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What Do Student Teachers Want in Mentor Teachers?: Desired, Expected, Possible, and Emerging Roles
Abstract
Research has shown that mentor teachers play varied roles. Using a conceptual framework grounded in these roles, the researchers explored what seven student teachers said during multiple interviews about the roles they wanted for their mentor teachers. Findings showed that while some participants preferred emotional support and others wanted instructional support, none wanted socialization. The researchers identified a new category–mentor as gatekeeper–to capture the preferences of one participant and concerns of others. This category reflected a focus on the credentialing aspect of student teaching as something that students must complete before licensure. Implications for teacher education included additional support for mentor teacher–preservice teacher pairs such as conversations about desired, expected, possible, and emerging roles during the mentoring process.
... Butler and Cuenca (2012) found that student teachers expected their mentor teachers to enact three main roles: instructional coach, provider of emotional support, and socializing agent. Davis and Fantozzi (2016) found that student teachers also expressed the desire for their mentor teachers to fulfill the role of gatekeeper in addition to being an emotional support and instructional coach. ...
... A mentor teacher who functions as a gatekeeper would facilitate the student teacher's path to obtaining their teaching credential (Davis and Fantozzi 2016). Clarke et al.'s (2014: 174) analysis generated 11 categories that suggest the ways mentor teachers participate in teacher education: "as providers of feedback, gatekeepers of the profession, modelers of practice, supporters of reflection, gleaners of knowledge, purveyors of context, conveners of relation, agents of socialization, advocates of the practical, abiders of change, and teachers of children". ...
... Clarke et al.'s (2014: 174) analysis generated 11 categories that suggest the ways mentor teachers participate in teacher education: "as providers of feedback, gatekeepers of the profession, modelers of practice, supporters of reflection, gleaners of knowledge, purveyors of context, conveners of relation, agents of socialization, advocates of the practical, abiders of change, and teachers of children". Mentor teachers also impact student teachers' participation in the classroom and school community (Davis and Fantozzi 2016). Awareness of these multiple roles may influence student teachers' conceptualization of a mentor teacher as one of the most valuable contributors to their preparation. ...
Student teaching has been conceptualized as an experience that translates into ample teaching practice and meaningful teacher knowledge. Such a conceptualization misses issues that emerge from student teaching as social practice (i.e., the distinctive ways people engage in activities associated with a particular domain of knowledge in a specific social context). Using interview data from a larger qualitative study that investigated pre-service teachers’ learning experiences, I conducted a discourse analysis of Lany’s perspective on her student teaching experience. Unlike other student teachers, Lany perceived the social practices at her placement to be unjust, holding student teaching with contempt and wanting it shortened. Findings indicated an expectations-reality dissonance in student teaching and the reproduction of socially constructed school norms and unequal social relations between school personnel and Lany. These constrained Lany’s abilities to practice teaching and shaped her identities. The study sheds light on the need for teacher educators and other tangential agents to more actively advocate for those who are apprenticing teachers to ensure quality education.
... The common findings in the studies undertaken to explore the role of ATs in teaching practicum revealed that ATs provided support, feedback and guidance to TTs (Beck & Kosnik, 2000;Chien, 2015). The diverse roles to be adopted by ATs were examined in the study conducted by Davis and Fantozzi (2016). The results showed that the TTs wanted their ATs to fulfil three roles: "mentor as emotional support", "mentor as instructional coach" and "mentor as gatekeeper" (pp. ...
... The explanations they verbalized as to enhancing professional development of TTs in teaching practicum involved giving feedback to them on their teaching performance and aiding them in preparing lesson plans and supplementary materials. The perceptions of the ATs in regard to their roles are in agreement with the related research in the literature (e.g., Beck & Kosnik, 2000;Chien, 2015;Davis & Fantozzi, 2016;Hall et al., 2008;Li, 2009;Lin et al., 2019). Providing feedback to TTs is highly significant for their professional development as they can raise their awareness of their own weaknesses and strengths in their instructional practices and attempt to strengthen the identified weaknesses in light of the offered feedback. ...
