Since a large gap exists between the rhetoric of reform-minded teacher education and what actually transpires in student teachers’ field experiences, this study sought to fill a gap in current scholarship which has yet to document how mentor teachers, conceptualized as school-based teacher educators, shape and conduct their own work with student teachers assuming the role of full-year undergraduate interns.
Focus of Study
The purpose of this study was to explore how two successful mentor teachers enact their work with interns in a newly created inquiry-oriented professional development school.
Research Design
This investigation uses case study methodology informed by both ethnographic and phenomenological perspectives. Using these lenses and data collected over an eighteen-month period, the stories of two mentor teachers are captured and analyzed.
Conclusions
Three themes emerged within each case that characterized the unique work of each mentor. The three themes that shape the work of the first mentor offer insight into a conceptual illustration represented by a gardening metaphor. The three themes of the second case suggest a mentor as co-inquirer's approach to mentoring. A look across the cases augments our understanding of mentoring prospective teachers.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BaroneT. E. (1998). Aesthetic dimensions of supervision. In FirthG.R., and PajakE.F. (Eds.), Handbook of Research on School Supervision. New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan.
2.
BarthR. S. (1990). Improving schools from within: Teachers, parents, and principals can make a difference. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
3.
BentleyM. L. (1998). Constructivism as a referent for reforming science education. In LarochelleM., BednarzN., and GarrisonJ. (Eds.), Constructivism and Education, (pp. 233—249). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
4.
BorkoH. (1986). Clinical teacher education: The induction years. In HoffmanJ.V., and EdwardsS.A., Reality and reform in clinical teacher education. New York: Random House.
5.
BredakampS. (Ed.). (1987). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8, (Rev. ed). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
6.
BulloughR. V., KauchakD., CrowN. A., HobbsS., and StokesD. (1997). PDSs: Catalysts for teacher and school change. Teaching and Teacher Education, 13(2), 153—169.
7.
DalozL. (1986). Effective teaching and mentoring. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
8.
Darling-HammondL. (Ed.). (1994). Professional development schools: Schools for developing a profession. New York: Teachers College Press.
9.
EdwardsA., and CollisonJ. (1996). Mentoring and developing practice in primary schools: Supporting student teacher learning in schools. Philadelphia: Open University Press.
10.
EricksonF. (1986). Qualitative methods in research on teaching. In and and WittrockM.C. (Ed.), Handbook on Research of Teaching, (3rd ed). (pp.119—161). New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
11.
Feiman-NemserS. (2001). From preparation to practice: Designing a continuum to strengthen and sustain teaching. Teachers College Record, 103(6), 1013—1055.
12.
Feiman-NemserS., and Beasley (1996). Mentoring as assisted performance: A case of co-planning. In and and RichardsonV. (Ed.), Constructivist Teacher Education: Theory and Practice. London: Falmer Press.
13.
FleuryS. C. (1998) Social studies, trivial constructivism, and the politics of social knowledge. In LarochelleM., BednarzN., and GarrisionJ. (Eds.), Constructivism and education, (pp. 156—172). Cambridge University Press.
14.
FosnotC. T. (1989). Enquiring teachers, enquiring learners: A constructivist approach for teaching. New York: Teachers College Press.
15.
FrankesL., ValliL., and CooperD. H. (1998). Continuous learning for all adults in the professional development school: A review of the research. In McIntyreD.J., and ByrdD.M. (Eds.), Strategies for career-long teacher education: Teacher Education Yearbook VIThousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
16.
FreireP. (1974). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Seabury Press.
17.
FullerF., and BowenO. (1975). Becoming a teacher. In and and RyanK. (Ed.), Teacher Education. Seventy-fourth Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, Part III (pp.25–52). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
18.
Galvez-HjornevikC. (1986). Mentoring among teachers: A review of the literature. Journal of Teacher Education, 37(1), 6—11.
19.
GarmanN. (1982). The clinical approach to supervision. In and and SergiovanniT.J. (Ed.), Supervision of teaching. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
20.
GeraldD. E., and HussarW. J. (1998). Projections of education statistics in 2008. Washington, DC: National Center for Educational Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
21.
GilliganC. (1982). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women's development. Cambridge. MA: Harvard University Press.
22.
GirouxH. (1988). Teachers as intellectuals: Toward a critical pedagogy of learning. South Hadley, MA: Bergin & Garvey
23.
GlickmanC. D., and BeyT. M. (1990). Supervision. In and and HoustonW.R. (Ed.), Handbook of research on teacher education (pp.549—566). New York: MacMillan.
24.
GoetzJ., and LeCompteM. (1984). Ethnography and qualitative design in educational research. San Diego: Academic Press.
25.
GoldsberryL. (1998). Teacher involvement in supervision. In FirthG.R., and PajakE.F. (Eds.), Handbook of Research on School Supervision. New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan.
26.
GrimmettP. P. (1989). A commentary on Schon's view of reflection. Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, 5(1), 19—28.
27.
