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First Year Matters, The: Being Mentored.....in Action
Carol M Pelletier

ISBN-10: 0205585558
ISBN-13: 9780205585557

Publisher: Merrill
Copyright: 2009
Format: Paper; 288 pp
Published: 07/30/2008

Suggested retail price: $30.00
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This book is designed for new teachers to serve as a documentation and reflection of their first year of teaching.  The idea for the book came from teacher mentors using the author’s book Mentoring in Action.  The First Year Matters: Being Mentored...In Action provides new teachers with a practical guide to use throughout their mentoring experience as well as for self-reflection. 

 

Many new teachers become overwhelmed in their first year of teaching and leave the profession.  Many are so busy trying to meet all of the criteria of the assessments-based curriculum that often the most obvious skills are overlooked for discussion with their mentor.  Often the mentor and the teacher spend their meetings discussing one student or situation.  This book outlines the school year month-by-month so curriculum-based topics can be discussed in a more systematic way.

 

The author encourages the new teacher to become a listener and filter all of the information coming at them as a new teacher.  They can’t do everything!  This book will help them use the mentoring process as a way to get the most out of their first year of teaching without getting discouraged.  The book can be used:
  • with small groups of new teachers as well as individually. 
  • with a teacher mentor, but can also serve as a guide to enrich the quality of their reflections
  • as a tool to document the school year for licensing purposes as well as serve as a ready reference for the second year of teaching.

  • Presents a month-by-month guide for new teachers.
  • Details numerous forms and practical tips for creating effective mentoring meetings for both the first-year teacher and the student teacher.
  • Outlines how to identify and discuss difficult issues as new teachers work with their mentor throughout the year.
  • Includes classroom management and discipline ideas for beginning teachers.
  • Lists all the INTASC Principles.
  • The completed guide serves as a record of the first year of teaching and as a road map for the next year.
  • New teachers can use this guide to document their activities for professional licensing purposes.

Table of Contents

 

Introduction: A Letter to YOU the new teacher!

 

Part I. Being inducted into the teaching profession: Year 1

 

What is Induction?

 
Building a Relationship With Your Mentor
 
INTASC Principles and How They Relate to You
 
Being Mentored… In ACTION? What Does that Mean? 

 

 

Part II. Month By Month Mentoring: Reflection and Quality Discussions

 

Why Do We Need a Mentoring Curriculum?

 

A Month By Month Framework for Reflection and Discussions

                        PLAN

 

                        CONNECT

 

                        ACT

 

                        REFLECT

 

                        SET GOALS

 

August: Orientation to the School & Community: Space, Procedures, Resources, Values, and Culture

 

REFLECT      Journal Entry

 

PLAN              Being Mentored…in Action (Questions, Organizer, Planner, Calendar)

 

CONNECT     People, readings, professional associations, resources, and technology

 

ACT                Organize a New Teacher Support Group

                        Select activities from the menu for quality reflection and discussions

           

                           ACT #1   What Do You Bring To Teaching?

 

ACT #2   Getting to Know Your Mentor

ACT #3   Goals and Expectations for the Mentoring Experience

ACT #4   Orientation to the School and District: Meeting Important People

ACT #5  Orientation to the Students and Their Families in the Community

ACT #6   Being Mentored

ACT #7   Creating a Survival Packet- What You Need To Know Now

ACT #8  The First Days and Weeks

ACT #9  Other Support Systems for New Teachers: University Connections

ACT #12 District Evaluation and Support Sessions for Teacher Induction

 

REFLECT      At the end of the month

 

SET GOALS  Based on your needs for next month’s discussions and reflection

 

 

September: Beginning the School Year Successfully: Creating a Community of Learners in the Classroom

 

REFLECT      Journal Entry

 

PLAN              Being Mentored…in Action (Questions, Organizer, Planner, Calendar)

 

CONNECT     People, readings, professional associations, resources, and technology

 

ACT                Organize a New Teacher Support Group

                        Select activities from the menu for quality reflection and discussions

 

 

