Support and assist: approaches to mentoring in a yearlong teacher residency

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine mentor teachers’ approaches to mentoring preservice teachers in a yearlong teacher residency program (TRP). Design/methodology/approach – This multiple-methods study examined 15 mentor teachers’ approaches over the course of a year in an urban TRP through the lens of Wang and Odell’s (2002) framework for mentoring. Data sources included mentors’ self-assessments over three points in time across one academic year. These self-assessments included numerical ratings of practice (quantitative) as well as open-ended rationales and goal setting (qualitative). Findings – Mentors predominately provided support and technical assistance to the residents learning to teach, drawing on humanistic, and situated apprentice perspectives on mentoring. They worked to develop residents’ self-confidence and exposed residents to a range of practices and school contexts. Glimmers of a more critical constructive approach were apparent in some mentors’ discussions of reflection and collaboration. Research limitations/implications – This study informs the work of teacher education programs as they develop mentoring structures that align with program visions, expand notions of mentoring, and consider the many roles of a mentor teacher. Originality/value – Increased emphasis on clinical experiences for preservice teachers highlights the need to attend to the practices of the mentor teachers with whom they work. These mentors, as field-based teacher educators, play a critical role in teacher education, and teacher education programs need to support their professional development as mentors. Understanding mentors’ approaches to mentoring is necessary in order to provide this support.

Preparing Teacher Candidates Using a Collaborative Residency Model

“…The need exists for university faculty, school-based administrators, and teachers to share common objectives and goals of clinical field experiences, as well as, how best to support teach candidates (Roegman, Reagan, Goodwin, & Yu, 2016). Results from this study support the research and it is apparent that the future residency cohorts must be co-planned, deliberate, and support teacher candidates' development as they become professional educators.…”

Teacher Mentoring in Service of Preservice Teachers’ Learning to Teach: Conceptual Bases, Characteristics, and Challenges for Teacher Education Reform

“…In addition, mentor teachers and preservice teachers could also be involved in action-research projects to construct new understandings about diverse students’ needs, motivations, abilities, and achievements (Levin & Rock, 2003). Nevertheless, adhering to the critical transformative mentoring approach, mentor teachers were often found caught in the tensions between their task to foster social justice and teacher agency and their responsibility to be accountable for the curriculum and assessment standards dictated by policymakers (Cherian, 2007; Roegman et al, 2016).…”

Untitled

“…While the data suggest that at some point in time the mentor was the instructor (traditional mentoring) and at other times a partner in the classroom (transitional mentoring), the constant interaction may have been instrumental in contributing to the mutual growth and development for both the resident and mentor (transformational) (Brondyk & Searby, 2013). Finally, our findings have the potential to inform other residency programs and teacher preparation programs regarding goals and expectations for mentors and help programs to develop more formal mentoring guidelines and expectations (Garza & Werner, 2014;Roegman et al, 2016), that better support the professional development of both preservice teachers and mentors. For example, understanding a mentor's conceptualization of the mentoring process can inform the development of an appropriate training model to prepare mentors who teach and learn alongside a preservice teacher resident during an academic school year.…”

“…It is often assumed that teachers' classroom experience alone is sufficient preparation for effective mentoring. As a result, pre-service teachers often have mentors with little or no specific professional preparation for their mentoring role (Roegman, Reagan, Goodwin, & Yu, 2016). Yet, mentoring involves interaction between the expert and learner with the intention of supporting and facilitating the professional growth of the protégé (Odell & Huling, 2000).…”

“…Although this mentoring approach may serve as an effective and expedient practice to indoctrinate new teachers into the school community, there are limitations. As Roegman et al, (2016) acknowledged, "when residents learn to teach through mimicking their mentors, the teaching profession risks replicating itself, with limited room for growth or revision" (p.48). It is the mentor's ability to engage in genuine reflection and to redefine his/her role in the classroom (Clarke et al, 2012;Ehrich, Hansford & Tennent, 2004) from sole figure of authority to one of partner and co-teacher, that allows for the progression of mentoring approaches from those defined as Traditional to those more closely related to Transitional.…”