Dorit Sasson and the New Teacher Resource Center

Today, I welcome Dorit Sasson from the New Teacher Resource Center. Dorit Sasson, the teachers’ diversity coach, offers a wide range of coaching, speaking, and workshops to new and veteran teachers on how to appeal and engage students of all levels and abilities. She is also an ESL instructor and teacher’s trainer and is currently at work on a manuscript on teacher collaboration between general education and ESL specialists/teachers. For more information about Dorit’s workshops, go to http://www.doritsasson.com/?page_id=45. For more information on Dorit’s coaching programs, go to http://www.doritsasson.com/?cat=6.

Margo: Welcome, Dorit, what is the New Teacher Resource Center? Is it for all teachers?

DS: In 2008, I created the New Teacher Resource Center as an online resource center for new and veteran teachers that they could turn to when they had problems and issues with managing a classroom, how to teach English language learners, and plan their lessons effectively.

Margo: Sounds like something I could have really used when I taught full time. How does it benefit teachers and new teachers specifically?

DS: In October 2010, I repurposed the center as a membership based coaching center. I felt teachers needed additional coaching rather than just reading an article or a tip. Members of the coaching center have access to classroom tested tips, charts, templates that will help make their lives easier which are based on timely topics. For example, teachers can download a checklist on how to support English language learners in general education classrooms, or a classroom management or lesson planning checklist. Right now, there are more than 20 checklists, tip sheets, and coaching resources on a variety of topics related to classroom management, lesson planning, differentiated instruction, and teaching English language learners in the members-based section; and more are continuing to be uploaded every week. For more information on how teachers can benefit from the coaching center, go to this link: http://newteacherresourcecenter.com/join-the-coaching-center/ and click on “click here to join” to read more information. Again, this information is available for both new and veteran teachers–my passion is helping new teachers.

Margo: New teachers need all the help and support they can get, so they will stay on and keep teaching! What do you do as the teachers’ diversity coach?

DS: As a teachers’ diversity coach, I coach teachers from all over the world, with a particular focus on newer teachers who have less than three years of classroom experience on how to work with their diverse classrooms. Diversity comes in different forms–student abilities, interests, background knowledge; and teachers need a good knowledge of classroom management and lesson planning skills to appeal and empower all levels of diversity.

So, I may coach a new teacher who is at a “make or break” situation in her/his career. For instance, I just coached a teacher in Israel today, who very recently made the switch to go back to teaching at a later age, and is now facing a very challenging class of lower performing and unmotivated students. She is feeling quite burnt out. During our coaching call, I worked with her on tackling a variety of “diversity” issues that are unique to teaching EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Israeli students. I coached her on how to structure a lesson for a double lesson, goal setting objectives, and what criteria needs to be taken into account for these kinds of lessons. We also talked about the the kinds of things that need to be taken into account for motivating students such as background knowledge, kinds of texts, using authentic materials to make a topic exciting and interesting, and how good knowledge of classroom management/lesson planning = an engaging lesson.

Margo: Thanks for sharing that specific example. I hope that teacher feels less overwhelmed now. I’m sure many teachers can understand and empathize with how that teacher was feeling. Tell us about your workshops.

DS: I offer both in-service workshops for schools, colleges, and university on a variety of topics and levels ranging from differentiated instruction, teaching ELL students, and teacher collaboration between general education and ESL teachers, which is a very timely and hot topic right now. To read more about the work I do, please visit the speaking and in-service page of DoritSasson.com at: http://www.doritsasson.com/?page_id=45.

I also offer group coaching and one-on-one coaching. My latest coaching program is called: “How to be an effective lesson planner,” which is offered in both a group and individual format. This information is located here: http://www.doritsasson.com/?cat=6

Margo: How does someone or a district hire you?

DS: Most of my speaking engagements and workshops are booked through word of mouth by someone who had attended one of my workshops. Very rarely will someone book me just by perusing at my speaking and coaching site. This happened only once! I also have been accepted to speak through staff development sites. School districts seem to have a very tight scheduling agenda and specific workshop leaders, so it is often hard to break through in that venue. This is where again, word of mouth, can be very helpful.

Margo: Anything you want to add?

DS: Thank you so much for helping me get the word out about the work I do for teachers. Much appreciated! Teachers (both new and veteran) can e-mail me at sassondorit (at) gmail.com to get a free consultation, if a coach is what they need right now or if they want to know more about my inservice/workshops. I’m available to answer any questions.

Margo: Thank you, Dorit, for letting us know about your resources and all you have to offer to help teachers be successful! Don’t forget there’s a book giveaway contest going on still for a middle-grade book, perfect for boy (and girl!) readers. Go to Monday’s post by clicking here.