Supporting beginning teachers through facilitative, collaborative, and Instructive mentoring stances.
The goal of mentoring is to build autonomy in beginning teachers.
Autonomous teachers can:
Self-assess
Plan lessons using student data
Take risks
Reflect and revise
Continue professional growth after the mentoring relationship
Trust is the soil in which mentor-teacher relationships grow. Four critical elements form the foundation for positive mentoring relationships.
When these elements are present, new teachers are more willing to take risks, surface questions, and reflect honestly. These conditions turn mentoring from casual conversation into a lever for growth and applied learning.