Preparing Special Education Mentors Using Classroom Artifacts as a Vehicle for Learning About Teaching

Abstract

The authors examine a project that focuses on preparing special educators to mentor preservice teachers throughout their preparation program, instead of mostly at the end of their program. Through use of classroom literacy artifacts, mentors are prepared in how to guide novices as they transition through coursework and into classroom practice. Fifteen mentors participate in the yearlong project and have regular interactions with preservice teachers through campus field advisories. Responses regarding the selection, preparation, and discussion of the artifact are collected. Findings indicate that mentors can select and use artifacts that illustrate teaching complexities. Also, pre-service teachers value the discussions surrounding the artifacts and say it helped them learn about teaching students with disabilities. Although helpful as a way to focus on learning to teach students with disabilities, the artifact is still only a resource. Key to its usefulness is work with mentors to help them select, plan, and discuss the artifact.

Using the How People Learn Framework to Examine Mentoring Conversations between Special Educators and their Mentors in an Electronic Mentoring Site

“…A researcher reported that fewer than half of the 374 first year teachers across three states surveyed reported having a mentor in their same subject area and less than sixty percent of respondents stated they had three or more conversations with their mentor about classroom instruction, curriculum and lesson planning, or behavior and discipline during their mentored year [21]. Additionally, findings from previous research indicated that beginning teachers feel unprepared in curriculum and standards and the implementation of school accountability measures [9] and that early career teachers' value mentoring that supports their planning needs [3] [4]. The online discourse provided insight into the specific content discussed, how often specific categories of content were discussed, and the amount of overall interactions occurring between mentors and mentees.…”

“…In the eMSS site, mentors were partnered with up to three mentees and mentors responded each time a mentee posted accounting for some of the variability. Another researcher examined interactivity between math and science teachers using the eMSS site and reported that participants posted 9,307 messages during an academic year [9]. Perhaps the structure of the eMSS e-mentoring site provides supports for increased conversations.…”

“…Perhaps an online professional learning community for experienced teachers to continue their professional growth and development is warranted. Furthermore, based on findings from this study and previous examinations, possibly the eMSS site solicits higher response rates than other online mentoring programs and a comparison study could examine this in the future [9].…”

“…In turn, the reflective communication has shown to have positive effects on the growth of teacher practice [11]. However, while reflection is the primary tool for facilitating the development of competence and ultimately expertise [9] beginning teachers must be provided a support structure and opportunities for reflection. Mentoring, specifically electronic mentoring (e-mentoring) may provide this structure.…”

“…While this concept is fairly new to education, it has been implemented in other fields, mainly business, for numerous years with positive results [3], [7], [8]. Electronic mentoring offers several distinct advantages including flexibility whereby mentors and mentees can connect when needed, regardless of geographical location and time constraints, in a format that mimics and expands traditional face to face interaction and in a way that increases solutions while simultaneously reducing costs of implementation and access [9]. Additionally, trained mentors can be drawn from a much larger pool of seasoned teachers than that typically available in local schools.…”