Professional social networks as a mentoring tool

[Ken Messersmith]

Connie and I have been talking about using social networks like this one to help support future teacher and beginning teachers. I have created a social network on Ning for our current students both graduate and undergraduate but haven't found a good way to make sure everyone gets a connection.
Connie also found an article talking about involving retired teachers in a supporting role for new and future teachers.
Any ideas about how we might do something like this?

[ddeubel]

Hey guys, I'm lurking again but want to be in on this project and can help with my skills!

I just spoke at a conference and along with me was a teacher - Tom Farrell the chair of Applied Ling. at Brock Univ. in Canada. He's written extensively and has several books out on "reflectiveness". Great guy and over "many" beers I/we came up with the possibility of "BIG Teachers".

I'd like to set up a site, separate from ning. New teachers can join groups under their general area of interest. Other teachers can become "BIG Teachers". There would be requirements and activities and at the end - an ecertificate would be given (printed automatically once released). No payment, no mailing...

We'd have to develop the requirements of the Big Teacher / Little Teacher relationship. What activities to qualify. Maybe a series of forum entries under specific topics or maybe some voicethread sharing and also a final online project with assessment that they must produce? I'm looking for ideas....

Let me know what you think about the "BIG Teachers" idea. It is desperately needed (and effective) and can be implemented with technology these days....

Cheers,

David
http://eflclassroom.ning.com

[Ian Carmichael]

Sounds good - can I be both? Mostly I think I'm a little teacher. I'd like to be involved at least in thinking this through.
Mechanically, I think it could be ninged, or something like it, with moderated groups for topics/skills/mentors so that conversations can be live but not broadcasts, and then fora are available for general discussions and invitational opportunities to the sanctum sanctorum - which probably should be a plural, but that then renders it semantic nonsense!

So, let's roll a new discussion focussed not so much on the 'sea of blah' but on content, structure, clientele and implementation. After you, David!

[Connie Weber]

Hi Ian,
Yes, you can be both! I was thinking of that, too. I think it might be the best way to go. Thanks for your interest and energy. We can get a good thing going...

[Connie Weber]

Hi David,

Sounds good. I started something new at school called "choose a mentor" in which a teacher could request to meet with, shadow, study, get-to-know a teacher of their choosing. I chose the gym teacher, because I wanted to get a bank of good physical games to get going on a moment's notice. Also I'm fascinated with issues of sportsmanship, so I wanted to be immersed in a gym teacher's perspective on that. It was a great learning experience. So that would be a case when I chose to be the "little teacher" in your model. I'm a "big teacher" too, for new teachers, for young people I know who are all over the place. We keep in touch. I'd like to keep that going, and do it inside a network now, with many people pulling together to nurture each other along.

This summer I want to get some of the "formal" structures going. Formal but not too formal. Glad you'll be in partnership with idea-development. We need to think: will we be heading for something like sister-networks, or many networks interwoven? How much do we need to choose a "locale" for a mentoring program? I very much like the series-of-forums idea, with selected activities. Oooo! Exciting.

Ian, great ideas. We need to be practicing on Elluminate--let's learn how to host live conversations! And hey--what do you mean 'sea of blah'? I do think we need to have open discussions...brainstorming sessions...have some patience with getting a lot of thoughts on the table in the beginning. And yes, let's start other forums that focus in and activate things. June and July seem like good planning times. What do you think?

[Ian Carmichael]

'Sea of blah' comes from Phelan's 1-2-3 Magic. The child decides, after a large volume of speech that there's nothing for them and they tune out. I'm being deliberately edgy here, because we can easily travel the cycle of virtuous repetition, agreeing in principle about many things, and never instantiating any of them. At that stage, we're in a 'sea of blah' usually without realising it.

As my mentor Kennon Callahan put it "the purpose of meetings is action, not meetings."

[Connie Weber]

David,
Really, really looking forward to having you contribute your skills and wisdom to our project here on Fireside. It would be a great honor to have you as part of the program. Please help us with startup design, ok?

[ddeubel]

Connie,

I know what he means by "sea of bla!"... I just had about a 2 week series of emails with many teachers in our organization of teachers in Korea. I was seeking help getting a certification process started for new English teachers. What they should have been doing years ago. Equip the beginning teachers/the troops. However, after hundreds of emails, it was a sea of bla and many committees forming to look into the look into about the look into..... I'm a 37 signals kind of guy - Get it Real!

