Toward a Smooth Entry: A Report on the 2002-2003 Beginning Teacher Induction Program in New Brunswick

by

Barbara A. Gill

Faculty of Education

University of New Brunswick

and

Rolene T. Betts

PhD Candidate

Faculty of Education

University of New Brunswick

November 2003

---

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Structure and Funding

 

Introduction to the Study

 

The Database

Defining Beginning Teachers

Mentor Recruitment

 

Professional Activities Supporting the BTIP

 

Mentor Training and Initial Orientation

District Organized Activities for Beginning Teachers

Activities Organized at the Local School Level

 

Participants’ Perspectives on the Program: Strengths and Weaknesses

 

Beginning Teachers’ Perspectives

Praise for the Program

Conditions Causing Problems

Suggestions for Improvement.

Mentors’ Perspectives

Benefits to Mentors

Persistent Problems for Mentors

Suggestions for Improvement

Principals’ Perspectives

District Coordinators’ Perspectives

Positive Features:

Problems Encountered:

Suggestions for Improvements:

 

Conclusions

 

Recommendations

 

References

Toward a Smooth Entry: A Report on the 2002-2003 Beginning Teacher induction Program in New Brunswick

            For the past eight years, since September 1995, the New Brunswick Beginning Teacher Induction Program (BTIP) has existed in all Anglophone districts of the province. This report is the eighth annual report prepared for the Department of Education in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Previous reports are available from the Department of Education, Fredericton, NB, (Scott, Smith & Grobe, 1995; Scott & Compton, 1996; Scott, 1997; Scott, 1998; Scott & Surette, 1999; Scott & Doherty, 2000; Scott & Mirchandani, 2001; Scott & Mirchandani, 2002) and the ERIC Database (Resources in Education).

            The purpose of this report is to present the results from the 2002-2003 survey of the Beginning Teacher Induction Program. The survey collected both quantitative and qualitative data from District Coordinators, Beginning Teachers, Mentors and Principals involved in the program in eight of the nine Anglophone school districts in New Brunswick. This report includes some comparisons with former years but these comparisons should be viewed with caution as data from one school district are not available.

Structure and Funding

            A Steering Committee, chaired by Mark Holland, a curriculum supervisor in the Department of Education, guides the Beginning Teacher Induction program. The remainder of the committee consists of a representative from the New Brunswick Teachers’ Association (NBTA), a Faculty of Education member from the University of New Brunswick, and representatives from each of the nine Anglophone school districts. These representatives are usually district supervisors who coordinate the program in their districts (Scott & Mirchandani, 2002).

            Both the provincial Department of Education and the New Brunswick Teachers’ Association provide funding for the BTIP. The Department of Education allocates $500 for each pair of participants, based on full-time equivalent (FTE) beginning teachers. This money must be spent by March 31, the end of the budgetary year. District Coordinators allocate this money to pairs of beginning teachers. This money is intended for the professional development of beginning teachers so they can participate in activities which focus on the skills, knowledge and attitudes required of them as teachers. Such activities might include release time to visit each other’s classrooms, or to meet to plan jointly, or to prepare for upcoming events like parent interviews or report cards. The money is not intended for the purchase of school supplies.

            The New Brunswick Teachers’ Association provides a lump sum of money to be divided among each beginning teacher/mentor pair, based on FTE beginning teachers. This money is available until the end of June so covers the period of time after the Department of Education money has been spent. The NBTA funding is a fixed amount, $30,000, so the amount available to each beginning teacher/mentor pair varies from year to year, depending on the number of pairs each year (Scott & Mirchandani, 2002). This year the allocation per pair was $127.25 (Nancy Roach, personal communication, October 23, 2003). The money is forwarded to the districts and criteria for spending the money are developed. Each beginning teacher and mentor pair submits a plan for spending the money.

Introduction to the Study

The Database

            Information for this report was based on data collected by questionnaires sent in May 2003 to beginning teachers, mentors, principals and district coordinators involved in the Beginning Teacher Induction Program for 2003. Responses were received from eight of the districts. One District Coordinator was out sick for a considerable time and questionnaires for that district were not distributed. The omission was not discovered until after the school year had ended and many individuals involved were on summer vacation and could not be reached.

Table 1

Numbers and percentage returns of participants in the BTIP Survey

	Categories of participants
	beginning teachers	mentors	principals	coordinators
# of participants	260	260	125	9
# of survey returns	174	158	92	8
% of returns	56.5%	60.7%	73.6%	88%

            The percentage returns were low because returns from one district were missing. If the numbers of participants for the missing district are removed, the percentage returns become: beginning teachers 75.6%, mentors 68.7%, principals 83% and district coordinators 100%, percentages which compare favourably with the previous year. Returns from principals have increased by almost 10%.

            Table 2, based on the table presented in 2002 Report (Scott & Mirchandani, 2002, p.3), provides a comparison of the number of participants in each year since the Beginning Teacher Induction Program became a province-wide initiative in 1995. Only one less beginning teacher participated in the program in the 2002-2003 year than in the previous year. Table 2 also demonstrates that each beginning teacher in the program had a mentor. Scott and Mirchandani (2002) note that in past years this has not been the case but now the program goal of one beginning teacher, one mentor has been realized.

Table 2

An eight-year comparison of BTIP participant numbers

                     Beginning Teachers            Mentors           Principals/Schools    Coordinators

 

1995-1996                  156                              147                              96                    12

1996-1997                  125                              125                              78                    12

1997-1998                  210                              210                              108                  12

1998-1999                  240                              240                              130                  12

1999-2000                  266                              263                              150                  11

2000-2001                  300                              300                              134                    9

2001-2002                  261                              261                              130                    9

2002-2003                  260                              260                              125                    9

            Table 3 shows the distribution of beginning teachers in the program.

Table 3

Distribution of beginning teachers among the Anglophone school districts

 

            District                                   Region                                    # of participants

 

             2          Moncton, Sackville, Salisbury                                              34

 

            6          Rothesay, Hampton, Sussex                                                    34

 

            8          Saint John, St. Martins, Westfield                                          46

 

            10        St. Stephen, St. Andrews, Grand Manan                                22

 

            14        Nackawic, Woodstock, Hartland, Perth-Andover                  20

 

            15        Bathurst, Dalhousie, Campbellton,                                         15

 

            16        Miramichi City, Rexton, Richibucto, Blackville                    30

 

            17        Oromocto, Chipman, Minto, Cambridge Narrows                  20

 

            18        Fredericton, Harvey Station, Keswick Ridge, Doaktown       39

 

                                                                                                            Total   260

Defining Beginning Teachers

            The survey asked beginning teachers to indicate whether they had taught for a continuous ten-month period prior to joining the BT program. Fifty-one (29.7%) indicated they had. The number of teachers with previous experience has been declining (Scott & Mirchandani, 2002) and the 2002-2003 percentage is the lowest yet, down from eighty-eight (42.5%) in 2001-2002. This result suggests successful screening at the district and school level to eliminate those teachers with previous teaching experiences. A comprehensive discussion of this issue and the strategies adopted to address the concern appeared in the 2002 Report (Scott & Mirchandani, 2002).

Mentor Recruitment

            School principals, in consultation with the district coordinators, recruit mentors for the BTI Program (A Guide to the New Brunswick Beginning Teacher Induction Program: A Partnership That Builds Success). Sixty-eight (74.7%) principals reported it was easy or very easy to recruit competent mentors and saw the importance of the mentor’s role:

 

The strength of the program is the mentors—Finding the “best” match is KEY. [Principal, District 6].

