Focus On Student Learning
Using standards-based formative assessment tools to gather evidence about student and beginning teacher growth is yet another way to use data to inform practice. By providing multiple opportunities to gather specific data on students and creating smaller learning communities to discuss student growth, the focus is on student learning.
We met together and looked at student work and she helped me look deeper at my students’ work…..always having someone to turn to when I had a question or a problem. It’s hard to admit to your principal or staff that you don’t know something or have questions.
-Second year beginning teacher
Participants learn to evaluate student engagement and motivation while learning strategies from research based studies and current work in the university environment. LIT serves as a source for instructional and assessment resources directly addressing issues of schools of poverty. This context is the foundation of the mentoring curriculum. In turn, the mentors lead smaller beginning teacher study groups that center around universal issues of interest and importance to beginning teachers while putting forth an agenda of learning and interacting with content at profound level. Mentors also model and guide the use of a variety of assessment strategies that complement a wide range of learning styles in specific grade levels and content areas. Finally, in focusing on the importance of meeting individual needs within the classroom, LIT offers many research based resources around making content worthwhile to the diverse population of students that many beginning teachers find themselves faced with teaching.
