On Friday, October 18th, the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program at Brown University held a professional development day for 23 mentor teachers from six Providence-area schools who mentor Brown MAT students in year-long classroom placements. The event aimed to enhance mentorship practices and support the professional growth of both experienced educators and their MAT student teachers. The participating schools included Central Falls High School, E Cubed High School, Hope High School, East Providence High School, Nathan Bishop Middle School, and Blackstone Academy Charter School.
While mentor teachers worked together on campus, MAT students served as substitute teachers for the day. According to Katie Rieser, the MAT program director, asking MAT students to substitute is important exposure for them at this point in the fall semester. "This day is also a really important experience for MATs, who are experiencing a full day in the classroom for the first time," Rieser explained. “Our hope is that the Monday after the professional development, mentors will have much to share with MATs about their learning, and MATs will have many new experiences in front of kids to grow from.”
Mentor teachers began the day with breakfast and a session guided by content-area faculty from the Department of Education. In this session, educators engaged in meaningful discussions, pooled resources, shared best practices, and addressed challenges arising in their mentorship roles.
Following the initial session, mentors participated in two focused workshops. The first session equipped teachers with strategies to effectively support multilingual students, emphasizing the importance of language use in diverse classrooms. The second session asked mentors to consider their balance of psychosocial support and career development for MATs, an essential aspect of mentorship that acknowledges the emotional and professional growth of novice teachers.
After a break for lunch, the mentor teachers teamed up in groups of three and brainstormed approaches to working productively with their MAT students, leveraging their collective experience to devise practical solutions.
Rieser emphasized the significance of these professional development days. "The mentor PD days really give experienced teachers a chance to come together and focus on the work of mentoring," she said. “It's also just rare for teachers to have a day of professional learning that values their expertise and shows them how much their work means to their student teachers and their students.”
As the day wrapped up, the positive energy among the participants was palpable. Teachers left not only with new strategies and insights but also with renewed motivation to support their MAT students and enhance the learning environment in their classrooms. The MAT program's commitment to fostering collaboration and professional growth among educators promises to strengthen the future of teaching in the Providence area.