Mentoring Programs

ALUMNI NOVICE TEACHER MENTOR PROGRAM

MISSION STATEMENT

The School of Education Alumni Mentoring Academy has been developed to provide a comprehensive three-year induction program for novice teachers. It creates a forum for dialogue and an exchange of ideas and experiences. The academy will provide guided professional growth opportunities for using data-driven assessment and 21st century teaching skills to promote K-12 student achievement. Additionally, it will create a network of support for our graduates and establish a continued collaborative relationship with the University and its resources.

We offer a three-year novice teacher induction mentoring program which began in August 2011 for newly hired Monmouth University School of Education graduates.

The program will offer Web-based support as well as on-campus professional development.

For more information please contact the School of Education Dean’s Office at 732-571-7558.

MEMBERS OF THE ALUMNI NOVICE TEACHER MENTORING STEERING COMMITTEE INCLUDE:

• School of Education Administrators
• School District Administrators
• School of Education Faculty and Clinical Faculty
• Teachers
• Teacher Mentors

ALUMNI NOVICE TEACHER MENTORING ACADEMY LAUNCHES SECOND YEAR

Monmouth University's School of Education Alumni Novice Teacher Mentoring Academy for newly hired Monmouth University School of Education graduates met on Thursday, September 27, 2012. This was the first of four mentoring sessions scheduled for the 2012-2013 school year.

The September 2012 session focused on issues of concern identified by the novice teachers including meeting the needs of special needs students and working with parents and school support staff to enhance student success. First year teachers engaged in vision building activities designed to cultivate their passion and clarify their motivation for teaching. Facilitators for this session were Elinore Delaney, Clinical Faculty supervisor for student teaching, and Pat Heaney, Director of Field Placements. Second year academy members collaborated with facilitator Linda Foster, Mentoring Coordinator, to develop a framework for professional portfolios incorporating a personal vision statement, critical reflection on a teaching episode, a case study, and analysis of a unit plan.

Future mentoring academy sessions are scheduled for Thursday, January 13, 2013 and Thursday, May 2, 2013 and will focus on the needs and interests of the participants based upon feedback from the novice teachers. We encourage all Monmouth University Alumni who are interested in becoming members of the Academy (whether or not they have attended previous sessions) to contact soeevents@monmouth.edu or (732) 571-7518 for a registration form. There is no fee for membership in this academy.

The November 15th workshop has been cancelled and will be rescheduled.

MENTORING FOR

EARLY FIELD COOPERATING TEACHERS

Click Image to Download Presentation

All cooperating teachers who mentor Monmouth University early field candidates are provided with guidelines regarding requirements and expectations. These are further delineated in the Cooperating Teacher Handbook provided to each mentor teacher.

The candidates’ on-site field experiences are jointly planned and evaluated by the cooperating teacher and university faculty in order to ensure that teacher candidates are supported in building their professional knowledge through guided practice in real-life situations. In partnership districts, university faculty members consult with teachers and administrators and provide mentoring or staff development, engage in research activities, and interact with teachers on site during candidates’ field experiences. This on-going collaborative dialogue involves discussions regarding pedagogy and practice. Clinical supervisors act as a liaison between the cooperating teacher and the School of Education for learning environments that do not have a faculty member or administrator on site.

Mentoring professional development sessions provided by our Mentoring Coordinator are offered to districts without faculty on site. These sessions are based on the November 2010 recommendations of the NCATE Blue Ribbon Panel on Clinical Preparation and Partnerships for Improved Student Learning and emphasize the importance of integrating clinical preparation through every facet of teacher education in a dynamic way. Our goal is to create a professional learning community among the stakeholders in which teacher candidates can learn how to share knowledge and resources as part of a learning community, develop the skills and dispositions associated with teamwork, have opportunities to make decisions and develop and test skills in controlled situations, and practice analyzing student needs and adjusting practice to affect student learning using student performance data (quantitative, qualitative, and action research) while receiving continuous monitoring and feedback from mentors.

The School of Education also provides a Fall Literacy Symposium and a spring symposium for area teachers, administrators, counselors, reading specialists, and Monmouth University students. Nationally recognized educational researchers, textbook authors, and children’s book authors present at the conferences. Many professional development workshops are also provided. Cooperating teachers are encouraged to attend.

MENTORING FOR

STUDENT TEACHING COOPERATING TEACHERS

Click Image to Download Presentation

All cooperating teachers who will mentor Monmouth University student teachers are invited to attend a mentoring workshop facilitated by the Mentoring Coordinator and Director of Field Placements early in the appropriate semester. This session offers an overview of our conceptual framework, mission, requirements, and expectations. These are further delineated in the Student Teaching Handbook provided to each mentor teacher. Information regarding the development and implementation of the Teacher Work Sample (a unit of instruction based on the backward design model conceptualized by Wiggins and McTighe and prepared by each teacher candidate as part of the student teaching experience) is provided, and the cooperating teachers are given an opportunity for reflection and discussion regarding the mentoring process. Some additional mentoring sessions are held in partnership districts to accommodate teachers who are unable to attend the on-campus mentoring session.

PEER ADVISING MENTOR PROGRAM (PAM)

The School of Education (SOE) Peer Advising Mentor Program (PAM), which began in 2009, is available to Freshmen and Sophomores majoring in Education. PAM creates a helpful relationship among these students with current SOE Juniors and Seniors who are selected to serve as the peer mentors.

The mentors assist students by providing insight into their experience and knowledge base as successful School of Education students. Our Junior and Senior mentors provide their mentees (Freshmen/Sophomores) with personalized guidance and information regarding their specific education programs and K-12 school-based experiences, as well as Monmouth University social and academic information. School of Education faculty provide mentors guidance and support as needed.

The PAM Orientation kicks off the program each academic year, during which introductions are made and all mentors and mentees meet, share, and socialize.

This is a wonderful opportunity for not only the mentors who gain valuable leadership skills and enhance their resume/portfolios, but also the mentees who will successfully enter into their career oriented courses and field experiences in the local schools with confidence and knowledge.

Freshmen and Sophomores can complete an online application to request a mentor during the beginning of the fall semester.

For additional information, please send an e-mail to pam@monmouth.edu or contact one of the coordinators of the program, Jenifer Joyce and Janis Marcus.