how many hour a day to study for the ged

0 Distance Learning Policies and Procedures Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Adult Education and Literacy DESE 3100-4 4/05 i Table of Contents State Support Staff ....................................................................................................................................... 1 Distance Learning Mission .......................................................................................................................... 2 Preface ................................................................................................................................................. 2 Driving Force: ..................................................................................................................................... 2 Vision: ................................................................................................................................................. 2 Mission: ............................................................................................................................................... 2 Goals: .................................................................................................................................................. 2 Values:................................................................................................................................................. 3 Strategies: ............................................................................................................................................ 3 GED Online: Flexible Learning Environment for Students ........................................................................ 5 Job Descriptions ........................................................................................................................................... 6 GED Online Instructor............................................................................................................................. 6 Recruitment Responsibilities: ............................................................................................................. 6 Education Responsibilities: ................................................................................................................. 6 Communication Responsibilities: ....................................................................................................... 6 Administrative Duties: ........................................................................................................................ 6 Other Responsibilities: ........................................................................................................................ 7 Process for Remediation and Removal from program: ....................................................................... 7 Requirements for Renewing the GED Online Funding....................................................................... 7 Procedures -- GED Online Instructor .................................................................................................. 7 GED Online Systems Administrator ....................................................................................................... 8 Student Enrollment.............................................................................................................................. 8 Tech support ........................................................................................................................................ 8 Online newsletter................................................................................................................................. 8 GED Online Teacher Trainings ........................................................................................................... 8 DESE projects ..................................................................................................................................... 8 Data collection (work with Data Collection Coordinator) .................................................................. 8 Additional Responsibilities ................................................................................................................. 8 GED Online Teacher Mentor Program Guidelines ...................................................................................... 9 GED Online Teacher Survey ..................................................................................................................... 10 Part 1: Knowledge ................................................................................................................................ 10 Part 2: Activities: .................................................................................................................................. 11 AEL Teacher and Director Roles in GED Online...................................................................................... 13 Role of AEL Classroom Teacher ........................................................................................................... 13 Role of AEL Director ............................................................................................................................ 14 GED Online Skills Sheet Regional Breakdown ......................................................................................... 15 GED Online Skills Sheet ........................................................................................................................... 16 Effective Mentoring Relationships ............................................................................................................ 17 For mentors and mentees ....................................................................................................................... 17 Find the perfect match ........................................................................................................................... 17 Understanding the mentoring process ................................................................................................... 17 What mentors need to do to build an effective relationship .................................................................. 17 What mentees need to do ....................................................................................................................... 18 Why is mentoring useful? ...................................................................................................................... 18 So what do mentors do?......................................................................................................................... 19 Why run a mentoring program? ............................................................................................................. 19 Benefits for mentees .............................................................................................................................. 19 Benefits for mentors .............................................................................................................................. 19 ii What skills does a mentor need? ........................................................................................................... 20 Mentor as coach ................................................................................................................................ 20 Mentor as counselor .......................................................................................................................... 