Teach Secondary 13.8

+ Why schools should be backing improvements to oracy provision + A step-by-step guide to embedding those essential classroom rules + The ‘assumed knowledge’ that some young people have and others lack + How schools can benefit from the National Theatre Collection + The importance of cultivating and maintaining a positive student mindset + An end-of-term quiz in which students have to spot the AI fakes + A further 5 ways of reframing classroom behaviour SALLY NEWTON Secondary partnership manager, Tommy Flowers SCITT ROBIN LAUNDER Behaviour management consultant and speaker JANE BALL Deputy head of schools engagement, National Theatre GLORIA DALAFU Lead practitioner in maths ZEPH BENNETT PE teacher and school achievement leader B eing asked to be an ITT mentor is an enormous privilege, and indicative of your school valuing what it sees as your effective teaching practice. It’s a role formally recognised by the DfE, which ensures that all school-based mentors undertake 20 hours of initial mentor training – so if you’re considering taking on the role of an ITT mentor, here are some essential points to bear in mind: 1. Be honest and listen Providing honest and constructive feedback on planning, lesson delivery and the challenges of working in education is an essential element of effective mentoring. Share the challenges you experienced yourself earlier in your career, and allow your trainee to express themselves. In feedback conversations, probe the choices and decisions they make. Understand their perspective and allow them to find their own voice. 2. Narrate the process To a novice, expert teachers can seem ‘perfect’ and ‘natural’. Trainees won’t be aware of the nuances involved with teaching and how strategies need to be developed over time. To remedy this, narrate your thought processes so that trainees can see how teaching isn’t some magic, unattainable art, but a skill honed through experience. Allow the trainee to observe you and provide asides: ‘ Did you see how I resolved that situation by…’ ‘Watch how I model… ’ Explaining your process will reassure the trainee that they too can become an expert. 3. Know your stuff Keep up with the latest pedagogical theory and evidence base. As part of their initial 20-hour training, mentors will explore how to apply Rosenshine’s Principles within the classroom – the cognitive science relating to how children learn – as well as how to safeguard and support trainee teachers. Mentoring is a great way of staying at the cutting edge of the profession. 4. Be flexible If you recognise that your trainee is overwhelmed, you might want to reduce their teaching hours that week. If you can see that your trainee is struggling to adapt their planning to meet the needs of their learners, sit and plan alongside them. Allow them to observe you teaching a class, so that they can see an expert in action, or else encourage them to meet with a TA or SEND specialist in order to develop their expertise. 5. Stay organised As a mentor, you’ll be required to organise timetables, observation opportunities and meetings for your trainee teacher. You’ll also need to complete assorted mentor training and paperwork relating to the role, such as assessment review points – all in addition to juggling your already busy teaching timetable and other personal commitments. Taking on a mentoring role comes with its challenges, but the benefits as you watch your trainee flourish can be enormously satisfying. Every trainee will remember the mentors that helped shape their journey into the profession. LEARNING LAB INTHIS ISSUE MENTORING CONTRIBUTORS Thinking about… ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sally Newton is secondary partnership manager at the Tommy Flowers SCITT provider of primary and secondary PGCE and apprenticeship courses L E A R N I N G L A B 83 teachwire.net/secondary