Describes a successful mentoring program for beginning teachers developed at a Baptist (K-12) school with 700 students and 11 new faculty members. Program mentors were experienced, but not lead teachers. The most frequently discussed problems between mentor and protege were discipline, classroom management, and the frustration of never having…

This paper addresses factors to consider in establishing a healthy learning environment and a satisfying first-year experience for dance educators. Factors include establishing a positive working relationship with principals and teachers, considering students' physical and emotional development, using discipline, fostering self-management skills,…

Motivational strategies used by 30 first year elementary school teachers and on-task behaviors of their respective students were monitored. Each teacher used several motivating strategies (concerning getting attention, emphasizing relevance, building confidence, and imposing rewards and punishments). There was a significant positive correlation…

A first-year teacher recounts her action research project to address the misbehaviors occurring in her third-grade classroom. She reports on identification of four target behaviors and implementation of research-based intervention techniques such as eye contact, physical proximity, and "withitness," (constant awareness of the classroom). Analysis…

Surveys were conducted of two multi-state samples of educators, who provided ratings of the importance of two preliminary versions of the classroom performance assessment criteria being developed for The Praxis Series: Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers(TM). One sample, with 114 respondents, was chosen primarily on the basis of its…

Much of the literature concerning the challenges facing beginning teachers treats their problems as generic in nature. While researchers acknowledge the different problems encountered by beginning teachers, they often fail to take into account the varied knowledge, skills, beliefs, and dispositions which prospective teachers bring to their first…

This study, focusing on competency in managing classroom behavior, compared evaluations of a group of 24 student teachers with evaluations of the same group at the end of its first year of teaching. The evaluating instrument presented 25 competencies in the areas of professional, instructional, and interpersonal competence. The subjects of the…

This beginning teacher program is a combination of a support and training program for first-year teachers in 12 school districts in Kansas. Participation is required and the program features regular meetings with the building principal, a year-long, performance-based skill training program, and a set of performance tasks which ask the beginning…

This book addresses the classroom problems faced by beginning secondary school teachers with an emphasis on classroom control. Solutions to problem situations are suggested and an appendix of further readings on the subject is included. The following topics are covered: (1) developing a good learning atmosphere; (2) introducing subject matter; (3)…

This kit has been designed by teachers at the Atlanta Area Center for Teachers (Georgia) to offer beginning teachers support and suggestions as they begin the challenge of their first year of teaching. Because most new teachers in Georgia must participate in Competency Based Teacher Performance Certification, this package has been sequenced…

This paper describes beginning teachers' assumptions about children's social and moral behavior and presents a model of what children are like socially and morally. Implications of these descriptions for teacher education and classroom practice are discussed. (MT)

This study compared the perceptions of school principals with those of novice teachers regarding beginning teacher competencies. Participants were elementary school principals from Hong Kong and recent graduates from the Hong Kong Institute of Education. Surveys of the two groups indicated that, in general, school principals were satisfied with…

Written by teachers for teachers, this book offers the first-hand perspectives of 7 teachers who used the writing workshop approach. It offers teachers in grades 1-8 a wealth of practical advice, based on the personal struggles, accomplishments, and classroom-proven solutions of the authors. Equally valuable to teachers already using writing…

A researcher analyzed problems faced by beginning teachers in the Netherlands. The teachers' problems are viewed as the result of the need to adjust from a permissive to a custodial stance. Implications for teacher education curriculum are discussed. (PP)

Researchers analyzed changes in the self-confidence levels of beginning teachers, which occurred during their first term of full-time teaching. Effects of sex differences, discipline attitudes, idealism, and other variables were explored. Students assigned to lower grade levels experienced more problems with confidence about classroom management…