20 The Mentor as role model/guardian .................................................................................................. 20 Mentor as networker.......................................................................................................................... 21 Winding up and moving on ................................................................................................................... 21 How will I know it's time to move on? ............................................................................................. 22 Some practical steps to take .............................................................................................................. 22 How can I evaluate the success of the relationship? .............................................................................. 22 Mentoring Groups Fiscal Year 2004-2005 ................................................................................................ 23 Mentoring Group Kansas City - Red ..................................................................................................... 23 Mentoring Group Kansas City – Blue ................................................................................................... 23 Mentoring Group St. Louis - Green....................................................................................................... 23 Mentoring Group St. Louis – Orange .................................................................................................... 23 Mentoring Group Southwest - Yellow .................................................................................................. 23 Glossary of Terms for GED Online ........................................................................................................... 24 Appendix .................................................................................................................................................... 25 DESE 3100-4 4/05 1 GED Online State Support Staff Linda Hays DESE Supervisor 573-751-1248 Linda.Hays@dese.mo.gov Bill Wagner AEL Director Rockwood School District (636) 938-2307 Coi41@rockwood.k12.mo.us Kim Litzau GED Online Facilitator Rockwood School District 636-938-2308 Aaco7@rockwood.k12.mo.us 2 Missouri Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) Distance Learning Mission Preface To meet the demands of tomorrow‘s jobs, workers, employers, and those providing training must continue learning in order to keep up with job-related expectations and advancements, and to continue growing personally, professionally, and economically. To accomplish this learning and growth in spite of busy schedules, adult-learners are seeking an alternative that will accommodate their daily routines. Missouri Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) provides distance learning classes outside the formal classroom. These courses combine independent study with guided instructions. Technology and instructors work together to provide a delivery system that meets high academic standards while ensuring the flexibility to meet each student's individual needs. The Distance Learning Staff is committed to offering technologically-mediated teaching and learning opportunities to both faculty and students. New learning technologies are allowing instructional environments in which learners are removed in time, place, and pace from the source of instruction. GED Online provides support for both students and educators so that they may fully participate in new and exciting ways of teaching and learning. Distance Learning prepares AEL students for a world in which information and economic environments are globalized. Through technologically-enhanced teaching-learning opportunities, Missouri AEL reaches out to communities of learners by creating an inclusive and goal oriented environment for students. Driving Force: Students Vision: 1. To be the national leader in providing Internet-based learning to Adult Education students. 2. To offer an integrated learning system by offering a variety of curriculums and learning environments for adult students. 3. To meet the needs of all online learners through active management of goal setting, pre and post testing data and by offering personalized student/teacher interactions. 4. To provide support to all AEL programs in the state of Missouri by offering accessibility to other online programs, i.e. Skills Tutor and TutorSystems. Mission: GED Online will provide quality, innovative, research-based educational services for students in Missouri who have access to the Internet and who: 1. Do not have a high school diploma 2. Need to acquire academic skills needed for the workplace 3. Need to improve academic skills to continue their education Goals: GED Online will: 1. Provide instructional design and development support for the creation of new academic courses and programs and for the redesign or enhancement of existing ones. 2. Provide technical support for the design and development of teaching materials that integrate instructional media, computer technology and developing technologies. 3. Provide student and faculty support to assist programs in reaching and retaining distance learners. DESE 3100-4 4/05 3 4. Investigate, evaluate, acquire, and promote emerging technologies and resources to support the enhancement of the teaching and delivery of distance learning courses. 5. Promote excellence and innovation in teaching and learning through specialized training and consulting, and through the dissemination of information about distance learning and its technologies. 6. Assist programs, faculty and staff in their efforts to improve teaching effectiveness. 7. Assist students in their efforts to receive education in non-traditional ways. 8. Provide an alternative or an additional method for Adult Education students to study and prepare for the GED test and/or improve basic skills. 9. Provide a free Internet-based study program which will be accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to all adult learners in the state of Missouri who have Internet access that includes individual contact with a certified Adult Education instructor. 10. Help each eligible AEL student access the educational services needed for that student to meet his stated goals. a. Distance Learning should enable students to achieve their educational goals by delivering academically sound courses and educational support services that are flexible, responsive, and innovative. b. Distance Learning courses should provide the same academic standards, criteria, quality, and content as traditional on-site programs. c. The Distance Learning program should augment, not replace, on-site classes. d. Distance Learning programs are part of efforts to expand the walls of the classroom, making Adult education more accessible. e. As an integral part of the MO AEL instructional framework, the distance learning program provides resources for learning regardless of time and place. Values: To be the best, we must serve our students and Team Members (our Online Teachers, Directors and State employees) with a passion. To accomplish this, we commit ourselves to the principles of student service. The online staff will: 1. Provide caring and personalized service 2. Provide learner-centered instruction 3. Respect individuality 4. Provide accessible and convenient service 5. Be responsive to students' needs 6. Accommodate with students' schedules 7. Foster interaction among students, faculty and staff 8. Provide academically stimulating and challenging curricula 9. Maintain the same high standards for education and support services as in the traditional on-site/local environment Strategies: In order to accomplish our values we must take the following steps. 