Characteristics of Mentor/Mentee Relationships That Influence Implementation of a Co-Teaching Model of Student Teaching

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: Why Co-Teaching Matters: Learning From Student Teacher and Mentor Teacher Relationships

Abstract

Using the co-teaching continuum of Guise, Habib, Thieseen, & Robbins (2017), we determined the extent to which fourteen mentor teacher/teacher resident pairs of a teacher residency program implemented co-teaching and investigated the characteristics of the relationship that influenced the implementation of co-teaching using a multiple case study design. Several themes emerged from the cross-case analysis as characteristics that influenced the implementation of the co-teaching model: 1) dispositions of the mentor teacher; (2) negotiations of power differentials early on in the clinical experience; (3) formation of a personal relationship; and (4) constant communication and feedback. This research contributes to an understanding of the elements of a mentor/mentee relationship that contribute to the likelihood of a successful co-teaching partnership.

Authors

• Laura Eicher, Clemson University

• Michelle Patrick Cook, Clemson University

• Jacquelynn A. Malloy, Clemson University

• Leigh Martin, Clemson University