I agree, you need a balance between formal and informal. But I also think you need a very strict framework but within that there can be flexibility for the relationship to develop as the people warrant. I do think that you need a certificate - something tangible and which makes all participants involved, professional and committed. Each to each.

I like the Big Teachers concept. Instantly translated and the ethos is described.

I would like input as to first - HOW WOULD THE TWO MENTORS FIND EACH OTHER, MEET? . Simple as request as a friend? I don't think so, that is just too informal. What might happen is that there be a list of BIG Teachers. Little teachers can read, pick through and choose their mentor. Not the converse! And you can't say no, if you are part of the program! Little teacher chooses and then the BIG Teacher is inelgible. They proceed down the path/framework we set up. Final graduation is the development of a joint project on education.

I REALLY want to stress that we keep this very specific. Narrow in focus. That's why we should avoid Ning , IMO. That and control problems. You build stuff on NING and then they just take it away, destroy functionality. Plus, you don't need too much functionality if you can have some nice separate forums. I can get something developed for this with a nice database. Let me think about it. I have several servers it could be placed on, no problem.

But we need more ideas about the functionality. What kind of divisions? Then how to market, get teachers there? But it is a BIG idea - one which I think really plays on the important thing of education - sharing and reflecting together, as a community of people caring about learning.....

More later, keeping the bla bla to a minimum,

David

[Mike]

Hi All.... great conversation....great ideas.... and i do not mind cooking ideas.....

A few ideas:

I think Charlotte Danielson's work : Enhancing Professional Practice- A framework for Teaching may be a useful resource in framing our structure. I have played with it before in teaching a mentoring course.

1. A Framework for Teaching
The framework for teaching described in this book identifies those aspects of a teacher's responsibilities that have been documented through empirical studies and theoretical research as promoting improved student learning. Although not the only possible framework, these responsibilities seek to define what teachers should know and be able to do in the exercise of their profession.

Here is a taste of her work:

In this framework, the complex activity of teaching is divided into 22 components clustered into four domains of teaching responsibility:

planning and preparation (Domain 1),
classroom environment (Domain 2),
instruction (Domain 3),
and professional responsibilities (Domain 4).

Each component defines a distinct aspect of a domain; two to five elements describe a specific feature of a component.

Here is an outline by Components:



Domain 1: Planning and Preparation

Component 1a: Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy

Knowledge of content
Knowledge of prerequisite relationships
Knowledge of content-related pedagogy

Component 1b: Demonstrating Knowledge of Students

Knowledge of characteristics of age group
Knowledge of students' varied approaches to learning
Knowledge of students' skills and knowledge
Knowledge of students' interests and cultural heritage

Component 1c: Selecting Instructional Goals

Value
Clarity
Suitability for diverse students
Balance

Component 1d: Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources

Resources for teaching
Resources for students

Component 1e: Designing Coherent Instruction

Learning activities
Instructional materials and resources
Instructional groups
Lesson and unit structure

Component 1f: Assessing Student Learning

Congruence with instructional goals
Criteria and standards
Use for planning


Domain 2: The Classroom Environment

Component 2a: Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport

Teacher interaction with students
Student interaction

Component 2b: Establishing a Culture for Learning

Importance of the content
Student pride in work
Expectations for learning and achievement

Component 2c: Managing Classroom Procedures

Management of instructional groups
Management of transitions
Management of materials and supplies
Performance of noninstructional duties
Supervision of volunteers and paraprofessionals

Component 2d: Managing Student Behavior

Expectations
Monitoring of student behavior
Response to student misbehavior

Component 2e: Organizing Physical Space

Safety and arrangement of furniture
Accessibility to learning and use of physical resources



Domain 3: Instruction

Component 3a: Communicating Clearly and Accurately

Directions and procedures
Oral and written language

Component 3b: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques

Quality of questions
Discussion techniques
Student participation

Component 3c: Engaging Students in Learning

Representation of content
Activities and assignments
Grouping of students
Instructional materials and resources
Structure and pacing

Component 3d: Providing Feedback to Students

Quality: accurate, substantive, constructive, and specific
Timeliness

Component 3e: Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness

Lesson adjustment
Response to students
Persistence


Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities

Component 4a: Reflecting on Teaching

Accuracy
Use in future teaching

Component 4b: Maintaining Accurate Records

Student completion of assignments
Student progress in learning
Noninstructional records

