TLC's Message to Principals of Program Participants

Dear Principal:

Greetings from Broward’s Teaching and Leadership Center (TLC) located at Davie’s Florida Atlantic University Campus.  This is to inform you that the TLC is currently running two programs that offer Alternative Certification (ACE) teachers education courses tuition-free.

The TLC, a department of the Broward County schools, has developed two programs for qualifying ACE teachers, Project PROMISE and IMPACT.  These state-approved programs leading to teacher certification are funded through federal Transition-to-Teaching grants and are offered in affiliation with Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and Nova Southeastern University (NSU).  Project PROMISE is a university-based program open to ACE teachers in high-needs school or critical subject areas (i.e. Science, Social Science, etc.) in which participants take education courses.  IMPACT is a district competency-based program taught through face to face professional development, on-line learning communities, and observations delivered by the TLC.

It is very possible that you have or have had one or more Alternative Certification Educators (ACE) on your teaching staff.  ACE teachers enter the profession from various fields of study and with degrees other than education.  In turn, they must fulfill specified educational requirements within three years of teaching in order to attain professional certification in the state of Florida.  Please encourage your new ACE teachers to take advantage of our programs to help them meet these requirements.

TLC’s research-based programs provide coaching, mentoring and classroom support through the assignment of a Teacher Coach.  As retired Broward County teachers and/or administrators, our Teacher Coaches share a wealth of experience and nurturing qualities that enable new educators to reach their full potential. The coaches are trained in Broward’s Effective Schools Program and furnish useful and practical tips, advice, strategies, and suggestions that relate directly to classroom activities to propel students towards academic achievement.

It is undeniable that the first several years of teaching may be stressful, yet research shows that they are the most important in terms of teacher preparation. New educator support is central for achieving and improving student learning gains. It is our hope that our Teacher Coaches will be working with your new educators to further learning and achievement at your school, and that your ACE teachers will apply for our programs.

Please feel free to contact our office with any further questions and concerns.

Sincerely, 

Cynthia Fowler

954-236-1033 (Office)

Teaching and Leadership Center's Streamline One-Stop Center for Alternative Certification

Teacher Coach Message to New Program Participants on Mentoring

 Mentors:  Please copy this message to send via email to the list of program participants you are scheduled to visit.  Please utilize your CAB email address when initially contacting TLC program participants.

Mentoring is provided for classroom support with feedback from Mentors hired by TLC. This is a coaching model for TLC's IMPACT Program and Project Promise participants in high need Differentiated Accountability schools to coach in areas such as instructional strategies, curriculum delivery, academic rigor, use of academic time, student engagement, etc. It is not evaluative.

The format is a classroom visit with feedback.

If you need additional information, you may contact TLC's Grant Facilitator: Cynthia Fowler.
(phone 954-236-1033 or email cynthia.fowler@browardschools.com)

TLC Mentor Roles and Responsibilities

As a TLC mentor, your responsibilities include the following:

Model accomplished teaching and exemplary professional behaviors for new teachers.

Coach aspiring teachers, providing specific praise that will reinforce success and constructive suggestions that will strengthen teaching.

Facilitate discussions that focus on the Sunshine State Standards; promote sharing ideas and strategies to effectively teach to the standards, leading to the assessment of the standards.

Make use of the resources provided to the mentee through TLC's Professional Development Critical Content and Teacher Leadership Classes.

Nurture the mentee's professional growth by providing opportunities to collaborate with colleagues, participate in site-based learning communities and curriculum planning sessions

Here are two more suggestions to amplify those responsibilities:

Upon meeting your TLC mentee, exchange email addresses and phone numbers, contact mentee to confirm the next visit. Let the mentee know if there are times you prefer not to be contacted. When you meet, ask questions, listen carefully, offer encouragement, and provide assistance.

Prearrange observations to other high performing classroom teachers. Observations do not have to be long to be productive. Afterwards discuss what was observed, what was not observed, what were the students doing,and what was the level of engagement.

What TLC Mentors Do . . . The Four Mentoring Functions

The four functions of mentoring are relating, assessing, coaching and guiding.
Relating
Mentors build and maintain relationships with their mentees based on mutual trust, respect and professionalism. Relating behaviors create an environment that allows mentors to develop a genuine understanding of their mentees' ideas and needs and encourages mentees to honestly share and reflect upon their experiences.

Assessing
Mentors gather and diagnose data about their mentees' ways of teaching and learning; they determine their mentees' competency and confidence to handle a given situation; they identify unique aspects of the school and community culture; and they take note of the school district's formal and informal procedures and practices. Assessing behaviors ensure that the mentees' professional needs are identified so that mentoring decisions can be based on a thoughtful consideration of a variety of data.

Coaching
Mentors help their mentees fine-tune their professional skills, enhance their grasp of subject matter, locate and acquire resources, and expand their repertoire of teaching modalities. Coaching behaviors allow mentors to serve as role models to their mentees; to share relevant experiences, examples and strategies; and especially to open new avenues by which mentees can, through reflection and practice, take responsibility for improving their own teaching.

Guiding
Mentors wean their mentees away from dependence by guiding them through the process of reflecting on decisions and actions for themselves and encouraging them to construct their own informed teaching and learning approaches. Teaching involves constant decision making. The mentor places the responsibility for decision making with the mentee. Decisions about teaching are driven by reflection. The guiding skill of the mentor is to ask the right questions the right way, and at the right time -
questions that encourage the mentees' creative and critical thinking, empower them to envision future situations, encourage them to take informed risks,and help them build the capacity to develop perceptive decisions and take appropriate actions.

These mentoring functions do not occur in isolation. They consistently overlap and complement each other during the mentoring process.