Early Career Music Teacher Collaboration Project
The Early Career Music Teacher Collaboration (ECMTC) Project is the a mentoring program for the state of Wisconsin.
The goals for this program are to support early career music teachers as they acclimate to new teaching environments and help them build a professional network. By sharing information and resources, both early career teachers and more experienced teachers will all benefit from ideas shared in these unprecedented times.
This year, project participants will meet virtually as a large group 4 – 5 times. The first meeting will be a networking mixer; participants will then break into smaller groups by region, by teaching level, and finally by specialty area.
All interested educators may participate. To register, please fill out the appropriate form below:
For questions about how best access to current mentoring resources, please contact Laurie Fellenz at 608-850-3566.
Why We Need Mentoring Programs
- On their first day, first year music teachers are expected to do the same job as experienced teachers.
- Because of the placement of music classrooms and rehearsal spaces, music teachers are frequently isolated from their peers for the majority of the workday, thus preventing the natural induction process.
- Novice teachers are reluctant to ask for help for fear of appearing incompetent. Experienced teachers are reluctant to offer help for fear of appearing to interfere.
- Novice teachers frequently get extremely difficult teaching and directing assignments that would challenge even the best veteran teachers.
- Novice teachers develop coping strategies to help them survive in the classroom, and these strategies may be the very ones that prevent them from becoming effective teachers.
- Novice teachers need someone to listen to their concerns and share their elations.
- It is best practice.
More information…
Teachers Helping Teachers: The Path to School Improvement
Education Update Online: We Need Mentors
Teachers Network Leadership Institute: Collaboration for Success
Resources
DPI: Frequently Asked Questions – Educator Licensing
PI 34 and Mentoring: Requirements and Responsibilities
PI 34 and Mentoring: Requirements and Responsibilities
Overview of mentor requirements:
- PI 34 articulates that school districts must support an initial educator with a mentor who is a teacher who has demonstrated solid performance for a minimum of three years, holds a professional educator license, and has received formal mentor training, i.e., is a “certified mentor”.
- Further, the mentor may not be in a position to formally evaluate their mentee and therefore may not serve on the Professional Development Team.
- Each mentor must be assigned only one initial educator.
Overview of mentor responsibilities:
- Provide the initial educator with ongoing support, from orientation sessions through help with self-reflection and goal setting within the initial educator’s Professional Development Plan.
- Assist the initial educator in understanding the culture of their school(s).
- Observe the initial educator’s teaching and provide advice and support.
- Help their mentee with ways of communicating with peers and parents.
To learn more about PI 34, visit the DPI website.
The Three C’s of Mentoring
Edited from The Center for Cognitive Coaching – which is now merged with Adaptive Schools Seminars to create the new Thinking Collaborative.
Coach
. . . the . . . coach is non-directive, using data and reflective questions to support and develop the teacher’s cognition related to the learning processes of students. Advice and judgments are withheld. {Mentoring}* can involve such things as working with student data, planning common curriculum implementation, or problem-resolving related to student achievement gaps.
Collaborate
The {mentor} collaborates with individuals and teams. Collaboration differs from . . . Coaching in that it is shared work around common goals. The collaboration may include planning, brainstorming, analyzing, and even advocacy.
Consultant
As a consultant, the {mentor} brings expertise to any given situation. At times the {mentor} serves as a trainer or as model for an instructional strategy. Consulting differs from coaching in that this function includes providing rationale and giving advice. On a given day, the {mentor} makes choices about when to coach, when to collaborate and when to consult. The decision-making process is complex and requires thoughtful differentiation based on the needs of the teacher . . . being served.”
*The words and acronym Building Resource Teacher (BRT) have been replaced by mentoring or mentor for purposes of this information.
Mentoring Links
- WI Teacher Standards
- Excellent sites that discuss PI 34, Mentoring, and links to other content areas and the ways they are addressing mentoring:
