School Librarianship Mentor Information

1. Paperwork and Training

   Before fieldwork begins, WI DPI requires mentors to sign a Memorandum of Understanding and complete a training module.
   Please sign the MOU your student gives you before they enroll in the course, and please complete the mentor training at your earliest convenience, once every 5 years. Plan to spend 10-15 minutes at the website below.

   Mentor Training Module

2. Triangulated Meeting

   Near the beginning of their placement, your student will contact you about setting up a time to meet with them and their UWM supervisor over Zoom. The UWM supervisor will be your first point of contact for any questions or concerns. When you meet, you’ll discuss the student’s goals for the experience and the student’s teaching observation requirements for the term.

3. Sharing Your Professional Experience

   Students in Wisconsin will benefit from discussions about District Library Plans and Common School Funds. Please share your experiences in these areas. Assist the UWM student in finding opportunities to teach, lead activities, and collaborate with teachers. Use the fieldwork activity suggestions and the students’ goals to direct your work together. We realize your time together will be limited, and some students may not spend all of the hours of their placement in your library.

   Fieldwork Activity Guide

4. Giving Teaching Feedback

   Please spend time observing the UWM Student, allow time for the student to observe you, and debrief with each other. Additionally, your student needs feedback on teaching a specific lesson they have planned. The feedback can go directly on the rubric below, or you can give separate feedback in a narrative form or on another evaluation tool of your choice. (If you are not comfortable giving the feedback directly to the student, you can email it to the school library media coordinator shersh@uwm.edu)

5. Completing UWM’s Evaluation Rubric

   Please check with your student to confirm which class they are in so you can complete the correct rubric for their placement.

   • 643 Rubric (Pre-student teaching for initial licensure)
   • 543 Rubric (Student teaching for initial licensure)
   • 644 Rubric (Student teaching for licensed teachers)

   The completed UWM rubric should go directly to the student near the end of their placement. (If you are not comfortable giving the rubric directly to the student, you can email it to the school library media coordinator shersh@uwm.edu) If you are only with your student for 50 hours, you can put N/A for some of the areas where you do not have any comments.

What if I have further questions?
You will receive an email from and have a zoom meeting with a UWM supervisor who is assigned to oversee your experience. This person will be your first point of contact for questions. Additionally, the school library media coordinator, Susan Hersh, can be reached at shersh@uwm.edu

When should I give the student feedback on their teaching?
Please give the student an introduction to your library, technology, and children, and then work out a time for an observation that works with everyone’s schedule.

When should I give the completed UWM rubric to the student?
Please plan to give the completed rubric to the student in the month before the end of the term—so November, April, or July. The rubric can also contain the feedback on the teaching demonstration.

Will the university supervisor come to my library to observe the student?
643-the university supervisor will always come to observe the student teaching in your library
543-the university supervisor will observe the student while teaching in their hired role
644-speak to the student and university supervisor-the university supervisor may not be required to visit if the student was already observed by UWM