Mentoring English Teachers in the Secondary School: A Practical Guide

Description

This practical guide will help school-based mentors of trainee or newly qualified English teachers in developing their own mentoring skills, whilst providing the essential guidance their trainees need as they navigate their new role in the secondary classroom. With analytical tools for self-evaluation, this is a key resource that will support and inspire mentors and help them identify both strengths and skill gaps to develop confidence and knowledge in their mentoring position. By providing practical tools such as tasks, feedback guides, further readings and examples of dialogue with trainees, this volume covers the knowledge, skills and understanding every mentor needs. Key topics explored include: Roles and responsibilities of mentors; How to develop a mentor–mentee relationship; Developing beginning English teachers’ subject knowledge and expertise, including planning for pupils’ learning; Managing workload and student teacher well-being; Developing collaborative practice; Developing the wider, professional role of the teacher. Filled with tried-and-tested strategies based on the latest research, Mentoring English Teachers in the Secondary School is a vital guide for mentors of English teachers, both trainee and newly qualified, with ready-to-use strategies that support and inspire both mentors and beginning teachers alike. Cover Half Title Series Information Title Page Copyright Page Table of contents Illustrations Tasks List of Contributors An introduction to the series: mentoring trainee and newly qualified teachers Section 1 What is mentoring? 1 Models of mentoring Introduction Objectives Definitions of mentoring The context in which you are working that underpins your mentoring practice Effective mentoring models Summary and key points Section 2 You as a mentor 2 Understanding yourself and how your experiences influence your approaches to mentoring Introduction – English: ‘The quicksilver’ subject Objectives Purpose or purposes Becoming an English teacher Starting with literature Not a conclusion but a beginning Further reading 3 What subject and pedagogical knowledge, understanding and skills does a mentor of beginning English teachers need? Introduction Objectives What is knowledge? What is English? Plugging the gaps in our own knowledge Further reading 4 Developing a mentor–mentee relationship Introduction Objectives The role of the mentor Being an English mentor Approaches to mentoring Supporting your student teacher Setting boundaries and expectations Developing a professional identity Navigating tricky relationships Underpinning values Summary Further resources Section 3 What a mentor does 5 Managing workload and student teacher well-being Introduction Objectives Managing assessment: Understanding and evaluating the role of marking in good practice Managing planning and preparation: Understanding and evaluating its role in good practice Summary reflection on workload Managing data: Understanding and evaluating its role in good practice Listening, counselling and signposting Supporting beginning teachers’ well-being Well-being Well-being definitions Identifying difficulties Examples of interventions using cognitive thinking Conclusion Further reading 6 Developing collaborative practice Introduction Objectives Lesson observation and feedback Arranging a visit Observation focus Feedback protocols Collaborative work: The transfer of experience Lesson planning Wider collaboration Summary Section 4 Supporting the development of beginning English teachers’ knowledge, skills and understanding 7 What knowledge, skills and understanding do beginning English teachers need? Objectives Outlining subject knowledge Developing knowledge about speaking and listening Developing understanding of reading Developing a pedagogy for reading Developing knowledge about writing Developing a writing pedagogy Supporting your mentee’s developing subject knowledge Summary Further reading Subject-specific links 8 Supporting beginning English teachers to become reflective practitioners Introduction Objectives Definitions of reflective practice Reflexivity What will affect our individual interpretation of concrete experience? Making sense of practice What do you need to draw on to make reflection effective? Reflection in verbal feedback: How can you help your mentee to develop reflective practice? Ways of developing reflective practice in written evaluation Summary and key points Further reading 9 Supporting beginning English teachers to support pupils’ learning Introduction Objectives Supporting the planning process: Starting out The planning process: The bigger picture The planning process: Individual lessons Teaching and evaluating lessons Using data and assessment to inform planning and teaching Moving from individual lessons to planning sequences of lessons How can beginning teachers promote learning over time on school placements? Useful additional points to check for learning over time Summary and key points Further reading 10 Observing beginning teachers’ lessons Introduction Objectives Student teachers observing teaching Being observed Observing beginning English teachers Effective feedback Verbal feedback Response to feedback The purpose of written feedback Summary Further reading/links 11 Holding weekly debriefs Introduction Objectives The reflective conversation Knowing how to help Barriers to progress Topics for mentoring conversations Evaluative language and praise The role of emotions in mentoring conversations Having difficult conversations Values and the problem with progress Summary 12 Developing the wider, professional role of the teacher Introduction Objectives What does it mean to be a professional and how does this relate to the role of a teacher? Professional Studies and the wider role of the teacher Pastoral care and the role of the form tutor Working with others Making a positive contribution to the wider life of the school Summary Further reading 13 Continuing the mentoring of beginning English teachers beyond their intitial teacher training Introduction Objectives The practicalities Meeting with the induction tutor Data storage and access What will be the demands on the mentor’s time? Documentation Establishing expectations Considering the expertise in your school Conducting meetings Planning Marking and assessment Lesson observation feedback Cross-curricular involvement Supporting a weaker NQT What happens if you have doubts that your mentee will pass the NQT year? What next? Capability procedure Mentoring an NQT to adapt beyond the induction year Becoming a member of the professional community REFERENCES Index