Component 4c: Communicating with Families

Information about the instructional program
Information about individual students
Engagement of families in the instructional program

Component 4d: Contributing to the School and District

Relationships with colleagues
Service to the school
Participation in school and district projects

Component 4e: Growing and Developing Professionally

Enhancement of content knowledge and pedagogical skill
Service to the profession

Component 4f: Showing Professionalism

Service to students
Advocacy
Decision making



Although the components are distinct, they are, of course, related to one another. A teacher's planning and preparation affect instruction, and all these are affected by the reflection on practice that accompanies a unit and lesson. In addition, many features of teaching, such as the appropriate use of technology or a concern for equity, do not each constitute a single component but rather apply to them all.

This is the best framework i have found for "professional practice".

Let me know what you guys think and i can share how i have played with it :)

If anyone has a different framework that has been useful please share :)

be well... mike

[Connie Weber]

Mike,
You will be invaluable for resources, thoughts, and project design. You can also be a mentor. Please join the group and we can start brainstorming ideas and posting links to important resources and references. Let's interweave your earlier post on mentoring with the new group site, ok?
Got any ideas for names yet? Got any ideas how we recruit participants?

[Connie Weber]

Well, it's time to get going with the project startup.

How about this: we gather people together here on Fireside who want to work on a pilot program, our version of "ementoring." (Our program will connect to many places elsewhere.) My idea is that we get a handful of education professors who will bring their students, find several first or second year teachers who'd like to give "e-mentoring" a try, and obtain a list of educators/administrators/network participants who are each willing to each take on a protege or two.

We need to lay out our basic expectations for participation. We need to find a way to place people together. We need to come up with a series of questions for larger-network reflection, a setting that will allow broad discussions focusing in specifically on issues that are relevant to new teachers and education students. (I've gathered a long list already, can't wait to start talking.)

The main thing is to find out who wants to participate in the project. How about leaving your name and what you'd like to do inside the group location? We can start accumulating references and links as well.

Any and all ideas are welcome!

Shall we begin?

Thinking we can do much of the planning within a group here on Fireside. What do you think? I'll start the group--It'll need to be renamed with something jazzy and illuminating. (Please send ideas!)

Ok, please check in, join the group, start sharing your ideas...

Group: Mentoring Program

[Ken Messersmith]

Connie,
I really do like this idea but need help with how the nuts and bolts work. Thanks for getting us moving again.

[Connie Weber]

Hi Ken,

Well, what I'm thinking is that we should just get started. It seems the time and energies are right; we can pull this off. I'm ready to go, ready to take the plunge. That has a bit to do with who and how I am as a learner and contributor--there comes a time to just begin. When your heart's into something and you know it's big.... Begin.

Ok, I'm on the creative (and audacious?) side; it's my style. But my track record is good. I started a Farm Camp all of a sudden out of the blue when it just jumped out at me that that was something that would work. Now, 30 years later, it's still going strong. Similarly, I started this network with all of a week's reflection; all at once I sensed that there was a niche, that a swirling of energy was ready to coalesce.

Same here, with the mentoring program. It's not my idea, it just sort of evolved. It emerged. It's apparent to me that we could get a really good thing going--do you think the same thing? We've got you, with a batch of graduate students, Nathan, too. There are several others who have indicated interest: Janet and Katie, to name a few. I've got teachers, the network has teachers. We can find people who are willing to commit to a supportive series of communications (mentor/mentee) for a school year, and also commit to sharing in the wider forum of the network, by participating in educational debates and conversations. Let's bring upcoming and new teachers into our profession in the right way. Let's be nurturing, thoughtful, open to discourse. I think we as professionals need to work to prevent the attrition of people we'd like to have in our field (perhaps especially the sensitive, creative ones). Let's join together and see what we can accomplish.

We can get upcoming teachers, we can get seasoned professionals... One thing I can't figure out is how to get first and second year teachers, the ones I'd most like to target. Does anyone have ideas about that?

Maybe we can join together in the group on Fireside and lay out some plans. How about a mission statement? How about a designation of our expectations for participation? How about asking for help with recruiting?

Ok, open to all ideas. Let's continue the conversation in the Mentoring Program group context. Sure hope we can get people fired up to do this. I think it holds amazing potential and am ready and willing to put my heart and energy into it; sensing that there are others who feel the same.