1. Provide continuous and ongoing online teacher training in the following areas: a. Distance teaching best practices and procedures b. Ongoing technical training c. Ongoing mentor/mentee training and development 2. Maintain and increase individual student contact using a variety of methods, such as email, whiteboard, discussion board, phone calls and mailings. 3. Increase student/teacher opportunities for interaction through new and innovative technical advances in our software platform. 4. Develop best practices procedures for online teachers that will decrease the learning curve for teachers and students, and maximize student/teacher time. DESE 3100-4 4/05 4 Offer a variety of learning opportunities through research of new Internet-based learning systems. Maintain or decrease the time to respond to an online learner request for feedback. Be active managers of each online classroom. Each teacher will take ownership of content, postings, and data for their online classroom. 8. Take every opportunity to celebrate our student‘s successes and to create a learning opportunity out of every student‘s struggles and failures. 9. Pay attention to the details. 10. Enroll students into the online program in the most efficient method available. 11. Maintain the human and technical resources and network infrastructure necessary to reliably support and deliver distance learning. 12. Conduct continuous evaluation of distance learning and support services. 5. 6. 7. DESE 3100-4 4/05 5 GED Online: Flexible Learning Environment for Students With GED Online, local AEL programs can establish a flexible learning environment for their students using both onsite and online learning. Site-based teachers are encouraged to communicate with the online teachers about students, and also to convey any wishes for the student to be placed in particular software as a part of the discussions with the online teacher when a student enrolls in GED Online. 1) Reporting Students Attending a Program Site and Working in GED Online a) On-site Time: Reporting student participation on GED Online requires the program to count time a student ―physically‖ spends in their program onsite (e.g. enrollment, testing, instruction, etc) using appropriate class codes. This time is allowable for reporting and reimbursement, and the time is part of the audited contact hours. b) Online Time: Programs also receive documentation from GED Online about how much time the student spends in GED Online instruction. This time is designated as learning hours. Information is recorded by the programs using a XXX-XXX-88XX class code. These online or learning hours count toward a student‘s eligibility for performance funding, but are NOT counted as contact hours. Each quarter, any AEL program with a GED Online student enrolled will receive documentation from GED Online reporting the amount of time each student spends online using the GED Online instructional materials. These two methods allow for accurate tracking for both onsite time spent in a program and GED Online time. c) Allowable Overlap: It is permissible for a student to enter a program site, sign in, and then use an onsite computer to log onto GED Online. The program should count this on-site, ―physical‖ time in an appropriate class code and enter the subsequent record of that time coming from GED Online in the XXX-XXX-88XX class code. The student time will also be counted for online or learning hours as well. 2) Funding a) The combination of on-site hours (contact hours) and online hours (learning hours) to equal/exceed 12 hours will allow the student to be considered eligible for performance funding. The combined hours should be entered into ACES by class code for tracking of online hours as well as onsite hours. The total hours simply show student learning hours, and are not a factor in contact hour funding calculations. b) Contact hours are audited yearly for each program. Learning hours are not reimbursed. When state staff figures performance funding at the end of the fiscal year, learning hours will be used to show the student as a 12 hour student. c) Reporting to the NRS will only show aggregate hours for all programs; this is compiled for trend data. DESE 3100-4 4/05 6 Job Descriptions GED Online Instructor Recruitment Responsibilities: 1. Develop student base through recruitment with local AEL programs and other appropriate sources 2. Initiate and maintain contact with prospective students via email or phone 3. Assist prospective students through enrollment, location of pre-testing site, and the TABE testing process, as necessary 4. Maintain minimum levels of student enrollment and online class participation hours ***see guidelines Education Responsibilities: 1. Maintain knowledge of all GED Online, Skills Tutor, and TutorSystems curricula 2. Create individualized study plans for students based on Skills Sheets or other information provided by AEL teachers with the goal of success on the GED test 3. Assign lessons to students in increments matching their abilities and needs 4. Teach all areas of GED curricula, as needed 5. Evaluate student work, answer questions 6. Monitor student progress on a regular basis 7. Return student to local AEL class for post-testing 8. Assist students throughout the GED test application process Communication Responsibilities: 1. Initiate and maintain contact with students, both current and prospective, addressing issues and resolving problems 2. Respond on a timely basis to all student communications (24 hours maximum) 5 days a week minimum, Monday - Friday 3. Monitor student behavior in the online setting, communicating guidelines for class requirements, expected behavior and addressing problems as needed, communicate your availability to your students 4. Work effectively with AEL programs/ teachers on issues of student recruitment, retention, testing, evaluations (skills sheets), pre-and post testing, and ACES reporting 5. Coordinate with GED Online staff, responding within 24 hours to emails and other communications or requests for information (Monday – Friday) 6. Participate in Mentoring Groups as required Administrative Duties: 1. Submit skills sheet to administrators for assignment of student user name and password 2. Maintain records of student assignments, quiz results and progress 3. Update online student records with ALL student information, contacts, assignments, testing results, and online hours on a timely basis 4. Update class announcements within BlackBoard on a weekly basis 5. Enroll or request enrolment of students in Skills Tutor or TutorSystems learning programs 6. Submit quarterly spreadsheet of student online study hours 7. Provide all other requested data within the correct time period and in the form required by DESE 8. Complete Teacher Time Diaries as required DESE 3100-4 4/05 7 Other Responsibilities: 1. Attend training as required 2. Undergo performance evaluation by local AEL director 3. Make recommendations for program improvements 4. Make recommendations for curriculum enhancements Process for Remediation and Removal from program: 1. 30 day evaluation: Completed by GED Online Staff 2. 1st warning: Guidance and training provided with new strategies for accomplishing goals 3. 