an increased confidence of both language teacher and student in the classroom
evidence of increased and more effective use of the target language in the classroom and outside in the playground (and in other lessons!)
more willingness of students to volunteer responses in French
an increased number of students indicating they wish to continue with French next year
a greater understanding by students of the relevance of French in “their world”
How?
At my school there is:
Meaningful MentoringMerryl Wahlin
Languages Consultant K-12
AISNSW
Background
Aims
- Provide professional learning opportunities for experienced and early career language teachers
- To promote quality languages teaching and learning
Focus
- Mentoring relationship
- Languages pedagogy
Funded through Schools Language Program (SLP) and NALSSP
Run in 2010
Overview of the mentoring initiative
Pairing of mentors and protégés (10 pairs in 2010)
Range of languages
Metropolitan and regional schools
Committments
1 day PD
2 days visiting each other’s school
Regular contact between visits (email, phone)
1 day debriefing workshop
report
Protocols for mentors and protégés
Be punctual.
Dress appropriately for the school you are visiting.
Observe confidentiality.
Be genuinely present.
Demonstrate genuine commitment to the process.
Maintain the communication.
The mentoring experience is a finite one; any continuation of the relationship would be determined by the interest of each party.
Mentoring is…
Unobtrusive A negotiated set of professional experiences Sharing professional practice Stimulating professional growth Bringing good practice to the fore in realistic
context Observing the action, noting and synthesising
key insignts Possibly an opportunity for team teaching An opportunity for the enhancement of one’s
language skills
Mentoring isn’t… Intrusive. An opportunity for the protégé to feedback to the mentor. A place for making judgement about the other school. An audition for employment. The precursor to an ongoing relationship. An opportunity to obtain resources created by the other
person. An opportunity for someone else to teach your class. An opportunity for someone else to do your work. A place for sharing about colleagues. A place for personal disclosures. Delivering perfected lessons.
Mentor’s role (adapted from Fogarty 2001)
Experience: reveal depth of understanding; encourage and model metacognition
Expertise: share knowledge; demonstrate skills
Energy: collaborative efforts; maintain momentum
Empathy: listen; care
Encouragement: clarify goals – what teaching skills do you need to observe? Troubleshoot concerns; help set priorities
Enthusiasm: share stories; catch the teachable moments; cheer
Protégé’s Role
Experience: deepen understanding; become more metacognitive
Expertise: share knowledge; demonstrate skills
Energy: collaborative efforts; maintain momentum
Empathy: listen; care
Encouragement: clarify goals – what teaching skills do you need to demonstrate? Troubleshoot concerns; help set priorities
Enthusiasm: share stories; catch the teachable moments; cheer
Professional standards for accomplished teaching of languages and cultures
Educational theory and practice
Language and culture
Language and pedagogy
Ethics and responsibility
Professional Relationships
Awareness of wider context
Advocacy
Personal characteristics
Linking to “our” Professional Standards
• What does each standard mean? What does it look like in your classroom/school?
• Engage with the questions for reflection for each standard
• How do you rate your capability in each of the professional standards?
Goal setting
Using the professional standards, identify three goals on which you would like to focus during your mentoring experience.
At least one goal must be drawn from language pedagogy.
SLOTH goals vs ISMART goals
Setting goals
SLOTH Goals
S Somewhat vague
L Lack commitment
O Open ended
T Timid
H Hard to achieve
Source: Australian Growth Coaching 2009
Setting Goals
I SMART
I Inspiring
S Specific
M Measurable
A Achievable
R Results driven
T Time bound
Source: Australian Growth Coaching 2009
Practical procedures for observing a lesson
Unobtrusive positioning
Efficient note taking, no recording
Observe but not contribute unless clearly invited to do so
Avoid disrupting the lesson, e.g. mobile phone
It is a priviledge to be invited in to someone ‘s class
Feedback
The purpose of the feedback session is to clarify underlying strategies and issues
Opportunities for feedback should be made as often as possible during the two days of each visit
Periodic feedback, not detailed deconstruction
Good, clear questions can be prepared during observations
Both parties need to be succinct and focused on the purpose of the feedback
Effective feedback – honesty with sensitivity
Respectful and skillfully framed questions can help maximise gains from feedback.
