WHAT'S NEW - MARCH 2003

MENTORING

Welcome to the website for the Council on Alberta Teaching Standards (COATS). This area of the website changes monthly. The theme for this month will be of interest to teachers, administrators, and parents who are exploring the issue of teacher mentoring. The first section below identifies several weblinks related to the topic. Also listed below please find articles and hard-copy sources of information related to this topic. We hope that you find this website to be a valuable resource. For quick reference bookmark http://www.teachingquality.ab.ca today!

WEBSITES AND ARTICLES RELATED TO MENTORING

Creating a Teacher Mentoring Program. 1999.
National Education Association (NEA)
http://www.nfie.org/publications/mentoring.htm

This NEA website presents information that outlines criteria for successful teacher mentoring programs. Originating with a symposium in 1999, the materials on this website focus on the usefulness of mentoring, institutional partnering for mentoring among various educational stakeholders, support for mentors, and the evaluation of mentoring programs. Mentoring is considered an important manner of advancing the teaching profession. The site contains further electronic resources.

Mentoring Beginning Teachers. 2002.
http://www.stmary.ecsd.net/mentors/Whatismentoring.htm

Hosted by St. Mary's, a school within the Edmonton Separate School District, this website provides a wealth of electronic resources touching on the mentoring of teachers at the start of their careers. A central theme unifying the site is the encouragement that it offers for teachers to mentor one another. The website includes stories and book reviews about mentoring, and also identifies some associated pitfalls. There are abundant links to even more electronic resources about mentoring with an Alberta twist.

Check out the associated link at the University of Alberta.
http://ntsrv2000.educ.ualberta.ca/nethowto/examples/d_dagostini/Links.htm

Principal Mentoring. ERIC Digest 149. 2001.
Malone, R. J.
http://eric.uoregon.edu/publications/digests/digest149.html

Alongside teachers, educational administrators also need mentoring. The heart of this ERIC Digest lies in acknowledging the professional needs of junior school administrators. Mentor-protégé relationships with senior school administrators can provide such individuals with important support for career advancement. Special importance is paid to appropriate matching within the mentor relationship. Further bibliographic resources are included. This digest will be of particular interest to principals or to those aspiring to be principals.

Teacher Mentoring as Professional Development: ERIC Digest. 2001.
ED460125
Huling, L. & Resta, V.
http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed460125.html

Mentoring teachers has been a movement within North American schools since the 1980s. This ERIC Digest, aimed at veteran teachers, reviews recent related literature and explores specifically the professional development benefits of acting as a mentoring teacher. Some of the benefits identified consist of increased professional competence, growth in reflective practice, enhanced psychological vigor, and the development of collaborative relationships with colleagues. Basically, mentoring teachers has the potential to be a growth experience. References for further study are included.

Teacher Mentoring Programs. 2001.
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.
http://www.nwrel.org/request/may01/mentoring.html

This website from the American Northwest offers plentiful resources related to the establishing of teacher mentorship programs. The practices of mentoring benefit teachers, students and schools alike. Although mentoring can be criticized as supporting the status quo, the practice provides a means of retaining the services of many teachers who would otherwise leave the classroom. There is evidence of healthy collaboration between schools and universities in establishing mentoring programs. The website also offers information on initiatives that new teachers can undertake to maximize the success of their mentorship experience.

Survey of Mentoring Programs in Canada. 1998.
http://www.partnersinpractice.org/Inventory.html

This website presents research on mentoring within Canada's early childhood programs. The report displays results for 17 programs from across Canada that responded to an investigation conducted in the spring and summer of 1998. The report identifies the responding programs, states their respective program objectives, and describes the program participants. Within each program, the nature of the mentorship arrangement is taken as a special focus of attention. The research tends toward the conclusion that these mentoring programs would benefit by more attention to planning, selecting qualified mentors, and to supporting the mentors in their roles.

