Teacher Mentoring

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[edit] Descriptions, definitions, synonyms, organizer terms, types of

Definition
NOUN:
A wise and trusted counselor or teacher. In Greek Mythology Odysseus's trusted counselor, in whose guise Athena became the guardian and teacher of Telemachus.
VERB:
To serve as a trusted counselor or teacher, especially in occupational settings. (American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, (http://education.yahoo.com/reference)
Synonyms
Adviser, consultant, counselor, teacher

[edit] Application in classrooms and similar settings

The most effective mentoring takes place when the mentee, or protege, has full faith and trust in the advice provided by the mentor. This typically evolves through a series of regularly scheduled, informal meetings, and over an extended period of time. Between the informal meetings the mentor may communicate and provide support for the mentee through phone calls amd email. If possible, the mentor may observe the protege teaching and make suggestions on pacing, content, teaching strategies, classroom management. and other concerns.

[edit] Evidence of effectiveness

Matching the Mentee to the Mentor
In a series of articles on mentoring (Smith, 2005) the author included a list of suggestions for selecting a mentor from the perspective of the protege, and for the mentor who agrees to work with a mentee.
A checklist for the mentees: Choosing the mentor.
1. Is the mentor successful in your area? Does he or she possess qualities and abilities that you respect and admire?
2. Does the mentor have a thorough understanding of instruction at the grade levels and in the areas in which you teach?
3. Will the mentor be available? Will time and location make it possible for you to make meaningful connections?
4. Does the mentor believe in you? Can he or she offer support and constructive criticism?
5. Does the mentor have the disposition to open himself, communicate well, and encourage two-way dialogue?
6. Will the mentor be able to model exemplary teaching for you?
7. Does the mentor show an awareness of current teaching trends, and are his or her approaches compatible with your own teaching outlook? (Smith, 2005)
A checklist for mentors: Preparing the mentee.
1. Are you committed to improving professionally?
2. Are you open to helpful criticism?
3. Are realistic about the kind and extent of help that a mentor can actually offer?
4. Are you willing to work to work hard and reflect upon the suggestions and advice of your mentor? (Smith, 2005)
The Stages in the Mentoring Relationship (Bendigo Senior Secondary College, 2005)
Mentoring is like any other relationship. It will go through predictable phases as the partnership and individuals develop. Each stage has different and shared characteristics and challenges. There are four stages which are usually associated with mentoring in schools:
1. Getting acquainted and sharing common interests, values and goals.
2. Communicating expectations, agreeing on procedures and establishing the patterns of interaction.
3. Exploring needs and fulfilling objectives.
4. Redefining the relationship as colleagues, peers and friends.
Implications for the Future
An encouraging program, developed in Illinois, utilizes the resources available on the internet to assist young teachers (Borja, 2002). This online mentoring program, e-mentoring, gives beginning teachers the opportunity to post queries on an internet bulletin board and quickly receive responses from colleagues. The development of the Novice Teacher Support Project (NTSP), maintained by the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, partners with over 40 school districts and allows over 100 young educators to communicate with 40 veteran teachers, e-mentors, from across the state. The program has proven to be very successful with new public school teachers. The Illinois program also includes a face-to-face component as well, and novice teachers and e-mentors must meet in person at least once a year. The online mentoring is meant to complement, not replace the in-person mentoring. Due to the success of the program at the University of Illinois, a similar program has been initiated at the University of Texas-Austin, and hopes to have 2,000 members by the year 2006. In a similar manner the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) has established a panel of mentors in the areas of band, chorus, orchestra, and general music who answer questions submitted to the MENC website. In a recent review of the band website questions that address working with boosters, recruiting, retention, selection of clarinet mouthpieces, and dealing with gum chewers are just a few of the many problems posted by young teachers to the bulletin board. With the documented success of the e-mentoring programs in Illinois, Texas, and on the MENC website this type of mentoring appears to be effective in addressing some of the concerns of young teachers and may be helping them to be more successful and confident in the classroom.
A final implication for mentoring in the future may impact our teaching training programs at the undergraduate level for public school teachers and at the graduate level for future college and university faculty. For undergraduate students professors should take a look at the different areas of frustration mentioned by young teachers and augment their courses to better reflect the needs of the future educators. For those graduate students who plan to teach at the college and university level a similar course might be developed that would help them better understand the challenges of building the professional portfolio and demonstrating outstanding levels of achievement in teaching, research, and service necessary to achieve tenure.

[edit] Critics and their rationale

I have not found any critics of the practice of teacher mentoring.

