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Investigating a Model of Mentoring for Effective Teaching
Dr. Lori Bird and Dr. Peter Hudson
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Mentoring has become a crucial component of preservice field experiences, such as
student teaching, and should be purposeful and intentional with its results, not left to chance.
However, “mentors seem to need exposure to a variety of models of mentoring in their training
as well as practice in the observation and analysis of interactions between mentor and mentee”
(Harrison, Lawson, & Wortley, 2005, p. 290). Indeed, models of mentoring need to be
investigated to determine applicability to varying contexts. This study currently investigates one
particular model of mentoring for effective teaching. Hudson, Skamp, and Brooks (2005)
describe five factors of mentoring that are utilized by mentors to support student teachers
through the field experience process. The five mentoring factors are: personal attributes, system
requirements, pedagogical knowledge, modeling, and feedback. The purpose of this study was to
investigate the student teachers’ perceptions of the five factors of mentoring and address the
following question: What are the student teachers’ perceptions of the mentoring factors that
contributed to success in their student teaching experience? The theoretical framework for this
study, the five mentoring factors and associated attributes and practices, are explained in the
following sections.
Personal attributes
Effective mentors draw upon personal and interpersonal skills to engage with their
mentees. These personal attributes focus on maintaining a strong and trusting relationship with
the mentee (Moir, 2009; Moir, Barlin, Gless, & Miles, 2009; Udelhofen & Larson, 2002). Danin
and Bacon (1999) support the mentor’s need for effective communication using personal
attributes, particularly when the mentor was “supportive, and willing to listen” (p. 204). This
supportiveness can arrive in terms of professional and emotional support as a way for the mentor
to interact with the mentee (Beck & Kosnick, 2002). In a study of 149 mentoring teams, Kilburg
(2007) found that when new teachers did not receive emotional support from their mentor, they
were “more apt to have anxiety, insecurity and lack of confidence” (p. 297). Mentoring support
includes encouraging the mentee to reflect teaching experiences towards developing a teaching
identity (Pitton, 2006). Glenn (2006) describes the relationship between mentors and mentees as
a collaborative “give and take,” where the mentors and mentees care about each other personally
as well as professionally (p. 5). Without this kind of supportive relationship, the impact on the
mentee’s practice may be limited. Finally, good mentors set an example for professionalism in
teaching. Other common dispositional characteristics for mentors can include authenticity,
gentleness, enthusiasm, patience, consistency, and a positive attitude (Hurst & Reding, 2002).
System requirements
Preservice teachers enter schools with little knowledge of the organization and the
politics of school life. Mentors help them navigate the new context in which they work by
learning to understand the complexities of the school’s cultural context. They need opportunities