Mentor materials
Consistency
Select a development area
Consider the development areas for this topic (below). Then make a note of the area you plan to zoom in on and when you plan to visit so you can observe your teacher in this area. Familiarise yourself with the focused development areas. You will select one later when you observe your teacher.
Development area 1: Consistency of language
Focused development area
- Teacher addresses pupils consistently and adopts language that reinforces the school’s culture and values.
- Teacher uses language that communicates the high expectations they have of pupils and supports them to have high expectations of themselves.
- Teacher uses language that states positively what they need pupils to do.
Development area 2: Issuing sanctions
Focused development area
- Teacher, with the support of a colleague, identifies which behaviours warrant which sanctions in line with the school’s behavioural policy, and plans to address behaviours consistently and as positively as possible.
- Teacher always delivers sanctions calmly, using language and non-verbals that are likely to de-escalate the situation and enable teaching and learning to continue.
- Teacher consistently seeks to re-engage pupils after issuing a sanction.
Example precise target: Teacher, with the support of a colleague, identifies which behaviours warrant which sanctions in line with the school’s behavioural policy, and plans to address behaviours consistently and as positively as possible
- Not doing it at all: With the support of a colleague, ensure you are clear on which categories of behaviour warrant which levels of sanction in line with the school’s behavioural policy, including behaviours that arise as a result of issuing a sanction (secondary behaviours).
- Doing it but needs some improvement: With the support of a colleague, plan how you will respond consistently to behaviours that require different levels of response in line with the school’s behavioural policy.
- Doing it well and needs some stretch: With the support of a colleague, plan to use a consistent format for supporting pupils to change their behaviour, e.g. state the behaviour, state the consequence, tell them what to do to get back on track.
Development area 3: Consistent expectations
Focused development area
- Teacher uses a format for delivering simple expectations and makes this into an efficient routine.
- Teacher ensures pupils understand their expectations in relation to the conditions in which they are working (noise level, time limit, individually etc).
- Teacher checks and supports pupils to meet expectations.
Observe
Consider the following questions based on a short (approximately 15 minute) observation of your teacher.
What was your teacher’s previous target? Are they meeting it? How do you know?
- Thinking about the development area you have selected for this topic, what is your teacher already doing well in this area? Which focused development area best aligns with what your teacher needs to get better at? What one precise target (bite-sized action) might you work with them on during your mentor meeting?
- Reminder: You can choose to stick with this previous target if they have not made enough progress. When moving on to a new precise target, you can select one from the table above or, if this doesn’t fit your teacher’s needs, you can write your own.
How will you model the target to your teacher to show them what good looks like? What questions will you ask to check your teacher understands the model? For example, ‘How it is different from your current practice?’ and ‘What impact might it have on your practice and pupils?’
Reminder: Your model should help your teacher develop their ability in some of the following:
- Use intentional and consistent language and non-verbal signals that positively promote challenge.
- Apply rules, sanctions and rewards in line with school policy, escalating behaviour incidents as appropriate.
- Respond consistently to pupil behaviour.
- Apply high expectations to all groups, while ensuring all pupils have access to a rich curriculum.
- Use consistent language and non-verbal signals for common classroom directions.
- Contribute positively to the wider school culture and developing a feeling of shared responsibility for improving the lives of all pupils within the school.
Next, meet with your teacher to work through the ‘feedback’ stage of instructional coaching.