A WELL ROUNDED TEACHER INDUCTION PROGRAM
A teacher induction program is a comprehensive, coherent, and sustained professional development process that aims to train, support, and retain new teachers and seamlessly progresses them into a lifelong learning. It is meant to help them feel comfortable in their roles, improve practice, learn professional responsibilities, help them acquire advanced instructional skills quickly, and ultimately positively affect student learning. Many schools do not see the importance and value of teacher induction programs and leave their new teachers on their own with little help from the administration and or their colleagues.
I would like to include an agenda with the rationale explaining each agenda item.
A. GOVERNANCE–ADMINISTRATION–ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE– (90 Minutes)
This component will be covered by the school principal. It is critical that the teachers be very well informed of these items. Topics to discuss will be as follows:
Welcoming Remarks: The principal will emphasize how excited he/she is about the new school year and the coming of the new teachers. The principal will plant the seeds of hope in them and instill a sense of pride and privilege in the new teachers. He will make them feel so much welcome.
Introducing Board of Directors: Many teachers do not know who serves on their school board, what they do, how long they have been serving, etc. The principal will briefly talk about the board members and how dedicated they are.
Introducing Administrative Personnel: The principal will introduce himself/herself and the other members of the administration and explain their key roles in the administration. It is advisable that the principal mention how effective and hardworking they are and their value to the school. The teachers feel more comfortable hearing how strong their school’s administration is. It is more convenient that the assistant principal or a designee introduce the principal and what he/she means for the school.
Introducing Office/Custodial/Other Personnel: The principal will introduce all other personnel and explain what they are responsible for and how they can assist the teachers throughout the day.
Organizational Chart: The principal will display the chart and show the teachers how things work from top to bottom and whom they report to and for what.
B. HISTORY- MISSION – VISION – GOALS – SCHOOL CULTURE – NON-NEGOITABLES – (90 Minutes)
The principal will briefly explain when school was established, the success stories, the values and the beliefs the school stands on, the hopes that the school holds for the future. It is important that the teachers know the strengths of their school and non negotiables that create and build strong school culture. The principal will explain short and long term goals of the school and discuss what makes the school where and what it is today and expectations from the teachers who will play a key role in furthering the school.
C. POLICIES –PROCEDURES – ROUTINES – (180 Minutes)
School Calendar: An administration member will talk about the typical annual school calendar and highlight important events and programs and explain what teachers are expected of doing to prepare for them. Staff working days, student testing dates, holidays, professional development days, parent teachers conferences, etc. should be clearly indicated on the calendar. The calendar feels like a map for teachers.
Employee policies, procedures, payroll, and benefits: Although these are briefly covered during interviews, teacher would still like to clarify some of their issues through questions and answers. They are excited about their first pay check and would like to know their benefits in depth as well as payroll schedule, deductions, etc. There are many questions about retirement plans, bonuses, performance based pay system, extra time, travel and reimbursement policies, The personnel handbook should be reviewed briefly by the administration by pointing out areas of concerns in the past years and what teachers need to comply with and be careful with.
Emergency and Safety Plans & Drill Procedures: Many teachers don’t feel comfortable with emergency procedures and the execution of important drills such fire, tornedo, emergency evacuation etc. It is important that teachers know exactly what to do when such emergencies occur and how to follow the protocol.
Supervisory Duties: Teacher need to know what they are expected to perform when assigned with morning duty, bus duty, hallway duty, lunch, and after school duty, substitute duty, event duty, etc.
C. INSTRUCTION (180 Minutes)
The instructional Coordinator will lead this session and answer all the questions on the following topics. Curriculum: The instructional coordinator will point out how the school curriculum is aligned with the state standards and how important it is to implement it in its entirety.
Effective Teaching Strategies: The instructional coordinator may talk about the effective teaching strategies that have been successful in the school and how those can be acquired by new teachers. Seminar topics such as “Effective Strategies for Educating African American Students” How to Differentiate Instruction, “Using Hands on Activities and Manipulatives” may be offered during the induction program.
School Database: Teachers will be using database all day long for their grade entries, assignment postings, attendance taking, information seeking, parent and student info, grading, report printing, etc. It has many functions and modules that make teachers’ lives a lot easier and save their time.