            Small schools in rural areas faced a problem, as one principal commented:

 

The smaller the staff—the harder to find suitable matches . . . not the fault of the program [Principal, District 14].

            Another principal suggested:

 

Might get some good retired teachers to help [Principal, District 8].

as a possible solution to the lack of mentors.

            All district coordinators reported it was possible to recruit suitable mentors. Further information on mentors’ experiences appear in the section entitled Mentors’ Perspectives.

Professional Activities Supporting the BTIP

            District coordinators organize professional activities with their own districts for the BTI Program. A Guide for the New Brunswick Beginning Teacher Induction Program lists six general goals for the program: orientation, support, acquisition and refinement of teaching skills, developing a philosophy of education, self-assessment and self-evaluation, and retention of beginning teachers. District coordinators plan workshops and other activities to facilitate meeting these goals. In addition, district coordinators are responsible for conducting mentor training. The New Brunswick Teachers’ Association organizes a workshop for beginning teachers in Fredericton in September/October each year. This workshop is open to everyone and long-term supply teachers and teachers in their second and third years who never attended before participate, along with first year contract teachers (Nancy Roach, personal communication, October 23, 2003).

Mentor Training and Initial Orientation

            All districts reported holding a training session for mentors. Of the mentors who attended, one hundred and thirty-two (98.5%) rated their workshop session useful or very useful. Only two people rated their workshop as of limited value. Of the one hundred and fifty-eight mentors responding to the survey, fifty-seven (36.1%) had served as mentors before. Most had served once or twice before with one mentor indicating he/she had been a mentor five times. One hundred and forty-five (93.5%) of this year’s mentors indicated they would be willing to serve again. Of the remaining thirteen, two did not respond to this question and the others indicated they were retiring or going on leave or wanted a break for a few years.

 

District Organized Activities for Beginning Teachers

            District coordinators arranged a variety of activities to support the Beginning Teacher Induction Program. While these activities varied from district to district, all had an introductory meeting early in the year to introduce the program and most had a closing activity in the form of a celebration supper or reflection on the past year. Other activities included a full day workshop presented by the NBTA, half days for mentor-beginning teacher planning, and half-day or day long workshops on a number of topics including cooperative discipline, cooperative learning, and Harry Wong videos. Overall, beginning teachers rated these district level activities as either very useful or useful. Only four individuals from across the whole province rated a district activity as useless. Individuals wrote comments commending and thanking their district coordinators for organizing workshops.

            Only two district coordinators (2 and 18) specifically listed a workshop on Enhancing professional practice in the survey distributed to the beginning teachers in their districts. Of those who attended the workshops specifically on Enhancing professional practice, 45% found them very useful, 53% found them useful and 2% rated them useless. Provincially one hundred and twenty-eight (78%) beginning teachers stated they had been introduced to Enhancing professional practice either through the BTIP or at university. One hundred and thirty one beginning teachers actually rated this resource (including three who indicated they had not been introduced to the resource); fifty-three (40.5%) found it very useful, fifty (38%) found it somewhat useful and three (2.3%) found it useless.

            Beginning teachers rated each district activity on the following scale: + very useful; √ satisfactory; - useless; 0 did not participate. As each district coordinator listed different activities on the surveys distributed to beginning teachers in their districts, a district by district comparison is not possible. Taking the province as a whole all but four beginning teachers who attended the district activities rated their district activities as either “very useful” or “satisfactory”. Only four surveys from the whole province indicated a district activity was “useless”. These data indicate a high level of satisfaction with the district planned activities among beginning teachers.

Activities Organized at the Local School Level

            The Beginning Teacher Survey listed fourteen different activities including meeting the mentor in formal or informal settings, being observed teaching or observing others, discussing issues such as teaching strategies, student assessment, school policies and discipline issues, and meeting with other BTIP participants. Beginning teachers were asked to indicate the frequency with which they participated in these activities. Tables 4, 5 and 6 show percentage participation rates in these activities. Percentages for the years 1999 through 2002 are listed as reported in the 2002 report (Scott & Mirchandani, 2002, p.9).

Lower-risk Activities

            For the purpose of comparison with results from previous years, these activities have been divided in “lower-risk” and “higher risk”activities. Table 4 lists the participation rates for lower-risk activities from 1999 to 2003. The ideal results would be for there to be no percentages in the “0" column, indicating that all beginning teachers participated in lower-risk activities at least once, and for percentages to increase as the columns move further to the right. Overall, the percentages in Table 4 show the largest percentage of beginning teachers participating in these activities six or more times throughout the year. This pattern follows the trend set in the previous four years. For the first activity, “made informal contact with mentor at school”, the figure of 0.6% in the first column (headed “0") indicates that all but one beginning teacher across the province made informal contact with their mentor at school and the majority made informal contact over ten times.

            Table 4 also indicates that the trend noted in the 2002 report, that a higher percentage of beginning teachers did not participate in these activities, appears to have reversed in five of the seven categories. It is strange that 7.2% (representing twelve beginning teachers) did not discuss classroom management techniques. Classroom management is one of the main concerns of beginning teachers (Feinman-Nemser, 2003). However, Table 4 also indicates a higher percentage of beginning teachers than last year discussed classroom management more than ten times. The same trend can be seen in the case of “Discussing student assessment or reporting”.

Table 4

A percentage comparison of beginning teachers’ participation for lower-risk professional activities during induction programs from 1999 to 2003

            Table 5 shows a district by district comparison of beginning teachers’ participation in lower-risk activities. A similar table appears in the 2002 report, designed by the authors (Scott & Mirchandani, 2002). The authors explain the interpretation of the table as follows:

 

This long and rather cumbersome table provides data on the level of participation in these low-risk activities in each of the (participating) districts. The format for Table 5 is similar to Table 4 with one modification; in addition to the percentage levels of participation, the reader can also determine the number of respondents in each district as well as how many individuals responded in each frequency category (Scott & Mirchandani, 2002, p.10).

            Table 5 allows each district to assess the situation within the district and use the information as a guide for future planning and program development. Each district can also compare this year’s results with last year’s results and chart progress.

            The one beginning teacher who indicated on the survey that he/she did not make informal contact with the mentor at school nevertheless discussed teaching ideas and strategies and shared or researched teaching materials and books etc. This situation occurred because the mentor taught in a different school on the other side of the district. This pair did make contact via telephone.

Table 5

A district percentage comparison of beginning teachers’ participation in specific lower-risk professional activities during the 2003 BTIP

(Top numbers = individuals; bottom numbers = percent)

Higher-risk Activities

            Table 6 shows participation rates in activities classed as higher risk (Scott & Mirchandani, 2002). The authors explain this classification as “activities which frequently make one or both of the participants feel uncomfortable . . . because of the higher emotional and professional demands on the participants, these activities have been termed higher-risk activities” (Scott & Mirchandani, 2002, p.13). But the activities listed in this section are important for beginning teachers. Being observed and receiving feedback and being able to observe and learn from watching experienced teachers teach is necessary and an important part of developing as a teacher.

            A comparison between the items “mentor observes me teach” and “receive feedback about my teaching from mentor” shows that the percentages for the two items are not the same, yet they should be. Ideally when a mentor observes a beginning teacher teach, timely feedback is provided. The percentages in Table 6 suggest that when mentors observe beginning teachers teach one to five times, they do not always provide feedback but when they observe their beginning teachers six to ten times or more than ten times, they provide more feedback than the number of observations would suggest. It is possible that these discrepancies resulted from differing interpretations of the meaning of the word “feedback”. Beginning teachers may be interpreting the word to mean advice and discussion about teaching generally which is not necessarily related to classroom observations. If this situation were the case it would explain why the percentages for these two items are not the same.

