Section archive - Mentoring & Supervision

The purpose of this study was to contribute to and expand the scholarship on teaching and mentoring. The questions guiding this qualitative study were as follows: First, how do mentors gain their expertise? Second, what support do they need to promote their continued development? The context of this study was a teacher training academy. Data were collected from eight mentor teachers in three ways--through individual interviews, focus group interviews, and participant observation. Results indicate that mentors conceptualized their work into two distinct roles: teaching and mentoring. Recommendations are provided for developing and supporting mentors' practice.

The researcher examined the experiences of student tutors, on the periphery of the university teaching community, and reports on the support they need. The findings indicate that faculty and administrators should recognize student tutors' lack of pedagogical and subject expertise, while nurturing their energy, understanding, and closeness to the undergraduate student experience.

Written lesson appraisals (WLAs) by mentors 30 of pre-service teachers experiencing two different mentoring regimes in an English university teacher education program were selected for analysis. The WLAs were analyzed for their length and content using professional knowledge categories derived from pre-service teacher perceptions of the content of WLAs.

This meta-analysis assesses the effectiveness of volunteer tutoring programs for improving the academic skills of students enrolled in public schools Grades K-8 in the United States. It also further examines for whom and under what conditions tutoring can be effective. The authors found 21 studies to guide them in assessing the effectiveness of volunteer tutoring programs.Overall, the authors found volunteer tutoring has a positive effect on student achievement.