Teachers learning is constant in our schools. It has to be. Teachers learning models for our students how the process works. Teachers learning together is good for the profession.
A year ago, I had the opportunity to return to the faculty of the New York State Association of Independent Schools' (NYSAIS) Beginning Teachers Institute (BTI) — a three-day, mid-October workshop for teachers new to teaching and independent schools. Like other state and regional association new teacher workshops, the Institute’s objectives are to support and reassure new teachers during their first weeks of teaching.
A wholehearted and enthusiastic commitment to developing and helping teachers in their work is essential to students and the future of independent schools. At a past workshop for New York state independent school trustees and heads of schools, Pat Bassett, president of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), cited six hot topics for independent school leaders, and the number one hot topic was “identifying, attracting, and retaining qualified faculty and staff.” The more that state and regional associations embrace this concept, the quicker we will prepare our schools for sustaining themselves in the 21st century.
I am certain that Bassett’s message is on the mark, and after reading Ted and Nancy Sizer’s The Students Are Watching, I am further convinced of the importance of teachers nurturing teachers to be the best that they can be for the sake of our students. The Sizers illustrated how they worked together in developing schools that are student-oriented. Ted Sizer’s Coalition of Essential Schools and Deborah Meier’s Central Park East Schools and Mission Hill School present models for teachers — both public and private.
Beginning each BTI, participants (affectionately referred to as BTs) and faculty explore personal and professional goals, which is followed by classroom management techniques, parent conferences, comment writing, learning difficulties, diversity, and professional networking. The culminating activity, however, is a video taping of a five-minute lesson taught by the BTs, and the subsequent, critical discussion. The important “take away” for each BT is a buoyed (and I do mean “keep afloat”) confidence, and some of the “nuts and bolts” for their classrooms and growing teaching infrastructure.
It is in the opening personal and professional goals session that I love to take the part of a ready, experienced educator listener. Without fail, BT aspirations and personal stories give me hope for our future schools and students. Making sure that they can see beyond their first six weeks is critical to each BT experience and future. From their stories, it is clear that the youngest BTs are trying to figure out life in general — how to survive beyond the nesting college years; and while not all BTs are 20-somethings, many are wading their way from college through to adulthood. I loved the recent New York Times Sunday Magazine article “What Is it About 20-Somethings?” by Robin Marantz Henig. I am convinced that our newest college graduates have a challenge to navigate the sea of becoming a teacher and an adult.
One BTI “nuts and bolts” session is parent teacher conferencing, discussions, and techniques. Inevitably, the question comes up of how do we deal with difficult parents, especially the ones that are long-standing parents of the school? With a brief acknowledgement of their anxiety, and helping them understand that their questions are not unfounded, we often jump right into role-playing. It is always a great eye-opener and tension reliever. We start out with the BTI staff having fun playing an administrator talking to an irate parent, stopping and starting the conversation along the way, asking BTs how can we relieve this parent’s anxiety? How much of this conversation is focused on helping the student and how much is about allaying the fears of the parent? As BTI faculty, our bottom line is always recommending talking with your program head when you foresee a difficult conversation. Probably one of the best resources for understanding the parent-teacher dynamic is Michael Thompson’s article “The Fear Equation.” Also, Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot’s book The Essential Conversation is an excellent resource.
When we discuss the “nuts and bolts” of writing comments and grades, we emphasize the importance of making sure the grades agree with the comments and vice versa. BTs appreciate the common sense of it all, and you can readily see the confidence growing in each of them as their logical minds grasp the predictability of good planning and anticipation.
Classroom management is virtually on every BT’s list, and letting them share their own stories of what works and what does not, can be the best lesson. Hearing good experiences from their peer group is often the most effective way to assure the most inexperienced teacher. Richard Lavoie’s DVD, How Difficult Can This Be? The F.A.T. City Workshop, clearly explains why classroom management can be such a challenge. Helping new teachers analyze why a student is ornery is a far more effective method of helping students succeed than the usual, cause-and-effect punishment techniques. Not just for BTs but for all educators, becoming sensitized to students with different learning styles and issues sheds helpful light on understanding the art of teaching. We all really know that the most challenging student can ultimately be a teacher’s greatest reward.
So much of what teachers — new and veteran — need is perspective. That is why ongoing professional development is emphasized throughout the BTI. Whether it is a simple observation of another teacher in their school, or a workshop, or a conference, or a teacher training institute (NYSAIS also offers an ETI — Experienced Teacher Institute), professional development is the key to program excellence and student support and success.
I was heartened by the culminating and individually taught five-minute lessons and video taping that I observed in my group; subsequently, each BT received important critical commentary from observing peers. What was so rewarding for me was the fact that their criticism of lessons was student-oriented, always keeping the focus on what would ultimately be best for the student. Here are some of their superb suggestions and criticisms:
- Use all of the student’s senses.
- Change teaching modalities.
- Be vigilant to the external stimuli that may affect the student’s learning.
- It is essential to have enthusiasm for the subject you are teaching.
- Keep students involved and active learners.
- Use available technology in lessons and encourage students to use the same in their work.
- Provide a forum — in and out of the classroom — for students to shine.
- Teach through role modeling and adopt a guide-on-the-side approach to teaching and leave the sage-on-the-stage approach back in the 20th century. (Both Sizer and Meier are adamant about the value of these in their books and work.)
- Fight the quantity v. quality traps. Be sure the students understand and enjoy the content and process before moving on to new material.
Pretty impressive observations for beginning teachers! The group agreed that by using the above suggestions, there would be less need for discipline and that learning flows from good teaching.
It is incumbent upon experienced teachers to be the best learners and model for our newest teachers. Teachers learning together can only enhance what goes on in the classroom with our students.