... In other words, the participants purported that motivating TTs specifically at times when they felt stuck in being able to teach English and manage the classroom effectively was one of their pivotal roles. Likewise, the studies by Davis and Fantozzi (2016) and Butler and Cuenca (2012) reported providing emotional support as one of the roles of ATs. Offering emotional support necessitates establishing a strong relationship with TTs, as is stated in the research undertaken by Black et al. (2016). ...
Seeing the significance of exploring associate teachers’ views about teaching practicum, this qualitative case study aims to seek answers to the questions of what the self-perceived roles of four Turkish associate teachers in teaching practicum are and what their perceptions concerning the adequacy of the length of teaching practicum in Turkey are. Additionally, the present research targets finding answers to the questions of whether teaching practicum contributed to the professional development of the last trainee teachers the associate teachers have mentored and if mentoring fosters their own professional development. The results indicated they considered offering professional and emotional support to trainee teachers as their pivotal roles in teaching practicum and the length of teaching practicum as insufficient. The findings also demonstrated that the associate teachers believed teaching practicum substantially contributed to the professional development of the last trainee teachers they had mentored and mentoring enhanced their own professional development.
... Mentor teachers are vital to the success of a student teacher. They are chosen by the district, or volunteer to participate because they have a tenure track of attitudes, beliefs, and practices that both align with their district, as well as the university teacher preparation program (Davis and Fantozzi, 2016). ...
University supervisors for special education teachers are preparing teacher candidates to have many roles and responsibilities and to collaborate with many stakeholders, even as they begin their field experiences. In this self-study of teaching and teacher educator practice, we examined the narrative reflections of a university professor in her role as a university professor and supervisor for special education student teachers. Our narrative data revealed: individualized strategies for supporting the supervision of special education student teachers; how these tools emerged directly from background, experience, theory, and beliefs; the value of relationships in university supervision; and, reflection as a diagnostic tool for improving practice and identifying teacher educator knowledge.
... However, mentor teachers serve as the primary trainer for novice teachers and determine the degree of participation the PST will have in the classroom, the participation of the PST in the educational community of the school site (J. S. Davis & Fantozzi, 2016), and the identity the PSTs develop as emerging professionals (Smagorinsky et al., 2004). Butler and Cuenca (2012) described the role of mentor teachers in three facets: (a) instructional coaches who observe and provide feedback to mentees, (b) supporters focused on creating an emotionally responsive and caring environment, and (c) positive socializing agents that guide and immerse PSTs in the school culture around them. ...
Purpose
The purpose of this research was to explore the preparation of practitioners from two disciplines—speech-language pathology and elementary education—who often work together in a school setting to identify ways to best support future professionals in their educational practicum settings. The primary research questions guiding this investigation were as follows: Did the student teaching and supervision experiences of preservice K–6 teachers (PSTs) and their mentors and speech-language pathology graduate student clinicians and their supervisors differ during the COVID-19 pandemic, and if so, in what ways?
Method
A total of 54 participants from one university participated in this study from four groups: 15 graduate student clinicians in a speech-language pathology program, 14 speech-language pathology supervisors, 14 PSTs, and 11 teacher mentors. Survey questions were designed to capture the perceptions of students and supervisors in the fields of speech-language pathology and elementary education who were in the school setting during the fall 2020 semester. Quantitative and qualitative questions were included to obtain information related to the following areas: planning, environment, supervision preferences, team experiences, professional development, and telepractice.
Results
Speech-language pathologists and teacher mentors reported being able to successfully mentor and supervise students in the school setting despite significant challenges presented by the global pandemic. Findings also identified several significant differences in the experiences of PSTs and speech-language pathology graduate student clinicians who were in the schools for field experiences.
Conclusions
Overall, speech-language pathology graduate student clinicians and their supervisors as well as PSTs and their teacher mentors reported adequately navigating their field experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications for how these findings can inform professional preparation programs to optimize future educational and therapy outcomes for students are discussed.