Ask open ended questions.
Ask questions that reflect active listening and synthesising for underlying meaning, e.g. ‘Are you saying that….’
Base questions on behaviours or events observed, e.g. ‘I noticed when you …. Was there a specific reason for that?’
Be succinct.
Limit the use of ‘why’ questions as they can evoke responses that are defensive or abbreviated. Consider:
- beginning the question with ‘What was the reason for…..’ or ‘What made you ….’
- framing the question as a statement such as ‘That was an interesting strategy you used when…’
Taking Action: Action Learning
Tools
Observation format
Sample goals
Action plan
Progress report (online survey)
Final report
Meaningful MentoringObservation ToolDate: Context:
Professional Standard(s) Related Questions:to be observed:
ISMART GOAL(S)
Key Elements to be observed
EvidenceSuggestions/
Comments/Follow up questions
Sample pedagogy goal
SLOTH Goal
I want my students to use better grammar
ISMART Goal
By the end of the year I design effective tasks that allow my Year 10 students to accurately apply the past tense in a variety of authentic contexts - both in writing and speaking
Action Plan
Element ActionsT/L experiences
EvidenceObservations
TimeframeDates in the
diary
Resourceseg websites,
readings,examples of strategies
Goal:
Feedback/EvaluationWhat was the most positive outcome for you as a result of participating in this
program?
- I gained confidence
- It reinvigorated my passion for teaching and learning languages
- It made feel part of the “language teaching community”
- It gave me the courage to advocate for languages in my school
- It made me value my own context
- It uplifted my status within the school- “Principal values me”
It gave me the opportunity to:
- Observe another language class in a different school context
- Reflect on my own practice
- Observe how to incorporate intercultural learning into my lessons
- Observe a range of teaching methodologies
Feedback… Overall, we both did a lot of thinking and discussing about what we do in the
classroom, why we do it (or why we don’t do some things) and this reflection on teaching practice was very beneficial to us both as sometimes in the hustle and bustle of teaching you don’t make time to reflect on your teaching as much as perhaps you should (mentor)
This program was invaluable and a very enriching experience for my teaching practice. I acquired new structures to use in class such as opening and closing sequences. I was able to experience first-hand just how effective a language program is, that is run entirely in the target language (protégé)
This has been a fabulous and enlightening experience for me, and the repercussions have been immense. The children in my classes are enjoying a greater creative freedom, I feel empowered with new teaching strategies and networks, and my passion for French teaching is burning bright. (protégé)
Feedback…I gained the following from participation in the Meaningful Mentoring
program:
Significantly increased confidence in the classroom and curriculum delivery
Greater understanding of language teaching pedagogy
Improved use of differentiation in class tasks and assessments
Regular and authentic inclusion of cultural understanding in every topic
Greater enthusiasm for the benefits of language learning and teaching
Much more professional and useful programs
More effective use of available resources
Better interaction with the students in lessons, more effective teaching and therefore more effective learning for my students (protégé)
Feedback…
By taking part in this program I had a new insight of my own ability and it has rejuvenated me.
I have uplifted the status of my subject / myself in my own school.
I have broadened my perception of the future development of Mandarin Chinese in Australia.
I felt more connected with teaching profession. (mentor)
I also learnt from my partner, as “One learns whilst one teaches”. Sharing knowledge/experience is a great way to progress.
Why did it work? Provision of time
Person to person
Teachers got to know each other and network during 2 PD days at AIS
Teachers were observed in “their” context
Establishment of a very supportive “we are all learning from each other” environment
Specific, achievable goals were set and addressed for each pair
Ongoing throughout year
Challenges- Future mentoring programs
How do we attract mentors?
For the MENTOR the experience was:
Affirming
Rejuvenating
Enriching
It enabled mentors and protégés to:
Take pride in their work
To consider for next time…
Need to “market” it to experienced teachers
Address Professional Leadership stage of NSW Institute of Teaching Standards
Is it possible to include mentoring of pre-service teachers?
Flexible timing - Perhaps program could run over 18 months?