            Percentages for the item “observe other colleagues teaching (not mentor)” are higher than the percentages for “observe my mentor teach in his/her class”. This situation would occur if the mentor were in a different school or taught a subject area very different from that of the beginning teacher, for example, a French Immersion/English partnership. Or it could be that some beginning teachers were more comfortable observing other colleagues rather than their mentors.

            A comparison of the figures for 2003 with those of 2002 shows a larger percentage of beginning teachers engaging in these “higher-risk” activities and engaging in them more frequently. This suggests a reverse of the trend indicated by the 2002 figures. More beginning teachers are being observed by their mentors and receiving feedback, though the highest percentage is in the “1-5" category. A higher percentage of beginning teachers observed other colleagues teach than observed their mentors, again with the highest percentage in the “1-5" category. Percentages in the “6-10" and “>10" categories are still much lower than in the “0" or “1-5" categories. The ideal situation would be for the highest percentages to be in the “6-10" and “>10" categories. However the percentages in these categories are higher than the previous year.

Table 6

A percentage comparison of beginning teachers’ participation rates in specific higher-risk professional activities during the 1999-2003 BTI Programs

            Table 7 presents a district by district comparison of beginning teachers’ participation in higher-risk professional activities. This table follows the same format as Table 5. A comparison with the figures from 2002 (Scott & Mirchandani, 2002, p.16-17) will allow districts to compare progress over the previous year.

Table 7

A district comparison of beginning teachers’ participation for specific higher-risk professional activities during the 2003 BTI Program

Participants’ Perspectives on the Program: Strengths and Weaknesses

            The survey asked each person in the four participating groups whether they recommended the continuation of the Beginning Teacher Induction Program. Principals were asked to respond with a simple “Yes” or “No” and the other groups were asked to indicate their support on a four-point Likert scale. “Agree” and “Strongly Agree” were interpreted as “Yes”; “Disagree” and “Strongly Disagree” were interpreted as “No”.

            Table 8 presents a five-year comparison of the responses. From the percentages it appears that support for the program is declining among beginning teachers and mentors. However, two beginning teachers marked “Disagree” and two marked “Strongly Disagree” and it is possible that the two who marked “Strongly Disagree” may have misread the questionnaire and intended to indicate “Strongly Agree”. This interpretation is suggested because both these individuals included a number of positive comments about the program on other parts of the questionnaire. The same situation occurred with three of the mentors and one district coordinator. If this interpretation is correct then the percentages of participants supporting the continuation of the program are higher.

Table 8

A five-year comparison of recommendations for continuation of the BTIP by beginning teachers, mentors, principals, and district coordinators

* One coordinator marked “strongly disagree” to all Likert questions yet made a number of positive comments about the program throughout the questionnaire. It is possible the “strongly disagree” responses were a result of misreading the questionnaire and the coordinator intended to respond “strongly agree” to the Likert questions. If this were the case, 100% of the district coordinators supported the continuing of the program.

Beginning Teachers’ Perspectives

            The survey asked beginning teachers to indicate the extent to which they agreed with the statement, “I feel that overall the BTIP has been beneficial to me as a beginning teacher.” Ninety-four percent of the beginning teachers responded either “Agree” (57.3%) or “Strongly Agree” (37.4%). These figures represent a small increase in the “Agree” category from those reported in the 2002 report where 52.8% agreed and 37.4% strongly agreed. Nine beginning teachers did not believe they benefited from the program, seven marked “Disagree” and two marked “Strongly Disagree” for the statement. Of the two who marked “strongly disagree” at least one may have been an error in reading the Likert scale as the respondent wrote other positive comments about the program on the survey form.

            Mentors responded to the statement, “I feel that overall the BTIP has been beneficial to the beginning teacher with whom I have worked.” Ninety-one percent responded with either “Agree” or “Strongly Agree” to this statement. Of the eleven who felt their beginning teacher had not benefited from the program, all but three expressed support for continuing the program. It is possible that the other three survey returns marked “Strongly Disagree” were the result of misreading the Likert rating scale as the respondents wrote other positive comments about the program on the survey returns.

Praise for the Program

            As noted above, ninety-four percent of the beginning teachers responding to the survey felt the program was beneficial. Mentors, District Coordinators and in two instances whole school staffs were mentioned as playing a key role in making the program a success.

 

(School name) has such a great and sharing staff that the BTIP is icing on a cake [Beginning Teacher, District 8].

 

I feel that BTIP was very useful. The wonderful thing is that there is so much support in my school that having a mentor was an added bonus [Beginning Teacher, District 8].

 

I had a really great year! [Mentor name] was great and provided me with many resources. [Beginning Teacher, District 17].

 

The program and [District Coordinator] are wonderful.

Beginning teachers mentioned district meetings as positive experiences:

 

I really enjoyed the program. It was neat to get together on different occasions with the other beginning teachers and mentors. It certainly helps to know we have common experiences [Beginning Teacher, District 18].

There was praise for the opportunities to observe other teachers:

 

Would love to have another day for observations in other classrooms. I really learned a lot that day, and it helped me create bonds with other teachers and start to feel at home in the school [Beginning Teachers, District 6].

 

I enjoyed meeting and seeing other art teachers in action. I was able to organize 1 day (and another afternoon at the French school)—it would be nice to do more [Beginning Teacher, District 15].

Other respondents wrote general positive comments about the program:

 

Great program! Can I do it again! [Beginning Teacher, District 2].

 

A great program for new teachers. Please continue it!! [Beginning Teacher, District 8].

In addition, the section on the survey asking for suggested improvements contained fifteen positive comments.

Conditions Causing Problems

            The survey form listed seven possible conditions causing problems and asked beginning teachers to indicate those which were a problem and note if the condition was a significant problem. The next two tables are numbered 9a and 9b to correspond to Table 9 in the 2002 report. Table 9a presents a summary of the responses in the 2003 report.

Table 9a

Frequency and percentage of beginning teachers experiencing specific problems in 2003

            Time as a concern was mentioned most often both in the checklist and in the written comments. One hundred (59%) of the beginning teachers checked “lack of time” as a problem in the section of the survey entitled, “Check any of these conditions which caused problems for you this year”. Twenty (11.5%) of those indicated time was a significant problem. Written comments included statements such as:

 

I suspect “lack of time” will always be an issue when teaching [Beginning teacher, District 18].

 

First year overwhelming! (Written opposite “lack of time”) [Beginning Teacher, District 6].

 

More time [Beginning Teacher, District 2].

            Forty-two (24%) beginning teachers checked “different assignments to the mentor” as a problem with seven (4%) of those indicating it was a significant problem. Twenty-eight (17%) beginning teachers checked “location of the mentor’s room” as a problem with ten (6%) indicating it was a significant problem. Narrative comments provided further elaboration, noting such things as the location of the mentor’s room or school, not having the same prep periods, not teaching the same subjects, in a few cases a french immersion/non-french immersion combination and an overstretched mentor.

 

Really couldn’t have been avoided due to the fact that all 3/4 teachers were new [Beginning Teacher, District 14].

 

Our teaching schedules were different—we did not share any preparation periods—so all our formal meetings took place at lunch or after school. A common prep would have been valuable [Beginning teacher, District 8].

 

My mentor was in another school at opposite end of District 8. We played phone tag a lot [Beginning Teacher, District 8].

While this situation was not a problem for many beginning teachers, it presented a major challenge to those who had to face it.

