Support for New Teacher Learning

Scanning files of teacher applicants shows quickly their diverse backgrounds-professional, cultural, academic. High-tech industry employee, engineer. Recent college graduate, immigrant with experience in finance, technical college instructor. All ages.

When hiring these new teachers, you know how hard the first year can be. You know training, retaining and sustaining them is essential. And you know that deep teacher learning is vital for them to become skillful practitioners who engage students in authentic learning.

During the past eight years, I have mentored beginning teachers and have seen the incredible impact principal support has on teacher learning and the learning that happens in their classrooms.

When teachers receive support in the same ways we strive to support student learning-with time to think and reflect, a safe climate for the risk taking essential for learning and personalized professional development tailored to each learner's unique needs-growth occurs.

I frequently end conferences with new teachers by asking, "What do you need in order to do your job well?" The answer: "Time."

Real learning requires time...to absorb new concepts, test new thinking, notice disconnects between assumptions and reality, reflect on experiences. Time to experiment, try, fail, rethink, attempt anew. This is a rare commodity in schools. Building leaders stand in a unique position to help protect their beginning teachers' time.

Following an observation, a teacher sighs, "That was terrible."

New instructional strategies require many practices before becoming natural and automated. Beginning teachers need to know they can make mistakes or teach a poor lesson while learning their craft. During early learning, things can be pretty messy. Or, as Julia Cameron in "The Artist's Way" says, "It's impossible to get better while looking good."

In a quiet voice, hoping no one will overhear, a teacher confesses, "I don't really know how to assess their reading."

Beginning teachers have questions they're afraid to admit they have, beliefs they discover inside themselves that don't match what they want to believe or think they should believe, things they (or others) thought they knew but don't. They need a safe, non-evaluative colleague with whom to think. It is principals who can create time for and foster important mentor relationships.

"This is my third sub this week. I barely  know what I'm teaching. How am I supposed to write plans for a sub?" the beginning teacher moans. "The first training helped with my lessons, but now it's about new technology for next year."

Deep learning-for students and teachers-aligns with the learner's needs and readiness. When professional development is tightly tied to beginning teachers' current realities and contexts, it powerfully launches their learning.

For beginning teachers, immediacy of need-what's necessary today, tomorrow, this week-is significant. There is too little time, too much is new and opportunities to sort, apply and reflect are limited. Principals can help "control the flood" to focus and maximize teacher learning.

The teacher shrugs saying, "I really want  to discuss my lesson with you, but my small schools coach comes tomorrow, we're planning senior projects later, and the literacy coach had some new ideas for me."

Support is good. Too much smothers or can make a new teacher "spin" while trying each coach's suggestions. Principals can ask those who provide professional development for beginning teachers to coordinate services based on teacher and student needs.

For one beginning teacher, specialized literacy coaching was delayed until management routines settled. Another teacher with strong learning routines began coaching work early. Principals who identify their beginning teachers' needs can optimize the sequence and timing of learning opportunities.

The diversity in background, experience and skill of beginning teachers calls for support that is uniquely designed to match each teachers' needs. Maximize teachers' learning and we can maximize students' learning.

Questions to guide planning for support of beginning teachers:

• Is teachers' time for learning about their curriculum, instruction and students protected?
• Does the school climate allow teachers to "not look good" while they get smarter?
• Do teachers have access to a safe, non-evaluative mentor with whom to think?
• What will help this teacher get smarter about classroom challenges right now? What is important, but can wait?
• How do those who support beginning teachers coordinate their efforts?