https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m By Wednesday, please read each weekly scenario and respond as you would if you were this teacher's mentor. Then, thoughtfully comment by Friday on a minimum of two class members' responses. en-us 2019-05-03 18:45:15 UTC 2019-07-21 02:41:13 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Apple.png jessicaaprilwilliams https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/367448958 I would encourage my mentee to evaluate his/her students' effort. Sometimes teaching students to put forth effort is more difficult than teaching standards. I would suggest a trick someone once suggested to me. I would suggest handing out a new and blank copy of the test. I would ask my students to give me the correct answer and explain why all of the other choices were wrong. It isn't guaranteed to teach them the lesson but it could possibly show students that if they were to just put more effort in, they outcome would be better. 

]]> 2019-06-13 16:44:11 UTC https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/367448958 https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/367647672 This question is a difficult one to answer based on how well we know the person giving the test. I would try to ask the teacher about the test process first, and then work back into the teaching of the lessons. I would ask did the kids have enough time? Was the test an essay or multiple choice, true and false test. If I gave the teacher the test, then I would have to ask other questions like this age group really needs specific procedures in the classroom. If you have any questions on that my door is always open. I then kind of get the teacher to think about the process without telling them my way is the best way. I guess I don't know how I really get to the root of the problem if there even is one......maybe the material is really difficult to understand. The subject I teach is like that, there are some topics that scores are consistently bad, and maybe that is me. Interesting to think about. ]]> 2019-06-14 18:53:37 UTC https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/367647672 https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/368146899 So this happens all the time in my classroom and I have thought about it a lot.  I used to have a classroom that was much more teacher orientated because I gave notes and lectured for 35 min each day.  So kids had a lot more time to ask questions.  I found this to work really well when combating too many raised hands. First I would try to get some background on the questions........... I would ask the teacher a couple of questions first like, are the kids asking questions about the topic you are teaching? Do you explain your topic or procedure in more than one way? Have you ever asked kids to write their questions down on notebook paper and then have a friend answer the questions, instead of answering them in front of the class?  So after all those questions are answered I will give away my thoughts.  If a kid is raising their had too much I ask before the third questions, "Is your question a comment, question, or concern?" Usually the 6th grade kids don't understand what a concern is, so we discuss as a class.  Most of the time the kids questions are comments or concerns. If the questions are comments, I will tell the student in front of the class I will get to it later.  If it is a concern I will have the kids work and then ask the student if it is an emergency and we will talk it out quietly while the other kids are working. So why does this work, it teaches all the other kids in the class what type of questions are good now and what questions should be answered later.]]> 2019-06-18 15:57:40 UTC https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/368146899 laura_bussler https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/368162603 I think most teachers would be able to pick out a handful of students in their class who are not afraid to participate and want to have a voice. Something simple I may suggest that has been successful for me is to pose a question, problem, etc. to the class. After giving some thinking time, have the students do a "turn and talk" to an assigned neighbor. I assign neighbors at the beginning of the year and each time we have a new seating arrangement. I also go over the expectation for turn and talks at the beginning of the year. My students get to know this routine pretty quickly. They know it is an expectation for both partners to share their thinking or provide an answer, depending on the question. When I bring the class back together, I have many more students confident in sharing their thoughts. This allows me to call on many different students each day, instead of only seeing the same hands up. ]]> 2019-06-18 17:38:18 UTC https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/368162603 laura_bussler https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/368867716 ~Check the school's policy. Is there a policy for turnaround time? 
~Ask yourself, is this an assignment that requires immediate feedback? 
Most do, so... 
~Encourage student feedback. Utilize strategies such as "Think and Share in a Pair". 
~Correct on the spot (if appropriate). Nothing is more immediate than that. 
~Would it be an assignment appropriate for peers to correct? 
~Is there a para or other adult available and willing to help correct? 
~Set aside time outside of school twice a week (with the exception of unit tests) as correcting paper time and stick to that plan. Allow yourself down time. It will make you a better teacher in the long run. ]]> 2019-06-24 02:36:04 UTC https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/368867716 https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/368964397 I would have to try and ask what type of papers these are?  We as a school have really went away from homework.  We have tried to keep our kids doing meaningful work.  I would try to start a conversation about how much the kids are getting out of the homework.  If the teacher is putting more time in then maybe lesson the load.  I would talk about self grading, shared grading, using rubric or scoring guides and then I would go into google type of grading if computers are available.  Since we went BYOD bring your own device the whole grading talk has really shifted in our building.  I like our shift but now have to think about how I am giving feedback and how often.  I think as new teachers we think students need to be busy, which they do, but has to be meaningful on many levels.  Standards level, grade level, and I think if the homework is not a routine then it should not be homework.

]]> 2019-06-24 15:42:34 UTC https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/368964397 https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/369900442 I am not sure what I would say in confidence with this teacher.  I want the students to most of the talking, when it comes to behavior I have to only rely on the facts that I have.  If they have happened in my class I would tell the teacher to write down what specific things are happening and how often in class.  I usually do this to help in stressful environments I don't always remember things quickly.  I would ask the parents about the students past behavior and see about their point of view on behavior.  Last thing with technology a teacher should be communication home before conferences on the issues.  Not in depth but at least what the behaviors are, then the conference can get into the specifics of the behaviors.  I would tell the teacher to talk about the behavior and then listen.  Make sure to refocus after talking about the behaviors.  