            Only five (2%) beginning teachers indicated “personal incompatibility with mentor” was a problem, with three (1.7%) of those teachers indicating this was a significant problem. These figures are encouraging and represent a decrease in the numbers reported in the 2002 report (nineteen) (Scott & Mirchandani, 2002). These five beginning teachers made no comments to indicate the nature of the problem apart from:

 

Spend more time finding compatible mentor and beginning teacher

and

 

If more mentors could be found for beginning teachers. I found a couple of teachers who were willing to be my mentor; but they did not wish to meet on a regular basis or meet informally or socially and really only wanted to be a mentor in name only.

            Only one of the beginning teachers indicating “personal incompatibility with mentor” as a problem disagreed with the statement “I feel that overall the BTIP has been beneficial to me as a beginning teacher”. All five checked either “Agree” or “Strongly Agree” that the BTIP should continue. One even added “Thanks for the opportunities” as a final comment.

            Two beginning teachers mentioned situations where mentors switched schools or moved to a new assignment leaving them without a mentor. No new mentor was assigned.

            There is still some disagreement and misunderstanding over the use of funds with some beginning teachers commenting they wished funds could be used to purchase teaching materials. This perception may account for the numbers indicating “accessing BTIP funds” was a problem.

            Table 9b compares the percentage of beginning teachers who reported specific problems in 2003 with the previous five years. (Note: the figures from the “Yes” column and the “significant problem” column in Table 9a have been added together to provide the figures for Table 9b). Percentages for 1999-1002 are presented as reported by Scott & Mirchandani (2002, p.21).

Table 9b

A comparison of the percentage of beginning teachers in the 1999-2003 induction programs who reported experiencing specific problems

* This percentage represents 5 out 174 beginning teachers reporting this item as a problem as opposed to 21 out of 196 reporting the same problem in 2002.

            Time has remained a persistent problem over the years followed by different teaching assignments from the mentor. As seen in the comments above, different teaching assignments can also refer to lack of common preparation times, french immersion/non-french immersion partnerships and an over-stretched mentor. These issues became clear from the comments that beginning teachers wrote on the questionnaires but is not clear from the statistics.

Suggestions for Improvement.

            Beginning teachers were asked to offer suggestions for improving the Beginning Teacher Induction Program. The suggestions made most frequently concerned the opportunity to meet with one another and share ideas and experiences. One beginning teacher wrote:

 

Maybe more events where the focus is on beginning teachers talking to each other about experiences. It’s great to hear from more experienced teachers/professionals, but sometimes we want to talk to others who are in our shoes right away [Beginning Teacher, District18].

Almost sixty percent of the beginning teachers noted they had only met with other beginning teachers between one and five times and eighteen percent did not meet with other beginning teachers at all.

Other suggestions made by beginning teachers are presented in list form:

 

∙          Make the program available, perhaps in a modified form, for the second year;

∙          Make the program available to long-term supply teachers;

∙          Start the program before school starts. Have the “Preparing for the First Day” materials in the BTIP binder available before the actual first day;

∙          Have resource lists/district web pages specifically for beginning teachers;

∙          Use the funds to purchase resources;

∙          Have more meetings or monthly meetings.

Mentors’ Perspectives

            During the 2002-2003 BTIP Program, two hundred and sixty experienced teachers acted as mentors to beginning teachers. Mentors are recruited by school principals in conjunction with the District Coordinators. Mentors are asked to attend a mentor training workshop, build a compatible working relationship with the beginning teacher, provide ongoing feedback, support and coaching, help the beginning teacher develop effective teaching strategies, share knowledge and professional expertise, visit the beginning teacher’s classroom to provide observations and feedback and generally be a support and guide for a smooth transition into a teaching career (BTIP Guide, 2002). One hundred and fifty-eight mentors responded to the survey. Of these, one hundred and one (63.9%) were first time mentors and fifty-seven had served as mentors before. Of the fifty-seven who had acted as mentors before, twenty-three had served once before and one as many as five times before. One hundred and thirty-four attended the mentor training workshop with one hundred and thirty-two (98.5%) rating the workshop as either “useful” or “very useful”. The most frequently given reason for not attending the workshop came from mentors who had already received mentor training. In response to the question, “Would you be willing to serve as a mentor again?” one hundred and forty-five (91.8%) indicated they would, eight (5.1%) responded “No” and 2 (1.3%) were not sure. Where reasons were added for not wishing to be a mentor again, the reasons given were upcoming retirement or leave, heavy work load and change of teaching assignment. Mentors who indicated they would be willing to serve again added positive comments in this section, for example:

 

It was lots of fun to do it last year and this year. I wish the program had been available to me in my first year! [Mentor, District 15].

One mentor commented on the need for the program:

 

We lose numerous new teachers each year because of stress, overwhelmed . . . This is a must program! Other provinces are short [of] teachers so we need to keep every last one so we have enough in the years to come [Mentor, District 18].

If the numbers are broken down by district (Table 10) it can be seen that Districts 8 and 18 recruited the largest number of new mentors.

Table 10

A district comparison of new and returning mentors

Benefits to Mentors

            Literature on beginning teach induction programs notes that while induction programs are designed to help the beginning teacher, mentors derive benefits as well. A clear indication of this is seen in the New Brunswick BTI Program when one hundred and forty-seven (93%) agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, “I feel that overall the BTIP has been beneficial to me from a professional perspective”. This percentage represents a decrease from the 2002 figure of 96.2%. However it should be noted that although ten mentors disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement, only four did not support the continuing of the Program. It is possible that three of these four returns had marked the Likert scale rating in error. This interpretation is based on the inclusion of positive comments about the program in other parts of the survey.

            The mentor teacher survey asked mentors to list the positive aspects of being a mentor. Three “bullets” rather than a blank space were provided on the survey so the comments tended to be short. A number of themes emerged from these comments:

Theme 1: Learning new ideas and techniques:

            By far the most comments related to the new ideas and techniques that mentors learned from their beginning teachers. Mentors wrote of the benefits of learning new ideas and techniques from their beginning teacher partners. A selection of comments are listed below:

 

“Getting ideas (new) from the beginning teacher” [Mentor, District 18].

 

“I’ve learned about a different level (expectations/ curriculum) and saw things from a different point of view” [Mentor, District 14],

 

“Always exciting to learn from others, getting new ideas, new techniques, different perspectives” [Mentor, District 6].

 

“Made me aware of new teaching practices” [Mentor, District 17].

 

“Meeting a new teacher who has just completed their training and has many new and fresh ideas” [Mentor , District 8].

 

“Revisit classroom discipline. BT has new ideas and it’s a challenge to problem-solve with them,” [Mentor, District 8].

 

“I learned so much. The teachers have new ideas for grouping. They are more computer-wise and they teach me. We share a lot of ideas and projects that are discussed with respect. These experiences create a good working environment.” [Mentor, District 15].

Theme 2: Reflection on one’s own practice and professionalism:

            Serving as a mentor caused the mentors to reflect on their own professional practice, and to review their curriculum and ponder on why they did certain things a certain way.

 

“Taking a good look at what you are doing as a teacher” [Mentor, District 6].

 

“New awareness for my own teaching philosophy came through [Mentor, District, 6].

 

“Allows you to reflect on your own strength and weaknesses” [Mentor, District 6].

 

“Made me more aware of my strengths and weaknesses—helped me focus on responsibilities as an educator, not only in the classroom, within the school and district” [Mentor, District10].

Theme 3: Opportunities to Help a Beginner:

            A number of mentors’ comments suggested the value of helping a new teacher at the beginning of a career.

