successful teaching strategies and survival skills for the first year teacher
DESCRIPTION
Powerpoint presentation for the first year teacher. Presented on 5/3/13 by Crockett Intermediate Staff.TRANSCRIPT
SUCCESSFUL TEACHING STRATEGIES AND SURVIVAL SKILLS FOR THE FIRST-YEAR TEACHER
ANGELA CHADWICK
• Crockett Intermediate Principal
ONCE UPON A TIME….
•Graduated from Texas A & M - Commerce•Prepared to be a teacher through course work and student teaching•First teaching assignment was 7th grade science at Sesame Street Middle School in Texasville ISD (Don’t let the name of the school lull you into a false sense of security!)
THE PLOT THICKENS…
• First year was a very difficult transition; expectations of student behavior were unrealistic; more concerned about survival mode than effective teaching; spent a lot of days moaning at my desk at 3:30PM and searching the want-ads• My saving grace was a supportive principal who told me it
takes three years to develop my style and skill and to be confident; he was right• Four years later I won Secondary Teacher of the Year in
Texasville ISD
THE REST OF THE STORY…
•Now finishing my 19th year of teaching; 7 years of middle school science; 12 years of Biology, Integrated Physics and Chemistry, Chemistry, and Anatomy and Physiology•Three years of Business Computer Information Systems (BCIS) and four years of Dual Credit BCIS
STARTLING STATISTICSUp to 25% of beginning teachers do not return for their third year and almost 40% leave the profession within the first five years of teaching.
Source: Harris, L. & Associates (1993). The metropolitan life survey of the American teacher: Violence in America’s public schools. New York: Metropolitan Life.
According to study from the National Education Association, half of new U.S. teachers are likely to quit within the first five years because of poor working conditions and low salaries.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2006
WHAT DO NEW TEACHERS NEED?
1. Realistic expectations
New teachers need to know that teaching is difficult and to be ready for any scenario.
2. Strong, devoted, and skilled mentors
New teachers need mentors who have a heart for novice teachers and ones who can give them maximum classroom time on their own
3. Time to mature
New teachers need patience to persevere through the first year of teaching
NEW TEACHERS NEEDS
4. To reflect on their student teaching and first year
New teachers need blogging or autobiographies to share with colleagues and dedicated mentors
5. A heart for students and a heart for teaching
New teachers need to shift their focus from “their” needs to the “students” needs
6. A supportive administration or other authority figure
New teachers need a coach but they also need a cheerleader
Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory—idea of self-efficacy
• Self-efficacy is important for students AND for teachers
Four components:
• 1. Mastery Experiences
• 2. Vicarious experiences
• 3. Social persuasion
• 4. Physiological arousal
Source: Bandura, A. (1997) Self-Efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.
SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY
SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY ESSENTIALS
• Mastery Experiences: Student teachers need to be successful and see that their success came about through hard work, commitment, choices, and strategies—not luck or chance.
• Vicarious Experiences: Student teachers need to see other people in their craft who have succeeded—and the more they see the better.
• Social Persuasion: Student teachers (and first year teachers) need encouragement
• Physiological Arousal: Student teachers need to be excited about teaching and enjoy it—anxiety or dread decreases efficacy.
Source: Bandura, A. (1997) Self-Efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman
TEACHER SELF-EFFICACY
Definition of Teacher Self-Efficacy:“…Judgment of his or her capabilities to bring about desired outcomes of
student engagement and learning, even among those students who may be difficult or unmotivated.”
Source: Woolfolk-Loy, A., & Tschannen-Moran, A. (1998). Teacher efficacy: It’s meaning and measure. Review of Educational Research, 68, 228.
There is still some debate about how this should be measured, but researchers agree that teacher self-efficacy is correlated with persistence with struggling students, willingness to experiment with methods of instruction, improved teaching methods, and new instructional materials. These teachers also appear to have a higher level of commitment to professional development.
Source: Henson, R. K. (2001). Teacher self-efficacy: Substantive implications and measurement dilemmas. Keynote address at Annual Meeting of the Educational Research Exchange, Texas A&M University, College Station.
TEACHER SELF-EFFICACY MODEL
ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF TEACHER MENTORING PROGRAMS
A COGNITIVE APPRENTICESHIP
is a relationship in which a less experienced learner acquires knowledge and skills under the guidance of an expert..follows an apprentice model.
The features of a cognitive apprenticeship, according to Woolfolk (2010) include:
*New teachers observe an expert and model the performance
*New teachers get external support through coaching or tutoring
*New teachers receive conceptual scaffolding, which is then gradually faded as the student becomes more competent and proficient
COGNITIVE APPRENTICESHIPS (CONT.)
*New teachers continually articulate their knowledge—putting into words their understanding of the processes and content
*New teachers reflect on their progress, comparing their problem-solving to an expert’s performance and to their own performances
*New teachers are required to explore new ways to apply what they are learning—ways that they have not practiced at the master’s side
Source: Woolfolk, A. (2010). Educational Psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Person Education, Inc.
SUCCESSFUL MENTORING PROGRAMS SHOULD…..
1. Be based on sound research2. Connect theory to practice3. Prepare teachers for all contingencies4. Stress cultural differences in minority groups and
differences in student needs based on gender5. Be rigorous from start to finish
QUOTES FROM "THE NEW BRAIN" BY RICHARD RESTAK
Referring to the brain and plasticity:
“..we now know that the brain never loses the power to transform itself on the basis of experience, and this transformation can occur in very short intervals.”
JENNIFER RAY
• Crockett Intermediate Instructional Coach
• 16 Years Teaching Experience
• 3 Years Instructional Coach
• 2012 Campus, District, and Regional Teacher of
the year
• “Knowing where the child has been and
what they are going through is more important
than math, reading, science or social studies.”
CASSANDRA ROGERS
• Crockett Intermediate 6th Grade Math, First Year Teacher
• “Yes, there are stupid questions. You just need someone whom you trust enough to ask.”
What
I w
as
doin
g a
year
ag
o
KATIE PARSON
• Crockett Intermediate 5th Grade Math, Second Year Teacher
• “Doesn’t matter if it’s true or false, as long as it’s a good story.”
AND NOW…YOUR TURN
•Good Questions•Ok Questions•Questions you are afraid to ask•Comments•Concerns/Fears •Requests for Autographs and/or Pictures