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Induction Plans for Beginning Teachers

Induction Plans for Beginning Teachers

Mary Margaret Kidwell

Grand Canyon University

EAD 536

Dr. Chris Wood

March 17, 2021

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Induction Plans for Beginning Teachers

Agenda

The following induction plan is designed for six new elementary teachers. The goal of the

plan is to effectively help the teachers learn policies and practices related to Whiteside

Elementary and Lubbock Independent School District (LISD), while providing them the support

they need to successfully meet the expectations of their new role.

NEW TEACHER INDUCTION AGENDA

Welcome Breakfast - 7:45-8:15 - Whiteside Elementary School Library

Principal Kidwell will welcome the 6 new teachers, introduce Whiteside’s leadership team members, and
distribute new teacher induction (NTI) packets and welcome bags.
Packets will include: NTI schedule, map of the school, contact information for new teacher, leadership
members, and administrators, campus and district handbooks, and .
Welcome bags will include: district issued laptop and charger, the upcoming year’s school shirt, pens/pencils,
post it notes, and a Whiteside Elementary reusable tumbler.
The welcome breakfast will conclude after each new teacher has introduced themselves, and are paired with
their individual campus mentor teacher.

Mentor Time - 8:20-9:00 - New Teacher’s Classroom

Mentor teachers will show new teachers to their assigned classroom so they can drop off anything they
brought with them, and get acquainted. During this time mentor teachers are expected to get to know the new
teacher they have been assigned, show them around the school, and answer any questions they have. During
this time the leadership team and I will make the rounds to personally introduce ourselves to the new
teachers, and welcome them to the team. This is an opportunity for the new teachers to get comfortable with
their new teammates, and the layout of the building, and see first hand how Whiteside Elementary teachers
and staff work together.

Mission and Vision - 9:00-10:00 - Whiteside Elementary School Library

This session will be led by the leadership team members, the assistant principal, and myself. All new
teachers, and mentors will attend. The session will present the mission and vision for both Whiteside and
LISD. This session will start with an ice breaker, followed with each leadership team member sharing a
positive experience they have had during their time at Whiteside, and how it relates to the mission and vision.
Ice Breaker: everyone will have one-two minutes to write down the qualities/characteristics of the best and
worst teacher they have ever had. A selected leadership team member will create a chart on the board with
one side for the best teacher and one side for the worst teacher. We will go in a circle to share out what was
written for each “teacher” until a substantial list is completed for each side of the chart. Next, ask them to
decide if the characteristic is about the person or the content being taught. Write a P or a C by each item.
Usually the majority of characteristics listed are affective qualities, people skills, not content issues. Say, “I
don’t know anyone who sets out to be the worst teacher in America. How is it then that everyone of us could
think of one or more terrible experiences? How do people end up on this chart? One of the things we know
we can do is to look at what effective teachers do and do those things and look at what ineffective teachers do
and avoid those things. We know what we want; so, how do we do it? How do we stay off the ‘worst’ list?
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Induction Plans for Beginning Teachers

That’s what NTI will be about: increasing our knowledge and skills in order to become more and more
effective as teachers.”

Introduction to Campus PBIS Procedures - 10:00-11:00 - Conference Room

This session will be led by the PBIS campus academic leader (CAL), and be attended by all new teachers, the
rest of the leadership team, assistant principal, and myself. The purpose of this session is to define PBIS, and
explain how our campus utilizes PBIS to help students succeed. New teachers will receive a copy of the
Whiteside PBIS handbook, and login information for our PBIS online portal (they will need their district
issued laptop for this session). The PBIS CAL will walk through our PBIS procedures, explain the discipline
flow chart, and get new teachers signed in to the portal. New teachers will also be shown the shared folder of
discipline/PBIS resources used by LISD. After everyone has logged in, bookmarked, and explored the portal
and folder, the PBIS CAL will present the new teachers with a variety of situations. The new teachers will
work together to determine the correct course of action (using the discipline flow chart), create a list of
possible next steps. The leadership team, assistant principal, PBIS CAL, and I will listen to the responses to
each situation and share any necessary feedback, reinforcement, or refinement to their answer.