2nd warning: Face to Face Meeting to implement new strategies 4. Removal/Non-renewal: At the discretion of Local AEL and DESE Requirements for Renewing the GED Online Funding 1. Goal: 30 active students/wk = 10 hours of work time 2. *Minimum: 10 active students/wk 3. *Minimum: 120 learning hours/qtr = 10-12 active students/wk @ 10 learning hours *Any class with less than the amount of students/learning hours at above stated minimums will be reviewed before funding will be allocated for the following fiscal year. Procedures -- GED Online Instructor GED Online instructors are expected to maintain an ongoing dialogue with their students and with the site-based instructors who may also work with the same student. Additionally, instructors should maintain contact with the GED Online staff, mentors, and other members of the mentor groups. Duties that an online instructor should perform are listed by frequency below: Daily 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Weekly 1. 2. 3. 4. Check and return emails on a daily basis Make student assignments Update the maintenance database with all student activity Send TABE information to GED Online staff for enrollment processing Respond to GED Online staff requests Post new announcements to Blackboard classrooms Initiate contact with inactive students (include email, phone, onsite and online) Update Database with Skills Tutor and TutorSystems Data Update Database with all student contact and activity Monthly 1. Complete Teacher Time Diaries 2. Warn inactive students that they may be dropped from class Quarterly 1. Update maintenance database with online hours 2. Fill out student time spreadsheet and forward to GED Online Staff 3. Send list of students who have been inactive for 90 days an email reminding them they will be dropped from class DESE 3100-4 4/05 8 4. Generate list of students to be dropped from class listing. Update maintenance with all student information. Send list of inactive students to Online Administrator for archiving. GED Online Systems Administrator Student Enrollment 1. Go through all enrollments submitted via the website 2. Forward HTML file to correct classroom teacher 3. Send HTML file of students who have filled out an enrollment form but have not taken TABE tests to appropriate online instructors 4. Collect Skills Sheets 5. Set student up with username and password for appropriate classroom and email it to student 6. Enter student in database, proper classroom, and email instructor to let them know student has been enrolled and attach Skills Sheet when necessary Tech support 1. Answer tech questions from both students and staff 2. Enroll students in Skills Tutor and TutorSystems at request of online teacher 3. Fix worksheets when there is an incorrect answer 4. Change quizzes when an answer is wrong or if somebody finds a misspelling 5. Look for/changing dead links 6. Email Bb support if classroom goes down or something doesn‘t work correctly 7. Call tech support when website is down 8. Add/change website as program changes 9. Renew domain registration and VeriSign 10. Act as liaison – Blackboard, TutorSystems, River City Net, Skills Tutor, DESE, Project IDEAL Online newsletter 1. Create and distribute newsletter to all online staff with changes/updates/reminders about GED Online 2. Distribute newsletter to all directors on the mailing list GED Online Teacher Trainings 1. Train new online teachers 2. Plan, coordinate and develop content for ongoing trainings for new and experienced online teachers DESE projects 1. Collect data 2. Orientation 3. Other projects required by DESE Data collection (work with Data Collection Coordinator) 1. Create spreadsheets for online seat time and teacher time 2. Email instructions to teachers 3. Collect data and compile it for DESE Additional Responsibilities 1. Help with budget, curriculum development, conference presentations 2. Coordinate with the local directors/literacy coordinators/teachers on questions/processes about GED Online and ACES impact and process 3. Develop, maintain and monitor mentoring program for online teachers DESE 3100-4 4/05 9 GED Online Teacher Mentor Program Guidelines Each new teacher will be placed into a ―mentoring group‖ All Intermediate and Experienced teachers will be mentors. Mentors will instruct new teachers on a variety of subjects, including, but not limited to: 1. Curriculum 2. Best Online Teaching Practices 3. Policies and Procedures 4. Technical Support 5. Student Contact 6. Managing Data The GED Online Systems Administrator will organize groups based on teacher/student strengths and areas of concerns. Each ―mentoring group‖ will have teachers that have strengths in a variety of subject matters, student issues and technical proficiencies. The GED Online mentors and mentees will be participating in a variety of structured and unstructured activities in order to create and establish the mentoring groups. Groups will use a variety of vehicles to communicate after leaving the training, including but not limited to: 1. Phone 2. Email 3. Discussion Board 4. White Board 5. Face-to-Face Meetings DESE 3100-4 4/05 10 Teacher‘s Name Local AEL program GED Online Teacher Survey General Directions: Please complete the following questions to the best of your knowledge. Use the electronic document to add your answers. There are no right or wrong answers; we are trying to develop a very meaningful training tailored to your needs. In order to create that training, we need some information about you, your teaching experiences and your computer skills. If you have questions or concerns about anything on the survey please let us know. Part 1: Knowledge Directions: We would like to know what you consider to be your areas of strength in teaching adult learners. Please indicate which areas you consider your strongest by placing a #1 in the box next to the category. Place a #2 in the box in which you feel competent. Place a #3 in the box if you would appreciate a mentor or some extra strategies in that area. The scoring is not to be considered rank ordered. The responses will help us develop teaching teams. Also, technical areas of concern for those attending the September online teacher training will be targeted for instruction to help you better serve your students. Reading A. Low level reading B. Medium level reading C. High level reading 2. Math A. Basic Math-whole numbers B. Fractions, Decimals & Percents C. Algebra & Geometry 3. Language A. Capitalization & Punctuation B. Sentence structure C. Essay Writing 4. How many years of AEL experience do you have? How many years have you taught GED classes? Do you have experience in any other instructional capacity? Teaching K-12? Workplace classes? 5. Computer Skills. Please put an x in the box if you are comfortable at the task or skills. A. Keyboarding (approximate typing speed) Approximate # B. Using the mouse Minor troubleshooting of hardware (changing display, checking connections, closing frozen software etc.) 6. Please list the software applications you use most frequently, i.e., word processing might be Microsoft Word; Spreadsheet might be EXCEL, etc. Software name(s) A. Word processing B. Spreadsheets C. Data bases D. Desktop Publishing E. Internet browsers F. Operating systems G. CAI software (Educational Software) 1. DESE 3100-4 4/05 11 7. Do you participate in any of the following? Please put an x in the box if you are experienced with this electronic medium. Chat rooms E-boards, discussion boards Online community centers Audio/video Email (can you set up your pc to receive using third party software, i.e. Outlook, Eudora etc.) 8. Please answer yes or no to the following questions. Can you: A. Send an attachment B. Send a blind carbon and carbon copy C. Create email folders D. Set up email groups E. Download a file F. Save as G. Copy and Paste H. Open multiple windows 9. What operating system are you using on the computer you will be using for your online work? I am using: A. Mac B. IBM 10. What Internet service are you using? Indicate all that apply with an X in the boxes. A. Dial up B. DSL C. SDSL D. Cable E. Wireless F. Network – T-1+ 11. Are there any other technical skills that you feel you would need to teach online? A. B. C. D. E. YES NO YES NO YES NO 12. Have you ever taught or taken an online class? YES NO Part 2: Activities: 13. After a student has taken the TABE test, what does your program ask you to do in order to make the first assignment for a student? If your program uses CASAS only, please indicate this first, then explain the process for making your first assignment following the CASAS. 