NETQ Mentor Modules is a free course to support new mentor developing and training.

In How People Learn, John Bransford and his colleagues at University of Washington, Seattle suggested that using real cases, embedding questions that help learners connect old and new knowledge, providing resources, and promoting reflection can create the conditions for learning. They called this process “inquiry cycles.” It is this research and learning process on which NETQ’s Mentor Modules are based.

NETQ is a project initiated by Georgia State University with funding from a U.S. Department of Education's Teacher Quality Partnership grant. One of the NETQ initiatives is to help prepare and induct new teachers. These modules are part of that NETQ mission.

The modules are a free, online resource for professional learning facilitated in schools, districts, and in colleges of teacher education. The modules include multiple video samples, links to articles and research reports, and activities. The Mentor Modules provide “Real World Cases” capture attention and offer a tangible example of the topic. The questions after each case help learners consider what they already know before adopting new understandings.

There are three sections: Building Trust, Diverse Learners, and Professional Knowledge, each divided into three smaller sections. Each one takes an hour to 1.5 hours, plus time for reading the extra articles related to the respective topics.

The modules are new and the folks at NETQ would love to hear what you think about them. And, now is a great time to freshen up with research-based techniques that could make reaching your students more efficient. It’s certainly worth an hour or two to find out.

If you try it, let us know what you think, too, by posting a comment. After all, teacher collaboration is key in CCGPS.