Suggested Activities for BT2 Mentors for August 2013:
Check when completed.
__ Plan with your BT during times when the two of you can meet for one-on-one discussions.
__Get from the Lead Mentor a list of dates for the Site Support Sessions for you and your mentee.
__Plan a “getting acquainted” activity during the in-service week prior to the opening of school. Spend time asking for reflection on professional growth. Discuss successes, challenges, and obstacles from the first year of teaching. Spend time talking about personal and professional goals for the new school year. Most importantly, enjoy getting that mentor/mentee relationshipoff to a great start for the year!
__ Have your mentee look over his/her Professional Development Plan from the previous year. Practice reflection: what growth happened during the past school year? Ask the mentee to write a beginning reflection considering the accomplishments of the past school year . . . the staff development activities . . . what goals were accomplished . . . what goals weren’t accomplished . . . what will be the mentee’s needs as a second year teacher?
__ Make sure that your mentee plans to attend the first county-wide session for BT2’s (See BT Support Program Plan).
__ Use the NC Professional Teaching Standards Self-Assessment form to evaluate strengths and weaknesses with the BT so that the PDP can be planned to address those weaknesses or areas the BT needs to strengthen. Notice that this self-assessment form must be used as a pre-PDP assessment form.
__Review the five NC Professional Teaching Standards with your mentee. Encourage the mentee to begin the year by reflecting on his/her strengths and weaknesses in each area. Brainstorm with the mentee various ways to show evidence of these standards in daily lesson plans.
__ Review the importance of classroom procedures and expectations. Review your mentee’s classroom management plan. Have the mentee evaluate whether he/she has established clear procedures and expectations for classroom management and behavior, i.e. posted classroom expectations and procedures, established ground rules, expectations, and enforcement of appropriate student behaviors.
__ Discuss ways that the BT can modify lessons for students who may be identified as unique learners. Discuss that the unique learner is not always a student with a “label.”
__ Discuss with your mentee examples of ways to incorporate students’ personal interests in eachlesson. Examples: Conducting a student interest survey during the first few weeks of school or encouraging a personal writing activity.
__ Share some of your own lessons that you feel are engaging and meaningful to your students.
__ Analyze with your mentee his/her first two weeks of lesson plans. Look for North Carolina Standard Course of Study/Common Core/Essential Standards alignment with noted objectives and goals. If needed, discuss pacing issues.
__ Continually offer support and guidance whenever needed.
__ With your mentee, attend your school’s site based support session as organized by your Lead Mentor.
__Note your meetings with your mentee for August on your August Mentor Log. Remember there must be four different dates of contact within each calendar month, notcounting social time.Attendance at the same workshop as your BT should not be documented.
__ Remember to send the August Mentor Log in to your school designee (assistant principal, lead mentor, secretary) by the end of the month. He/She will then send it to Dawn Madren in the HR office by the due date noted on the form. Remember that you will be paid for August mentoring in September with regular monthly pay. Remember to make yourself and your mentee a copy of the documentation form.
Suggested Activities for BT2 Mentorsfor September 2013:
__ BT2’swill receive a copy of the book Seven Simple Secrets – What the Best Teachers Know and Do (Breaux & Whitaker, 2006). This book will provide ideas and promote discussion for both BTs and mentors focused on effective teaching strategies. Identify topics appropriate for discussion this month based on the needs of your own BT.
__ Work with the mentee to plan the PDP for this year. Be sure to follow thePDP instructions carefully.BT2 PDP’s should not be completed until the Self-Assessment form has been completed in order to determine which areas should be addressed.
__ The BT’s self-assessment and initial PDPgoals/strategies should be created and approved by the principal by September 27. Please make sure that the BT follows the PDP instructions. The PDP must have electronic signatures from the BT, administration, and mentor. In addition, make sure that the BT’s orientation for the teacher evaluation system has been signed electronically, reflecting that the orientation was completed within the BTs first 10-days of school.
__ Go over the county meetings and requirements for the BT2. Make sure the BT makes notes of the dates for the October BT2 meeting in his/her calendar. (See the BT2 Support Program available on the BT Support website.)
__ Discussparent/guardian communication documentation. Make sure your mentee is keeping records/samples of all parent communication.
__ Reflect with mentee about student participation. Ask, “How did you attempt to meet all of your students’ needs relevant to learning styles, performance modes, developmental levels, etc?”
__ Reflect withyour mentee about classroom management. Analyze classroom environment and procedures. Ask, “Have you made any adjustments that have enhanced social relationships, student motivation, and work achievement?”
__ Discuss/check the Discipline Log your mentee is keeping. Remind your mentee that adequate documentation of discipline can be helpful during parent conferences.