ACT #1   Creating A Community of Learners in Your Classroom

ACT #2   Getting to Know the Students

ACT #3   Creating a Classroom Profile

ACT #4   Learning About Learning Styles

ACT #5   Establishing Routines

ACT #6   Rules Rewards and Consequences

ACT #7   First Month of School Issues

ACT #8   Organizing Your First Classroom

ACT #9   Classroom & Behavior Management Issues

ACT #10 Looking at Student Work

ACT #11 Communicating With Parents

ACT #12 New Teacher Needs

 

 

REFLECT      At the end of the month

 

SET GOALS  Based on your needs for next month’s discussions and reflection

 

 

October: Teaching for Understanding: Planning and Delivering Effective Instruction

 

REFLECT      Journal Entry

 

PLAN              Being Mentored…in Action (Questions, Organizer, Planner, Calendar)

 

CONNECT     People, readings, professional associations, resources, and technology

 

ACT                Organize a New Teacher Support Group

                        Select activities from the menu for quality reflection and discussions

 

 

                           ACT #1 Creating a Lesson Plan

 

ACT #2 Planning for Understanding

ACT #3 What Should The Students Know and Be Able to Do?

ACT #4 Engaging Learners in Meaningful Learning Experiences

ACT #5 Pacing a Lesson

ACT #6 Organizing a Lesson

ACT #7 Designing a Unit

ACT #8 A Unit Organizer

ACT #9 Classroom & Behavior Management Issues

ACT #10 Looking at Student Work

ACT #11 Communicating With Parents

ACT #12 New Teacher Needs

 

REFLECT      At the end of the month

 

SET GOALS  Based on your needs for next month’s discussions and reflection

 

 

 

November: Assessing Diverse Learners: How Do Teachers Know Students Have Learned?

 

REFLECT      Journal Entry

 

PLAN              Being Mentored…in Action (Questions, Organizer, Planner, Calendar)

 

CONNECT     People, readings, professional associations, resources, and technology

 

ACT                Organize a New Teacher Support Group

                        Select activities from the menu for quality reflection and discussions

 

 

ACT #1 How Are Students Assessed and Evaluated?

ACT #2 Linking Lesson Plans to Assessment

ACT #3 Tapping in to Students’ Prior Knowledge

ACT #4 A Variety of Ways to Observe Student Learning

ACT #5 Formative and Summative Assessments

ACT #6 Using Rubrics and Portfolios to Assess Performance

ACT #7 Documenting Progress and Record Keeping Strategies

ACT #8 Can Students Monitor Their Progress?

ACT #9 Communicating With Students About Their Progress

ACT #10 Classroom & Behavior Management Issues

ACT #11 Looking at Student Work

ACT #12 Communicating With Parents

 

 

REFLECT      At the end of the month

 

SET GOALS  Based on your needs for next month’s discussions and reflection

 

 

 

December: Maintaining Balance: Teaching and Keeping the Students Interested

 

REFLECT      Journal Entry

 

PLAN              Being Mentored…in Action (Questions, Organizer, Planner, Calendar)

 

CONNECT     People, readings, professional associations, resources, and technology

 

ACT                Organize a New Teacher Support Group

                        Select activities from the menu for quality reflection and discussions

 

 

ACT #1 Revisiting Behavior Management

ACT #2 Keeping Special Needs Students Engaged in Learning

ACT #3 Avoid Common Problems and Keep Students Interested

ACT #4 When is it Time To Seek Additional Support?

ACT #5 Problem Solving and Critical Thinking

ACT #6 Classroom & Behavior Management Issues

ACT #7 Looking at Student Work

ACT #8 Communicating With Parents

 

REFLECT      At the end of the month

 

SET GOALS  Based on your needs for next month’s discussions and reflection

 

January: Beginning a New Calendar Year: Looking Back and Moving Forward

 

REFLECT      Journal Entry

 

PLAN              Being Mentored…in Action (Questions, Organizer, Planner, Calendar)

 

CONNECT     People, readings, professional associations, resources, and technology

 

ACT                Organize a New Teacher Support Group

                        Select activities from the menu for quality reflection and discussions

 

 

ACT #1 Looking Back

ACT #2 Moving Forward

ACT #3 What Do I Believe?

