1. From Surviving to Thriving: Setting a Context for Mentoring
June 26, 2012
6 Tammuz 5772
© 2012 The Teacher Learning Project

2. © 2012 The Teacher Learning Project
Roles & Relationships
How do these mentors understand
their role?
How do they define
their relationship with beginning teachers?
© 2012 The Teacher Learning Project

3. © 2012 The Teacher Learning Project
How do these mentors understand their role? How do they define their relationship with beginning teachers?
“Mentoring is like fishing. I throw the line into the water and see if the novice bites. One may only nibble and then leave. Another might even ignore the line completely. I have to constantly remind myself not to have my own agenda but to be sensitive to what each one wants.”
© 2012 The Teacher Learning Project

4. © 2012 The Teacher Learning Project
How do these mentors understand their role? How do they define their relationship with beginning teachers?
“The mentor is supposed to just be there when you need her for whatever. The novice teachers know that. I establish that at the very beginning that I am here to help you in any capacity. What I do is make suggestions and I tell them, ‘If you don’t follow them, it’s all right.”
© 2012 The Teacher Learning Project

5. © 2012 The Teacher Learning Project
How do these mentors understand their role? How do they define their relationship with beginning teachers?
“I see myself as someone who thinks with the new teachers, working with them and helping to turn their thinking toward paths of growth…There’s also a little bit of me in there thinking, ‘I wonder if this person knows this article or this way of teaching math.’ So I make suggestions and help people look at possibilities…”
© 2012 The Teacher Learning Project

6. © 2012 The Teacher Learning Project
How do these mentors understand their role? How do they define their relationship with beginning teachers?
“We are engaged in trying to figure this out so that it really works for the kids. I’m very invested in how the students are doing…We are working together to advance the academic achievement of kids.”
© 2012 The Teacher Learning Project

7. Teacher Mentoring - Two views
Narrow view: short-term, temporary support to help new teachers cope with the challenges of the 1st year of teaching
Broad view: individualized professional development aimed at strengthening a (new) teacher’s practice
© 2012 The Teacher Learning Project