My BRiTE Toolkit

Date: 6/10/2017 7:39 AM

Module "B": Building resilience................................................................................................................ 2

Module "R": Relationships....................................................................................................................... 3
Module "i": Wellbeing............................................................................................................................... 5
Module "T": Taking initiative.................................................................................................................... 6
Module "E": Emotions.............................................................................................................................. 7
Module "B": Building resilience
How would you describe a resilient teacher?
a resilient teacher is one that can bounce back from their own situations as well as help students
be more resilient.
Quotes
"A resilient teacher sees each challenge as a way to grow stronger"
What do the experts say?
"both the capacity of individuals to navigate their way to the psychological, social, cultural, and
physical resources that sustain their well-being, and their capacity individually and collectively to
negotiate for these resources to be provided in culturally meaningful ways. (Resilience Research
Centre, 2014)"
Module "R": Relationships
Maintaining support networks
First thoughts
using social media to easily stay connected with family, friends and colleagues. Also going out and
having coffee on the weekends to relax and catch up.
texting and phoning people
My thoughts on "I have friends I havent seen for weeks "
reach out to a close friend to help organise a day out with other friends, take some down time on
the weekend (watch movies, read books, sleep in), try going for a run or doing some exercise as
that will help you sleep or give you an energy boost.
New ideas
ringing or texting family or friends, spending some time out and about with people, and include
people in issues I am having for advice.
Strategies
"Friends and family. quote
Friends and family members can be your biggest supporters as you begin your teaching career.
Maintain connections with these important people in your life. Unless they are also teachers, your
family and friends may not understand how busy and preoccupied you will be during a Professional
Experience placement or when starting a new teaching position. Consciously plan for this."
Tips
"Beware of venting or including identifying details in online communication the education
community is a small one and trouble arises if one of your Facebook friends is related to
someone at your school registrar and reads comments about a school!"
"Send positive/inspiring stories of your experiences to each other."
"Share effective teaching strategies and great lesson plans."
"Share resources and time saving tips to help each other out."
"Your teacher educators at the university will love to hear how you are going and would be happy
to help brainstorm ideas."
Building new relationships
First thoughts
put my self out there and volunteer in the community, send a flyer about me home with students for
parents, engage in students and show interests in their lives and things they enjoy, be open to
receive support and to support others in the work place
My thoughts on "Put your best foot forward"
speak to university colleagues, mentors and your support network about how overwhelmed you are
feeling. turn to someone in the school for advice and make name tags for students.
New ideas
take your time to talk to parents, students and colleagues. spend time in the staff room during
available times to interact with non-teaching staff.
Tips
"Make sure you visit the staff room every day and quickly find out staffroom etiquette around coffee
mugs, seating positions, etc."
"Identify the social networks between staff and keep a neutral position in any potential disputes."
"Try not to get drawn into negativity find colleagues who have a positive approach to their work
and actively seek them out for conversation and company."
"Support may come in various ways. Look out for positive responses or feedback from your
students, other staff and parents."
 "You may be able to provide support for someone else and establish your network this way. Look
out for situations where you may be able to assist."
"Sometimes new teachers can think they are the only teachers experiencing challenges. Seek out
others who are experiencing the same challenges as you and share strategies."
"You dont have to be a gregarious and extroverted person to be good at forming new
relationships. Take the opportunity for incidental conversations (waiting for the photocopier, being
out on yard duty) with individuals and small groups to build your confidence."
"Always be respectful of your mentor teachers approach to teaching and established classroom
practices and routines. Even if these practices are not ones you intend to use when you start your
career, it can be a valuable learning experience to enact these and reflect on the effect on teaching
and learning."
"Maintaining existing routines and practices can also assist you with classroom management in the
short term. If your mentor teacher is happy for you to make changes, do this gradually and evaluate
as you go."
"You will find that other staff help you a lot as well. Find the right person for the particular question
you have. Administrative staff can be very helpful with systems and procedures, and librarians tend
to have good insight into how things work in a school. Asking for help from a variety of sources will
help you not feel that you are overburdening individuals."
"Establish how the mentoring will work (time, purpose) so that it suits both parties."
"Where possible, ask your mentor to observe your teaching. Ask if you can observe your mentor in
his/her classroom this is a great way of learning! Are there opportunities for team teaching?"
"Your mentor should give you constructive feedback about your teaching. If you mentor observes
your teaching, you may like to ask for specific feedback such as lesson strengths and an area(s)
for improvement. Use the discussion after the lesson to brainstorm ideas for improvement note
these and try them out, sharing the results with your mentor in the next meeting."
"Be dependable
If you commit to doing something ensure you do it. Dont make excuses."
Module "i": Wellbeing
Personal Wellbeing
My thoughts on "I am feeling so stressed out "
Work-life balance
My thoughts on "All I seem to do is work "
Maintaining motivation
My thoughts on "How will I make it to the end of the term?"
Module "T": Taking initiative
Communicating effectively
My thoughts on ""I thought this was my room""
Problem Solving
My thoughts on "Not quite picture-perfect"
Ongoing professional learning
My thoughts on "My best friends, the APST"
Module "E": Emotions
Enhancing emotional awareness
My thoughts on ""
Managing emotions
My thoughts on ""
Developing optimism
My thoughts on ""