ACT #4 Constructing a Sociogram

ACT #5 Using Drawings to Gain Student Perspective

ACT #6 Social Activities and a Sense of Humor!

ACT #7 Classroom & Behavior Management Issues

ACT #8 Looking at Student Work

ACT #9 Communicating With Parents

ACT #10  Preparing a Professional Portfolio

 

REFLECT      At the end of the month

 

SET GOALS  Based on your needs for next month’s discussions and reflection

 

February: Engaging Students in the Curriculum: Focus on Content Through Active Inquiry

    

REFLECT      Journal Entry

 

PLAN              Being Mentored…in Action (Questions, Organizer, Planner, Calendar)

 

CONNECT     People, readings, professional associations, resources, and technology

 

ACT                Organize a New Teacher Support Group

                        Select activities from the menu for quality reflection and discussions

 

 

ACT #1 Using Varied Teaching Strategies

ACT #2 Giving Students Choices to Enhance Learning

ACT #3 Homework and Opportunities for Enrichment

ACT #4 How Much Time?

ACT #5 Classroom & Behavior Management Issues

ACT #6 Looking at Student Work

ACT #7 Communicating With Parents

ACT #8 Observing Yourself Through Active Listening

ACT #9 Preparing a Professional Portfolio

ACT #10 New Teacher Needs

 

REFLECT      At the end of the month

 

SET GOALS  Based on your needs for next month’s discussions and reflection

 

 

March: Collaborating With the New Teachers: Observing and Building a Trusting Relationship

 

REFLECT      Journal Entry

 

PLAN              Being Mentored…in Action (Questions, Organizer, Planner, Calendar)

 

CONNECT     People, readings, professional associations, resources, and technology

 

ACT                Organize a New Teacher Support Group

                        Select activities from the menu for quality reflection and discussions

 

 

ACT #1 Receiving Feedback

ACT #2 Pre Conference Conversation is a Must

ACT #3 Being Observed

ACT #4 Preparing for a Principal Observation

ACT #5 Connecting to Professional Organizations

ACT #6 Connecting to Community Resources

ACT #7 Classroom & Behavior Management Issues

ACT #8 Looking at Student Work

ACT #9 Communicating With Parents

ACT #10 Being Observed By Your Mentor

ACT #11 Preparing a Professional Portfolio

ACT #12 New Teacher Needs

 

REFLECT      At the end of the month

 

SET GOALS  Based on your needs for next month’s discussions and reflection

  

April: Standards: Creating Meaningful Standards-Based Learning Experiences for Students

 

REFLECT      Journal Entry

 

PLAN              Being Mentored…in Action (Questions, Organizer, Planner, Calendar)

 

CONNECT     People, readings, professional associations, resources, and technology

 

ACT                Organize a New Teacher Support Group

                        Select activities from the menu for quality reflection and discussions

 

 

ACT #1 Relating Classroom Curriculum to District Standards

ACT #2 TTT vs STT

ACT #3 Relating Standards to Real Life

ACT #4 Observing an Individual Student

ACT #5 Observing a Small Group

ACT #6 Classroom & Behavior Management Issues

ACT #7 Looking at Student Work

ACT #8 Communicating With Parents

ACT #9 Observing New Teacher(s)

ACT #10 Preparing a Professional Portfolio

 

REFLECT      At the end of the month

 

SET GOALS  Based on your needs for next month’s discussions and reflection

 

May: Assessing Students’ Progress: High Stakes Tests and Teacher Tests

REFLECT      Journal Entry

 

PLAN              Being Mentored…in Action (Questions, Organizer, Planner, Calendar)

 

CONNECT     People, readings, professional associations, resources, and technology

 

ACT                Organize a New Teacher Support Group

                        Select activities from the menu for quality reflection and discussions

 

  

ACT #1 Assessing Students’ Progress

ACT #2 Classroom & Behavior Management Issues

ACT #3 Looking at Student Work

ACT #4 Communicating With Parents

ACT #5 Self Assessment

ACT #6 Preparing a Professional Portfolio

REFLECT      At the end of the month

 

