunch |
|
| 1:00-1:30 PM |
- Licensure Issues
- * Performance-Based Licensure
- * National Board Certification
|
Director of Personnel |
| 1:30-2:00 PM |
Review of Employee Benefits |
Director of Personnel |
| 2:00-2:20 PM |
Finance Issues - What You Should See On
Your Check! |
Director of Finance |
| 2:20-3:00 PM |
Bloodborne Pathogens and Hazardous Communications |
Director of Health Services |
| 3:00-3:30 PM |
Question and Answer Session |
Moderator, Assistant Superintendent |
| 3:30 PM |
Ice Cream Social and Wrap-Up |
|
The schedule should help meet the needs of the
novice teachers involved because it was planned around ideas given
by recent first-year teachers in Someplac School Districte. It
is also a reflection of the areas of needed staff development
that are typically identified by those involved with beginning
teachers across the state. Although Someplace Schools has, in
the past, planned specific activities for novice teachers, this
opportunity will provide a concentrated effort specifically designed
to assist the first-year teachers in assessing their initial readiness
for their first year in the classroom and to introduce them to
new ideas and strategies as they begin to plan for their first
students.
Continued Support
The Someplace School System plans to use this orientation
as a springboard to initiate two specific programs. First, the
system plans to seek funds on an annual basis to continue the
same type of program each summer. We concur with the philosophy
of the Model New Teacher Program and plan to make every effort
to conduct a similar program for first-year teachers at the beginning
of each school year.
Secondly, plans are in place to continue to conduct
quarterly meetings throughout the year with novice teachers and
their mentors, and to use these meetings to focus on similar topics
covered in the activities planned for this proposal. In Someplace,
separate quarterly meetings are held for three groups; novice
teachers, mentors, and novice teacher Coordinators. Continual
and constructive guidance throughout the year will only serve
to make the beginning teachers' experience more positive and successful.
As a result, those students who are taught by these teachers will
hopefully have a greater opportunity for improvement.
Evaluation
During the wrap-up session on Thursday, August 31st,
the novice teachers involved will have the opportunity to evaluate
the activities in three ways.
- First, a discussion about the positives and negatives of
the three-day event will be conducted. Openness will be encouraged,
with the novice teachers and the presenters actively engaging
in the discussion.
- Secondly, the novice teachers will have the opportunity
to evaluate the program in writing, using a written evaluation
form, where they will be encouraged to openly list strengths
and weaknesses of the activities as they perceive them, and
to make suggestions for future sessions.
- Third. they will also be encouraged to remain involved in
the evaluative process of the program by sending suggestions
or ideas at any time.
A meeting of program presenters will also be conducted
the week after the program is completed. At this meeting, those
involved will discuss the activities, evaluate the components,
and begin to make plans for future orientations and the quarterly
sessions.