[edit] Alternative explanations due to Diversity considerations

Mentoring Women
A study of women faculty members examined the ways in which mentoring contributes to traditional measures of success (Waltman, 2001). The participants in the survey were 24 tenured women faculty members from across the disciplines at a major midwestern research university. Data collected from open-ended interviews were analyzed with phenomenological and feminist methodologies. The chief findings determined that mentoring is extremely helpful, but not essential for women to achieve tenure and promotion. However, women who did not receive mentoring were more likely to experience feelings of loneliness, isolation, and alienation from their colleagues.
The data further defined two essential aspects of mentoring. The first aspect, also referred to as "how to be in the system" mentoring, consists of support for (a) various aspects of research and publication, (b) teaching, (c) "saying yes and saying no", (d) political issues, and (e) general career issues. The second type, called psychological mentoring, consists of affective support in the form of (a) protection, (b) confidence building, and (c) intellectual and emotional kinship. In addition, faculty women with children perceive advice and support for work/family issues to be an essential element of mentoring. The basic components of mentoring were found to be consistent across all disciplines and stressed the importance of having departmental mentors for junior women faculty.

[edit] Signed "life experiences", testimonies and stories

I am in my second year of teaching, and I'm at a new school this year. Last year, I had a mentor as part of a teacher induction program necessary to clear my credential from new teacher status. This year, however, I have a self selected unoficial mentor that is helping me adjust to the new school and supporting me as I continue to figure out how to be a successful teacher. While both relationships can technically be labeled as mentoring, I have only really benefitted from the system this year. My required first year mentor, while very competent and friendly, was really only there to help me with the new teacher paperwork and documentation. I never really learned anything about how to run the classroom or teach lessons. This year, however, is completely different. I go to my mentor with every question that I have. She listens and helps in any way she can. I am curious about whether there is a difference in outcome based on whether or not the mentor was required/assigned. -Rebecca Hix Foley

Our high school has a mentoring program for new teachers. I have been a mentor for the two new social studies teachers. I have found the program to work well for the new teachers. The best part of it is that it gives them a sounding board for ideas and to discuss problems. When I started teaching I felt like I was completly on my own which made the first couple years very difficult. I believe the mentoring program makes it easier for beginning teachers to get along and can help prevent teacher burnout.

My interest in the subject of mentoring is based on my own experience as a new faculty member several years ago. As a new assistant professor I entered the world of higher education not knowing what lay ahead for me in the areas of teaching, research, and service, or how to interpret the various written and unwritten rules of academia. As part of the orientation procedure for all new faculty at the university I was assigned a mentor by the department chair and made plans meet with him as soon as possible. I recall our initial meeting very vividly as he stopped me in the hall one morning before class and asked how I was doing. That was our first and final meeting.
This encounter with my faculty mentor reminded me of an experience with my first academic advisor as an undergraduate student. After a couple of less than successful interactions I sought out someone whom I could better relate to, and seemed to have a genuine interest in my studies and preparation to become a music educator. It was this "unofficial" advisor who guided me through the next three years of the music education program. As a new faculty member I decided to implement this same strategy and find my own "unofficial" mentors in the school of music. As it turned out, I relied on three wonderful colleagues to help me adapt and thrive in this new environment. Educators and administrators have addressed this subject for many years and have presented research investigating the issue of mentoring. At the collegiate level successful mentoring is vital in helping new faculty meet institutional expectations for teaching, research, and service (Gaskin, Lumpkin, & Keith, 2003). As one who managed to survive the trials of tenure and promotion I would like the opportunity to "give back" to those new faculty members just beginning this process and perhaps, continue my own growth as an educator through the practice of mentoring others. (G. Boulden)


This is a really good idea. I hope the school I begin to teach at happens to have this program. A semester of student teaching is not enough to know everything. There will be tons of questions a starting or transfering teacher will have. A mentor to be there has to be the greatest thing for a beginning teacher to have. (John N. Janowiak)

Our elementary school district (MSD #75) employs a mentor-protege program that can last either one or two years, depending upon the experience level of the teacher. I was a protege, and am now a mentor. There is time provided at the beginning of the school year for both parties to meet, chat, and jointly be educated about their roles, as well as time allowed during the year for both parties to observe one another. One of the best features of the program is a component that requires the protege to become a reflective practitioner as he/she focuses on one of the different professional teaching standards each quarter. For our special area teachers there are two "half" mentors provided so that these teachers have a bulding contact (someone to show them where to get their mail and such) as well as a counterpart teacher in another building to whom the new special area teacher can direct specific curriculum related questions and issues. Teaching isn't "private practice" and the mentor-protege relationship boldly illustrates that. (C. Stadlman)

