3-Mentor+Page

Mentors - List suggestions for your time with the Residents.

Janell - Hey guys, I made a page for each of our schools. Please check your school names and edit if anything is incorrect. I am having trouble inserting links so if you can figure that out, please make corrections.

There is a discussion bubble (upper right corner) on this page with a question posted so feel free to contribute to the question I have posted or post another discussion topic. The residents will also have a page for their discussions.

Alice-Can the students post information here also or do you encourage them to use only the residents' reflections? I just read the questions from the Resident's Reflections. These are really good questions.

Paul - I created a sign in sheet for my school, if you like you can just change the school name and use it also. Just clicking on the word file.

Paul - I have added some information to the Higgins page which may be helpful.

Alice-Good Job Paul. Hope this is helpful to everyone.

Alice- Rosalind would like us to keep a journal as we mentor the students. Janell - Alice, Can we journal on our school page? Like a blog. Alice-Yes, that would be a good way to journal and everyone could learn from your experiences. What do the other mentors have to say about this?

Alice-April 4th, 2012- Here is the question posed by Janell. By the way, great question, Janell. OK everyone, what are your thoughts? Which brings up a good question - what exactly should we take away from each student visit? From my observations in the last 2 weeks, the students are only observing, walking around getting used to the classroom environment and taking notes of strategies and techniques being used by the mentor. If your mentees are consistantly attending class each week and even if they just started, maybe as Judy suggested in an email just today, they should begin presenting. That may get them into the class if they knew they must be prepared to do an activity. Let them know what part of the class you would like them to take over. Start small such as 15 or 20 minutes. Then, the question posed by Janell may be easier to answer. I can't answer this specifically right now, but will reflect on it after looking at my notes.

JUDY - So far I have taken away for each visit the enthusiasm that someone new to the field brings with them. My mentees look and act very professional. Other teachers have commented about what a positive attitude they have and what good role models they make.

Alice-April 4, 2012- As of now, everyone has had at least one mentee attend a class. I would like to hear your thoughts about the following questions:
 * 1. how does your mentee(s) interact with students**
 * 2. on a scale of 1 to 10 how comfortable is your mentee(s) in the classroom, [explain why you chose that particular number] and**
 * 3. how do you feel about the mentee(s) preparing and presenting a short lesson?**
 * JUDY -**
 * 1 - Both of my mentees have interacted with the students by going around to groups and assisting with labs. They both have assisted in helping students with determining their Independent Research Projects. One mentee prepared a RAFT lesson and presented it to the students. It is due Monday. He prepared a rubric and will grade it.**
 * 2 - I would give one mentee a 10. He has presented a lesson and talks to students. I would give the other an 8. He has a quiter personality and I think he will do fine as time goes on.**
 * 3 - One has done it and I have no problem with both doing it.**

**Janell -**
**First visit today and mentee was comfortable assisting with lab (8), talking with students. He told students if their guess about the identity of the mystery hydrate was correct, and helped troubleshoot an equipment problem. I will ask if he would like to prepare a short lesson for next visit. I will offer a textbook so he can select a topic that he feels comfortable with. I have been sending lesson plans for each week by e-mail to both mentees to help them see the flow of the course.**

**Alice-April 9, 2012** **First off, I like that we used different colors.** Judy and Wendy, you need to choose a color. **I think it's easier to see and distinguish between who's doing the writing.** **Next,** **Judy, I am so glad to hear one of the mentees will present a RAFT to your class. 1. I would love to hear how the RAFT lesson presented by your mentee went ,and 2. how will you encourage the other mentee to plan and present a lesson?** **Janell, I like that you keep your mentees informed by emailing them your lesson plans. Paul and Judy, how do you keep the mentees informed about upcoming lessons? Also, even though your mentees are just beginning to come in to observe, let** **them know they will be expected to plan and present lessons every week now.** **Paul, I like that the mentees have texts and a one stop planner 1. have you let Aaron enter grades for you? and 2. find out why is Lashante not coming in on a regular basis.** **Last, Your mentees should be preparing short lessons at least once a week or whenever they are in class with you. Which means if they are there 2 x's a week or more, they should be presenting a short lesson each time. Which brings up a question, how do you decide what they will present?**
 * Paul - April 4, 2012 **
 * Aaron has been coming by regularly observing and assisting during labs. Lashante has come by some, I would like to see her here more, but she could be at other sites. I have giving them both texts. I got a one stop planner for each of them, I am planning to show them how to use them to make tests and other assignments. I have had time to work with Aaron more showing how we take attendance and input grades. They both got to see how I test using Kurzweil 3000. Both students got to attend our professional develop day. I kind of wish we had more time because when we start sex ed they will not be allowed to teach, but I have talked with Aaron about teaching mini-lessons. **