 

“As a relatively new teacher myself I remember that all help from others was useful and necessary when starting out. I know I would be helping out anyway, and these meetings helped to remind and reaffirm our cooperative work.” [Mentor, District 6].

 Mentors also mentioned the importance of giving something back to the profession.

 

“The opportunity to be of service to the profession” [Mentor, District 18].

 

“Opportunity to give back to the profession.” [Mentor, District 8].

Theme 4: Sharing

            Mutual sharing was another important theme in the mentors’ comments. These comments related to sharing ideas and the resulting:

 

“It is great to share ideas with someone new to the profession and the sharing certainly went both ways” [Mentor, District 18].

 

“Meetings with [the] beginning teachers were as beneficial to me as they were to her. We shared teaching and new ideas etc.” [Mentor, District 6].

 

“Sharing ideas with a younger teacher was refreshing” [Mentor, District 18].

Theme 5: Friendship and Companionship:

            Mentors frequently mentioned friendship, companionship and networking:

 

“Enjoyed the connections/bond with my beginning teacher”[Mentor, District 8].

 

“Boosts self-esteem when your opinion and experience seem to matter [Mentor, District 8].

            All in all, mentors’ positive comments for this section of the survey resulted in seventeen typewritten pages. These pages do not include other positive comments added on other parts of the survey. Mentors included positive comments in the section marked, “Please make any additional comments concerning your experiences in the BTIP. Specific suggestions for changes or improvements are especially welcomed.” For example:

 

We didn’t use all our “free-up” time because we shared a common share each day. We talked every day about concerns, material etc. GREAT PROGRAM! [Mentor, District 14].

            In response to the statement, “I feel that overall the BTIP has been beneficial to the Beginning Teacher,” one hundred and forty-four (91.7%) checked “Agree” or “Strongly Agree”.A mentor from District 2 added the following comment:

 

I enjoyed this experience very much. It is demanding; somewhat like that of a coordinating teacher/student intern. [Name] made great gains as a beginning teacher. In the Fall, there were a number of areas of weakness. Presently, she successfully teaches her assigned subject to her classes, and exhibits only minimal problems. [Mentor, District 2].

            Where mentors disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement and included additional explanatory comments, the comments suggested problems relating to individual situations rather than problems related to the program itself:

 

“Because we could not commit to the plan” [Mentor, District 18].

 

“The beginning teacher copied my work and did not offer to help or new ideas” [Mentor, District 8].

Persistent Problems for Mentors

            One section of the survey asked mentors to list aspects of being a mentor that they found challenging. Three themes emerge from these data: lack of time, the problems caused by incompatible assignments, and feeling uncomfortable giving “bad news”—feedback which involved suggestions for improvement or things which needed to change. Of these three themes, lack of time was mentioned by seventy-nine mentors as opposed to twenty-one comments related to incompatible assignments and fifteen comments related to giving “bad news”.

Theme 1: Time:

            Lack of time proved to be a major problem for at least the seventy-nine mentors who commented on this issue in this section of the survey. A sample of the comments related to this theme are listed below:

 

“Finding extra time after school to meet. (We have limited spares in French Immersion). Also my beginning teacher car-pooled and had to leave early”. [Mentor, District 18].

 

“Time—It was a real challenge to find time when we both could be available to meet.” [Mentor, District 6].

 

“Matching up available times for frequent, (albeit short) discussion times.” [Mentor, District 14].

The fact that time was an issue for the mentors in the 2002-2003 BTIP is consistent with data from the beginning teachers and is an issue mentioned in previous reports (Scott & Mirchandani, 2002).

Theme 2: Incompatible Schedules, Assignments and/or Locations:

            Where a mentor and a beginning teacher had no common planning time, taught in different subject areas or at different grade levels, or even in different schools, the problem of time was compounded by the difficulty of getting together. Mentors in these situations made comments such as these:

 

“Being at a different grade level and not having a common prep period during the week.” [Mentor, District 18].

 

“Our classes were at each end of the school: it was difficult to meet. Also, we were teaching a different level: I couldn’t always answer her questions.” [Mentor, District 14].

 

“The beginning teacher and I did not share (1) subject matter (2) grade level (3) prep time (4) geographic location [Mentor, District 6].

 

“I was not in the same curriculum area as my BTIP therefore it was hard to help her in all ways possible.” [Mentor, District 17].

This theme also appears in previous reports (Scott & Mirchandani, 2002).

Theme 3: Giving Negative Feedback and Making Suggestions for Improvement:

            Fifteen mentors made specific comments related to feeling challenged when they had to give negative feedback, “bad news” as one mentor described it or had to make suggestions for improvement. Examples of comments related to this theme are presented below:

 

“Trying to be tactful about a problem area while begin supportive.” [Mentor, District 18].

 

“Being direct in pointing out obvious weaknesses and deficiencies.” [Mentor, District 14].

 

“Observing—when things aren’t going well.” [Mentor, District 2].

 

“To offer suggestions in a positive manner. I did not want to lecture but rather discuss.” [Mentor, District 6].

            In addition to the themes noted above, responses to this statement included comments which related to specific individual situations. These situations included one individual who reported interpersonal difficulties with the beginning teacher, two individuals who expressed doubt about whether they were really doing enough for their beginning teacher, two individuals who were late getting into the program and two individuals who indicated they were not sure what the program was all about. Ten mentors commented they had no problems and one indicated the program was rewarding.

            An additional statement was included in the 2003 survey which read, “Indicate any aspects of being a mentor you particularly disliked”. In response to this statement forty mentors wrote “None”, “Nil” or “Nothing”, twelve mentors mentioned “time” and nine mentors mentioned individual issues such as, “Am I doing enough to help”, “We should be able to use money for PD resources as previously,” and “evaluating in the classroom.”

Suggestions for Improvement

Mentors were given the opportunity to make suggestions for improving the BTI Program. As noted previously, a number of comments were included in this section which praised the program and what is accomplished through it. District Coordinators were singled out for praise and appreciation.

Suggestions for improvement presented below in the form of a list:

 

∙          Start the program earlier in the year, in August; hold the initial meeting earlier in the year;

∙          Hold more informal gatherings; hold joint gatherings for mentors and beginning teachers;

∙          Hold more specifically scheduled workshops and activities etc.;

∙          Hold a mid-year joint meeting;

∙          Set up case conferences with the beginning teacher, mentor, principal and district coordinator;

∙          Mentor and beginning teacher should be in the same school, ideally teaching the same subject and grade level;

∙          Provide assistance with setting up visits to other classrooms, maybe have a list of people willing to accept visitors;

∙          Provide coaching for mentors on how to observe and give feedback;

∙          Communicate times for meetings to both mentor and beginning teacher;

∙          Provide a flexible, less structured program for people who have taught in other provinces;

∙          Extend the program over two years;

∙          Send out reminders of deadlines for spending the money;

∙          Provide more time and money.

Principals’ Perspectives

            Ninety-two principals responded to the survey. The survey contained both closed “yes/no” questions or rating scales and open-ended questions.

            One of the “closed” questions asked principals to rate the difficulty of recruiting competent mentors in their schools. Sixty-eight principals (74.7%) rated this task “easy” or “very easy”, eight were ambivalent and sixteen (17.3%) rated the task “difficult” or “very difficult”. These percentages compare favourably with last year when approximately 70% found the task easy or very easy and 22.5% reported difficulty (Scott & Mirchandani, 2002). The sixteen principals in 2003 rating this task as “difficult” or “very difficult” were spread over all school districts. Eleven principals added comments. Two comments noted their staffs had been very cooperative and the remainder commented on the reasons for difficulty in this area. For example:

 

As we have more and more beginners. Some people are used over and over [Principal, District 17].

