Mentor Expectations
Teacher educators planning to support students presenting at the "Future Is Now" session are expected to...
Teacher educators planning to support students presenting at the "Future Is Now" session are expected to...
- submit a mentor/respondent participation form in the spring semester (March/April),
- submit presentation information in October,
- upload a video introduction via Flipgrid,
- remind their student(s) to upload their own video introductions,
- assist their student(s) in preparing for the virtual and, if applicable, in-person presentation(s),
- help their student(s) put together and submit a one-page handout to upload to the shared Google Drive folder,
- encourage their student(s) to attend the virtual and/or in-person meet-and-greet event hosted by NCTE’s ELATE Graduate Strand,
- promote the "Future Is Now" session prior to the NCTE Annual Convention,
- watch and affirm 3-4 virtual presentations via the video comment feature on Flipgrid and ask your student presenters to do the same, and
- participate in the "Future Is Now" session in support of the student presenter(s) if attending the NCTE Annual Convention.
Student Presenter Participation
Teacher educators may invite as many students as they like to participate in the virtual "Future Is Now" session, so long as they are willing to help prepare them for the event.
For the in-person conference session, mentors are generally allotted up to three roundtable presentations (one or two students per roundtable presentation). This means teacher educators generally bring up to six current or former undergraduate and/or master's level students. If teacher educators are interested in bringing more than six pre-service or beginning teachers and/or desire more than three student presentations, they are asked to alert and make arrangements with Alan Brown before inviting their students.
Teacher educators may invite as many students as they like to participate in the virtual "Future Is Now" session, so long as they are willing to help prepare them for the event.
For the in-person conference session, mentors are generally allotted up to three roundtable presentations (one or two students per roundtable presentation). This means teacher educators generally bring up to six current or former undergraduate and/or master's level students. If teacher educators are interested in bringing more than six pre-service or beginning teachers and/or desire more than three student presentations, they are asked to alert and make arrangements with Alan Brown before inviting their students.
Student Presenter Information
Student information (names, institutions, emails, presentation titles, & abstracts) will be collected in October. Please note that all participants, both virtual and in person, will be included in the session program, but only mentors and respondents who register for the NCTE Annual Convention will be included in the conference program. Due to the late submission date for student presentations, student presenters’ names and titles will not be included in the official NCTE program but will be included in the “Future Is Now” Program.
Finally, if student presenters need a letter of invitation in order to get university funding, we can provide one. Please email Alan Brown at any time with the students' names and institutions for that purpose.
Student information (names, institutions, emails, presentation titles, & abstracts) will be collected in October. Please note that all participants, both virtual and in person, will be included in the session program, but only mentors and respondents who register for the NCTE Annual Convention will be included in the conference program. Due to the late submission date for student presentations, student presenters’ names and titles will not be included in the official NCTE program but will be included in the “Future Is Now” Program.
Finally, if student presenters need a letter of invitation in order to get university funding, we can provide one. Please email Alan Brown at any time with the students' names and institutions for that purpose.
Presentation Content
The content of students' presentations is up to the individual teacher educators and their student(s). Topics for student presentations cross a broad spectrum, including but not limited to the following categories:
It is important to remember that student presenters are encouraged to focus on a single 21st-century teaching idea or research-driven pedagogical practice given the relatively short time for presentations (8-10 minutes per presentation). Teacher educators may also want to encourage their students to consider the convention theme, which can be found in the "Call for Proposals" on the convention website.
The content of students' presentations is up to the individual teacher educators and their student(s). Topics for student presentations cross a broad spectrum, including but not limited to the following categories:
- Pedagogy & Assessment
- Theory & Practice
- Research & Inquiry
- Literary Study & Textual Analysis
- Media & Digital Literacies
- Social Justice Issues
- Teaching Diverse Learners
- Language & Literacy
- Reading & Comprehension
- Writing & Revision
- Speaking & Listening
- Interdisciplinary Teaching
- Clinical Experiences
It is important to remember that student presenters are encouraged to focus on a single 21st-century teaching idea or research-driven pedagogical practice given the relatively short time for presentations (8-10 minutes per presentation). Teacher educators may also want to encourage their students to consider the convention theme, which can be found in the "Call for Proposals" on the convention website.
Helpful Reminders
- Identify potential students
- Focus on completed or soon-to-be completed class assignments, capstone projects, theses, and/or research projects
- Identify and invite prospective, current, and/or former students
- Consider undergraduate and graduate students (no doctoral students)
- Consider elementary, middle, and high school pre-service teachers or recently graduated first-year teachers
- Invite students to submit a proposal or application for faculty review if limited funding is available
- Promote NCTE as an opportunity for students’ professional growth
- Motivate students to become members of NCTE
- Invite students to join NCTE's Connected Community
- Encourage students to attend the conference
- Support students in weighing the benefits and costs of missing classes, jobs, & other responsibilities
- Promote NCTE as an opportunity for students to find a professional community
- Introduce students to NCTE journals, practitioner articles, research articles, policy briefs, resources, blogs, etc.
- Familiarize students with NCTE and conference websites
- Engage students in conversations with and/or about English education scholars prior to the convention
- Invite students to peruse previous NCTE Annual Convention programs
- Secure funding (if participating in the in-person conference)
- Help students apply for internal/external funding
- Encourage students to engage department, college, and/or university administration who might be supportive
- Budget for costs such as student registration, travel, lodging, and food
- Support fundraising efforts (e.g., GoFundMe) if necessary
- Prepare students to present at the "Future Is Now" session
- Help students to develop presentations with a focus on practitioner, inquiry, or research experiences
- Show students previous "Future Is Now" programs to help with title selection (see the "Past Session Programs" page)
- Discuss with students what it means to present virtually and/or at a roundtable session
- Help students understand their audience: novice and experienced English teachers
- Allow students to practice the 8-10 minute roundtable presentation with peers and/or department faculty
- Publicize student involvement prior to the NCTE Annual Convention
- Publicize through department/college newsletter articles, social media, etc.
- Encourage friends and colleagues to participate as respondents in the "Future Is Now" session
- Scaffold the NCTE experience before the Annual Convention (if applicable)
- Support students in their travel planning
- Help students navigate the NCTE Annual Convention program
- Model the convention experience by discussing your own planning process
- Encourage students to keep a journal of new ideas and conference experiences
- Instruct students to balance personal and professional experiences during the conference
- Engage students during the NCTE Annual Convention (if applicable)
- Exchange contact information with student presenters so you can stay in touch
- Introduce students to friends and colleagues
- Provide social and networking opportunities
- Connect students with peers from other universities
- Encourage students to get out of their comfort zone as they consider which sessions to attend
- Promote the use of social media to connect with other convention attendees
- Support students as they reflect on the NCTE experience
- Promote reflection through writing
- Promote reflection through sharing ideas and resources with students and faculty upon returning to campus
- Promote reflection through social media engagement
- Encourage students to write thank-you notes to funding sources
- Encourage students to write a proposal for next year's conference
- Spread the news of student success
- Highlight student achievements in your department/college newsletter
- Highlight student achievements on your department/college website
- Highlight student achievements on social media
- Encourage continued professional involvement
- Encourage former students to remain active members of NCTE
- Encourage former students to read NCTE journals as beginning teachers
- Encourage former students to attend state and national conferences in future years
