Mentoring New and Aspiring Teachers

Course Description

This course supports mentors working with aspiring, pre-service, and novice teachers by offering strategies and tools to guide the development and implementation of a successful mentor-mentee relationship. Through four modules, participants will engage in self-assessment and self-reflection for the purpose of understanding who they are as an individual impacts how they work as an educator. It offers ways to build a positive and productive relationship with your teacher mentee, while also continuing your own growth as an educator.

Time Commitment: 12 Hours

Learning Objectives

The objectives of this course, which includes four (4) modules, is to prepare you to effectively mentor aspiring and new teachers.

Module 1

• Engage in reflective practice to analyze who you are as a teacher
• Critically evaluate teaching strengths and areas for growth
• Examine practices for equitability and professionalism
• Identify your code of conduct

Module 2

• Develop your own identity as a mentor
• Learn how to build and cultivate mentoring relationships
• Foster your own growth as a mentor

Module 3

• Identify the developmental stages of teachers
• Explore different mentoring modalities and approaches
• Establish a professional environment through which collaboration, sharing, and feedback can be effectively and constructively offered
• Model effective teaching methods

Module 4

• Create a mentor plan for implementation

What to Expect

Each module will walk you through the process of developing yourself as an effective mentor.

• Module 1 focuses on reflecting on your own practice as an educator.
• Module 2 focuses on developing identity as a mentor and maintaining mentor relationships.
• Module 3 teaches strategies for working with new and aspiring teachers.
• Module 4 focuses on preparing a mentoring plan for implementation.

Required Materials

All materials are provided within each module. Participants will need access to the Internet to view videos and navigate websites.

Course Requirements

No requirements for this course

Instructors Bios

Dr. Jackie Sydnor, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Elementary Education at Ball State University.

Dr. Jackie Sydnor is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Elementary Education at Ball State University. Her scholarly interests include supporting aspiring and new teachers’ professional identity development and reflective practice, and effective mentoring and induction support. Dr. Sydnor has authored journal articles and book chapters in journals such as The Teacher Educator, Action in Teacher Education, New Educator, Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, and Teacher Education Quarterly. She has taught numerous graduate and undergraduate courses in elementary education and literacy, as well as supervised student teachers. Her past and current service roles include Chair of the Department of Elementary Education, Assistant Chair, Program Area Leader of the Literacy Education Program, co-editor of the Indiana State Literacy Journal, and Program Chair of the American Educational Research Association’s Lives of Teachers Special Interest Group. Dr. Sydnor began her career as a first-grade teacher and later an educational interventionist in Indianapolis. She earned a master's degree from Indiana University – Indianapolis, and a PhD in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education, with a minor in teacher education from Indiana University – Bloomington. Dr. Sydnor served on the National Advisory Committee fro the Praxis Teaching Reading: K-12 Assessment and authored Case Analysis for Effective Teaching: K-8 Literacy for Pearson Publishing. Professional recognitions include “Outstanding Teaching” (2016) and “Outstanding Service” (2020) awards from Ball State’s Teachers College.

Dr. Rebecca Brown, Associate Teaching Professor of Elementary Education & Assistant Chair of the Department of Elementary Education

Dr. Rebecca Brown received her Ed.D. in Educational Administration and Supervision at Ball State University, after completing an M.A. focused on Organizational Leadership at Gonzaga University. She is an associate teaching professor who also has the privilege of serving as the assistant chair of the Department of Elementary Education. Prior to teaching in higher education, Dr. Brown gained significant experience in administration and teaching through various positions, serving as a PK-8 principal and teaching at both the middle school and elementary levels. Her elementary teaching experience has spanned public school systems, parochial schools, and the DoDDS school system in Okinawa, Japan. Dr. Brown has done extensive research in mentoring, with publications featured in the Journal of Research on Leadership Education, the International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, Higher Learning Research Communications, and Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning. Her research is currently focused on the development and implementation of equitable grading practices, enhancing teacher preparation for diverse populations, and creating effective teacher leaders.