Seager B Sped875 m2 Mentor Teacher Collaboration

Running Head: MENTOR COLLABORATION 1
Mentor Teacher Collaboration
SPED 875: Advanced Practicum with Exceptional Children and Youth
University of Kansas
Dr. Martha Elford
Brent Seager
February 4, 2018
MENTOR COLLABORATION 2
Module Four: Mentor Teacher Collaboration
Earlier this week, my mentor teacher communicated with me to have three questions,
concerns, or comments ready for our meeting later in the week. This allowed me an opportunity
to reflect on lesson one, upcoming lesson two, and the self-determination meeting, which
allowed me to meet my mentor teacher’s requirements of having three questions, concerns, or
comments ready for the meeting. According to Goodwin & et al., 2015, finding three focus
questions or areas in the teaching and learning process is essential element in successful teaching
and in the mentoring process as well. I began reflecting on the lessons and interactions that I
have had so far, and I was able to select three essential questions, concerns, or comments for our
meeting (Goodwin & et al., 2015). The conversation of our meeting was fluid and focused on
the three essential questions, comments, or concerns that my mentor had me review earlier in the
week.
Prior to the collaboration conference with my mentor teacher this week, the entire school
district attended a professional development training earlier in the week; which motivated me to
change the topic of persuasive writing that my students will be completing. I was very excited
entering into the collaboration meeting, as these meetings provide me with opportunities to
enhance the lesson delivery and activities, as the collaboration process allows more powerful
learning opportunities as an educator (Rigelman & Ruben, 2012, p. 979-980). The only question
that I had going into the conversation was what could I improve on with the first lesson plan that
I designed? My mentor really liked the changes that I made to the lesson, as she believes that the
activity will build student competencies in persuasive writing and address community concerns
as well. The only question that my mentor had for me regarding the first lesson is how will I
engage all students with this project? I responded with I plan on engaging them with the hook
and using Universal Design for Learning to allow them more options in the learning process.
The next topic on the discussion was the lesson plan observation and evaluation, which is
an important opportunity for me to reflect and adjust as necessary for future lessons and
activities. One thing that I will need to keep in mind is that my mentor is also one of the
evaluators and to understand what each role entails. I understand that the mentoring/evaluator
roles can be challenging, but I welcome the feedback and insights that I will gain from my
mentor through this process (Koballa, 2010, p. 1085-1086). The entirety of our conversation was
fluid and the main concerns about engagement and the lesson plan were addressed and clarified
early in the conversation. I am really enjoying the mentoring process, as having a different
perspective on education and lesson planning has allowed me to reflect on my own perspectives
and continue growing as an educator.
I brought writing samples to my mentor for review, and determined that all students
struggled with persuasive writing based on the samples. Which is why I have decided to focus
on persuasive writing, as this is a transferable skill that will be used to build self-advocacy.
During the conversation, I felt comfortable, as my mentor values my perspectives and vice versa.
This has allowed my mentor and I to develop a positive and healthy relationship, which is one of
the cornerstones of good mentoring and collaboration (Washburn, 2008, p. 92-93). The
collaboration allowed me to learn that I have great ideas for lessons and activities, and that
adding new perspectives allows me to implement a lesson that is engaging and motivating for all
students. There are two skills that I believe are essential for collaboration to be successful, and
these skills are respect and feedback. Having respect and providing feedback builds a healthy
relationship that is more conducive to collaboration and improving the learning environment for
teachers and students.

References
Koballa, T.R. (2010). Teacher thinking associated with science-specific mentor preparation.
Science Education, 94(6), p. 1085-1086.
Rigelman, N.M. & Ruben, B. (2012). Creating foundations for collaboration in schools: Utilizing
professional learning communities to support teacher candidate learning and visions of
teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 28(7), p. 979-980.
Washburn, M.H. (2008). One mentor or two: An instrumental case study of strategic
collaboration and peer mentoring. Journal of the first-year experience & students in
transition, 20(2), p. 92-93.

Seager B Sped875 m2 Mentor Teacher Collaboration

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Seager B Sped875 m2 Mentor Teacher Collaboration

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Seager B Sped875 m2 Mentor Teacher Collaboration

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Running Head: MENTOR COLLABORATION 1

Mentor Teacher Collaboration

SPED 875: Advanced Practicum with Exceptional Children and Youth

Dr. Martha Elford

Module Four: Mentor Teacher Collaboration

allowed me to meet my mentor teacher’s requirements of having three questions, concerns, or

and continue growing as an educator.

teachers and students.

Science Education, 94(6), p. 1085-1086.

professional learning communities to support teacher candidate learning and visions of

teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 28(7), p. 979-980.

transition, 20(2), p. 92-93.

You might also like