Trends in digital mentoring for language teachers: Promising practices, caveats, and future directions

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the future of mentoring by focusing on digital mentoring of language and TESOL teachers in higher education with a lens on nurturing the faculty‐student dynamic in primarily online/digital/blended teaching contexts. We also focus on a review of recent extant literature from the last ten years (2012‐2022) on the topic in three key categories. The paper draws upon a framework of connectivism and networked knowledge as well as a constructivist approach to learning. A constructivist model for digital mentoring builds on students’ needs, knowledge, and experience, seeing the instructor and student mentoring dynamic in multi‐faceted ways. Mentoring in a digital era draws on frameworks that suggest that mentors and mentees are part of connected communities, especially digitally connected communities. Digital mentoring has been used across both synchronous and asynchronous learning contexts (e.g., email, videoconference, etc.) and increasingly over social media (e.g., Twitter).

Digital Mentorship: Mentor-Mentee Relationships in Virtual Spaces

“…The findings of this study align with and extend the current literature on digital mentorship across various disciplines, illustrating the multifaceted nature of mentormentee relationships in virtual spaces. Semingson's (2023) exploration of trends in digital mentoring for language teachers categorizes the practices into asynchronous, synchronous, and social media-based, reflecting the diversity in approaches to digital mentorship observed in our study. This categorization is crucial for understanding the broad spectrum of digital mentorship practices and their implications for effective communication and learning (Semingson, 2023).…”

“…Semingson's (2023) exploration of trends in digital mentoring for language teachers categorizes the practices into asynchronous, synchronous, and social media-based, reflecting the diversity in approaches to digital mentorship observed in our study. This categorization is crucial for understanding the broad spectrum of digital mentorship practices and their implications for effective communication and learning (Semingson, 2023). Lall et al (2022) delve into the effects of online mentoring interventions on entrepreneurial support, drawing upon Social Cognitive Theory and existing literature on entrepreneurial mentorship.…”