Recommendations

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Based on our research, we know that there need to be some changes to current induction practices. The insights afforded by the interviews and the literature about induction provides us with a unique opportunity to compile suggestions for future induction development. If we had the chance to help develop and implement induction in our districts, these are some of the topics we would consider. These are certainly not the only areas of consideration. However, these are the ones we have chosen to highlight: district programs, university partnerships, time, training of mentors, online communities of support, and teaching loads.

While it is clear that there is a variety of induction supports available to beginning teachers that range from informal to formal, these are not systemic. Districts exist along a continuum when it comes to the conception, implementation, and analysis of this policy. The supports vary from district to district and from school to school. For some beginning teachers, the supports received seem to be by chance. If the beginning teacher is lucky enough to bump into a colleague that is knowledgeable about the induction supports, they might be given the opportunity to participate in an induction program. This should not be the way it is. Supporting beginning teachers needs to be a priority at the school and district levels. Beginning teachers are often assigned the most challenging classes at the most difficult schools. “When districts and schools organize to accelerate new teacher development, they break the cycle of inequity and provide children who are most in need of a high-quality education with teachers capable of helping them” (Moir, 2009). Investing in new teachers will ultimately help with the achievement and growth of the children and youth.

District-wide system programs are a necessity. During this investigation, only one of the three districts had a well-developed induction program, but even this program had only recently been developed and changed to be more prominent and meaningful to beginning teachers. What was even more interesting was the fact that the information about induction in each of the districts was difficult to find, or non-existent. Beginning teachers nowadays will usually go to the district’s website to find the information about a district. Therefore, if we want to encourage beginning teachers to participate in induction programs, the information must be readily available on these sites. Beginning teachers should not have to search for information. They are already too busy worrying about the classroom management, assessment, and differentiated instruction issues. Districts should be making all information easy to find. Something as simple as this could go a long ways in making a teacher feel supported.

During the first year, beginning teachers are just trying to survive. Teachers undergo the phases of Anticipation, Survival, Disillusionment, Rejuvenation, Reflection, and return to Anticipation throughout the year (Gonzales & Sosa, 1993). Thus, a systemic and consistent structure is necessary. Examples have included the Mentor Teaching Program (Kent, Feldman, & Hayes, 2009), the Comprehensive Teacher Induction Consortium (Gilles, Davis, & McGlamery, 2009), and the Partnership in Education (Kelly, 2004) programs, which are based on formal relationships between schools and universities. The goal of these programs is to “develop a cadre of teachers better prepared to overcome the educational challenges present in today’s schools” (Kent et. al., 2009). These programs included formal schooling and university credits. Other programs included more local school district programming, which involved the “careful selection of the district’s best teachers to provide one-on-one mentoring of new teachers, ongoing professional development of teachers and mentors within a community of practice…” (Moir, 2009).

Designing and describing a specific program for every district is beyond the scope of this paper. However, as Moir asserts, “Induction programs are most effective when all stakeholder groups are represented in the program design when new teacher induction is part of a district-wide initiative to improve teaching and learning” (2009). Districts should take a serious look at the philosophy, goals, objectives and needs of the district and design a specific program that will maximize the potential of the beginning teachers in a supportive and honoring manner.

Although specific induction program recommendations cannot be made at this point, as these should be tailored to the specific needs of a district, there are a few recommendations to consider. First is regular time with mentors and beginning teachers. Even when beginning teachers are paired with a seasoned teacher, there is very little time to collaborate or even be reflective about one’s practice. As lamented by Frank, one of the subjects in Lisa Renard’s article, he was “dismayed to find that his one free planning period was not the same as that of his assigned mentor" (2003). In fact, if he wanted to meet with his mentor teacher he had to schedule time before or after school. The only time he really saw his mentor was during committee or department meetings (Renard, 2003).

This is truly disconcerting. Beginning teachers need the time to be able to simply chat with their mentor teachers. Sometimes they just need someone to listen to their trials and tribulations and be reassured that they are "doing the right thing." Scheduling regular meetings to touch base and be reflective is highly recommended. Setting aside time will not only make the beginning teacher feel supported and important, but it will also ensure that the mentor teacher has the necessary time to coach the beginning teacher. It takes time to build a relationship and adequately mentor a beginning teacher. It is a process that can not be rushed.

Not every seasoned teacher can be an effective mentor. Experienced classroom teachers may know how to teach, but they may not have the knowledge and skills to mentor a colleague. Mentoring is about being supportive and understanding the needs of the beginning teacher. They may “help new teachers set professional goals, plan lesson, analyze student work and reflect on their progress” (Moir, 2009). It is not the same as being evaluated in a Teacher Education program, where every lesson is scrutinized and evaluated. Mentors play more of a facilitative role in the development of the beginning teachers.