 

I have competent teachers, but very small schools with already maxed staff [Principal, District 8].

 

Same excellent mentor two years in a row [Principal, District 15].

            A second “yes/no” question asked whether the principals felt they had received clear, comprehensive and timely information about the BTIP. Eighty-four principals (93.3%) responded positively to this statement, one was ambivalent and five (5.6%) responded negatively. Two principals did not respond to this statement. Seventy-three principals added comments. Positive comments varied from statements about the program such as:

 

The two years as principal we have had approximately 16 teachers involved in the BTIP. Activities have been scheduled for new teachers in a timely fashion. Teachers enjoy the workshops and feel the program is extremely valuable to assist new teachers [Principal, District 14].

 

Our mentoring teachers were very impressed with the detail and effort that was dedicated to starting out with a new teacher. I especially appreciated being “kept in the loop” at all times [Principal, District 2].

to complements to the District Coordinator on their efforts, to an ambivalent comment by one principal who checked “No” to this statement:

 

Everything has been fine other than a list of topics that the beginning teachers are talking about at specific meetings [Principal, District 2].

One principal in District 14 noted:

 

Information always comes out at the beginning of the year, usually through Principals’ meetings, but you don’t take it in unless you know you have a beginning teacher on staff Principal, District 14].

As in the previous question, the 93.3% of positive responses compares favourably with the 2002 figures of 86.7% positive responses (Scott & Mirchandani, 2002).

            The third “”Yes/No” question asked whether principals recommended the continuation of the Beginning Teacher Induction Program in New Brunswick. All principals, (100%) checked “Yes”. One hundred percent of principals in 2002 recommended the continuation of the program (Scott & Mirchandani, 2002).

            The first open-ended question asked principals to comment on their involvement with the BTIP. Comments in this section varied. Where principals listed comprehensive involvement, the involvement included on-going monitoring of the program, evaluating and assessing the progress of the beginning teacher, arranging for supply days and release time for visits, taking over the mentor’s or beginning teacher’s class so one could visit the other, assisting with problem students and providing on-going support. Other comments indicated “Not much” or “Not much apart from matching the beginning teacher with a mentor” or that the program was handled by the vice-principal. In a couple of cases the principal actually fulfilled the role of the mentor, noting at the same time that this was not an ideal situation.

            The second open-ended question asked principals to indicate which elements of the BTIP were working well. “Mentoring” appeared most frequently in these statements being mentioned specifically by fifty-one principals.

 

The idea of having a person in the school that a beginning teacher is assigned to makes things less stressful for a new teacher [Principal, District 14].

 

I believe that the mentor program is a great value to the new teachers as well as all the staff in helping everyone to remember we are here as a team and helping others helps us all in doing a better job [Principal, District 10].

One principal suggested the mentor should be paid extra for being a mentor.

            Eighteen principals mentioned visits to other classrooms and schools and positive comments were made about district workshops. Other comments were general in nature and commended the program overall:

 

I think that it would be an excellent program to continue. Beginning teachers need the support of a mentor and our district has given excellent PD in regards to classroom management [Principal, District 15].

 

I find the complete package is working well. Our beginning teachers felt supported and had many resources placed at their disposal this year [Principal, District 2].

            Four principals responded with “Nil” or “N/A” or “None” and “I’m sorry to report I am not familiar with the elements”. Given that all principals supported the continuation of the program, these responses suggest these principals did not understand the question.

            The third open-ended question asked principals for their suggestions on improving the program. Principals offered positive comments about the program such as:

 

Simply to continue the good work that is done already [Principal, District 18].

 

Nothing; it is going well [Principal, District 6].

 

Make sure it continues to have a high priority and profile provincially at the Department and NBTF. In this way districts will continue to give it priority [Principal, District 14].

 

Why play with perfection? [Principal, District 2].

More specific suggestions included:

 

∙          Bring beginning teachers into the program who join the staff after Christmas and have no mentor;

∙          Provide something for long-term supply teachers without a “D” contract;

∙          Provide additional support and training in classroom management;

∙          Make more time for classroom observations, more time to discuss the best practices observed and additional time to discuss curriculum expectations;

∙          provide more inservice for mentors;

∙          Extend the program into the second year;

∙          Use full days rather than half days for BTIP activities as supply teachers for half days are difficult to find;

∙          Start the program at the beginning of September;

∙          Make sure the program continues as a high priority.

            One comment addressed a concern, echoed by other respondents to the survey, that many beginning teachers lack preparation in the area of classroom management:

 

No major suggestions for improvement but I believe it is critical for beginning teachers considering their lack of practical preparation for the classrooms in many cases. Some teacher training programs are not doing the job to prepare new teachers for the practical realities of organizing and operating a classroom [Principal, District 10].

            The final section of the survey invited additional comments. Many of these comments reiterated statements made earlier in the survey:

 

As a principal, I see the value for new teachers to have a mentor in a new position. It is also valuable to mentors as they have an opportunity to share their skills with new teachers. It is a sort of rejuvenation for the mentor as well. It gives mentors an opportunity to feel good about supporting a new colleague [Principal, District 14].

 

I think that this is an extremely valuable program and would like to see it continued. Also it should include any new teacher who is on a long term supply because whether or not they have a contact they will be with a class for a significant amount of time [Principal, District 8].

 

One difficulty is that in a small school, the volunteer mentors end up being the same people year after year. Also, with a huge turnover, cross over mentors are necessary [Principal, District 10].

District Coordinators’ Perspectives

            Eight of the nine Anglophone District Coordinators participated in the 2002-2003 BTIP survey. Two coordinators were new to the role of coordinator for the BTI Program, two coordinators had two years experience and four coordinators had more than two years experience.

            Coordinators were asked to rate the level of support they received from the Department of Education, the New Brunswick Teachers’ Association, their District Offices and school principals. Table 11 records their responses.

Table 11

District coordinators perceptions of support from different BTIP stakeholders

            The responses in Table 11 indicate all coordinators rated the support received from the Department of Education, The New Brunswick Teachers’ Association and District Offices as adequate. Five coordinators added comments emphasizing how cooperative everyone was. Two coordinators were not completely satisfied with the cooperation they received from school principals. One marked the level of support as both “Adequate” and “Inadequate”, adding the comment:

 

Most principals were very supportive. Some, however, chose to ignore their BTs and the BTIP program. Perhaps I was not forceful enough with them.

And another coordinator rated the level of support as “between Adequate and Inadequate”, commenting:

 

I know you would prefer we not place our “X” near lines but I think we need another category between “Adequate” and “Inadequate”. Many, in fact most, principals fulfill their role in the BTIP program. A couple become more involved this year than they had been in previous years. There remains, however, some who continue to turn much of the responsibility over to the mentor. This has been discussed at District level and we will focus on those few next year.

Overall, these results, when compared to the results in the 2001-2002 survey, (Scott & Mirchandani, 2002), show the perceived level of principal support for the program is growing but the issue still needs to “be on the front burner”.

Positive Features:

District Coordinators were asked to indicate what for them were the most positive features of their involvement in the BTIP. Two major themes emerged. One theme dealt with actually helping beginning teachers both in terms of their professional development as teachers and also their growing confidence in their teaching abilities.

 

Providing professional development to Beginning Teachers and Mentor Teachers [Coordinator, District 14].

 

I enjoyed working with these excited, caring teachers and watching as they replaced self-doubt with confidence [Coordinator, District 10].

            The other theme related to involvement with people, both getting to know mentors and beginning teachers better and being impressed with the seriousness and dedication of all involved.