In this qualitative study, we designed an online mentoring program to complement school-based mentoring to enrich the quality of existing mentoring experiences and explored the impact of this project on the professional development of 12 EFL pre-service teachers in an English-medium university in Turkey and six qualified English teachers. Pre-service teachers were assigned online co-mentors and asked to send them their lesson plans and teaching videos and several questions regarding their practicum, lesson plan preparation, delivery, assessment issues, as well as career-related concerns via e-mail to receive feedback. The data collected via semi-structured interviews before and after the project were analyzed through content analysis. The findings indicated a relatively high level of satisfaction among pre-service teachers regarding detailed feedback provision, the development of alternative viewpoints into teaching, enhanced teaching self-efficacy, reduced teaching anxiety, new insights into their career choices, and some challenges concerning the online nature of the study.
Öğretmen yetiştirmede mentörlük, öğretmen adayının mesleki ve kişisel gelişimini sağlaması için deneyimli bir öğretmen tarafından desteklendiği bir süreçtir. Olumlu bir mentörlük sürecinin hem mentiye hem de mentöre mesleki ve psikolojik açıdan katkıları bulunmaktadır. Bu açıdan mentörlük sürecinin etkililiği önemsenmelidir. Mentör ve menti mentörlük sürecinin etkililiğinde önemli olan ögelerdendir. Bu çalışmada etkili bir mentörlük süreci için mentörün ve mentinin sahip olmaları gereken özellikleri ve gerçekleştirmeleri gereken rolleri ortaya koymak ve bunları hizmet öncesi öğretmen yetiştirme bağlamında değerlendirmek amaçlanmıştır. Geleneksel derleme türünde olan bu çalışma, literatür taramasıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Konu ile ilgili ulusal ve uluslararası literatür incelenmiştir. Çalışmada etkili bir mentörlük için hem mentörün hem de mentinin mentörlük sürecine katılmaya istekli olması gerektiği belirlenmiştir. Etkili bir mentörlük süreci için hem mentörün hem de mentinin bazı kişisel ve mesleki özelliklere sahip olmaları gerektiği tespit edilmiştir. Mentörlük sürecinde hem mentörün hem de mentinin birbiriyle ilişkili olan farklı roller gerçekleştirdiği belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca araştırmalar, bazı uygulama öğretmenlerinin ve öğretmen adaylarının etkili bir mentörlük süreci için sahip olmaları gereken özellikler ve gerçekleştirmeleri gereken roller açısından yeterli olmadığına ilişkin kanıtlar ortaya koymuştur. Bu doğrultuda hizmet öncesi öğretmen yetiştirme bağlamında mentörlük sürecinin etkililiği için öneriler sunulmuştur.
The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain insight into the lived experiences of preservice teachers amid the Covid-19 pandemic, including how such experiences impacted their perceptions of self-efficacy and pedagogical readiness. The participants were preservice teachers (both graduate and undergraduate) enrolled in an educator preparation program who fulfilled their student teaching requirements during the fall 2020 semester. Data collection included an initial survey, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group discussion. Findings from our data suggest that teacher candidates taught in a variety of highly nuanced configurations. While some were teaching in strictly virtual or face-to-face settings, the majority were teaching across multiple modalities and therefore, carrying an increased workload. Findings also point to the importance of adaptability and self-efficacy as participants integrated health and safety protocols into their classroom practices, navigated altered modes of teaching, and overcame concerns for their personal safety.
Self-disclosure occurs in clinical settings such as psychological counselling and mentor-mentee self-disclosure in the context of early career employment and influences the dyad relationship building. However, there is little research of self-disclosure in the dyad interactions in pre-service teachers’ field experience. Drawing on the data from six mentor-mentee pairs in the United States, this study explored mentor self-disclosure and examined the impacts on mentoring. Sense of belonging theories and mentors’ roles guided analysis of the findings, and highlight that mentors disclosed personal and professional experiences and shared the struggles and failures in their first-year teaching experiences, thereby helping pre-service teachers reduce stress and anxiety when challenged as teachers. Additionally, mentors provided emotional support, which helped pre-service teachers to develop a better understanding of teachers’ professional experiences and further develop a sense of belonging.