14. Read the attached skill sheet. What assignment(s) would you make first and why? 15. How would you answer the following email from a student? I can’t do that math thing you gave me with the decimals like .5/. 25? 16. A student sends you the following paragraph as a writing sample. How would you respond? I used to wanna be a Vet. i never didn’t get much scince my school weren’t much good for that. DESE 3100-4 4/05 12 17. Answer the following email from a student who is struggling with his studies: I only got 5 right on my punctuation test. I’ll never get this stuff. I study hard but it doesn’t stick. I should just forget about this. 18. Go to the GED Online website: www.gedonlineclass.com. Click on . Follow the information until you can identify the link you would click in order to find out how to enroll. Copy the link and paste it into the space below. 19. Tell a student the steps to follow from this link to find out how to begin enrolling in the GED Online class. 20. On the GED Online website, notice the words that are in color and underlined. Explain the reason the words are in color, and what they are for. 21. You have been sent a spreadsheet (GEDOnlineStudentTimeAdmin.xls). Open the attached sheet, and add the name John Smith. Next, credit Smith with 6 hours for the Skills Tutor program and 6 hours for the TutorSystems program. Save the spreadsheet and email it as an attachment to Kim Litzau aaco7@rockwood.k12.mo.us. Also send a carbon copy to Phyllis Shelby pshelby@mail.ncmissouri.edu and Linda Hays Linda.Hays@dese.mo.gov. 22. Formulate a GED Calculator related question which tests their knowledge of it and also of the video in every program and testing center? 23. Describe how successful lesson planning affects your interaction with your students in an on-site class. Relate this process to an online environment. How would you create an online environment of peer-to-peer and learning team sharing and interaction? 24. Explain the relationship between expectations and achievement, and evaluation and feedback. 25. Using the login information you received at the Summer Workshops, login to Blackboard from the www.gedonlineclass.com website. Explain the steps you would take to enter the classroom, including which boxes/links you would click to begin exploring the course content. Do you have any questions or concerns? Please let us know what questions you have that you would like to have addressed at a training meeting. We are really looking forward to working with you. Welcome to the GED Online team! Kim Litzau GED Online Facilitator Phyllis Shelby Distance Learning Supervisor Linda Hays DESE Supervisor DESE 3100-4 4/05 13 AEL Teacher and Director Roles in GED Online Role of AEL Classroom Teacher The success of a student‘s transition from an on-site class to the online student is tied directly to the local AEL program. All online students must start in the on-site classroom for TABE testing. Whether the student is referred to the class from an online enrollment or the student is originally an on-site class student the local AEL teacher/director is key to the success of the online student. Listed below are the steps involved for an on-site teacher to process a new online student‘s information 1. Student expresses interest in becoming an online student. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Student must complete the TABE tests. On-site teacher fills out a Skills Sheet. On-site teacher sends Skills Sheet to the online teacher dedicated to the AEL program. On-site teacher submits TABE data and contact hours generated during orientation and testing to AEL program data entry person. Online teacher submits student for enrollment. Student is emailed a Username and Password to begin studying online. Student may participate in on-site class and/or log in to and complete lessons in GED Online and generate contact hour at the same time the student is generating learning hours. The on-site teacher and the online teacher should have frequent communication concerning the online student‘s progress etc. This is especially important if the student is both attending an on-site class and working online. Please see the list on Attachment C for a listing of which online teachers are dedicated to your AEL program. Student must go to on-site class to post test each quarter. On-site teacher fills out a Skills Sheet with post-test data. On-site teacher sends Skills Sheet to the online teacher dedicated to the AEL program. 10. 11. 12. DESE 3100-4 4/05 14 Role of AEL Director Local AEL directors play a vital role in GED Online, whether or not they have a distance learning teacher allocation. Please see listed below guidelines for programs with and without allocations. Guidelines for all AEL program directors: 1. Directors should design efficient methods of communication among the on-site teachers, students wishing to become on-line students, and distance learning teachers. All faculty and staff should be aware of the procedures to ensure that students are provided orientation and testing, and that the testing data is submitted within 24 hours to the distance learning teacher. 2. Students and teachers within a local AEL program should know the designated online teacher and onsite personnel should have the online teacher‘s contact information readily available. 3. On the enrollment form, teachers working with online students should indicate the class code for the local class site and for the GED Online class. Data entry personnel should watch for dual enrollments, and ask if the student should be dually enrolled. 4. Students, especially those who have difficulty with schedules, should be encouraged to enroll in GED Online. 5. All hours generated by students will be credited to the local AEL program. Learning hours a student generates will be added together with orientation and testing hours to qualify the student as a 12-hour student, and thus make the student eligible for performance funding. All contact hours generated onsite will count for contact hour reimbursement. Learning hours are not reimbursable. 6. Included in this document are copies of Skills Sheets, teacher listings, GED Online flyers, and other materials that will be useful for your teachers and students who need/want information about the GED Online program. Additional guidelines for AEL program directors with Distance Learning Teacher allocation: 7. Follow the specific guidelines for the allocation within the grant. 8. Online teachers will work under your direction and under the guidance of their mentor and the GED Online facilitator. 