What Effective Coaching and Mentoring for New Teachers Looks Like
What is the difference between coaching and mentoring? How did ELP conceptualize and structure these supports for New Teachers? And what do effective coaching and mentoring even look like? In our continuing efforts to be transparent, we thought it would be helpful to dive into the two cornerstones of our support model for New Teachers.
How ELP Defines Coaching and Mentoring
ELP’s instructional coaches are exemplary, experienced teachers who provide New Teachers with guidance around grade level and/or subject matter instruction. To broaden the pool of coaches and remove geographic constraints, we decided that all coaching would happen virtually. Hence, the title of this role is Virtual Instructional Coach, or VIC.
Our VICs:
Provide guidance on teaching methods and practices directly related to New Teachers content area/grade level.
Aim to help New Teachers with their development, on both the personal and professional levels.
Aim to increase the New Teachers’ job-related skills.
Like our coaches, our mentor’s role is also well-defined. New Teachers are paired with long-time teachers in their school building to help them understand the culture, processes, and other nuances of how their school environment operates.
Our Building Mentors:
Acclimate New Teachers to the school’s context ensuring that the New Teachers do not feel culturally “lost at sea.”
Provide one point of contact to learn all about the operationally necessary information.
Provide guidance on building a professional network of educators.
Why We Created Two Distinct Roles
Mentorship and coaching programs come in many shapes and flavors. After thoughtful consideration, we turned to a model pioneered by the “ELP Creation Group”. This group consisted of accomplished teachers, union leaders, higher education experts, and private sector education experts. Together, we created a model that brings together subject matter expertise and practical experience/wisdom; we decided to separate those roles based on additional insights from the ELP Creation Group’s members.
We know from our experience and conversations with others in this space that teachers - and especially new teachers - need evidence-based frameworks, practices, learning and support for their teaching practice competency – the science of teaching. But just as importantly, they need help acclimating to teaching, building key relationships and knowing the unwritten rules and expectations of the school and community – the art of teaching.
This role separation is win-win. New Teachers receive extra support, and experienced teachers receive leadership development and training.
VICs Help New Teachers Become More Confident Teachers, Faster
“I loved working with [VIC’s name]. She gave me solid resources and walked me through lessons throughout my year from the perspective of an experienced teacher and I would like that experience again.”
During their first few years, teachers have so many questions:
How can I better interact with students?
What are the best teaching techniques for me to use? How can I implement them?
What can I do to ensure my students are engaged and learning?
Experienced teachers have the answers to these questions - and more.
ELP recruits exemplary teachers to pass on their knowledge to New Teachers in the same subject matter and/or grade level. We do not match VICs with New Teachers. Instead, we provide a selection of VICs to each New Teacher that is best aligned in content area and/or grade level. The New Teacher then chooses the VIC they would like to receive support from.
Each coaching relationship is driven by challenges and questions the New Teacher has. Coaching can (and has) covered grade level and subject matter teaching practices; effective practices for online and in-class instruction; lesson planning and classroom management; and social-emotional learning and trauma-informed practices.
VICs get plenty of support, too. They participate in workshops facilitated by Danielson Group specialists, typically focused on "hot topics" around teaching practice/techniques that can be used as drivers for conversations with their New Teachers.
According to feedback we’ve received from New Teachers, they appreciate having an experienced teacher to turn to - especially when they are the only teacher in their entire district who teaches a specific subject. They have also told us that having a source of support outside their district (or even state) provides a valuable opportunity to learn new perspectives.
With regularly scheduled meetings, VICs are helping New Teachers improve their teaching skills, increase confidence inside the classroom, and accelerate their learning curves.
Building Mentors Provide a Gateway into a School’s Culture
“I am very interested in making sure new teachers understand they are not in this alone. There are people in the building willing and able to help them. Teacher retention is a real problem, and I believe the ELP mentoring program is a great step to help retain good, young teachers.”
Navigating a new work environment is nerve-wracking for everyone. New Teachers need to settle into both their classroom and a school at the same time. Every school has its own culture, and learning the ins and outs of the school’s operations and personalities can be daunting.
While we were researching mentorship programs, we were surprised to discover that our vision for Building Mentors did not yet exist. So, we created our own and combined principles from asset-based community development, continuous improvement, and relational organizing.
Building Mentors and New Teachers are matched based on their physical location; they must be in the same school building. Like the VICs and their New Teachers, we leave the structure, topics, and frequency of meetings up to the participants. That kind of flexibility ensures New Teachers receive support when and how it is most needed.
Initial feedback from our Building Mentors and New Teachers is that we are onto something unique and valuable. Intentionally building social capital helps New Teachers build confidence as educators and professionals.
Like our VICs, Building Mentors also participate in workshops facilitated by ELP consultants. With the mentors’ feedback, we have tweaked the workshops and the support ELP provides Building Mentors.
If you have questions about our support model or would like to discuss bringing it to your District, please reach out. You can email us at info@educatorsleadingtheprofession.org.