New Teacher Induction Creates Opportunities for Success

It’s an Attitude!

Progressive school districts view the responsibilities associated with the induction of new teachers as essential. The true beauty of the Michigan School Code’s policy is in its vagueness. Paraphrased, the code states, “For the first three years of employment in classroom teaching, a teacher will be assigned by the school to one or more master teachers, college professors, or retired master teachers who will act as mentors. Schools also will provide 15 days of intensive staff development, above and beyond regular teacher in-service.” It offers a jumping off point for districts to create truly comprehensive teacher induction programs. Unlike some states that require specific mentoring models, Michigan allows each district to create the model of induction that fits its concepts and practices of teaching and learning.

The essential components found in most comprehensive induction programs consist of conscious placement of new teachers, orientation, staff development workshops, mentoring, and coaching.

Avoiding Potential Pitfalls Through Conscious Placement of New Teachers

When a new teacher is hired, he or she should be carefully placed for optimum student success and teacher growth. According to Mary Patterson in the article “Hazed” in Educational Leadership, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), May 2005, there are many potential problem areas to avoid when it comes to placing new teachers. Some of these include placing teachers:

• With more than two preparation periods.
• Into mainly 9th grade courses in schools in which these are the most challenging courses to teach.
• Into mainly entry-level courses (such as Spanish I, Introduction to Biology, and Algebra I).
• Into more than one classroom.
• Into new courses with little or no developed curriculum.
• Late, such as at the end of summer or after the school year starts.
• Without an adequate supply of books for their students.
• Into a classroom located away from the classrooms of other members of their department.
• As leaders of time-consuming clubs.

The Importance of Orientation Events for New Teachers

Orientation events provide new teachers with an overview of the district’s buildings, personnel, services, and culture. Often these introductions take place on a day right before school starts, when hiring has been done and most new teachers are available. Assigned mentors may or may not accompany their protégé on these occasions. Important areas to cover in an orientation session include:

• Giving new teachers a bus or walking tour of the district’s buildings and geography.
• Providing and explaining a flow chart of personnel.
• Introducing new teachers to fellow staff members, while describing the services that each provides.
• Providing copies of classroom teacher texts, curriculum handbooks, book study texts, and other materials.

Staff Development Expectations for New Teachers

The Michigan School Code requires districts to provide new teachers with 15 days of additional staff development within the first three years of their provisionary period. Districts with an induction model carefully plan the content and intent of those 15 days.

The intent of staff development in these early years needs to be based on carefully envisioned results for each new teacher embarking on his or her career. Therefore, the content of the 15 days of staff development must match the intentions and expectations of each district. Districts might include the following intentions of focus during the first two years of induction:

• New teachers reach their teaching potential as quickly as possible to ensure student success. To reach this goal, focus on survival skills, setting up the classroom, management routines, discipline plans, lesson planning, teaching to an objective, and problem solving.
• New teachers become aware of teaching and learning expectations for curriculum, positive school culture, a wide variety of instructional tools, and professional responsibilities. To reach this goal, focus on the Michigan Curriculum Frameworks/Grade Level Content Expectations; Michigan Standards for Teachers; A Framework for Teaching by Charlotte Danielson; Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy; Multiple Intelligences from Howard Gardener; cooperative learning; and dealing with parents through school events, parent-teacher conferences, newsletters, school Web sites, etc.
• New teachers use a variety of assessment tools and reporting procedures. To reach this goal, focus on grading practices.
• The staff will become a community of reflective adult learners. To reach this goal, focus on reflective practices; protocols for examining work, lesson study, extensions, and correctives; self and group monitoring; habits of mind; and cognitive coaching.

Building a Community of Reflective Learners

Incorporating new teachers as members of a school’s community of reflective learners is an important step toward ensuring a positive learning environment. Self-reflection activities can include asking a new teacher to bring artifacts from his or her classroom representing areas such as curriculum, instruction, student work samples, and methods of communication with parents. Including activities and conversations for debriefing and reflecting at every staff development session also goes far in helping new teachers. Design these activities to be conducted with grade level groups and vertical teams of new teachers. Use protocols for conversations and journal writing to ensure safety, participation of all teachers, reflection, and adjustments, not just class discussion.

Dana VanderBos, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction at Jenison Public Schools, says that running comprehensive induction training for new teachers benefits everyone involved by fostering positive relationships.

“Because all K-12 teachers, along with specialists, participate in the program, a more comfortable vertical relationship has developed across the district,” VanderBos said. “In addition to personal friendships, a greater sense of professional appreciation and understanding has grown among staff at all levels. Observing a high school science teacher seeking out his elementary second-grade colleague is heartwarming...and significantly contributes to increasing district moral.”

Building Positive Relationships

The mentor/mentee relationship builds trust and collegiality, increases habits of reflection, opens classroom doors for observation by everyone, and increases the distribution of useful materials and strategies.

Cyndi Frakes, a kindergarten teacher at Vicksburg Community Schools, says there is certainly a give-and-take relationship between the mentor and the mentee.

“The mentors empower the mentees with their experiences,” she said, “and the mentees empower the mentors with new life.”

Marcia Miazga, a language arts teacher at Vicksburg Community Schools, agreed, adding that mentoring is a way to contribute in a meaningful way to the profession.

“Yes, it’s all about kids, but it’s also about strong and fulfilled teachers,” she said. “Guiding and encouraging new teachers is valuable beyond measure.”

New teachers grow best when they receive observation and feedback from several sources. The goal of supplying a mentor is to provide the new teacher with a veteran go-to person. When a mentor observes a new teacher, both benefit from the experience. Principals and assistant principals can use walk-through observations as informal opportunities to view the new teacher’s skills and provide feedback, in addition to the evaluation process. Consistent observations and conferences build confidence, increase use of district programs, and create an open-door climate. The payoffs of a comprehensive mentoring program are numerous.

A program for new teachers based only on the state requirements will most likely result in a program that is stiff and unresponsive to new teachers’ needs. With a clear vision and comprehensive induction program, however, educators will blossom in their art. When a structure of experiences for new and veteran teachers to discuss and reflect on their practices is created, districts greatly increase their ability to meet teacher needs and, more importantly, the needs of students.

For more information, contact: Pat Wilson O’Leary, Instructional Specialist, Vicksburg Community Schools, (269) 321-1038, patwo@vicksburg.k12.mi.us or Annette Smitley, Mentor Coordinator, Vicksburg Community Schools, (269) 321-1120, asmitley@vicksburg.k12.mi.us.

TOP of Page