The school at which I work has a mentoring program and I have found it to be quite useful. Even though we are not paired according to grade level or subject level, it is still comforting to have another teacher with whom you can work and communicate with on this level. It can be very intimidating as a first-year teacher to come into a brand new place without knowing anything or anyone and that is why it is a benefit having a mentor. I was able to ask my mentor questions about discipline, daily procedures and routines, administrative concerns, and advice in general related to teaching. Now that I am a mentor myself to a new teacher I have had the opportunity to experience the mentor/mentee program from both sides. It has been a great feeling being able to help make the transition into professional teaching for my first-year teacher mentee that much more comforting. What is also nice about my district's mentoring program is that it allows us the opportunity to observe each other a couple times throughout the school year. This is a good time for us to give feedback on each other's lessons and share ideas with each other for use in our own classrooms even though we don't teach the same subject. ~K.Kleckauskas

Currently, my school district is working on the development of a mentor program. I was very fortunate to have an "unoffical" mentor my first year in the district. My entire teaching career would be completely different if I had never had the opportunity to work with this woman. She showed me the ropes of the program and the district. She gave wonderful advice on how to handle teaching situations, parents, administrators and the like. Most importantly though, she taught me how to balance my professional life with my personal life. She has since retired but we remain in contact and I am glad for that! M. Rice

I am currently in my first official year of teaching I was assigned a mentor from my school. Fortunately my mentor teaches in the same grade level as I do. Seh has be extrememly helpful with concerns to discipline, organization, and materials. I think teacher mentoring is a great way to get new teacher off to a good start so they don't feel so overwhelmed and get burnt out. E. Kilroy

The community college I work for has a mentoring program. Each new teacher is assigned a mentor for their first three years. The mentors are required to observe the new teachers classes at least once a semester and offer advice for improvement. The mentor is also supposed to be available for the new teacher to ask questions. I think our program is awesome. As a new teacher I always have questions and it is nice to have someone to go to to ask them instead of the administration.--M. Smith

Our district has a mentoring program that basically pairs the Department Chair with a new employee. If more than one person in a department is a new hire, then other mentors are found as well. Here is my concern...The mentors/mentees have a meeting about once a quarter with all of the other mentor/mentee pairs in the school. I am unsure of what guidelines are set forth for the pair, but have been told that the guidelines are pretty lax. In the past however, one department chair took her "job" so seriously that she nearly drove the new teacher crazy. She was requesting weekly lesson plans, checking in on the person daily (sometimes more than once a day), etc...For this reason, I think that a mentoring program has to be somewhat lax so that the mentor and mentee feel connected but yet has enough guidelines that the mentor does not end up being another "boss." M Foshee

Teacher mentoring is very important. I was assigned a mentor my first year of teaching and she seldom asked how I was getting along. We both taught first grade but she was not overly helpful. My mom also taught first grade and basically served as my mentor my first year even though she was at a different school. It was very difficult to survive my first year without the support of a mentor. Luckily, I had other helpful and personable teachers to rely on. M. Flessner

[edit] References and other links of interest

A great read and good list of suggestions for faculty mentoring:
Gaskin, L., Lumpkin, A., Tennant, L. (2003). Mentoring new
faculty in higher education. Journal of Physical Education,
Recreation and Dance, 74(8), 49-53.
The Novice Teacher Support Project( NTSP) was developed at UIUC and serves as a model for other states and universities: http://ntsp.ed.uiuc.edu/
For more information about e-mentoring practices you may want to read:
Borja, R.R. (2002). ‘E-mentors’ offer online support: Information for novice instructors. Education Week, 21(29), 12. 
 Some e-mentoring sites teacnet.com
                        teachersnetwork.org
                        Tapped In
A beneficial article in defining the roles of the mentor and mentee:
Smith, M.V. (2005). Modern mentoring: Ancient lessons for today. Music Educators Journal, 92(2), 62-67.
Some valid information on effective mentoring for women at the college/university level:
Waltman, J.A. (2001). Mentoring and academic success for women faculty members at research universities. (Doctoral disseration, University of Michigan, 2001). Dissertation Abstracts International, 62(01A), 0127. Abstract retrieved October 27, 2005 from First Search/Dissertations Abstracts Online database.
A good example of a teacher mentoring plan from Bendigo Senior Secondary College in Australia:
http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:PptwuZcdMp0J:www.bssc.edu.au/public/learning_teaching/pd/leadership/Teacher%2520Mentoring_draft.doc+teacher+mentoring+critics&hl=en&client=safari
Retrieved from "http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Teacher_Mentoring"
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