SET GOALS  Based on your needs for next month’s discussions and reflection

 

 

June: Completing the Year: Paper work, Relationships, and Closing a Room

 

REFLECT      Journal Entry

 

PLAN              Being Mentored…in Action (Questions, Organizer, Planner, Calendar)

 

CONNECT     People, readings, professional associations, resources, and technology

 

ACT                Organize a New Teacher Support Group

                        Select activities from the menu for quality reflection and discussions

 

 

ACT #1 Closing Procedures and Paperwork

ACT #2 Video-taping

ACT #3 Letter to Myself

ACT #4 Letter to Future First Year Teachers

ACT #5 Letter to Students and Parents

ACT #6 Letter to Your Mentor

ACT #7 Classroom & Behavior Management Issues

ACT #8 Looking at Student Work

ACT #9 Communicating With Parents

ACT #10 Mentor Reflection

ACT # 11Preparing a Professional Portfolio: Table of Contents

ACT #12 Sharing Your Professional Portfolio

  

REFLECT      At the end of the month

 

SET GOALS  For Year 2

Carol Pelletier Radford is the Program Director for a Transition to Teaching federal grant, which is located in the Center for University, School and Community Partnerships at the University of Massachusetts—Dartmouth.  She received her Ed.D. from Harvard University in 1996 where she focused her studies on teacher professional development and the role of the cooperating

teacher in preparing pre-service teachers. In more than twenty years as a public school teacher, she has received numerous teacher leadership awards, among them the prestigious Christa McAuliffe Fellowship sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. She is the author of four books: Techniques and Strategies for Coaching Student Teachers, Strategies for Successful Student Teaching, Touch the Future: TEACH!, and Mentoring in Action:A Month-by-Month Curriculum for Mentors and Their New Teachers. For the past thirteen years, she has worked as the Director of Practicum Experiences and Teacher Induction at Boston College. In her current position at the University of Massachusetts, she teaches graduate courses for district mentors and is actively engaged in preparing prospective math and science teachers for New Bedford and Fall River schools.

A one-of-a-kind resource to guide new teachers through the mentoring process!

 

The First Year Matters: Being Mentored…In Action, by Carol Pelletier Radford, provides new teachers with a practical guide to use throughout their mentoring experience as well as for self-reflection.  Many new teachers become overwhelmed in their first year of teaching and are so busy trying to meet all of the criteria of the assessments-based curriculum that the most obvious skills can be overlooked for discussion with their mentor.  Often the mentor and the teacher spend their meetings discussing one student or situation.  This book provides a month-by-month outline of the school year for new teachers so curriculum-based topics can be discussed in a more systematic way.

 

The author encourages the new teacher to become a listener and filter all of the information coming at them as a new teacher.  They can’t do everything!  This book will help them use the mentoring process as a way to get the most out of their first year of teaching without getting discouraged. 

 

Practical Tools for Novice Teachers:

  • Month-by-month guide for new teachers.
  • Numerous forms and practical tips to create effective mentoring meetings for both the first-year teacher and the student teacher.
  • Outlines how new teachers can identify and discuss difficult issues with their mentor throughout the year.
  • Effective classroom management and discipline ideas for beginning teachers.
  • Lists all the INTASC Principles for quick reference to the professional standards teachers are now held accountable to.
  • The completed guide serves as:
    • A prompt for deeper reflections and a convenient place to record those professional reflections.
    • A record of the first year of teaching and a road map for the next year.
    • Documentation of their activities for professional licensing purposes.

 

Carol Pelletier Radford is currently a Program Director in the Center for University, School, and Community Partnerships at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.. Look for other books by this author:

Mentoring in Action: A Month-by-Month Curriculum for Mentors and Their New Teachers. ISBN-10: 0-205-43898-9; ISBN-13: 978-0-205-43898-3

Strategies for Successful Student Teaching: A Comprehensive Guide, Second Edition

ISBN-10: 0-205-39682-8; ISBN-13: 978-0-205-39682-5

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