Mentoring Beginning Teachers: What We Know and What We Don't

Source: Teaching and Teacher Education, Volume 25, Issue 1, January 2009, Pages 207-216

This article reports the findings of a review of the international research literature on mentoring beginning teachers. Research identifies a range of potential benefits and costs associated with mentoring. It suggests that the key to maximizing the former and minimizing the latter lies in the realization of a number of conditions for successful mentoring, such as the effective selection and preparation of mentors.

The authors also highlight a number of limitations in the current evidence base on beginner teacher mentoring. Some implications, for the practice of teacher educators, for policy-makers and for future research, are considered.