 

Working with the two teachers—both BTs and Mentors. (This last several years have been spent more with principals than teachers). I was extremely impressed with the mentors and how highly they regarded the position of “Mentor”, and how seriously they took their role. The BTs, for the most part are so eager, enthusiastic and willing to ask for and accept advice [Coordinator, District 2].

            All District Coordinators indicated they were able to recruit sufficient competent mentor volunteers. Coordinators in four district needed to select more mentors or form new beginning teacher-mentor partnerships after the Training Workshop.

Problems Encountered:

            The problems encountered by the District Coordinators fell into three categories; time, geography and communication. Time was as problem where district coordinators juggled responsibilities for the BTIP with other district responsibilities. Time was also a problem when a coordinator wished to give individualized attention to beginning teacher-mentor pairs but found it difficult to get around to all the pairs within a reasonable length of time.

            In terms of geography, this was a problem where schools were scattered and participants had to drive at least one hour to attend meetings, especially after school hours. Coordinators from Districts 14 and 15 noted this problem specifically, where the districts cover large rural areas.

            Problems with communication centred around making sure everyone received notification of meetings and getting everyone to understand that funds could only be spent in certain ways. Two coordinators indicated there was still misunderstanding over the use of funds.

            Other problems noted were of an individual nature. These included coordinators’ reflections on how well they felt they had performed their tasks, and plans for addressing problem areas next year. One coordinator expressed concern over “losing “ a teacher who was placed in an inappropriate assignment and no amount of onsite help seemed to make a difference. This coordinator did note, however, that the teacher had contacted the district and wished to try again at a different grade level. All in all, five teachers were reported to have left the BTIP in the 2002-2003 year, the one mentioned above, two returned to other provinces for personal reasons and two who took maternity leave.

One coordinator noted:

 

Getting these surveys back was a giant headache! Will do it differently next year [Coordinator, District 10].

Suggestions for Improvements:

            Coordinators provided a number of helpful suggestions in this section. Two coordinators indicated a need to strengthen the area of mentor training, particularly in the area of observing a beginning teacher and giving feedback:

 

After working with the program for one year, I more strongly than ever believe the program can only be strengthened by strengthening the training of mentors. There is still a reluctance to observe the BTs and be observed by them. A standard Training Manual for Coaching and Providing Feedback would be very helpful [Coordinator, District 2].

            Three coordinators felt more could be done to involve principals. Suggestions to address this issue were to hold a mandatory principals’ workshop or by arrange more specific one on one interactions between the principal and the district coordinator.

            One coordinator saw the need to provide support for beginning teachers who received contracts starting after Christmas:

 

I’m not sure what to do with those BT’s who begin after Christmas. I didn’t want to simply assign them a mentor and some funds without any mentor training, so chose not to have them join the program. They will be in the 2003–2004 program. But . . . They seemed to be on their own for those months [Coordinator, District 2].

            Another coordinator felt there was value in extending the BTIP in some form into the beginning teacher’s second year of teaching. This extension could be a modified program or some form of follow-up. A discussion took place at the May 2003 Steering Committee meeting to conduct a survey follow-up with beginning teachers in the few years after they completed the program. Seventy-five of the 2002-2003 beginning teachers volunteered to participate in this follow-up study.

Conclusions

            Although this report is the eighth annual report on the Beginning Teacher Induction Program in New Brunswick it is the first report from the current authors. The previous author, Dr. Neil Scott, wrote or co-wrote the previous seven reports. Dr. Scott brought to the 2002 report the cumulation of over seven years of experience with and insights into the BTI Program. We had to rely on reading previous reports to gain insight into the history of the program and a sense of the successes and problems of previous years. This report follows the format established by Dr. Scott in the 2002 report and in previous reports.

            In many ways the Beginning Teacher Induction Program in New Brunswick is a success. Well over ninety-five percent of beginning teachers and mentors support the continuation of the program along with all the principals and district coordinators. The survey returns contained many positive comments from all participants in all Anglophone school districts, complimenting both people involved in organizing the program, particularly district coordinators, and various elements of the program. Mentors and principals noted how crucial such a program was in helping new teachers get off to a good start in their teaching careers and to retaining new teachers in the profession. The survey returns indicated that more beginning teachers were participating in more activities more frequently than in previous years. There was a smaller percentage of beginning teachers with previous teaching experience in the program this year. The number of beginning teachers reporting personal incompatibility with their mentors, a problem highlighted in the 2002 report, dropped considerably. Involvement by principals in the program increased along with a higher percentage of survey returns from principals. All these elements indicate positive trends which must continue.

            We also noted some problems continue from year to year. Lack of time and geography cause persistent problems for all involved. Time is a problem particularly for beginning teachers, who usually carry full teaching loads with regular sized classes and supervisory duties while, at the same time, preparing classes and teaching full time for the first time. If beginning teachers take over teaching assignments from teachers who have left the school, their classrooms may well have been stripped of resources by other teachers in the school. Induction literature suggests the ideal situation for a beginning teacher is a lighter teaching load in a classroom well stocked with resources, with fewer students and few, if any, students experiencing difficulties (Brooks, 1987). No induction program, however well designed and implemented, can overcome the effects of a poor teaching assignment. If beginning teachers in New Brunswick are placed in less than ideal teaching assignments, time will continue to be a problem, they will become overloaded and burned out and the province will lose teachers in spite of the BTIP.

            The geography of New Brunswick is a factor beyond the control of the program. Districts with large rural areas have small schools and large distances between schools and large distances between schools and district office. Getting people together for meetings presents a challenge. Visiting other schools becomes difficult and time consuming. The creation of a BTIP website with information, materials and resources, and conferencing software could put more people in touch with one another in these areas and with other participants across the province. Conferencing software which allows for input at any time and preserves contributions and questions for others to read and respond to would allow for more sophisticated and lasting communication than e-mail or chat rooms.

            The problem of partnerships between teachers who teach in different subject areas, at different grade levels and even in different schools presented a problem for some beginning teachers. In some cases such pairings cannot be avoided, especially when all the teachers in a subject area or grade level are new. The same situation could occur in a small rural school with only one teacher for each subject area or grade level. A teacher teaching at the same grade level and in the same subject area in the same school is considered an ideal pairing. But district coordinators and principals may have a choice to make, between pairing the beginning teacher with a well qualified and competent mentor in another subject area or in another school and pairing the beginning teacher with a less than ideal partner at the same grade level or in the same school. It is conceivable that assigning two beginning teachers to one mentor might be a best option in certain circumstances. Another option might be creating a “mentor team” where one mentor provides school based information and support and another mentor provides curriculum content support. There may be retired teachers who would consider helping out.

            The best possible mentor selection and training is critical to the success of the Beginning Teacher Induction Program. Almost three-quarters of the principals and all the district coordinators indicated they were able to recruit a sufficient number of competent mentors for the program for 2002-2003. But comments on the survey also indicated that good mentors were overused, particularly on small staffs. Beginning teachers receiving contracts after Christmas were not always included in the program and spent the remainder of the year without a mentor. When a mentor transferred and a new mentor was not appointed, the beginning teacher was left alone for the remainder of the year. In order to address these kinds of situations we are suggesting the creation of a pool of mentors with mentor training taking place, possibly in March or April, before mentors are assigned to new teachers. Trained mentors would then be available as soon as new teachers were appointed and could be available to provide help before the beginning of the school year, while the beginning teachers prepared for the first day. The BTIP binder for beginning teachers could also be made available to new teachers as soon as they are appointed. The initial district meeting each year could take the form of a review of issues covered in previous training and an orientation to the BTIP for that particular year. Adopting this suggestion could have a number of advantages. Mentors would “know what they were getting into” before they agreed to mentor; trained mentors would be available for new teachers receiving contracts later in the year; having more mentors available would lessen the need to overuse some mentors; there would be no need to approach someone at the last minute in order to find a mentor; and “replacement” mentors would be available should a mentor transfer or a personality clash develop. All participating groups identified the need for the program to start before the beginning of the school year. Pairing up beginning teachers with already trained mentors would allow this to happen.

