The Effects of E-Mentoring on Beginning Teacher Competencies and Perceptions

Abstract

There is a critical need to mentor novice special education teachers to meet the current and projected teacher shortages. However, due to the various skill-levels of beginning special education teachers in schools and the small number of current special educators in each school who could serve as mentors, there is difficulty finding induction-level mentors that possess similar or the same teaching credentials or teaching assignments as mentees in the same schools or geographical regions. Electronic mentoring (e-mentoring) using technology initiates solutions as e-mentoring can provide synchronous and asynchronous mentoring opportunities which increase collaboration time and reduce feelings of isolation and increases efficacy among new teachers. The article presents the findings from research using a mixed methods design investigating novice special education teacher knowledge of professional competencies and the participant's perceptions of effectiveness of induction-level mentoring through the pilot use of an electronic mentoring program.

Global teachers as global learners: Intercultural teacher training in international settings

“…Students commented that: to hear perspectives from different cultures … the distance may actual [sic] promote closeness in the relationships with peers in a way that may not happen with day-to-day work colleagues -you can be honest in saying some things (potentially critical of your own school) that you might be reticent to share with those teaching in the same school. (Participant 1, narrative) These indings support the argument that an online mentoring and educational programme can be beneicial to the learner and their careers (Gutke and Albion, 2008;Hunt et al, 2013), especially for a course designed to encourage the development of a globally mobile teacher, where cultural competence and exposure to a range of opinions and perspectives is beneicial to the ever-changing work environment (Hacohen, 2012). The opportunity to personalize the programme according to development needs was highlighted as a strength among all participants, showing that the diverse learning needs of teachers in intercultural contexts must be met with equally diverse and intercultural training solutions.…”

Improving Special Education Teacher Quality and Effectiveness

“…Effects of induction and mentoring on instructional quality and effectiveness. Teachers who participate in induction and mentoring report feeling more competent (Hunt, Powell, Little, & Mike, 2013;Mathur, Gerhke, & Kim, 2013), and there is some evidence that comprehensive induction can contribute to teacher effectiveness (Glazerman et al, 2010;Ingersoll & Strong, 2011). Ingersoll and Strong's review found that, across studies, new teachers who participated in comprehensive induction used stronger instructional prac tices and were more effective in promoting student achieve ment.…”

Guidelines for Becoming a Teacher Leader in Rural Special Education

“…In addition to often serving more than one school (Schmidt, Gage, Gage, Cox, & McLeskey, 2015), rural special education teachers may have the challenge of addressing the needs of families who reside in poverty with fewer resources and less access to information (Meadan, Halle, & Eata, 2010), present cultural and linguistic challenges (Marshall, Kirby, & Gorski, 2016), feel discomfort interacting with professional educators due to lack of education or other hardships (Thurston & Navarrete, 2010), or have child care or transportation issues that preclude their involvement (Conroy, 2012). If working in multiple schools, rural special education teachers may have the challenge of proximity in trying to collaborate with and mentor general education teachers (Hunt, Powell, Little, & Mike, 2013). Finally, although there is evidence that rural schools may be more inclusive than urban schools (Brock & Schafer, 2015), rural special education teachers may need to work with school administrators to establish guidelines for communication and best practices.…”

“…A successful mentoring program (e.g., Childre & Van Rie, 2015) will identify the participant, address needed professional development, access needed resources, have consistent meeting times, document goals, and celebrate achievements. It is possible that teachers in some rural schools may not be in close proximity to a certified special education teacher (Hunt et al, 2013). Instead of traveling to schools to mentor new teachers, synchronous technologies provide the opportunity to observe special education teachers and provide real-time feedback and coaching from a distance (Billingsley, Israel, & Smith, 2011;Ploessl & Rock, 2015;Rock et al, 2014;Scheeler, McKinnon, & Stout, 2012;Schmidt et al, 2015).…”