]]> 2019-07-02 03:34:05 UTC https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/369900442 laura_bussler https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/370153671 As a mentor, the first piece of advice that comes to mind is to remind this teacher to lead the conversation with the positives. There is something positive about every student so by starting with those facts first will help set the tone. Once it is time to discuss what the child may need to work on, I would recommend using questioning to make the transition in the conversation. Asking this student’s parents if they notice any of the behaviors/struggles at home may relieve some of the stress from the conversation. Not always, but most of the time parents will have noticed some of the same concerns at home. It is important to be honest and straight to the point. Elaborating or saying too much causes parents to become anxious. The final piece of advice I would give this teacher is to remember they are talking about somebody’s “baby”. This teacher needs to be ready to tell the parents what plan they have or what they have been trying in the classroom to solve the problem. ]]> 2019-07-04 02:25:23 UTC https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/370153671 https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/370385820 So much of real life learning is chaotic but we seem to think of learning as in a library. Believe me libraries are my sanctuary, but in classrooms kids talk, act, and need to make mistakes which chaos come from this. Now I don't know the age of the students, but adults can also be chaotic when learning. So what to tell the teacher......I would start out with some clarifying questions as to how long the groups have been meeting, what has been modeled as to what the groups are supposed to be doing, and how are the groups split up. If there are groups of only special education students then they are going to struggle. If most of the kids in the group can't read then the groups are going to struggle. I would try to find this info out and then I would try to tell the teacher to not take if personal. In our teaching meetings we can't all figure out what to do sometimes. Sick with the habit of the groups and try to find ways to show, explain, model, what the groups should look and sound like. I would also see if there are roles for students, that always seems to help a little if kids are off task. ]]> 2019-07-06 18:53:53 UTC https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/370385820 laura_bussler https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/370695027 Differentiated instruction is a beast, so before seeing this teacher struggle, we would have had the conversation to start small and build on it as you can. As far as the chaos goes, I would ask the teacher to tell me what happened vs. what they anticipated happening. After some scenarios were given, I would probably give some suggestions followed up with a teachable moment (if applicable). A suggestion would be to have the students do a self-reflection at the end of each math block. By getting the students thinking about their actions and choices, they might self-solve the problem. I would also offer up the advice to remember kids are kids. Every day may not be perfect but if there is evidence of learning, even through the chaos, then it working. ]]> 2019-07-10 02:06:19 UTC https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/370695027 laura_bussler https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/371211441 It sounds as if this mentor has spent a significant amount of time working with this teacher and is already taking many different angles to help. As I read this scenario, I heard a certain teacher's voice in my head. I recently taught fourth grade with her for a couple of years and she was very good at inspiring people. The other thing I looked up to her for was how she made relationships with her students and always put their needs first. My gut tells me to have a heart to heart conversation with this teacher in the scenario to try to get her to see the bigger picture. I would ask how her decisions are impacting student achievement? How her relationships with her students are evolving? If strong relationships with students are not present, I would feel compelled to discuss what brought them into the profession in the first place. Afterall, each of those student's are somebody's child. How are the relationships going with each child's family? If this conversation does not seem effective and the mentor feels they have exhausted all options, the mentor can either choose to let this teacher learn from their mistakes or at some point, it may be worthwhile to get administration involved if this teacher continues to have a negative impact on students. The fact that this teacher chooses to do their own thing leads me to believe they think they know best. I may be wrong in that assumption but it comes off a little conceded. This teacher may need an eye opening experience to get on the right track. ]]> 2019-07-15 18:07:21 UTC https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/371211441 https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/371214679 Advice for the Mentor.......I would try to approach the teacher with a different angle.  I would try to really figure out about their life outside of teaching.  If someone is unorganized that is one thing, but if the teacher is not present then the mentor has to use some compassion and ask some questions.  I would start with a story about my second year of teaching.  I started coaching that second year and didn't feel like I had anything organized.  I would go to practice and think about school. be teaching and trying to figure out coaching.  I didn't understand how to organize my time.  It took me a year to figure it out.  So maybe the teacher is going through a loss of a parent, or bad relationship at home.  I would try to lead with my story to help put things into perspective.  I might ask other mentor's about what to do.  
Advise to the teacher, it is best to have the kids be busy so then some planning and organization can take place.  I would tell them to have two or three days of catch up.  Make some hands on activities and have the students self monitor each other while the teacher can get some planning done.  I actually gave this idea to a coworker when they were really frustrated with grading.  The teacher was always talking to me about how much extra time they put in after school grading.  I had a good in depth conversation and I let them know I had the same frustration.  I told them I don't put grades in outside of the school day, I will ask or enter their grades during the "work time" then I could plan my next day after school.  The teacher took my advice and has that routine ever since.  I think this teacher could benefit from routine in the classroom.  
How to relay the message.....We like I discussed I would try to ask them if things are going ok outside of school.  If they are, I would talk about getting the teacher some time to plan, during the school day, and last I would try to figure out if planning or making copies, curriculum guides, and standards are the problem.  Maybe the teacher doesn't understand the complex math so that is why they don't teach it.  I usually do a better job teaching when I fully understand the topic I am teaching. None of this will be easy, but if I can start to understand the why's as a mentor I can help with the how's for the teacher.
 ]]> 2019-07-15 18:37:41 UTC https://padlet.com/jessicaaprilwilliams/6yeh925sgm3m/wish/371214679