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Peer Mentoring and Coaching Online


Course Outline


Course Description


This course is designed to assist all educators in developing and utilizing effective practices to successfully mentor novice teachers. In addition, the course will explore the benefits that experienced teachers can gain by collaborating with colleagues in peer coaching programs.

Because teaching is such a complex and demanding profession, it is important for new teachers to be provided with a support system that allows them to transition from theory to practice. Recent legislation in many states calls for mentoring new teachers in order to help them improve and strengthen their skills and practices and thus, keep them in the profession.  Meanwhile, veteran teachers need to remain current with new teaching methods, stay energized in the classroom, and experience periodic professional renewal in order to avoid burnout.

Many reports suggest the next decade will see a huge turnover in the teaching profession as older teachers begin to retire and younger ones replace them. This course supports the premise that all educators are lifelong learners and that working in partnership with colleagues enhances classroom practices, improves student learning and builds school communities. The book Creating Dynamic Schools through Mentoring, Coaching, and Collaboration by Judy F. Carr, Nancy Herman, and Douglas E. Harris will provide the framework for the course.

Objectives


  • Define and differentiate the terms mentor, mentee, protégé, mentoring and coaching.
  • Examine the purposes and benefits of mentoring and coaching.
  • Assess individual mentoring aptitudes and qualifications.
  • Examine state mentoring mandates.
  • Evaluate mentoring needs at a school
  • Identify the qualities of effective mentors
  • Develop a mentor selection process and application form
  • Assess the needs of beginning teachers
  • Establish goals of the initial meeting between the mentor and protégé
  • Establish realistic expectations of the mentoring relationship
  • Examine the phases of the first year of teaching
  • Assess challenges of the first year of teaching
  • Conduct an interview regarding mentoring experiences
  • Establish effective conferencing practices.
  • Utilize peer-to-peer observations and classroom visits.
  • Utilize ongoing need assessments
  • Determine needs of less experienced teachers
  • Create a strategy to help a beginning teacher
  • Examinehow peer coaching can enhance classroom practice and academic achievement
  • Assess and evaluate the peer mentoring process
  • Share final integration projects

Curriculum Design & Time Requirements


Module assignments are based on specific module lessons, textbook readings and online research. Most modules take one week to complete. Module 10 will be completed over two weeks so students have time to revise and complete the final integration project. This is an online sixty-hour graduate level course that is completed over a thirteen-week period.

Hardware & Computer Skill Requirements


Students may use either a Macintosh computer or a PC with Windows 2000 or higher. Students should possess basic word processing skills and have internet access with an active e-mail account. Students also are expected to have a basic knowledge of how to use a Web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Safari, Mozilla Firefox etc.

Course Materials


The required text for this course is Creating Dynamic Schools Through Mentoring, Coaching, and Collaboration by Judy F. Carr, Nancy Herman, and Douglas E. Harris. The textbook and course materials will be provided for all students. In addition, online readings and website reviews (including journal articles and best practices from the body of educational research) will be assigned during the course to enhance learning. These readings will be presented as annotated websites within the course content.  Additional supplemental readings and resources will be provided.

Session Outline

Session 1: Introduction and Overview
Objective: Define the terms common to the course
Contents:
  1. Course Requirements, Goals and Expectations
  2. Introduction of Class Members
  3. Setting Personal Goals
  4. Define terms mentor, mentoring, protege, and coaching
  5. Understand what mentoring is and is not
  6. Roles of the Mentor

Session 2: A Rationale for Mentoring New Teachers
Objective: Review the legal requirements for and research on mentoring
Contents:
  1. NCLB Requirements for Highly Qualified Teachers
  2. State Mandates for Mentoring
  3. Determine who should and must be mentored
  4. Research Supports for Mentoring and Teacher Induction Programs
  5. Benefits for Mentors and New Teachers
  6. Developing a Mentoring Program Plan (Course Project)

Session 3: Qualities of Effective Mentors
Objective: Evaluate what makes an effective mentor
Contents:
  1. Characteristics of Effective Mentors
  2. Mentor Qualifications
  3. Selection Process for Mentors
  4. Mentor Eligibility
  5. Matching Mentors and New Teachers
  6. Concerns about Being a Mentor