**Wendy --My mentee observed when she was in class. There hasn't been any dialogue about her interacting as of yet. I have a student teacher who is taking over my classes at this point.** **With the limited exposure I had to Jessica being in the classroom, I would say she was comfortable at a level of 7...she seemed to feel free to go wherever she wanted and the kids took her presence in stride, however, she did not interact with the students.** **I am fine with the mentee presenting a short lesson and I think she'd enjoy presenting to the life science group.**

**Paul - Attached you will find my working journal. It is still just thoughts and short ideas. It is not that deep, just the basics. I am going to email my mentee about picking a small lesson for next week so they can get so teaching experience. Lashante had some damage to her car during Easter, but i planning to be back to track for next week.** **This is an updated Journal**

Janell - 4-15-12 - I have had Mentees in the classroom all week. For one of the Env Science classes with only 7 students, I added the mentees to the two teams while they played Survival Island. During the debriefing the next day, Gentri went to the board to explain how he solved one of the problems to the other group. During one of the chem labs, they were very helpful interacting with the students, handing out supplies, and troubleshooting. Both mentees arrived on site while I was testing and found some of the chemistry students who were not testing to offer tutoring. Brantley has gathered a small group of the "left behind' students in one chemistry session and worked through a failed quiz step by step. The students definitely appreciate the one-on-one attention. Her attention even resulted in the student who has not put a pencil to paper in quite a few weeks writing an excellent journal. Overall this experience has been positive all around, with the most benefit for the students who struggle to keep pace with an Honors course. I spent the last 10 minutes of an AP Env Sci interviewing my 7 students about group work after a discussion with Brantley and Gentri in which they observed the remarkable way in which our students work in groups. I have to agree that our students get along well in class and seem to exhibit good collaboration skills. So we asked my students how their teachers have helped them reach that level of cooperation. Some of their answers were surprising - "When you get a bad grade, you realize your partners can help you!" "We all have strengths and weaknesses, and when you work in a group, the project result is better if everyone contributes." They also disc

Wendy -- Jessica returned and jumped right in to working with the students....for the sixth grade oral presentations she became the audience for their flashlight model explanations and they really worked extra hard to explain what they did and how they worked through their problems. She was also someone to bounce ideas off od as my life science students tried to make sense of the parts of blood and the various blood vessels. She will return in a couple of weeks and Amerah will be here the week after next for three days to make up for some time she lost due to a medical issue.

Alice-April 16, 2012- Thanks to all of you for responding. It appears that everone has had the mentees observe their classes. Amareh, because of medical issues, is the only one left that needs to start her observations. Jessica seems to be the only mentee that has taken advantage of visiting most of the schools. I don't think she has visited Thomas Jefferson yet. I want to schedule another visit to all of the schools. This time I would like to observe the mentees teaching a short lesson. If any of your mentees have taught a lesson by now, write a few lines explaining what you observed when they taught. What were the mentees strengths and what do they need help with? Did you have time to talk to each mentee individually after their lesson? If so, what were some of the questions you asked them? What were some of their responses?

Wendy -- Amerah will wrap up her third day of observations today and she appears to be more comfortable with each day, jumping in to assist, moving to student groups working on tasks, assisting with teacher needs without being asked, all very freely offered. The kids are engaged with her and take her involvement in stride. I am not sure when she'll be able to teach a lesson as I will be out of town next week with the 8th graders in Orlando. Jessica is due to return this Friday and will teach lesson related to our study of the body systems. I will add my responses to your questions after that occurs.

Paul - I wanted to wait until they would feel conforable with the classes before they began teaching. Aaron presented the power point presentation to two of my classes not last week but the week before on two different days. She made connections to preivous lesson. Gave the students great examples on how our immune system works. She got the students involved by asking probing questions. She has been working with small groups and students one on one. The students actually clapped when she was finish. Lashonte became the lesson for one of my classses. She added some personal information about herselt and her first pregnancy to explain to the students about RH incompatablity. She also has been working with small groups during labs and activities. She works really well with the students one on one. I asked both to attendent a sex ed workshop for teacher. I wanted them to understand about what we could teach and what we could not. It is my hope that the workshop will prepare them for the last part of biology. I also want them to observe during the EOC testing.


 * Wendy - I am unclear as to the method or format through which we are to provide feedback / evaluation of the time we spent with mentees so far.5/30/12 **

Paul - I hope everyone has had a great start with this new year. Aaron is off to a great start at Higgins. E. Osunde was hired also but has been held up with the central office process. 8/10/12.

Paul - E. Osunde could not start until Oct., but we did find a teacher to take his place he in starting next week. Amerah or Mrs. Ramzi will be working with me this semester doing student teaching. She starts next week. HOPE ISSAC didn't cause everyone too much stress. 9/6/12