While research indicates that instructional coaching is an effective alternative to traditional professional development models, most teachers do not have access to a coach. Lack of opportunity to engage with a coach negatively impacts the professional growth of early-career educators. Instructional coaching supports the development of first-year teachers by incorporating nine elements of effective professional development: (1) individualized support, (2) active learning, (3) collaboration, (4) focus on content, (5) modeling of effective strategies and practices, (6) extended duration, (7) reflection, (8) feedback, and (9) trust. This chapter presents five critical arguments for the implementation of virtual instructional coaching for first-year teachers: (1) tenets of effective professional development, (2) professional learning needs of first-year teachers, (3) instructional coaching as effective professional development, (4) virtual instructional coaching benefits for first-year teachers, and (5) implications for educational leaders and policymakers.
This article uses a narrative analysis approach to explore the stories of student teachers' experiences developing a teaching persona during student teaching. In keeping with the narrative format, the researcher presents the participants' stories in a first-person narrative. The participants had similar experiences in the realm of developing their teaching personae: two common themes included their ideal versus actual personae and past and present influences on personae. Findings indicate that pre-service teachers carefully consider their teaching personae and draw on various sources to construct the personae that they believe will be successful.
This qualitative study investigates the ways that five secondary teachers developed and presented personae. The researcher collected and analyzed data using a theoretical frame based in social psychology, including Goffman's Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1959), and Miles and Huberman's (1994) three-step approach to qualitative data analysis. Findings indicate that teachers drew on three major realms—the physical, psychological, and social—when constructing classroom personae. Implications include increased opportunities for teacher reflection on persona and its effects.
In this book, Janet Alsup reports and theorizes a multi-layered study of teacher identity development. The study, which followed six pre-service English education students, was designed to investigate her hypothesis that forming (or failing to form) a professional identity is central in the process of becoming an effective teacher. This work addresses the intersection of various types of discourse within the process of professional identity development, emphasizes that the intersection of the personal and professional in teacher identity formation is more complex than is acknowledged in typical methods classes, and accents the need for teacher educators to take steps to facilitate such integration. Specific suggestions for methods courses are presented that teacher educators can use as is or adapt to their own contexts. Teacher Identity Discourses: Negotiating Personal and Professional Spaces speaks eloquently to faculty, researchers, and graduate students across the field of teacher education. © 2006 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.
This qualitative study examines the variance in the ways that four student teachers made meaning of the experience of being observed by their cooperating teachers and university supervisors. Using Kegan's (1994) theory of cognitive development, the study focuses on the differences in the ways the teacher candidates constructed the prospect of being observed, and the varied ways they received and interpreted feedback. The study found that for two of the participants feedback from a mentor was very important to their teaching identity; because of this observations were both significant and anxiety inducing. However the second two participants were able to remove their identities from feedback and thus felt observations were an opportunity to think about how to improve their teaching. The participants also differed in whether they expected the post observation conference to be a time to receive expert knowledge or to discuss solutions and best practice.
The field-based mentoring of student teachers is often an idiosyncratic and nuanced practice in which mentors' conceptualizations of their interactions with student teachers are generated through personal experiences with teacher education. If teacher educators and programs are to strengthen the tie between campus and field-based teacher education, in effect bridging the perceived disconnect of campus-based learning and the “realities” of the classroom, acknowledging these divergent perspectives is a first step in providing transformative learning experiences for student teachers. To that end, in this article the authors use recent empirical research into the school-based mentoring of student teachers to describe three conceptions of mentor teacher roles and responsibilities. Centered in the notion that mentoring is often a socially constructed practice, these roles include a consideration of the mentor teacher as (1) instructional coach, (2) emotional support system, and (3) socializing agent. Through a discussion of these conceptions, the hope is to further the conversation about ways to provide a common language between university and field-based teacher educators.
Deborah Britzman believes that recent theoretical discussions of the role of education in the reproduction of the social system, while illuminative, need to be grounded in descriptions of particular aspects of the educative process. The author addresses this need by drawing on her experiences as a teacher/educator to offer an analysis of the reproductive mechanisms at work in teacher education. She describes the way in which teachers' personal histories interact with common myths of our culture to maintain current teaching practices. By becoming conscious of these mechanisms, Britzman argues, student teachers can gain a critical perspective and, hence, control of the social mechanisms which otherwise tend to control them.