9. Online teachers are required to fill out a monthly teacher time diary. You will receive a copy of this document. Online teachers have guidelines for the minimum amount of students/learning hours required in order to re-qualify for the online allocation. Minimums have been set at 10 active students generating 120 learning hours per quarter. 10. If an online teacher falls below that minimum on a consistent basis the grant may not be renewed the following Fiscal year. 11. You will receive a bi-monthly newsletter highlighting activities of and for the GED Online teachers. DESE 3100-4 4/05 15 GED Online Skills Sheet Regional Breakdown Please send your Skills Sheets to the GED Online teachers listed below: Bonne Terre: Melissa Hedrick bonneterregedonline@yahoo.com Camdenton: Fern Doublin camdentongedonline@yahoo.com Carthage and Neosho: Jerri Hudson crowdercollege@yahoo.com Columbia, Vandalia and Mexico: Ron Corder stjogedonline@yahoo.com Hillsboro/ Jefferson College: Tania Langrehr jeffersoncollegegedonline@yahoo.com Houston: Kaye Cockrum houstongedonline@yahoo.com Joplin: Linda Dishman joplingedonline@yahoo.com Kansas City: Susan Kysela kansascitygedonline@yahoo.com Kirksville and Hannibal: Rhonda Hamner kirksvillegedonline@yahoo.com Kirkwood: Micki Hoffman gedonlinekirkwood@hotmail.com Linn and Jefferson City: Phyllis Arthur jeffcitygedonline@yahoo.com Macon and Moberly: Sharon Shoemaker macongedonline@yahoo.com Nevada: Larry Nottingham nevadagedonline@yahoo.com North Kansas City, Della Lamb, Blue Springs and Independence: Mary Beth Hewitt mhewitt@nkcsd.k12.mo.us Parkway: Julie McKysmick gedonlineparkway@hotmail.com Rockwood/Eureka, Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff and East Prairie, Ritenour: Kim Litzau aaco7@rockwood.k12.mo.us Rolla: Cynthia Marler rollagedonline@yahoo.com Sedalia: Deb Williams gedonlinesedalia@yahoo.com Sikeston: Sam Crowe sikestongedonline@yahoo.com Springfield and Lebanon: Imogene Moyle springfieldgedonline@yahoo.com St. Charles: Tina Liston gedonlinest_charles@hotmail.com St. Joseph and Maryville : Ron Corder stjogedonline@yahoo.com St. Louis: Rhonda Jones gedonlinest_louis@hotmail.com Trenton: Justine Ward trentongedonline@yahoo.com Union: Cathy Taylor gedonlineeastcentral@hotmail.com University City: Stacy Gee universitycitygedonline@yahoo.com Waynesville: Adele Nickels waynesvillegedonline@gaggle.net West Plains: Gary Plowick westplainsgedonline@hotmail.com DESE 3100-4 4/05 16 GED Online Skills Sheet Student instructions: Print this form and take it to the onsite classroom where you are taking your TABE tests. If you are not able to print it, please contact your instructor and s/he'll mail you a hard copy. Teacher instructions: This student is enrolling in the GED Online program and needs to take his/her assessment test at an onsite class in order to make the score valid. Since he/she is taking the test in your program, he/she will be considered a dually enrolled student and your program may be eligible for funding based on his/her progress. Please fill out the information at the top of this form, then put a checkmark in front of the subjects the student needs to work on. When complete, please mail or fax this form to the GED Online instructor. Student Name Date Taken: Student Email Program Location: Program Code: Program Phone: Instructor Name: TABE Form and Level: CASAS Raw Scores Raw Score: Comments: READING Interpreting What You Read Interpreting Info From Graphs Poetry MATH Whole Numbers Fractions Decimals Estimating and Rounding LANGUAGE Punctuation SCIENCE Biology Capitalization Pronouns Adjectives/Adverbs Verbs Sentence Structure Writing Sentences Paragraph Organization Clear Chemistry Earth WRITING GED Essay Writing Essay an Ratios and Proportions Percents Integers Algebra Geometry Special Topics SOCIAL STUDIES U.S. History Geography Political Cartoons DESE 3100-4 4/05 17 ****DO NOT FORGET TO SEND THIS TO YOUR GED ONLINE INSTRUCTOR**** Email us aaco7@rockwood.k12.mo.us to find your instructor's contact information Effective Mentoring Relationships For mentors and mentees It is how the mentee experiences the mentoring relationship that determines its success; if all his/her expected outcomes are achieved the relationship is effective. This section explains the ways mentors and mentees can get the most out of the relationship. Find the perfect match First of all mentoring schemes tend to work best when they are voluntary; informal relationship tend to be more sincere. Matching can depend on the following: gender, ethnicity, specific technical skills or subject specialty, similar experiences, age, status, and experience. A structured approach to selection always ensures a better match of candidates; sometimes psychometric tests are used to judge suitability. Understanding the mentoring process All mentoring relationships follow a life cycle. The process starts with rapport building: creating good first impressions; dressing appropriately; working to create an environment of trust; employing positive body language; being self-effacing and adopting ice-breaking techniques. The next step involves setting the direction. A lot depends on whether the mentee has a good idea where they want to go; this will dictate the level of the mentor‘s input. Progress making involves maintaining and building the relationship by establishing boundaries, delivering to plans, finding appropriate support, and understanding progress. An effective mentoring relationship takes into account the careful handing of the winding down phase. At this point both of you will recognize all has been achieved and you can start assessing the outcomes of the relationship. What mentors need to do to build an effective relationship The best place to start is to understand what your mentee wants. They‘ll want you to show empathy. It is unlikely all your experiences will match their ambitions; but unless you can understand their point of view you‘re unlikely to have a good working relationship. Challenge your mentee constructively. They might benefit from being stretched by setting their ambitions higher or addressing ‗uncomfortable‘ issues. The mentee might not appreciate it at the time, but you might be thanked for it in the future! DESE 3100-4 4/05 18 Look to provide advice instead of ‗the answer‘. Mentees often need guidance rather than a prescriptive solution. Sometimes a few practical pointers can produce dramatic improvements. And friendship. You don‘t have to be the mentee‘s greatest friend. But without respect, trust and a degree of liking the relationship will feel uncomfortable. They will want to know how the organization works. Your greater knowledge and experience of people within the organization could prove invaluable. Help in building networks can be important. Your ability to make introductions or to identify/contact the right person could help steer your mentee on their chosen career path. Should your mentee need to make a difficult decision, or rehearse a difficult conversation, you could be a useful sounding board to help him/her think it through. Help them prioritize their ambitions and actions. Lack of direction sometimes results from being confused about the way forward. Sometimes mentors help just by being there and listening when the mentee needs someone to talk to not directly involved in an issue. Never underestimate the importance of the feel-good factor. Think about each session so you begin to know instinctively when to talk, when to listen and when to encourage silence for reflection. Overall the effective relationship empowers the individual to be confident in his or her own abilities. This is achieved by nurturing your mentee and creating