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Mentoring New Special Education Teachers

A Guide for Mentors and Program Developers

By: Mary Lou Duffy, James W. Forgan

This field-tested guide provides everything you need to effectively support and mentor your special education teachers, increase their job satisfaction, and keep your retention rates high!

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Product Details

Grade Level: PreK-12
ISBN: 9780761931348
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2004
Page Count: 184
Publication date: November 17, 2004

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Author(s) Table of Contents

Description

How do you avoid the high cost of turnover and retain high-quality special education teachers in such a demanding field?

Surveys show that 98% of school districts are reporting shortages of special education teachers, and that nearly a quarter of a million new special education teachers will be needed over the next few years. Special education teachers are leaving the field at twice the rate of general education teachers. Why?

Special education teachers can quickly become overwhelmed by the myriad of responsibilities in their jobs-managing IEPs, alternative assessments, paraprofessionals, assistive technologies, complex legislation and paperwork, and the physical and emotional toll of such individualized instruction.

Mentoring New Special Education Teachers will help administrators and other educators develop and sustain effective mentoring programs specifically designed for special education teachers, providing practical, field-tested activities and resources for both the mentors and the mentees, including such critical elements as:

Effectively identifying, recruiting, and selecting mentors
Action planning
Evaluating progress
Addressing diminishing support
Dealing with burnout and isolation
Vignettes of real-life mentoring experiences
Figures, tables, appendices, Web sites
A ready-to-use two-day workshop for training mentors

Real-life vignettes and "What If" questions weave throughout the book, and trouble-shooting appendices direct you to additional Web sites and resources for further help. Mentoring New Special Education Teachers provides everything you need to effectively support and mentor your special education teachers, increase their job satisfaction, and keep your retention rates high!

Author(s)

Mary Lou Duffy

Dr. Mary Lou Duffy is an associate professor of Exceptional Student Education at Florida Atlantic University. Dr. Duffy’s interest in mentoring stems from her work with pre and in service teachers in the local school districts in South Florida. She has had the opportunity to work with new teachers to help them learn practical ways to solve management and instructional problems. Mary Lou is a participant in Florida’s Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) regional partnership, housed at Florida Atlantic University. She and Jim Forgan both have presented workshops and information sessions on mentoring and mentor training.

Dr. Duffy’s other interests in special education include transition services for students and young adults with disabilities from school to work. She teaches courses both on line and in traditional format on transition. Her experience with on line courses has helped her become comfortable in teaching using distance technologies.

James W. Forgan

James W. Forgan, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Special Education at Florida Atlantic University where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses. He is the principal investigator for the Southeast Regional Comprehensive System of Personnel Development Professional Partnership and on a United States Department of Education grant to increase the number of master’s level minority special education teachers. Dr. Forgan was a teacher of students with learning disabilities and behavior disorders at the elementary and middle school levels for six years in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. His professional interests are in the areas of mentoring, social skills instruction, and assessment.

Introduction: Overview

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

1. New Special Education Teachers

Vignette

Who Are New Special Education Teachers?

Where They Come From

What New Special Education Teachers Need

Supports ESE Mentors Can Provide Mentees

Fears and Anxieties of New Teachers

School Administrator's Role

Assignment of New Teachers

What If?

References

2. Supports for Special Education Teachers

Vignette

Uniqueness of Special Education

Special Education Processes

Professional Issues

What If?

References

3. Designing Mentoring Programs

Vignette

Critical Elements for Designing Effective Mentoring Programs

Roles and Responsibilities of the Mentor and Mentee

Roles and Responsibilities of the School Administrator

Mentor Selection

Mentor Training

E-Mentoring

Mentoring Activities Calendar

Action Planning

Funding Mentoring Programs

What If?

Online Resources for Designing Mentoring Programs

References

4. Becoming a Mentor

Vignette

Who Should Be a Mentor?

What Do Mentors Do?

What Do Mentors Do When the Mentoring Relationship Isn't Working?

What Do Mentors Gain From the Experience?

What If?

References

5. Effective Communication Skills

Vignette

Effective Communication Skills

Observing and Coaching

Teaming: Working With Others Effectively

Problem Solving

What If?

References

6. Learning About Adult Learners

Vignette

Working With Adults

Adult Learning Theory

Styles of Learning/Personality Types

What If?

References

Resource A: Action Plans

Resource B: CEC Standards and Mentoring Resources

Resource C: Professional Resources

Resource D: Mentor Workshop

Resource E: Timeline for Mentoring Activities

Index

Other Titles in: Mentoring | Teacher Induction | Special Education

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