GrimmetP. P., and CrehanE. P. (1990). Barry: A case study of teacher reflection in clinical supervision. Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, 5(3), 214—235.
28.
GuytonE., and McIntyreD. J. (1990). Student teaching and school experiences. In and and HoustonW.R. (Ed.), Handbook of research on teacher education (pp. 514—532). New York: MacMillan.
29.
HargreavesA. (1994). Changing teachers, changing times: Teachers’ work and culture in the postmodern age. New York: Teachers College Press.
30.
HarrisB. M. (1998). Paradigms and parameters of supervision in education. In FirthG.R., and PajakE.F. (Eds.), Handbook of Research on School Supervision. New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan.
31.
HawkeyK. (1997). Roles, responsibilities, and relationships in mentoring: A literature review and agenda for research. Journal of Teacher Education, 48(5), 325—335.
32.
HawkeyK. (1998). Mentor pedagogy and student teacher professional development: A study of two mentoring relationships. Teaching and Teacher Education, 14(6), 657—670.
33.
The Holmes Group (1990). Tomorrow's schools: Principles for the design of professional development schools. East Lansing, MI: Author.
34.
KaganD. M. (1992). Professional growth among preservice and beginning teachers. Review of Educational Research, 60(3), 419—469.
35.
KliebardH. (1982). Curriculum Theory as Metaphor. Theory Into Practice, 21(1), 11—18.
36.
La BoskeyV. K. (1994). Development of reflective practice: A study of preservice teachers. New York: Teachers College Press.
37.
LakoffG., and JohnsonM. (1980). Metaphors we live by. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
38.
LemmaP. (1993). The cooperating teacher as supervisor: A case study. Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, 8(4), 329—342.
39.
LevineM. (1997). Educating Teachers for Restructured Schools. In and and MurrayF.B. (Ed.), The Teacher Educator's Handbook: Building a Knowledge Base for the Preparation of Teachers (pp. 620—647). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
40.
MartinD. (1997). Mentoring in one's own classroom: An exploratory study of contexts. Teaching and Teacher Education, 13(2), 183—197.
41.
MaynardT., and FurlongJ. (1993). Learning to teach and models of mentoring. In McIntyreD., HaggerH., and WilkinM. (Eds.), Mentoring: Perspectives on school-based teacher education (69–85). London: Kogan Page.
42.
MoustakasC. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
43.
National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (1996). A nation at risk. Washington, DC: Author.
44.
NolanJ. F., and HuberT. (1989). Nurturing the reflective practitioner through instructional supervision: A review of the literature, Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, 4(2), 126—145.
45.
ObergA. (1989). Supervision as a creative act. Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, 5(1), 60—69.
46.
O'GormanR. T. (1989). Knowing is action. Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, 5(1), 10—13.
47.
PalmerP. (1997). The courage to teach: Exploring the inner landscape of a teacher's life. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
48.
PattonM. Q. (2002). Qualitative evaluation and research methods. Newbury Park: Sage Publications.
49.
SaundersS., PettingerK., and TomlinsonP. (1995). Prospective mentor's views on partnership in secondary teacher training. British Educational Research Journal, 21(2), 199—218.
50.
SchienE. (1978). Career dynamics: Matching individual and organizational needs. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
51.
SchonD. A. (1989). A symposium on Schon's concept of reflective practice: Critiques, commentaries, illustrations, quotations. Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, 5(1), 6—9.
52.
SilvaD. Y. (1999). Telling their stories: Mentor teachers’ ways of being and knowing in a professional development school. The Pennsylvania State University. Unpublished dissertation.
53.
SilvaD. Y., and DanaN. F. (2003). Encountering new spaces: Teachers developing voice in a professional development school. Journal of Teacher Education, 55(2), 128—140.
54.
SilvaD. Y., and DanaN. F. (2001). Collaborative supervision in the professional development school. Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, 16(4), 305—321.
55.
SilvaD. Y., and TomA. R. (2001). The moral basis of mentoring. Teacher Education Quarterly, 28(2), 23—32.
56.
SirotnikK. A., and GoodladJ. I. (1998). School-university partnerships in action: Concepts, cases, and concerns. New York: Teachers College Press, Columbia University.
57.
SprinthallN. A., and Theis-SprinthallL. (1983). The teacher as adult learner: A cognitive developmental view. In and and GriffenG. (Ed.), Staff Development, (82nd Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
58.
StakeR. (1995). The art of case study research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
YamamotoK. (1988). To see life grow: The meaning of mentorship. Theory into Practice, 27(3), 183—189.
61.
ZeichnerK. M. (1993). Designing educative practicum experiences for prospective teachers. Keynote address presented at the International Conference on Teacher Education; Tel-Aviv, June 27-July 1.
62.
ZeichnerK. M., and ListonD. P. (1996). Reflective teaching: An introduction. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
63.
ZimpherN. L., and GrossmanJ. E. (1992). Collegial support by teacher mentors and peer consultants. In and and GlickmanCD (Ed.), Supervision in transition. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