Session 4: Productive Mentoring Relationships
Objective: Develop the components for beginning and sustaining the mentor and new teacher connection
Contents:
  1. Factors Related to Establishing Successful Mentoring Relationships
  2. Assessing the Needs of Beginning Teachers
  3. Setting Up the First Meeting Between Mentors and New Teachers
  4. Stages in the Development of Mentoring Relationships
  5. Expectations of the Mentoring Relationship
  6. Ethical Guidelines for the Mentor/Protégé Relationship
  7. The Issue of Confidentiality
  8. The Role of the Administrator in the Mentoring Relationship

Session 5: The Six Critical Focus Areas For The Novice Teacher
Objective: Explore the major needs of new teachers
Contents:
  1. Pertinent Information Needed to Understand the School Culture and Climate
  2. Core Knowledge and Skills Needed for Successful Instruction
  3. Organizing and Managing Personal and Professional Life
  4. Structures and Strategies to Organize Classrooms
  5. Results for Classroom, Local and State Assessments
  6. Developing and Sustaining Collegial Relationships in the School Community

Session 6: Methods of Mentoring
Objective: Explore and implement strategies to strengthen mentoring relationships
Contents:
  1. Support New Teachers Through Shared Experiences
  2. Strengthen Facilitation and Communication Skills
  3. Shared Decision Making
  4. Reflective Practice
  5. Record Keeping
  6. Avoiding the Risks of Mentoring

Session 7: Strengthening the New Teacher’s Classroom Instruction
Objective: Improve classroom instruction
Contents:
  1. Differentiating Between Observation and Evaluation
  2. Conferencing with the New Teacher
  3. Objective Data Collection
  4. Role Modeling
  5. Peer-to-Peer Observations and Classroom Visits
  6. Constructive Feedback
  7. Ongoing Needs Assessment

Session 8: Problem Solving Strategies
Objective: Resolve problems and challenges that develop in the mentoring relationship
Contents:
  1. Identifying and Resolving Problems
  2. Working with the Reluctant or Resistant Novice
  3. Real Life Scenarios
  4. Bring the Mentoring Relationship to A Successful Completion
  5. Providing Ongoing Support After the Relationship Ends

Session 9: Peer Coaching to Improve Classroom Instruction
Objective: Utilize peer collaboration to enhance teaching practices
Contents:
  1. Define peer coaching
  2. Partnering veteran teachers effectively
  3. Commonly accepted peer coaching practices
  4. Establishing an open door classroom
  5. Observing peers to enhance practice
  6. Using peer coaching for school improvement

Session 10: Mentoring and Coaching Programs and Course Completion
Objective: Evaluate successful mentoring and coaching programs
Contents:
  1. Recognized Mentoring Programs
  2. Successful Peer Coaching Programs
  3. Sharing Final Integration Projects
  4. Course Evaluations

Grading


    Assignment Points   Grading Scale  
  Forum Discussions   30      100 – 93 A
  Reading Assignments/Reflections   20       92 – 85 B
  Mentoring Program Project   30       84 – 77 C
    Final Exam   20            
  Total Points 100    

Student Requirements


1. Forum Activities - Actively participate in all Forum activities. If you post your assignment early, you must go back in the Forum and dialogue with your colleagues. You receive points for posting and interacting with your classmates in the Forum. 'I agree' types of replies do not count for credit towards fulfilling this requirement.
2. Reflections - Complete all reading assignments in the textbook, websites, and research articles or best practices and answer questions presented in the assignment section. Write an informal reflection as outlined in the assignment and send it in the body of an e-mail message.
3. Mentoring Program Project - Review research and literature on classroom management to insure the plan is researched based. Instructions are provided in Module 2.
4. Pass a final exam.

Student Academic Integrity


Participants guarantee that all academic class work is original. Any academic dishonesty or plagiarism (to take ideas, writings, etc. from another and offer them as one's own), is a violation of student academic behavior standards as outlined by our partnering colleges and universities and is subject to academic disciplinary action.

Register


To register to take TEI's Peer Mentoring and Coaching Online course, go to the Course Registration page.