Campus Grading Procedures - 11:05-12:05 - Mentor Teachers’ Classrooms

For this session new teachers will work with their mentor teacher and a leadership team member. If there is
more than one new teacher to a grade level they can combine in one of the mentor’s rooms. New teachers will
receive a copy of the district grading guidelines, and need to bring their district issued laptop to access the
online gradebook. Mentor teachers should model on their screen how to access the gradebook, set up grading
categories, enter grades, and enter grade changes for corrections/retakes/reteaches. The mentor and leadership
team member will go through the grading guidelines with the new teachers, while answering any questions
they may have. This information is essential to both student and teacher success, so all mentor teachers need
to communicate the importance of new teachers coming to them for advice, questions, or clarifications at
ANY TIME during the year.

Planning with Mentor and CALs - 1:05-4:00 - New Teachers’ Classroom

After lunch new teachers will meet with their mentor teacher to develop plans for the first week of school.
Mentors are encouraged to bring any materials they use (task cards, read alouds, etc.) and plans from previous
years. This will give new teachers an idea of how the grade level team they are joining manages the first
week of school. Mentors will also share information about open house, drop off/pick up, lunch, recess, etc.
CALs will come meet with each mentor and new teacher depending on the subject area/content they are
assigned. I will join each planning session to get a feel for the mentor and new teacher relationship, answer
any questions they have, and give any necessary recommendations. During this planning time mentors and
CALs will also work with each new teacher to show them where to locate district planning resources, pacing
calendars, and where to submit lesson plans each week. Mentors are encouraged to share any additional
resources they use to plan like websites, books, and videos that are relevant to their grade level and content.

Purpose and Criteria

Creating a plan for beginning teachers to be mentored by more experienced and

proficient teachers is vital to the success of not only new teachers, but the school as a whole. As
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Induction Plans for Beginning Teachers

an administrator taking the time to develop a well thought out plan that includes criteria for

mentors, timelines, activities, and professional development (PD) opportunities will help to

ensure the mentor program is sustainable and successful. The main purpose of this mentorship

program is to ensure new teachers do not feel isolated, have the necessary resources and support,

and are an active part of our school community. When researching different new teacher mentor

programs I was inspired by Fort Worth Independent School District’s (FWISD, 2014) list of

goals for their New Teacher Induction program:

● Provide all first-year teachers with a one-to-one mentor

● Help beginning teachers attain high and rigorous teaching standards
● Build a deep, rich understanding of the curriculum framework
● Foster effective classroom management practices
● Orient all new teachers to the school, policies, and procedures
● Make all new teachers aware of professional practices and expectations

In addition to the goals above I would add that the program should make all new teachers feel

they are a part of the campus community and positive school culture.

To achieve these goals I would select veteran teachers who are not only instructional

experts, but also have a strong classroom management routine, and are committed to fostering

collaboration and positive relationships among students, parents, and colleagues. The selected

mentors would need to commit to the time and work of supporting a new teacher, and be

available for all required events. In addition to the time requirements, I will also be seeking

mentors who are willing and able to share professional skills, knowledge and expertise, and who

exhibit enthusiasm towards teaching and learning.

Timeline

The mentorship program would be a year long commitment for both mentors and new

teachers. The program would start the week before back to school Professional Development
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Induction Plans for Beginning Teachers

(PD) starts, and continue through the completion of the academic year. It is important that new

teachers are inducted into the school, and become familiar with the routines, procedures,

technology, and resources available before they are overwhelmed with the usual back to school

PD and preparation. Mentors would be required to complete a mock coaching cycle within the

first month of school, to prepare new teachers for their official observation cycle with an

administrator. In addition to this first mock coaching cycle, mentors would be required to

complete another coaching cycle within the first month of the second semester as a sort of check-

in with the new teachers planning and instructing.

Aside from coaching cycles, mentors would be required to meet with their new teacher

mentees weekly. These weekly meetings would provide an opportunity for mentors to share

feedback, and information about upcoming school events, while allowing new teachers to ask

questions, seek advice, and generally debrief about their experiences.

