Mentoring and Supervision Scenarios

2012 Just ASK Publications & Professional Development

Assistant Principal responses in italics

What Do You Do When . . .

the teacher is winging it rather than being purposeful in planning?
o purposeful planning/look for a lesson, learning target, does it match
what it being taught?/ have a conversation with the teacher
you notice that the teacher is lacking in content knowledge?
o use of academic coach/classroom
observation/resources/workshops/staff development
the teacher is asking mostly lower level questions?
o Blooms Taxonom/ Lesson Plan/ Pre-planned lesson/ sticky
notes/writing down all questions you hear and have teacher sort
levels of questions
the teacher has a high ratio of low grades?
o Differentiation/lost instructional practice/learning targets being
taught/obscure teaching/planning and feedback/is it active
engagement/small groups/lesson plans/peer teaching
the teacher is often sitting down doing paper work or grading papers
rather than moving around the room monitoring and helping students
while they work individually or in small groups?
o get input from principal for support
o let teacher know the expectations/walk-throughs/follow up on email
the teacher is successful at keeping students on task but the tasks are not
aligned with the learning standards? (or are low level tasks)?
the teacher does not want to meet or routinely cancels appointments?
o come to teacher/offer support in meetings
the teacher does not act on the advice you have given even though you
supported your suggestions with the evidence of the need to make a
change?

o be persistent with follow-up (show documentation)/ mention: SIP,

Best Practices, ABSS policy, etc.
The teacher is feeling very stressed by the complex professional demands
of teaching?
the teacher is having trouble working collaboratively with members of the
department or grade level team?
o reestablish the norms and expectations for the group/create a
template for grade level discussions/ provide support through
academic coach/every classroom should provide high expectations
the teacher is using whole class instruction almost exclusively and calling
on the same five or six students over and over?
the teacher has one or more really difficult students and has not yet
developed the skills to work with them effectively?
o procedures/non-negotiable/outside assistance-psychologist/provide
strategies/implement behavior intervention strategies
the teacher insists that everything is fine and you know that is not the
case?
o be there for support/mentor meeting regularly/pick up on things
during walk-throughs/ encourage reflection
the teacher is not dressing or acting professionally?
the teacher is having problems with parents who want to be overly
helpful?
the teacher is frustrated with and dwelling on what the teacher perceives
as a lack of parental support?
the teacher needs help saying NO to requests to take on additional
responsibilities?
o use teacher buy-in to develop equitable sharing of duties
the teacher is consistently missing deadlines for submitting required
paperwork and/or district documents?
the teacher is spending time and energy on control and compliance rather
than on engaging students in active learning experiences?

o Give advice/observe master teachers with all kinds of students/

provide support
o visit classroom/collect data on teacher (in room; out)/ positive peer
interaction/address with the team and then with teacher/how can we
work to assist/support you
the teacher has a less than positive experience with an official supervisory
observation?
o Keep conversation focused on professional growth/Stay out of
personal real/Set up supports for teacher.
a walk-through the teachers classroom reveals that the organization of
papers and materials has reached the disaster stage?
o allow the students to have a cleaning committee/where are ethics of
modeling? speak to teacher? document
students or parents are asking for transfers to other classes?
o look for patterns using data to determine if it is the best fit for the
student/use a team to make decision/ask for teacher input/use
data/ teacher ability to work with students (Standard 6)
the teacher is struggling with a large number of, or complex combination
of, special needs students?
the teacher is not using multiple methods of formative assessment to
inform instructional decisions?
o Do we know our students and the quick strategies to assess student
learning without a formal assessment, go back to PLCs
the teacher needs to differentiate instruction in order to appropriately
challenge advanced learners?
o Make sure you know student has been assessed/Link teacher to AIG
teacher for ideas/Help look for ideas/Engage students on problembased and CIG activities.
o Differentiation (CTE classes) PLCs to get advice with different levels
network and look at different strategies
the teacher is worried about having or has had a difficult parent
conference?

