Teacher Support and Mentorship
Strategies and Tips for Finding a Teacher Mentor
Teacher mentorship plays an important role in preservice training. Choosing a teacher mentor is part of this process. Here is a list of tips and criteria to help you.
Choosing a Mentor
A teacher mentor is one of the most important people you will come across during your pre-service teaching. A good teacher mentor is also what ultimately makes a good teacher. This person can be invaluable, facilitating the process of learning for you, so you won't feel too overwhelmed during your first few weeks of classroom teaching. You will need the support of that other, who will help increase your independence and confidence as a teacher.
Good Mentor Criteria
So, if you are lucky enough to be in a position to choose a teacher mentor, here's a list of criteria for helping choose one in addition to other teacher resources.
1. Knowledge and expertise - a good teacher mentor should be knowledgeable and up to date on various methodologies, teaching - learning topics. This knowledge will serve you when you discuss various lesson plans that did (or did not) go according to plan.
2. Availability to observe you during the lessons. As a preservice teacher, you observed teacher lessons, which helped you learning from mistakes, builds self-confidence, and self-awareness and sensitivity. This observation should however not stop even when you are already managing a classroom. As Woodward says: "[a teacher mentor's] purpose is not to criticize, judge, evaluate or offer suggestions, only to observe and reflect." [1988] Her observations should culminate in a tutorial where you both discuss points for improvement and good happenings in the lesson.
3. How comfortable do you feel sharing with this person? Does this teacher mentor objectively listen and support you or talks about her own teaching problems and issues? As a preservice teacher and new teacher, you will have both good and bad lessons, you will inevitably share on different levels. Good chemistry can lead to excellent communication including sharing personal experiences. But this of course, is an added bonus.
4.The added issue of reliability. Do you get relatively quick feedback either in writing or verbally or do you finally sit down about that lesson a week later? Dialogue journals or e-journals, can be a quick and easy way to progress and maintain and ongoing dialogue that is effective for teacher growth and development. This is especially important for the new teacher starting out who needs to build up his/her confidence.
5. The importance of ongoing communication. She or he usually will expand on theoretical and practical knowledge you have already learned, causing you to reflect on various issues in your teaching as you increase your self-awareness as a teacher-to-be.
