Exploring the Mentor Role in the Context of Teacher Residency Programs

• In Event: Inside the Mentor Teacher's World: Broadening Our Understanding of Mentor Roles, Activities, and Professional Growth

Abstract

Objectives
This paper explores the mentor role in the context of teacher residency programs.

Perspective(s) or theoretical framework
Teacher residency programs are designed to provide pre-professional, experiential learning opportunities for teachers in training (i.e., residents). Programs employing a “mentor model” select teachers to serve as mentors based on their experience, efficacy in the classroom, and willingness to act as a mentor and serve as a model of success in a high-needs classroom (National Center for Teacher Residencies, 2019). Mentors provide mentorship to the residents over the course of the year, offering guidance and support, as well as structured feedback based on their observations. Residency programs typically provide training to mentors to support this work, along with a stipend in exchange for their efforts.

Research suggests that residency programs that employ a mentor model can be effective at training new cohorts of teachers (Rosenberg & Miles, 2018; Papay et al., 2012; Garrison, 2019) and may even produce gains for students in classrooms that contain residents (Casciano et al., 2020). However, to date, little is known about what the mentor-resident relationship looks like or the ways in which they work together in the classroom. This research will inform the ways residency programs structure their mentor training, and also inform policy decisions around the types of field experiences might be most fruitful for teachers in training.

Methods, techniques, or modes of inquiry
We use survey data from a sample of mentors and residents to ask: How do mentors and residents describe their co-teaching relationship and joint activities within the classroom?

Data sources
We draw on stakeholder annual survey data from residents and mentor teachers collected from National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR) in 2016–17 and 2017–18. The data includes 783 resident responses and 692 mentor responses across 25 programs.

Results
Mentors and residents both report frequent (defined as more than monthly) participation in joint activities with each other. Both groups report engaging in the following activities commonly: examining strategies for classroom management and effective instruction; examining student progress and how to adapt their teaching approach to meet students’ learning needs; and having dedicated meeting time. Table A1 in Appendix A show the frequency with which they reported participating in these activities. The residents’ responses also indicate that they generally feel supported by the host teachers.

Significance of the study
Many state teacher certification programs are mandating mentoring for pre-service teachers. Understanding the specific activities in which mentors and residents participate together can help inform how programs and state policy makers can structure mentorship experiences to ensure that the mentor-mentee experience (both in and beyond residency programs) is effective.

Authors

• Rebecca Casciano, Glass Frog Solutions

• Pratikshya Bohra-Mishra, Glass Frog Solutions