Finally, new teachers would need to observe a teacher other than their mentor once a

grading period. Observing other teachers in the building will be an opportunity for the new

teacher to further collaborate, and get involved with teachers outside of their grade level and

content area. These observations should be completed during the new teachers conference time,

so they are not juggling finding someone to cover their classroom, or missing any instructional

time. These observations can be informal, but they must be scheduled with the principal and

teacher they are observing at least one week in advance.

Induction Activities

Developing activities for the mentor teacher and beginning teacher to nurture a culture of

collaboration, trust, learning, and high expectations will be an essential part of the success of this

mentor program. Activities that give mentors the space to “build the relationship first,” before
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Induction Plans for Beginning Teachers

focusing on growth, instruction, planning, and all of the things that come with developing a new

teacher is extremely important. (Furlow, 2019) After working on the relationship, and

developing an understanding of collaboration and trust, I would have the new teacher and mentor

teacher set goals. Goal setting is something all teachers, and school leaders are required to do,

and using goals to develop a new teacher's skills is great practice for both the new teacher and

mentor. I would encourage the mentor and new teacher to create a list of things to work on, and

order them from most important to least important to help them decide on a timeline for each of

these goals. There are many activities that new teachers and their mentors will do throughout the

year that focus on instruction, planning, coaching, evaluations, standards, classroom

management, and the list goes on, but I believe it is important to focus on the human side of

things too. I will challenge my mentors and new teachers to take time to “celebrate the big and

little successes each day.” (Furlow, 2019) These celebrations do not need to be grand, or even

take place during a specific time, but to retain quality teachers, it is crucial to take time to reflect

on the good that is happening, and the positive changes that they are facilitating.

Professional Development

Aside from required PD for all teachers, it is important that new teachers attend and learn

from as many PD opportunities as possible. Quality PD sessions, whether formal or informal,

allow teachers to develop both their “confidence and content expertise.” (Edutopia) Some topics

I would focus on for new teachers’ include; classroom management, vocabulary integration

across content areas, cross curricular planning, time management, and classroom culture. These

specific topics are currently being researched by my school’s leadership team, and are relevant to

new teachers everywhere.

Budgetary Implications
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Induction Plans for Beginning Teachers

It is important that I intentionally plan a school budget that allocates funds for new

teachers to attend all necessary PD sessions, and for mentor teachers to be compensated for their

time and support. Typically PD sessions that require payment are covered by the district, but if

there are any campus specific sessions I will need to have planned for those in advance, and have

funds for them allocated before the academic year begins. In an ideal situation, principals know

how many spots will require new hires, and those numbers will be used to determine how many

mentor stipends I need to budget for. Unfortunately, it is no secret that public school funding is

tight, so I would propose that mentors receive a $300 stipend for their work. Quality mentors will

spend much more than the required amount of time with their assigned new teacher, and this

extra time and effort will benefit every member of the school community, so their work deserves

the highest possible stipend available.

Servant Leadership

Asking veteran teachers to help develop and support new teachers on top of their already

full schedule requires them to become servant leaders. As a servant leader to my school,

modeling the qualities and expectations I have for mentors before they are asked to participate in

this process will set the stage. It is also important that I remain a servant leader throughout this

entire process, because it will set the tone for the mentoring plan and the progression of the

beginning teachers. Working closely with both mentors and new teachers to ensure they have all

necessary resources and supports, and do not miss any opportunities for growth, will be critical

throughout this process.

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Induction Plans for Beginning Teachers

References

CORRELL, J. (2017). Unlocking the Secrets of Agency: New Teacher Induction

Program Empowers Educator-Centered Growth. Learning Professional, 38(4),

52–57.

FURLOW, G. (2019, August 7). How to be an exceptional mentor teacher.

https://www.teacherready.org/exceptional-mentor-teachers/.

New Teacher Induction Program 2014 - 2015 . Fort Worth Independent School District. (0AD).

https://www.nctq.org/dmsView/Fort_Worth_New_Teacher_Induction_Program_2014-15.

Professional Learning. Edutopia. (0AD). https://www.edutopia.org/topic/professional-learning.