self-awareness. What mentees need to do You‘re only likely to get out of the relationship what you‘re prepared to put in. Taking ownership may seem scary but it might energize you into getting the most from your sessions. From the outset give your mentor the respect and recognition they deserve; their time and energy is as precious as yours. Preparing for your mentoring sessions also helps. And, in between sessions, reflect on what what‘s been discussed, your progression and what you want from future sessions. Take advantage of your mentor‘s wisdom and experience but don‘t hold back from challenging them where you think it‘s necessary and constructive; the disagreements can make the relationship healthy and stimulating. Be honest at all times, particularly in your feedback on the effectiveness of the mentoring process. Don‘t be afraid to suggest the mentoring relationship isn‘t working; otherwise you‘ll be wasting both your time and the time of the mentor. Why is mentoring useful? Well-mentored individuals feel that they are being looked after, gain confidence in their abilities and respond accordingly. They are often happier, more loyal and productive as a result. This section describes:  How you can benefit by running a mentoring program  How the mentee can benefit  How the mentor can benefit DESE 3100-4 4/05 19 So what do mentors do? As a mentor your focus is the development of your mentee. To do so you will be required to take on a number of challenging, yet rewarding roles. Most mentees need help with their careers, so you need to take a strong interest in your mentee‘s working life. Creating opportunities for them to move into new jobs or learning situations underlines this interest. Always be looking to steer your mentee towards acquiring knowledge, new skills and understanding. Sharing your own experiences is often the best starting point. Rather than dictating what should be done you will be looking for situations to empower your charge; always remember that your role is to help them build up their confidence and abilities to take responsibility for themselves, their careers and their own development. And finally you will be expected to offer support, a sympathetic ear, a shoulder to cry on and always plenty of encouragement! Most mentoring relationships involve a mixture of all of the above, with the emphasis shifting from time to time as new crises or an opportunity opens up, or as your mentee makes progress. Why run a mentoring program? As mentees gain confidence they become more effective at what they do. And employees on mentoring programs tend to stay with their companies longer. Mentoring schemes make integration to a group or organization smoother and speedier and can be a useful asset in attracting and retaining the right caliber of staff. As mentees develop their ability to communicate the whole organization can become better informed and relationships tend to be more harmonious. And remember, as far as development is concerned, you are getting ‗two for the price of one‘; the progression of both the mentor and the mentee. Other advantages include:  Improved motivation of employees  It legitimizes ‗soft skills‘ and promotes taking more time for reflection  It can stimulate entrepreneurial thinking and behavior  Immediate/line managers are able to suggest the mentee take a difficult issue to the mentor for a different perspective or set of expertise. Benefits for mentees Mentees can benefit in a number of ways. They will become more able to cope with critical transitions, such as taking on a new job, returning to work from a maternity, or dealing with stress in their lives. A good mentor will also encourage the mentee to apply what has been learned and make sense of experiences. As a mentee you‘ll become more resourceful, develop your own networks of support and be keen to continue your path of self-improvement. Benefits for mentors Individuals who have become successful mentors have said the mentoring role provides: DESE 3100-4 4/05 20   incredible satisfaction in being able to contribute to someone else‘s growth a wonderful opportunity to improve their own learning As a mentor you will have an opportunity to reflect on issues raised and perhaps address your own thinking and methods to make improvements. It can also stimulate a renewed focus on your own career development. Some mentoring relationships benefit from familiarity of concerns; others benefit from differences in perspective. For example, a mentee from a younger generation or different gender or racial background can help you improve your knowledge and understanding. What skills does a mentor need? Let us now break down the mentoring role to specific responsibilities. You‘ll experience four main roles: careers counselor, coach, role model/guardian and net worker. To be a successful mentor you might be called upon to wear some, if not all, of these hats. Mentor as coach Coaching involves a variety of skills: assessing, demonstrating, stimulating and/or tutoring. You will be called upon to provide help, advice and encouragements to ‗unlock‘ your mentee‘s potential and raise their level of performance. This might be geared towards meeting an external standard or gaining some kind of qualification. You might also be required to establish learning tasks and set performance targets as well as telling or instructing the learner on how s/he might best achieve them. The effective coach will always be on the lookout for situations with the potential to stretch the learner. Mentor as counselor Counseling is an essential part of the mentor's tool kit. You‘ll often be required to:      Help your mentee develop the confidence and motivation to tackle a learning task/ seize a learning opportunity Help them gain insight into their own drives and fears, so that they can recognize and accept the need for improvement or change Help them plan how and what they will change about themselves (i.e. how they will learn) Help them develop coping strategies to overcome barriers to achievement and learning Be available to offer support, or simply to listen sympathetically, when needed Counseling undertaken by mentors can be divided into careers counseling and workplace counseling. The Mentor as role model/guardian What constitutes a good role model is very subjective. DESE 3100-4 4/05 21 Some mentees will be looking for a kindred spirit: somebody who displays the same values and aspirations and has succeeded in areas important to them. Role models can also be picked because of their drive and ambition, attributes that the mentee might be keen to emulate. If the mentee has a sense of vulnerability, they may appreciate a mentor who displays similar vulnerability. Mentor as networker Mentees might value your contribution to their development because of your networking skills. So what makes a good networker? Essentially it is access to other people who can provide support, knowledge, advice or career opportunities. But you might also be helpful to a mentee if you have knowledge of a wide portfolio of information sources such as websites, libraries and professional institutions. Networking can perform a social function, putting an individual in contact with others who share their interests/ambitions and problems. Strong networks can also help the mentee develop career opportunities and interesting learning opportunities. So networks can either offer influence or information. Information networks – such as a corporate plan or even the company grapevine - keep people informed of what is going on; influence networks reveal the people