Mentors need to be nurtured and developed. “Mentors need job-embedded professional development tailored to meet the needs of adult learners and their coaches" (Moir, 2009). Topics may include communication, coaching and feedback strategies, working with adult learners, reflective practice, and building professional learning communities. Without adequate training of the mentor teachers, we can not expect systemic and sustained changes. However, formal professional development for mentors has a dual purpose. It certainly helps with the growth and development of the beginning teachers. In addition, the “career ladder created by an induction program is a by-product that is particularly relevant to mid-career teachers” (Moir, 2009). This specific support helps to nurture the leadership skills in mentors, and many of these teachers “move on to leadership roles in administration, content coaching, grade-level or subject-area leadership or curriculum design after completing their assignment as a mentor” (Moir, 2009). As Huling asserts, “it is often the case that they are more effective in these [teacher leadership] positions because of the training they received as mentors” (2001). In essence, during the development of mentors, there is a built in mechanism for succession planning and leadership.

Online communities and forums can also be used to create professional learning communities. These virtual communities supplement the face-to-face networking time and give opportunities for the mentoring relationship to develop. “Online technology allows beginning teachers to pose questions in discussion groups and communicate with mentors at their convenience,” (Moir, 2009). Teachers can pose questions, write comments, discuss successes and challenge and ask for advice. As noted by Wollman-Bonilla, “teachers often need a formal reason for professional sharing” (1997). Thus, these tools become an additional way for a teacher to feel supported, which could positively influence teacher satisfaction and ultimately retention. "[An online community] also helps immerse new teachers into a community of experienced teachers in which they move beyond support of individual mentor into collegial relationships that develop lifelong habits of learning” (Moir, 2009). It is all about the community. “It takes a village to raise a child” and ultimately, this is exactly what we want – lifelong learning communities dedicated to helping students learn best.

At a more basic level, teachers need some structural support with their teaching loads and time. As mentioned by Renard, “new teachers are not finished products” (2000). Too often we “expect brand-new, just-out-of the-wrapper teachers to assume the same responsibilities and duties as our most seasoned professional" (Renard, 2003). But we can not do this. We know that beginning teachers need more time. They need more time to do the routine activities, create unit and lessons plans, make tests, assess activities and be reflective about their own practice. Thus, we need to structure teaching loads and opportunities for beginning teachers to develop their knowledge and expertise. We must gradually release them into the “real world” of teaching instead of throwing them into the deep end and hoping that they will swim and survive.

Beginning teachers often get the worst loads and classrooms. These teachers have the classes that are the least desirable. They change classrooms every block and quite literally teach out of a box. There is little or no sense of belonging. Given that beginning teachers already have so many challenges, we need to change the pecking order attitude that only veteran teachers get the good courses. “We can help new teachers succeed by lightening their load to help them concentrate on their classroom teaching performance” (Renard, 2003). This could involve decreasing the number of courses that a teacher needs to prepare for, refraining from assigning multi-grade classrooms, decreasing supervision duty during breaks and even advising beginning teachers from joining too many committees and extracurricular activities. “In effect, we must buy them the time they need to become the teachers we want them to be” (Renard, 2003).

Pairing the teaching loads of a beginning teacher with a mentor teacher is also a good strategy. This would allow the mentor to share their expertise, knowledge and resources about the particular curriculum and pedagogy. There is no point in reinventing the wheel. Beginning teachers might as well have good role models and learn from the best. This is not to say that the beginning teacher must do exactly what the mentor teacher is doing. They certainly have their own style and autonomy, but they can pick up the useful nuggets and make them their own instead of starting anew. The beauty of pairing the beginning and mentor teacher is the fact that they can observe each other’s lessons and provide constructive feedback. It is a two-way street that allows for exchange of creative ideas.

Encouraging the same preparation period would also be ideal. “Mentors and teachers need time to work together and collaborate,” (Moir, 2009). Being intentional about the shared time is extremely beneficial. It would allow for teachers to potentially co-plan, co-teach and be reflective about their own practice. As identified by Huling, continued contact with the beginning teachers provided some of the richest collegial interactions (2001). This goes back to creating a professional learning community that is authentic and meaningful to both parties.

Ultimately, designing and implementing an induction program must be based on the needs of the beginning teacher community. “None of the first-year teachers said they wished they’d had more information about how to align the curriculum to state standards or on how to analyze standardized test scores” (Mandel, 2006). The teachers really wanted “specific practical information and skills,” which included setting up the classroom and preparing for the first few weeks of school, covering the curriculum, grading fairly, dealing with parents and maintaining personal sanity (Mandel, 2006). Asking your community of beginning teachers what they really want is truly the only way to design a authentic supportive program.