            A number of comments appeared on the survey drawing attention to the issue of beginning teachers in the program who had already gained experience as supply teachers. Teachers who held long-term supply positions and came into the program with some years of “experience” described their experiences in the program in the following terms:

 

I can see how this program would be very beneficial to most new teachers. However, when you take on a contract position after having 3-4 or even more years of supply and long-term supply experience, the BTIP information isn’t as useful as it would have been at an earlier time in the teaching career. Also the program is probably more useful and valuable to teachers who do not already have a base of “unofficial” mentors [Beginning Teacher, District 18].

 

I wish I had been involved in the program long before now. I almost feel I didn’t qualify as a “Beginning Teacher” as I have been supplying since 1994 and have had 6 “D” contracts before receiving my “B” this past fall. However, I really appreciated the days to observe other colleagues and to meet my mentor about report cards [Beginning Teacher, District 6].

 

I have been supply teaching for 4 years and have completed many long-term supply positions. I think this program would have been more valuable during my first long-term supply position [Beginning Teacher, District 6].

A mentor added the following comment at the end of the survey which elaborates on this issue:

 

Many “beginning” teachers seem to have spent time in the pits as a “supply teacher”. Supply teacher skills include a high level of tolerance for idiot behaviour in order to survive in the environment. For the daily classroom teacher, behaviour must be more tightly and consistently controlled. Teachers with extensive supply experience who suddenly have their dream come true (a contract “B”, or even a “D”) continue with their supply mentality, and often suffer for it, at least at the high school level, which is my experience [Mentor, District 14].

            Many teachers in New Brunswick begin their teaching careers as supply teachers and then receive D or B contracts and become eligible for the Beginning Teacher Induction Program. But they have already acquired teaching experience, not always in ideal circumstances. Research shows that if beginning teachers start in poor circumstances they develop survival skills rather than good teaching skills which become very difficult to break in later years (Brooks, 1987). Whether this issue is addressed within the Beginning Teacher Induction Program or in some other way, the issue of providing support for new teachers who are supply teachers must be addressed either within each district or by the Department of Education.

            All groups of participants recommended the program be carried over into the second year. A second year of the program would need to be specifically designed to meet the needs of teachers in their second year. A follow-up study with seventy-five volunteers from the 2002-2003 beginning teacher participants will seek input on the needs of these teachers and suggestions for additional support. The Provincial Beginning Teacher Induction Program Steering Committee could use this information to design a follow-up second year program.

            Beginning teachers, mentors and principals asked for more opportunities for beginning teachers to meet together. Beginning teachers identified the importance of knowing others are having the same experiences and exchanging ideas with others facing the same challenges. Such meetings could be the source of mutual support to all beginning teachers.

Recommendations

 

1.         Create a pool of mentors in each district or for the province as a whole. Conduct mentor training in March or April, well before mentors are assigned to beginning teachers. Recruit potential mentors to the mentor pool rather than for specific beginning teachers. A pool of trained mentors will ensure mentors will always be available when needed.

 

2.         Develop a program of mentor training, particularly in the art of observing and giving feedback. Create a Mentor Training Handbook for all potential mentors with current resources, readings and helpful hints.

 

3.         Start the program earlier in the year. Provide the Beginning Teacher Handbook to the beginning teachers as soon as they are hired. Appoint mentors as soon as possible so help is available for new teachers as they prepare for the first day of school.

 

4.         Continue to work with principals to develop their support for the BTI Program. Emphasize the important role principals play in the success of the BTI Program. Make sure principals understand their role in the program and how it differs from the role of the mentors. Give reports on the program at principals’ meetings.

 

5.         Continue the strategies adopted in 2002-2003 that caused the reversal of the trend identified in 2002 of fewer beginning teachers participating in low risk and high risk activities.

 

6.         Provide opportunities for beginning teachers to meet together more frequently. These meetings could take the form of support groups, meetings to discuss issues relevant to beginning teachers, or joint meetings with mentors and principals with break-out sessions for the different groups.

 

7.         Create a BTIP website for all involved in the program. This site could have areas specifically for mentors, beginning teachers, principals and district coordinators and a general area for the general public. Resources, hints on getting started and other useful information could be provided. The site should include conferencing capabilities so program participants can exchange thoughts and ideas with others across the province. Such a website could help those in the more rural parts of the province.

 

8.         Ensure that all beginning teachers are placed in the best assignment possible. Beginning teachers’ classrooms should have adequate resources and plenty of materials. Beginning teachers should not be assigned too many supervision duties or the duties nobody else wants or encouraged to be over-involved in extra-curricular activities.

 

9.         Design a component of the BTIP so the program can continue into the beginning teachers’ second year of teaching. Conduct a follow-up study with volunteers from the 2002-2003 program to collect suggestions for components for a second year program.

 

10.       Design a separate component of the BTI Program to address the needs of beginning teachers from other provinces, beginning teachers with previous supply teaching experience, and teachers new to the district.

 

11.       The Department of Education and District Superintendents need to consider how support can be provided for supply teachers who are beginning teachers.

References

 

A Guide to the New Brunswick Beginning Teacher Induction Program: A Partnership That Builds Success. Fredericton, NB: Department of Education, 1999.

 

Brooks, D. (1987). Teacher Induction: A New Beginning. Reston, VA: Association of Teacher Educators.

 

Danielson, C. (1996). Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

 

Feinman-Nemser, S. (2003). What new teachers need to learn. Educational Leadership, 60(8), 25-33.

 

Scott, N. & Compton, E. (1996). A Report on the 1995-1996 Beginning Teacher Induction Program in New Brunswick. Fredericton, NB: Department of Education.

 

Scott, N. & Doherty, S. (2002). Building a Strong Foundation for Teaching: The Fifth Annual Report of the Beginning Teacher Induction program in New Brunswick. Fredericton, NB: Department of Education.

 

Scott, N. (1998). Off to a Good Start: Report on the 1997-1998 Beginning Teacher Induction program in New Brunswick. Fredericton, NB: Department of Education.

 

Scott, N. (1997). Report on the 1996-1997 Beginning Teacher Induction Program in New Brunswick. Fredericton, NB: Department of Education.

 

Scott, N. & Mirchandani, H. (2001). Mentoring New Teachers: A Report on the 2001 Beginning Teacher Induction Program in New Brunswick. Fredericton, NB: Department of Education.

 

Scott, N. & Mirchandani, H. (2002). A Listening Ear; A Helping Hand: A Report on the 2001-2002 Beginning Teacher Induction Program in New Brunswick. Fredericton, NB: Department of Education.

 

Scott, N. & Surette, T. (1999). Supporting New Teachers: A Report on the 1998-99 Beginning Teacher Induction Program in New Brunswick. Fredericton, NB: Department of Education.

 

Scott, N. Smith, L. & Grobe, C. (1995). Final Report on the 1993-94 Beginning Teacher Induction Pilot Program. Fredericton, NB: Department of Education.

 

Wong, H. & Wong, R. (1998). The First Days of School. Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications Inc.

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