__ With your mentee, attend your school’s site-based support session as organized by your Lead Mentor.
__ Note your meetings with your mentee for September on your September Mentor Log. Remember there must be four different dates of contact within each calendar month, not counting social time. Attendance at the same workshop as your BT should not be documented.
__ Remember to send the September Mentor Log in to your school designee (assistant principal, lead mentor, secretary) by the end of the month. He/She will then send it to Dawn Madren in the HR office by the due date noted on the form. Remember that you will be paid for September mentoring in October with regular monthly pay. Remember to make yourself and your mentee a copy of the documentation form.
Suggested Activities for BT2 Mentorsfor October 2013:
__ Discuss the PDP with your mentee. Try to help the mentee find good professional development workshops and conferences to attend this year. Make sure the administration, BT and youelectronically sign page one of the PDP by September 27.
__ Discuss with mentee observations for this school year. Remind your mentee that he/she will be observed four times this year. Review the components of a well-designed lesson. Haveyour mentee reflect about areas of lesson design that he/she wishes to work on for this year.
__ Refer to the book Seven Simple Secrets – What the Best Teachers Know and Do (Breaux & Whitaker, 2006). Identify topics appropriate for discussion this month based on the needs of your own BT.
__ Review/reflect with mentee about students’ grades for the first nine weeks.
__ Discuss with your mentee ways that he/she can provide relevance for students by linking with prior experience. Share your own examples.
__ Discuss with your mentee a variety of performance modes such as dramatization, oral questions, computer activities, PowerPoint presentations, posters, costume designs, portfolios, journals, songs, newsletters, brochures, models, maps, art, etc. Evaluate whether a variety of modes are being used by mentee in planning lessons.
__ Review a unit plan created by your mentee. Look at the planned lessons together to evaluate whetherthey address a variety of learning styles, diverse learners, different performance modes, etc. Help your mentee brainstorm ways to redesign lessons that may be lacking in these areas.
__ With your mentee, attend your school’s site based support session as organized by your Lead Mentor.
__ Note your meetings with your mentee for October on yourOctober Mentor Log.Remember there must be four different dates of contact within each calendar month, not counting social time. Attendance at the same workshop as your BT should not be documented.
___ Remember to send the OctoberMentor Log in to your school designee (assistant principal, lead mentor, secretary) by the end of the month. He/She will then send it to Dawn Madren in the HR office by the due date noted on the form. Remember that you will be paid for October mentoring in November with regular monthly pay. Remember to make yourself and your mentee a copy of the documentation form
Suggested Activities for BT2 Mentorsfor November 2013:
__ Make sure the BThas had his/her pre-conference and first formal observation completed the and all signatures have been electronically entered by October 25.
__ Assist your mentee in reviewing changes that may have to be made between the first quarter of the year and the second. Discuss what is working and what isn’t.
__ Refer to the book Seven Simple Secrets – What the Best Teachers Know and Do (Breaux & Whitaker, 2006). Identify topics appropriate for discussion this month based on the needs of your own BT.
__ Continue to monitor the formal observations for your BT. The first formal administrative observation should have been completed by now. Discuss it with your mentee. If there are any areas of concern, help the mentee plan strategies to improve.
__ Review your mentee’s organizational and record-keeping skills. Ask to see how grades are recorded.
__ Discuss the mentee’s classroom management plan and discipline strategies. Make sure there is adequate record-keeping.
__ Discuss/reflect with mentee about the use of group work in lesson plans and how the mentee monitors group work.
__ Discuss /reflect with the mentee about the use of independent work in lesson plans and how the mentee monitors independent work.
__ Reflect with your mentee about his/her use of interdisciplinary approaches in various lessons that he/she has planned.
__ Reflect with your mentee about his/her use of technology in various lesson that he/she has planned.
__ Prepare your mentee as to how to handle the students’ behavior after the Thanksgiving Holiday and prior to Christmas vacation.
__ With your mentee, attend your school’s site based support session as organized by your Lead Mentor.
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__Note your meetings with your mentee for November on your November Mentor Log. Remember there must be four different dates of contact within each calendar month, notcounting social time. Attendance at the same workshop as your BT should not be documented.
__ Remember to send the NovemberMentor Log in to your school designee (assistant principal, lead mentor, secretary) by the end of the month. He/She will then send it to Dawn Madren in the HR office by the due date noted on the form. Remember that you will be paid for November mentoring in December with regular monthly pay. Remember to make yourself and your mentee a copy of the documentation form.
