Using Digital Technologies to Remotely Observe and Mentor Teachers

Using digital technologies to remotely observe and mentor teachers is a relatively new practice. Thus, many states, schools, and districts do not have policies in place that explicitly allow this practice, and, in some instances, policies are in place that explicitly prohibit the use of these technologies. This chapter provides an analysis of the traditional approach to mentorship, support, and feedback, and highlights new challenges with in-person mentorship, support, and feedback amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As with many aspects of current newly adapted world, the teaching profession has become increasingly reliant on using digital technologies to remotely observe and mentor teachers. The chapter provides a literature review of best practices in observation, mentorship, and feedback. It also shows that limited data are available to facilitate the use of digital technologies and provide novice and in-service teacher support in order to allow for a positive novice teacher induction experience.

Implementing a Critical Community of Practice Within a University-Based Teacher Induction Program

This chapter describes the initial stage of implementing a critical community of practice within a university-based teacher induction program in Southern California. This case highlights how novice critical teachers work together to support one another, engage in problem-solving, and bridge theories to action to address challenges they face in their teaching. Implications for using critical community of practice in academic programs and professional programs to bridge critical theories to equitable practice are presented.

Pedagogical mentoring in Chilean schools: an innovative approach to teachers' professional learning

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to explore the conditions and challenges that facilitate teacher professional learning through the implementation of pedagogical mentoring (PM) within the Chilean school context.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed a qualitative methods approach, utilizing an instrumental case study. As the primary data source, researchers conducted 14 individual, semistructured interviews. Participants included two comentors, six mentor teachers and six mentee teachers from two K-8 focal school sites. Data were examined using the content analysis method.FindingsResults revealed five aspects that contributed to PM's execution: the voluntary participation model, the reflective emphasis, the focus on teaching and learning, the facilitating role of the principal and comentor support. At the same time, the findings indicated three factors that hindered PM's success: interruptions due to schedule conflicts, limited dissemination throughout the school community and assimilation of the values embedded in the Chilean teacher evaluation system.Practical implicationsPM holds great potential for collaborative professional development and continuous improvement of teachers' instructional practices, drawing on their experiences and resources and leading to the strengthening sense of professionalism in teaching and in teachers' social esteem.Originality/valueThis is the first research to address a formal PM project in Chile aimed specifically at in-service teachers. Previous projects in the country have focused on novice teachers. Unlike other initiatives in the region, this project does not focus on teacher induction but on capacity building within schools through collaborative work. This research also adopts an approach based on support for teachers' professional development, while in Chile the main policies currently focus on teacher evaluation.

Love, Hate, and Controversy in a School District: A Teacher Couple’s Messy Divorce

Teachers who are married to other teachers within a school district often experience their personal life events in full view of the school community. How should a principal respond when a math teacher wants to leave due to her divorce, knowing that math teachers are hard to find? Challenges in this case for campus principals and human resource administrators include (a) hiring high-quality teachers in a tight labor pool, (b) providing new teacher induction, and (c) evaluating and responding to performance issues of teachers during times of high emotional stress.

Prospect and Practice of Teacher Induction in Nepal

The process of converting pre-service teaching into an in-service teacher is known as induction and this technique of teachers’ professional growth has been gaining momentum in the world of teacher education throughout the world. Nepal is a developing country and it has not started the teacher induction program formally yet. This study is an attempt to investigate the role and prospect of teacher induction. The study employed a descriptive method and used secondary sources to make arguments. For the argumentation, the study at first makes a claim and it is supported by already published literature. Those secondary sources of data comprise previous researchers, journals, and other standard publications. The study found that using induction, teachers around the world developed their professional abilities and their inhibitions and disappointments were removed since they got an opportunity to collaborate with professional teachers, it has become a life-long experience and different features and components of it made it more reliable and valid. The study suggests that it is extremely necessary to introduce a teacher induction program in all levels of education and if can be done teachers’ professional development can be practically achieved.

An Assessment of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church Teacher Recruitment Process on the Achievement of the Church’s goals. A Study of Adventist Schools in Bulawayo

This paper aimed at unearthing practices driven by the Adventist-Teacher recruitment process in order to determine achievement of the organization’s goals. The study was conducted in Adventist Schools in Bulawayo. The schools have a population of about 218 teachers. The study followed a mixed method of research, where quantitative-descriptive statistics were used to discuss findings. A sample of 106 teachers was chosen using the stratified sampling to respond to a self-administered questionnaire. Simple random was used to choose teachers from within each stratum among the three Secondary and Five Primary Schools. In the schools selected, the teachers’ list was used, and either odd numbers or even numbers were used as respondents. Through purposive sampling, three Secondary and five Primary School heads were chosen to respond to interview questions indicated in this study. It is important to note that teachers and school heads did not agree on issues regarding induction and mentoring. Primary data was collected and analyzed using SPSS. Tables and graphs were used in the presentation and discussion of findings. The study established the link between the Recruitment process- which aims at the integration of faith and learning- and Redemptive practices to be positive at Pearson’s r 0,696. The interaction of the Recruitment process and the cutting-edge practices recorded a Pearson’s r of 0,589. The recruitment process appeared to be operating below the ideal standard. The study revealed a poor teacher induction and mentoring process in the schools studied.

Necessary but non-existent: The paradox of teacher induction in Portugal

The induction of beginning teachers has attracted a number of scholars as it is seen as the fundamental link between initial and in-service teacher education. In this paper I examine the Portuguese case as far as teacher induction is concerned, particularly in terms of policy and research. The paper ends with the discussion of key issues that need to be considered in future scenarios in which induction plays a pivotal role in the professional development of teachers. Issues of who, what and for which purposes are explored as well as the role of policy makers, teacher education institutions and schools. Implications for the design of induction programmes are discussed.

“Breaking Good”: Mentoring for Teacher Induction at the Workplace

Given the dissonant and complex character of induction for novices at the workplace, I propose a conception of mentoring that focuses on mitigating misalignments between novices’ developmental stage and the socializing characteristics and pressures of workplace induction. Drawing on extant research and conceptualization, including my own research on mentoring for teacher induction, this article addresses three interrelated questions: What are the central tasks of mentors in promoting effective induction of novice teachers at the workplace? What do mentors need to know in order to perform these tasks? What kind of professional frameworks for learning to mentor? I claim that in order to help novices ‘break good from experience’, as the title metaphorically suggests, mentors need to be prepared to flexibly adapt strategies from diverse mentoring models according to the particular socio-cultural features of induction of novices’ workplace and to aspects of subject matter teaching. Such kind of mentoring is, thus, attentive to discursive tensions between ideologies, rituals, values, belief systems and behaviors that surge amongst the various players involved. The article describes the central tasks for mentors of novice teachers, the knowledge-base required of mentors in order to perform these tasks and the kind of professional frameworks for learning to mentor.