Team+Building

References

Mentoring Novice Teachers: Motives, Process, and Outcomes from the Mentor’s Point of View. Iancu-Haddad, Debbie; Oplatka Izhar; 2009 New Educator, v5 n1 p45-65

Studies also revealed that mentoring could provide a learning experience for the mentor. Mentors learn through self-reflection and mutual cooperation. Exploring Faculty Learning Communities: Building Connections among Teaching, Learning, and Technology. Nugent, J.S….. 2008. v20 n1 p51-58

The belief that learning occurs most effectively in a community is not a new one. Notably, Dewey (1916/ 2004) placed a high value on the role of shared inquiry in education. He commented that “setting up conditions which stimulate certain visible and tangible ways of acting is the first step. Making the individual a sharer or partner in the associated activity…is the completing step” (p. 14). More recently, DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, and Many (2006) reviewed efforts since 1998 to delineate and advocate the role of professional learning communities in schools. They proposed that a learning community is focused on enhancing the learning of each student, and guided by a vision of what the organization must become to facilitate this, in particular, that the individuals in the organization must also be continually learning. 2004 • Volume 27 • Number 2 ISSN 1084-8959 Dwight D. Haun Barbara N. Martin RMLE Online: Research in Middle Level Education, v27 n2 p1-7 2004 These results have implications for school districts and beginning teachers, to the extent that generalizations can be made. Beginning teachers would do well to work with other teachers in a collaborative environment, seeking fellow professionals with whom to collaborate if no such assignment was made. This collaborative work becomes stronger when teachers take responsibility for a common group of students, as typically happens with interdisciplinary teaming at the middle school level. Building level administrators should consider providing such a collaborative environment for beginning teachers, to the extent possible. The effect of the collaborative group upon the beginning teacher's desire to continue teaching coincides with the literature. Heimsoth (1993) reported that beginning teachers ranked assistance from colleagues first from among 40 induction activities. Burch (1993) identified such support from mentors and experienced teachers as having the strongest effect on the beginning teacher's decision to remain in teaching. Additionally, beginning teachers in collaborative school district environments expressed a stronger commitment to remain in the classroom than beginning teachers in non-collaborative environments (Golden, 1991).
 * Attrition of Beginning Teachers and the Factors of Collaboration and School Setting **

Rough Draft

I have placed twenty-seven new teachers at Hickory Ridge High School in the hopes that they would share their newly acquired skills, resources, and talents with the existing staff. These new staff members have been identified as the top ten percent in their program and have very high potential. I expected the existing staff at Hickory Ridge High School to welcome them and share their knowledge of the community and the district's history. These two groups seem to have divided themselves and clearly do not understand that they could learn and benefit from each other. As the superintendent of the Wingfield School District, I believe it is important that school faculty work together toward one common goal: student achievement. The staff at Hickory Ridge High School would benefit from positive relationships and communities within their building. Mr. O’Connor needs to provide a collaborative environment for his staff. To implement this, he could use simple teambuilding strategies with his staff at faculty meetings. These activities should be fun, enjoyable, and quick. This would allow veteran and new teachers to interact and get to know each other in a non-threatening way. Once teachers are more comfortable with each other, Mr. O’Connor should introduce professional learning communities. According to Nugent and associates (2008), learning occurs most effectively in a community. Professional learning communities are a great way for Mr. O’Connor to bring staff together, especially departmentally and teachers who will need to work together on a frequent basis. Collaborative work becomes stronger when teachers take responsibility for a common group of students (Haun, & Martin, 2004). Teachers share ideas and visions, which in turn improves student achievement. Mr. O’Connor could also set up a mentoring program within his school between veteran and beginning teachers. It would be important that all involved realize that this is a program designed to help both parties, the veteran teacher and the beginning teacher. It shouldn’t be looked at as the beginning teacher is incompetent and needs assistance, or the veteran teacher needs to have his teaching style “updated”. It is just another way of collaborating with colleagues. In this kind of relationship the beginning teacher learns a lot about their new profession, and the mentor or veteran teacher learns from self-reflection and mutual cooperation (Iancu-Haddad, & Oplatka, 2009). The veteran teachers would have an abundant amount of information they could share with the new teachers. They could share information about the school district and the community history, subject area content for lesson planning, and classroom management strategies. The veteran teachers could also learn from the beginning teachers. Being that they are recent college graduates, they should be up to par on the newest technology and knowledgeable about needed reforms. The beginning teachers could be giving the veteran teachers technology tips and showing them how to incorporate more technology into their daily lessons. Through teambuilding activities, professional learning communities, and the mentoring between veteran and beginning teachers, the staff at Hickory Ridge High School will be in a better position to work collaboratively to meet their students needs. These newly formed relationships will allow the faculty to be more open-minded with each others ideas. Staff will be more likely to take the risk of sharing their ideas or suggestions for school improvement if they feel comfortable with the people around them. Iancu-Haddad, D., & Oplatka, I. (2009). Mentoring novice teachers: motives, process, and outcomes from the mentor’s point of view. //New Educator//, //5//(1), 45-65. Nugent, J.S., Reardon, R.M., Smith, F.G., Rhodes, J.A., Zander, M.J., & Carter, T.J. (2008). Exploring faculty learning vommunities: building connections among teaching, learning, and technology. //International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education//, //20//(1), 51-58. Haun, D.D., & Martin, B.N. (2004). Attrition of beginning teachers and the factors of collaboration and school setting. //RMLE Online: Research in Middle Level Education//, //27//(2), 1-7.