Lesson Plan Submission: Sample lesson plans should be demonstrated for a clear understating of what the school requires teachers to include in their plans. If it is an online submission, teachers will need to be trained on how to use it.
Instructional Resources: Resources are critical to quality of education. Teachers need to know what is available at the school and what additional resources they will need to provide on their own.
First Day of The School: Teachers are so excited about the first day(s) and they need to be guided for everything they will be exposed to on the first day(s). The clear procedure and expectations should be taught for a smooth day.
D. DISCIPLINE AND CODE OF CONDUCT (90 Minutes)
Classroom management, discipline policies and procedures: The student handbook should be the main guide during this session. The person who is in charge of overall school discipline should take the lead and explain the policies and procedures. Classroom management is a key issue for many new teachers and they would like to stay on the top of it. During this session, teachers are supposed to learn classroom management techniques and how to report misbehaving students to the office. The following seminar topics can be offered under this component: “How to Be Assertive, Consistent, and Fair When Implementing Rules”, “How to Motivate Students So They Will Listen and Behave”, “Effective Classroom Management Strategies.”
E. TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM (180 Minutes)
The technology coordinator can cover this component. Technology improves student learning by providing visual understanding and supportive materials through images, sound, and text. It definitely saves time and energy which are two drainers for student patience. It helps teachers avoid waste of supplies and time. It enables them to use their previously used materials and manage their classroom more effectively. The web connects students to real life applications of contents covered in classroom and provide virtual experience on things that are already not available in a classroom setting. Teachers need a lot of training on how to use technological equipment and some educational softwares. Some of the seminar topics under technology may be “Mastering Smart Board”, “Effective Power Point Presentations” “Make Math Fun with Clickers”, “Online Curriculum Resources and Applications.”
F. STUDENT ASSESMENT AND HOW TO USE DATA EFFECTIVELY (90 Minutes)
With frequent and systematic analysis of assessment results, there will be a “laser-like focus” on the skills to be taught so that students’ time is used effectively. Teachers will use assessment data to guide every instructional decision. Teachers will use technology to expedite data analysis as well as consolidating data from different assessments. Under this component, the following seminar topics can be covered:”What are AYP and Value Added System?”, “How to Analyze Data and Develop New Strategies”, “What is the MAP NWEA Assessment?”, “Test Taking Strategies for Students”,etc.
H. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (360 minutes)
It is important that the school provide continuous professional development programs throughout the year to make sure teachers will enhance their knowledge on certain academic issues, keep up with educational world, effective use of technology in class, communication skills, effective use of data, etc. The following seminars may associate with this component.
Special Education and ESL: Teachers shall value every single student’s learning needs and create opportunities to provide the least restrictive environment for students. Teachers need training on the services required to implement special education program of the school and meet the needs of special education students according their individualized education programs. They need training on how to teach students with limited proficiency in English and the strategies they need to develop to be able to meet their academic needs. Special Education Coordinator and ESL coordinator will lead this thread in the induction program.
Building Relationships With Student, Parents, The Community: Teachers need to learn how to build strong relationships with students, parents, staff members, and other key stake holders to be able to convey their messages effectively.
Mentoring Program: The mentoring relationship provides the beginning teacher with an opportunity to work closely with and learn from a veteran teacher. The mentoring relationship is shaped by the activities that the beginning teacher and mentor participate in together. It provides mentoring activities such as observation, co-teaching, and lesson planning to take place.
Parent Teacher Conference Tips for Teachers: Teachers need to be well prepared for these conferences and do their best to represent their school. Teachers should support their statements with data and paperwork. Teachers may need tips on how to deal with difficult parents during parent teacher conferences.
Child Abuse and Neglect: Teachers will learn the types of child abuse and neglect and the signs of the child abuse and neglect and the protocol for reporting them.
Teacher Evaluation: In order for beginning teachers to gain an understanding of their strengths and weaknesses and to grow professionally, it is important for the teacher to participate in a formal evaluation administered by a supervisor. The beginning teacher, as well as the mentor, should be aware of the standards and processes by which the new teacher will be evaluated.
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