Learn from the Experts
David Booth
New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP): Setting the Ontario Context
Panel Moderated by David Booth
New teachers, a mentor, a principal, a federation representative, a superintendent and Ministry partners engage in discussion about their experiences with induction and mentoring.
David Booth is Professor Emeritus, Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at OISE/UT. He is the author of dozens of books for teachers and parents, and is an award-winning author of picture books for children. His career focus has been support and learning for new and experienced teachers.
Ellen Moir
Beyond Mentoring: The career paths of veteran mentors
and how they use their new skills as teachers, leaders, and colleagues
This study examines how mentoring contributes to the professional development of experienced teachers and how they apply the skills and knowledge they gained as mentors after they finish their mentorship. Using survey and interview methods with 50 former mentors, the study looks at the effects of being a mentor on being a teacher, a leader, and a colleague. Results suggest that teachers who take time away from classroom teaching to be mentors in an induction program are likely to return to positions as school leaders with an increased interest in working in a professional learning environment. Administrators faced with funding decisions regarding mentoring programs should consider the potential benefits and challenges of mentors returning to their school districts with greater capacity to be leaders.
Ellen Moir is Executive Director of The New Teacher Centre, University of California at Santa Cruz. The NTC has been a leader in developing numerous local, state and national partnerships in teacher induction. Ellen Moir was awarded the 2005 Harold W. McGraw Jr. Prize in Education for her pioneering work in teacher induction.
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Virginia Richardson
Teacher Renewal: Different Approaches for Different Purposes
In this keynote address, Professor Richardson will examine what it means to renew oneself in subject-matter knowledge, in goals and values, in re-connecting with students, and in leadership. Each of these is different and may require different forms of professional development.
Virginia Richardson is a professor at the University of Michigan. Virginia is a leading expert on teacher beliefs, teacher change, and staff development. She has recently been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.
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Bruce Wellman
Making Mentoring Matter: Supporting Growth from Novice to More Expert Teaching
No one is born knowing how to teach. Classroom instruction is one of the most complex intellectual and emotional tasks that any professional undertakes in modern society; and the journey towards expertise is a lifetime’s work. Successful journeys begin with skilled counsel and guidance. Effective mentors model and point the way for novice teachers as they develop their teaching skills from novice to more expert levels. The knowledge base on teaching is both wide and deep. Expert teachers develop their capacities in four arenas: Knowledge of the structure of the disciplines; knowledge of self; knowledge of teaching skills and strategies; and knowledge of learners and learning.
Bruce Wellman is co-director of MiraVia LLC. He consults and presents for school systems, professional groups and publishers throughout the United States and Canada, presenting workshops and courses for teachers and administrators on interactive/ collaborative instruction, thinking skills development, learning-focused conversations for supervisors and mentors, presentation skills and facilitating collaborative groups. His numerous publications include: Learning-Focused Mentoring: A Professional Development Resource Kit, Data-Driven Dialogue: A Facilitator’s Guide to Collaborative Inquiry, and Mentoring Matters: A Practical Guide to Learning-Focused Relationships.
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