and processes that get things done. Good networking starts with an understanding of what your network should comprise of and how it might be useful to your mentee. Winding up and moving on It might appear strange to be discussing the ‗winding down‘ of a mentoring relationship; surely it ends when the mentee's outcomes are realized? In fact the handling of this stage of the relationship requires as much, if not more, care than any other stage of the mentoring process. You must establish and reinforce, from the first meeting with your mentee, the expectation that the formal relationship between the two of you will reach an end. It helps to fix an expected timeframe; it doesn‘t have to be regimented but it helps to focus the mentee on achieving his/her outcomes and using meeting times effectively. Having set goals at the start, if and when those outcomes are achieved you have a ‗measure‘ for the success of the mentoring relationship which otherwise might be directionless. If you provided immense support to your mentee – particularly emotional support – it is advisable to scale down the relationship over time, gradually reducing contact, to help them adjust to life without you. As the process of mentoring is about helping the mentee come up with their own solutions, this issue should have been pointed out to the mentee earlier in the relationship, giving them the opportunity to develop appropriate coping strategies. At this stage you‘ll need to provide your mentee with a structure for further development and make them aware of other sources of support to draw upon. DESE 3100-4 4/05 22 It doesn‘t of course mean you do not see each other again! Many mentors and mentees continue an informal friendship that can last a lifetime. How will I know it's time to move on? Generally when the outcomes have been reached, but otherwise when both of you have a feeling that discussions lack freshness and you both feel constrained by the relationship. Some practical steps to take  Prepare the mentee (and yourself) for the transition at least three months ahead  Review frequently where the relationship has reached  Emphasize the mutuality of the learning gained  Be open about your feelings  Help the mentee to think about how they will resource learning and career planning without regular input from you  Celebrate the successes of the relationship  Encourage the mentee to think about becoming a mentor in turn, when they are ready  Agree how and when you will keep in touch with the mentee‘s progress How can I evaluate the success of the relationship? Have you and your mentee met all the outcomes sought, taking into account changing circumstances and evolving goals over the course of the relationship? It will be worth reviewing the following:     What did we expect to achieve? What did we actually achieve? What else did we learn on the way? How will we use what we have learnt in future developmental relationships? Personal and job-related outcomes are certainly one ‗measure‘ of success. And your organization or overseers of the mentoring scheme will also be keen to see results, particularly as the scheme will have taken up time and resources. Other measurements of success include the following:        Has it increased the retention of key staff? Has it raised the competence of the mentee in critical areas? Is the mentee now better placed to develop his/her career? Is the mentee now more confident about his/her abilities? Would the mentor be happy to take on a new mentee? Would the mentee be now able and happy to become a mentor? Are both parties happy with the conclusion of the relationship? DESE 3100-4 4/05 23 Mentoring Groups Fiscal Year 2005 Mentoring Group Kansas City - Red 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Mary Beth Hewitt – Exp. Kansas City - New Independence - New Camdenton – New Kirksville – Int. Trenton – New Macon – New Mentoring Group Kansas City – Blue 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Karen Crownover – Exp. Jefferson City – Int. Columbia – Int. Sedalia – New St. Joseph - Int Mentoring Group St. Louis - Green 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Linda Techner - Exp St. Louis – New/ Int. Kirkwood – Int.* Ritenour - New University City - New Parkway – Int. Waynesville - New Mentoring Group St. Louis – Orange 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Diane Velker – Exp. St. Charles – Int. East Central/Union - Int. Bonne Terre – New Jefferson College – New Sikeston – New Rolla – New Houston - New Mentoring Group Southwest - Yellow 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Jerri Hudson – Exp. Springfield – Int West Plains – Int. Joplin – New Nevada - new DESE 3100-4 4/05 24 Glossary of Terms for GED Online Blackboard: The organization that holds the GED Online server and the platform for the classrooms. This is platform that is accessible only through the Internet. Contact Hours: Sixty (60) minutes of attendance by an AEL student in a state approved AEL class conducted by a certified AEL teacher. No teacher may generate more than 15 contact hours per hour. Enrollment: Completion of GED Online enrollment procedures. (See http://www.gedonlineclass.com/ class_info/procedures.htm. ) Enrollment Form: Online enrollment form that must be completed and emailed to be enrolled in GED Online. Flexible Learning Environment: Web Dependent (participation on- line for each activity assigned by the DL Teacher is a compulsory requirement of participation although some face to face component is retained) Learning Hours: Number of hours of attendance by an AEL online student in the GED Online classroom, including hours spent on Skills Tutor and TutorSystems. Learning hours may not be used as contact hours; however, they may be used to count toward 12-hour student status. Maintenance Database: An online database that online teachers use to manage all student data. Online teachers must update the database frequently in order to maintain accurate student records. Mentor: A MO AEL certified DL Teacher, with 3 or more years experience, who helps and guides a new DL Teacher‘s development. Mentee: A new MO AEL certified DL teacher who has been assigned a mentor Quarterly Report: A Spreadsheet reporting form required by the Mo GED Online program for all DL Teachers, reporting the student hour results for the quarter and noting any significant changes or events in the quarter. Recruitment: The systematic gathering of individuals who meet the MO DESE Adult Education and Literacy guidelines for enrollment. Skills Sheet: A pre-designed form that is completed by the MO AEL certified local site teacher which includes students TABE score results and specific proficiencies designed to help the DL teacher with assessing, aligning and assigning the students activities Teacher Time Diary: A pre-designed Spreadsheet reporting form required by the MO GED Online program for all DL Teachers, reporting the Teacher hours results for the month and noting any significant changes or events each month. DESE 3100-4 4/05 25 Ready to Earn Your GED! Prepare for your GED online    Features: Online classroom — communicate with the instructor and with other students Instructor — professional educator works with GED students in the online classroom Complete instruction, worksheet and quizzes available for the GED www.gedonlineclass.com Connect to a better future. Want to learn more? Contact: Kim Litzau aaco7@rockwood.k12.mo.us 636-938-2308 A free program funded by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for citizens of the State of Missouri DESE 3100-4 4/05