Discussion
- Determine what universities are doing to support current graduates and share their ‘best practices’
- Examine (a) how effective programs support graduates and (b) take a longitudinal look at stayers and leavers within these programs
- Consider teaming with Professional Development for the Experience Teacher ASPA to look at the full lifespan of the teacher, while still maintaining a focus on those things that are unique to the beginning teacher’s needs
- Examine the impact of mentoring beginning teachers on the mentor and the preparation of the mentor teacher
- Collect and compile information on mentoring programs sponsored by state MEA organizations
- How can we access this information and point our students to it in methods classes and student teaching?
- Examine effective mentoring principles in general (outside of music education) as well as within music education and bring those models together
- Consider becoming a regular voice in MENC “forum” postings for beginning teachers
- Make contact with policy makers through organizations like ASCD
- Advocate for discipline specific mentoring
- Advocate for professional leave for our beginning teachers for professional conferences
- Create a template or compilation of ideas about mentoring new teachers to distribute to MEA organizations to use in their programs or for state conference sessions/resource
Short-term action – Anaheim 2010
- Collect and compile information on mentoring programs sponsored by state MEA organizations; members of the ASPA will investigate the states in their region
Long-term action – SMTE 2011
- Write an MENC position paper on mentoring
- Write articles policy articles on professional development for beginning music teachers for professional education organizations like ASCD
Return to Professional Development for the Beginning Teacher ASPA main page