o Be sure teacher knows that the student is the parents baby./Be

sure to talk to them about how to have a positive conversation/If it
has already occurred, reflect on the conversation/ Be sure teacher
stays in contact with parent.
o know what you will discuss/ officer to come by for support/identify
what the parent concern is/ have documentation ready/ start with
positives/ get an action plan together/reach out to colleagues and
mentor/ be welcoming, make parent feel relaxed/ find out history of
parent and student/ remember both of you are there to support the
student
the teacher is arriving late to school or returning to the classroom late
after lunch and is, therefore, not prepared when the students arrive?
o expectations/greet students at door/build relationships/supervision
o document times of arrival/ continue to document tardies
the teacher is being very successful but is looking more and more haggard
and in need of rest and recreation?
o teachers are struggling and need a respite/They are looking tired and
worn out/Sub used creatively/PLCs/staff morale/network and
support/Hook up with teachers who may have same interests.
o be direct, positive, look out for their health (physical and mental)/be
aware of what is going on
an experienced teacher new to the school is struggling with the unique
demographics of the student body in your school?
an experienced teacher new to the district/school feels that being
required to participate in a mentoring program is unnecessary and resists
all collegial interaction?
o get to know teacher; provide positive relationship/give a task, i.e.,
bring back info. from a meeting because they may be insecure/ be
direct
o this is a policy-you must participate/try to get something from it/ try
to make sure it is helpful/ have social time along with learning or
mentoring time

the teacher is making external attribution; that is, the teacher is blaming
the students, the parents, the administration, colleagues for problems?
o reflective questions/presenting date/difference between
controllable/non-controllables/developing relationships with
kids/staff development on what we can control and cannot
control/know the students stories
the teacher does not know or is not skillful with a repertoire of strategies
for having students process their learning in rigorous and relevant ways?
the teacher does not get the students attention before starting class or
giving directions and ends up frustrated with the students when
information has to be repeated?
the teacher loses valuable instructional time (and possibly a sense of
control) at transitions and is, therefore, nervous about having students
work in small groups?
o Observe/AC models with teacher and supports teacher/ After a few
lessons, let the teacher own the action
o emphasis on small group instruction (designated time)/good planning
of activities
o model transition piece
the teacher is lacking in with-it-ness; that is, the teacher does not read
the environment and notice when something is brewing until it is too
late?
o Provide support/give teacher tricks of the trade/ preventive
measures/awareness of surrounding of students/ environment/more
relevant activities
o cannot be stationary-need to move/ know your kids
the teacher uses speech patterns or has an accent that makes it difficult
for students to understand directions and instructions?
o display directions/procedures, have students retell directions to class
or partners (thumbs up. down when you understand/ varied
instruction, use visuals, tech support, establish routine procedures,

student engagement (less teacher talk)/make teacher aware of the

situation
the teacher is extremely knowledgeable and prefers to be the sage on
the stage rather than the guide on the side while students engage in
dialogue and debate?
o Model: giving students responsibilities, give examples of things you
have done, talk about taking risks, show model lesson plan, compare
to graduation project, on task/off task assessment to show data, visit
another class where its done well
the teacher does not check for understanding and/or adjust pacing or
instruction in response to what the check for understanding reveals?
o Shift culture of school to moving students not just teaching content.
Then go to individual and have conversation about adjusting
instruction. Question: How do you know the kids got it? Model
thought process of assessment.
o Anatomy of a Lesson/Evidence learning
o provide instruction on how to identify benchmark scores/walk
throughs to make sure they are doing it/ model teaching and discuss
afterwards what teacher saw
the teacher does not task analyze the learning standard and the
summative assessment to design learning experiences which facilitate
student success?
the teacher inappropriately uses assessment and grading as management
tools by giving pop quizzes or averaging zeroes into grades?
o grading is a systemic issue. . . What is the answer?
o discuss formative assessment piece/ what is the purpose of your
assessment?/Discuss research piece about giving zeros/ leadership
team can have a discussion regarding this situation
the teacher is struggling with pacing because the teacher is easily led off
task by student behavior or discussions of interesting but not essential
information?

the teacher does not routinely access student prior knowledge and build
on student life experiences?
the teacher demonstrates confusion about building respectful
relationships with students and attempts to be friends rather than the
adult in the relationship?
o share dangers/mentor assignment/use of technology/draw lines to
avoid crossing
o sit down conversation/create understanding of respect/set
boundaries/ send to teachers classroom that has positive
relationships with students
o follow ABSS policies/draw lines in the sand/lay out expectations at
the beginning of the year/ spell out in the staff handbook/
understand the law
the teacher designs classroom assignments and assessments that are not
congruent with the level of understanding required by the learning
standard?
the teachers actions seem to indicate that the teacher does not believe
that all students can achieve at a high level and/or that the teacher does
not have a sense of self-efficacy?
o focus on student growth/ outcomes versus
numbers/potential/resource staff
the teacher does not appear to believe that administrators, special and
general education colleagues, and parents are important partners in the
education of students?
the teacher is unable to move beyond fact-based teaching and then use
concepts and generalizations to design assessments and engaging
instruction?
the teacher is struggling with helping students make sense of learning
standards through real world connections?
o Pacing Speak with teacher and use the discussion time
appropriately