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

Abstract

Preservice teacher education programs worldwide are increasingly becoming field based with student teaching as the capstone experience for preservice teacher learning in the program. Consequently, mentor teachers at field-placement program schools are bestowed with new and unique functions to support preservice teachers’ learning to teach, which calls for new conceptualizations of teacher mentoring approaches. This article critically examines the theoretical underpinnings of four existing approaches to teacher mentoring during student teaching, analyzes the focuses and practices associated with each approach, and identifies the major challenges that each approach faces in guiding preservice teachers to learn to teach as expected by the field based teacher education reforms. Finally, it proposes an integrated approach to teacher mentoring for field-based teacher education that transcends the four existing teacher mentoring approaches.

Design Principles for Coaching Toward Reflection and Transformation in Literacy Preservice Teacher Education

“…Finally, preparation can lead to changes in a CT’s coaching practices. Together, the literature indicates that although CTs tend to be underprepared for their roles as coaches and mentors, there is great potential for growth, both in their coaching and their teaching practice, when we attend to such preparation (see also, Orland-Barak & Wang, 2020). Our design-based study grew out of this established need and possibility.…”

Effectiveness of Accreditation in Assuring the Quality of Teacher Education Programs: Exploring the Case of an Underdeveloped Country

“…Educators practice transforming their teaching extent during teacher education programs. In developed countries, higher education institutions envisioned an aligned, student centre, and standard-based teacher education (Orland-Barak & Wang, 2020). The foundations of teacher education lead human capital to serve various disciplines in higher education.…”

The Impact of Individual Student Mentoring for Teacher Professionalism in English Preservice Teacher Education

“…In student teacher education, or better stated, in educating pre-service teachers-on which this article focuses-mentoring is definitely a very important success factor. It is an essential component in improving pre-service teachers' competence to deal with academic and social issues that they may need to face during their initial college education, as well as to improve their competence in teaching (Matsko et al, 2020;Orland-Barak & Wang, 2020;Richards, 2008;Wexler, 2019). Mentoring can also have a very influential impact to vocational discernment (Campbell et al, 2012;Wexler, 2019), which is very much related to the effectiveness of the curriculum of a pre-service teacher educational institution.…”

“…For an English pre-service teacher education department-such as the one where this study is conducted-the findings can be used to review the present policy and process of mentoring and direct the future strategic policy of using it for teacher professionalism and comprehensive pre-service teacher education by making mentoring an integral part of curriculum and campus-based program (Fullan et al, 2010;Mee-Lee & Bush, 2003;Richards, 2008). As far as the pre-service teachers are concerned, it is hoped that the experience of having individual mentoring with a mentor teacher will in turn empower the mentees to become able teachers in their profession (Fullan et al, 2010;Mena et al, 2015;Orland-Barak & Wang, 2020;Wexler, 2019).…”