Suggested Activities for BT2 Mentorsfor December 2013:
__ Remind BT that documentation for attending at least one required fall semester Hot Topic session is due to Dawn Madren by December 13.
__ Reflect with your mentee the outcome of the formal observations by administrators.
__ Refer to the book Seven Simple Secrets – What the Best Teachers Know and Do (Breaux & Whitaker, 2006). Identify topics appropriate for discussion this month based on the needs of your own BT.
__ As the end of the second nine weeks approaches, spend time with your mentee reflecting on student assessment.
__ Have your mentee reflect at the end of this semester about the planning the mentee has worked on during the semester, evaluating his/her planning according to the NC Professional Teaching Standards.
__ With your mentee, attend your school’s site based support session as organized by your Lead Mentor.
__Note your meetings with your mentee for December on your December Mentor Log. Remember there must be four different dates of contact within each calendar month, not counting social time. Attendance at the same workshop as your BT should not be documented.
__ Remember to send the December Mentor Log in to your school designee (assistant principal, lead mentor, secretary) by the end of the month. He/She will then send it to Dawn Madren in the HR office by the due date noted on the form. Remember that you will be paid for December mentoring in January with regular monthly pay. Remember to make yourself and your mentee a copy of the documentation form.
Suggested Activities for BT2 Mentorsfor January 2014:
__ Make sure the BThas been formally observed at least two times and a mid-year PDP review has been completed electronically by January 17, including all required signatures reflected online.
__ Remind your mentee that he/she has a video of a lesson reflection due to Dawn Madren by Friday, February 21. Follow the guidelines provided on the BT Support website.
__ Reflect about beginning the second half of the year after the holidays. Encourage mentee to try new things, i.e. rearrange the classroom, expand his or her teaching repertoire, and set goals for the rest of the school year.
__ Share your own reflections about your teaching during the first half of the year. Modeling reflection is a valuable mentoring process.
__ Refer to the book Seven Simple Secrets – What the Best Teachers Know and Do (Breaux & Whitaker, 2006). Identify topics appropriate for discussion this month based on the needs of your own BT.
__ Review your mentee’s parental contacts up to this point in the year; make fitting suggestions.
__ Praise the mentee for something positive that you have seen in his or her performance up to this point in the year.
__ If mentee is lateral entry, discuss with him/her the progress being made on completing the required coursework. It is important that the lateral entry BT be able to predict when he/she will be within six hours of completing coursework.
__ With your mentee, attend your school’s site based support session as organized by your Lead Mentor.
__Note your meetings with your mentee for January on your January Mentor Log. Remember there must be four different dates of contact within each calendar month, not counting social time. Attendance at the same workshop as your BT should not be documented.
__ Remember to send the January Mentor Log in to your school designee (assistant principal, lead mentor, secretary) by the end of the month. He/She will then send it to Dawn Madren in the HR office by the due date noted on the form. Remember that you will be paid for January mentoring in February with regular monthly pay. Remember to make yourself and your mentee a copy of the documentation form.
Suggested Activities BT2 Mentorsfor February 2014:
__ Remind your BT that his/her second video-taped lesson reflection is due to Dawn Madren Friday, February 21.
__ Make sure that the BT has had a mid-year conference about his/her PDP and that it was electronically signed by the BT, administration, and mentor.
__ Make sure the BThas been formally observed at least two times and a mid-year PDP review has been completed electronically by January 17, including all required signatures reflected online.
__ Refer to the book Seven Simple Secrets – What the Best Teachers Know and Do (Breaux & Whitaker, 2006). Identify topics appropriate for discussion this month based on the needs of your own BT.
__ Continue to encourage your mentee to reflect on teaching experiences at mid-point of this year.
__ Continue to encourage your mentee to try new things. If the mentee is teaching a course again the second semester, have the mentee work on expanding a unit or developing new activities not used during the first semester.
__ Discuss site-based staff development with mentee. (department meetings, grade-level meetings, faculty meetings, BT meetings, etc.)Reflect on professional growth.
__ Remind your mentee about the BT Program Plan Requirements. Discuss the BT Program Plan with your mentee.
__ With your BT, attend the school’s site-based sessions as organized by your Lead Mentor.
__ Note your meetings with your mentee for February on your February Mentor Log. Remember there must be four different dates of contact within each calendar month, not counting social time. Attendance at the same workshop as your BT should not be documented.
__ Remember to send the February Mentor Log in to your school designee (assistant principal, lead mentor, secretary) by the end of the month. He/She will then send it to Dawn Madren in the HR office by the due date noted on the form. Remember that you will be paid for February mentoring in March with regular monthly pay. Remember to make yourself and your mentee a copy of the documentation form.