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Title:		Faculty Technology Mentoring Programs: Major Trends in the Literature.
Source:		http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mstar/mentor/Technology _mentoring0128.htm
Author(s):		Chuang, H.-H, Thompson, A. & Schmidt, D.
Abstract:		This online article reviews some current trends in mentoring teachers to use educational technology. Various models of mentoring found in teacher preparation programs are accorded special attention. The authors identify a set of characteristics commonly associated with successful models for mentoring the use of technology. Two of these characteristics are the availability of technical support and a collaborative workplace culture. Successful programs also tend to emphasize the give-and-take learning relations among and between mentors and mentées. Extensive references are included.
ISSN:		N/A
Title:		The Good Mentor.
Source:		Educational Leadership. Vol. 56, n 8. May 1999. http://www.ascd.org/readingroom/edlead/9905/rowley.html
Author(s):		Rowley, J. B.
Abstract:		This online article, copyrighted by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), portrays a range of qualities associated with the ideal mentor for supporting new teachers. The viewpoint adopted acknowledges the dangers associated with mismatching mentors and mentées within the setting of formal mentor programs. The qualities of a good mentor involve a willing commitment to the mentoring role, empathy for the beginning teacher, competence in instructional skills, ease in interpersonal skills, and a spirit of optimism. An ideal mentor also serves a role model for the mentée.
ISSN:		N/A
Title:		Mentoring in the New Millennium.
Source:		Professionally Speaking. December 1999. http://www.oct.on.ca/english/ps/december_1999/mentoring.htm
Author(s):		Fullan, M. & Hargreaves, A.
Abstract:		Coming from respected authors situated in Ontario, this online article highlights the nature of mentoring within the current Canadian educational setting. The authors contend that both the concept and the practice of teacher mentoring are in need of modification. Historically, models of teacher mentoring have been associated with various and different notions of teacher professionalism. From the authors' standpoint, the challenges for teacher mentoring in the new millennium pivot around efforts that are associated with creating a culture of professional collaboration.
ISSN:		N/A
Title:		Triumph Out of the Wilderness: A Reflection on the Importance of Mentoring.
Source:		Phi Delta Kappan. 2001. Vol. 82, n 5, Pages 411-412.
Author(s):		Kramer, M.C.
Abstract:		This article shares one teacher's personal recollections of the experience of being mentored. The author, a high school Spanish teacher, writes of benefiting from the attention of an official mentor as well as that of voluntary peer mentors. There are alternatives to simply surviving the first year of teaching. Mentors offer encouragement and provide support in the form of usable advice. Mentors can help a novice teacher overcome the challenges and loneliness of the first year. Mentors can even become cherished friends.
ISSN:		0013-7217
BOOKS
Title:		Being Mentored: A Guide for Protégés. 2002.
Source:		Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press, Inc. Pages: xiii+78.
Author(s):		Portner, H.
Abstract:		Mentoring is an effective means of helping new teachers learn how to teach better. A former K-12 teacher and administrator, the author sets out to assist new teachers in making the most of their experiences of being mentored. In nine sections, Portner points out common pitfalls to avoid in the mentoring relationship. He encourages novice teachers to become active learners, assuming responsibility for becoming more competent. Planning, taking risks, networking and reflecting are all part of learning how to benefit from advice. The book includes both electronic and print bibliographical resources.
ISBN:		0761945520
Title:		Teachers Mentoring Teachers. 2002.
Source:		Bloomington, Indiana: Phi Delta Kappa Education Foundation. Pages: 42.
Author(s):		Hurst, B. & Reding, G.
Abstract:		As the title suggests, this Fastback presents a concise overview of mentoring as a form of teacher collaboration. The short volume begins by acknowledging the trend across many American states to mandate mentoring of new teachers by veteran teachers. The first half of the booklet considers the characteristics of a good mentor under the headings of example, guidance, communication and advocacy. The booklet also offers recommendations and tips on how to develop a mentoring plan within a school setting. Resources for further study are included.
ISBN:		0873676939