Science identity and metacognitive development in undergraduate mentor-teachers

Emerging research finds connections between teacher candidates’ student teaching placements and their future career paths and effectiveness. Yet relatively little is known about the factors that influence these placements and how teacher education programs (TEPs) and K-12 school systems match teacher candidates to mentor teachers. In our study of this process in Washington state, we find that TEPs and K-12 systems share overarching goals related to successful student teacher placements and developing a highly effective teacher workforce. However, distinct accountabilities and day-to-day demands also sometimes lead them to prioritize other objectives. In addition, we identified informational asymmetries, which left TEPs questioning how mentor teachers were selected, and districts and schools with limited information with which to make intentional matches between teacher candidates and mentor teachers. The findings from this study inform both practice and research in teacher education and human resources. First, they illuminate practices that appear to contribute to informational gaps and institutional disadvantages in the placement of student teachers. Additionally, they raise questions about what constitutes an effective mentor teacher and provide researchers and policymakers with better insight into the professional realities of teacher educators and K-12 educators, as well as those of district human resource (HR) coordinators, which is important given their differing accountabilities and distinctive positionings in the education of teacher candidates.

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Examining mentor teachers’ critical pedagogical discourses and participation in an era of changing science standards and pedagogies

Teaching and Teacher Education ◽

10.1016/j.tate.2021.103558 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 109 ◽

pp. 103558

Author(s):

David Stroupe ◽

James Brian Hancock II

Keyword(s):

Mentor Teachers ◽

Science Standards ◽

Pedagogical Discourses

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Being “adopted” into a teaching community

International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education ◽

10.1108/ijmce-03-2017-0016 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 228-241 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Erinn Bentley ◽

Madison Workman ◽

Alex Overby

Keyword(s):

Focus Group ◽

Student Teachers ◽

Teacher Candidates ◽

Mentor Teachers ◽

Mentoring Relationships ◽

Field Placement ◽

Focus Group Interviews ◽

Content Type ◽

Group Interviews ◽

The Impact

Purpose In order to prepare new members of the education profession, it is imperative that teachers enter their classrooms with the confidence, knowledge, and skills to serve their students from day one. One method for preparing such teacher candidates or student teachers is through school-based field placements during their preparation program. The purpose of this paper is to describe one example of a yearlong field placement and the mentoring relationships that emerged among participants. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study used the following data sources: focus group interviews among the teacher candidates, focus group interviews among the mentor teachers, field placement reflections and teaching analyses composed by the teacher candidates, and interviews conducted among teacher candidates and mentor teachers. Findings Analysis of the data revealed that the yearlong field placement promoted positive mentoring relationships between teacher candidates and their classroom teachers. Specifically the following themes emerged: the “adoption” of teacher candidates into the high school classrooms, risk-taking within the classrooms, the mentor teachers’ use of constructive feedback, and collaborative “mentoring-down-the-hall.” Originality/value In recent years, various scholars have investigated the impact of field placement experiences on teacher candidates; however, these studies have lacked a detailed analysis of how such experiences impacted mentoring relationships among candidates and their mentor teachers in a collaborative setting. This paper provides an in-depth study of the perceived experiences of mentor teachers and their candidates.

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