The Study
Dr. Sharon Feiman-Nemser, professor of teacher education at Michigan State University, and Michelle B. Parker, who at the time of the study was a research assistant with the National Center for Research on Teacher Learning (NCRTL), examined two U.S. programs in which experienced teachers acted as mentors for beginning teachers. Dr. Feiman-Nemser and Parker chose the two programs in Los Angeles and Albuquerque because of their different approaches to mentoring.

The Findings
Dr. Feiman-Nemser and Parker found striking differences in the way mentor teachers defined their roles and carried out their work with novices. These differences were related to the selection and preparation of mentors and the time they had to mentor and to learn to mentor. On the basis of their research and their review of the literature on mentoring, Dr. Feiman-Nemser and Parker identified three orientations to mentoring. Some mentors act either as local guides, educational companions or agents of change. The mentor teachers observed in Los Angeles tended to function as local guides because mentors there focused on helping novices fit comfortably into their first year of teaching by sharing methods, explaining school policies and solving immediate problems. The mentors observed in Albuquerque tended to fit into the second category of educational companions because they saw themselves as teachers of teaching. Although still advising novices about immediate problems, they also helped them to understand how students think. These mentors worked with novices to develop reasons for their actions by asking questions such as "Why did you decide on this activity?" and "How could we find out whether it worked?" Neither the mentor teachers nor the support teachers observed talked about themselves as agents of cultural change in which mentors create opportunities for teachers to visit each other's classrooms and talk about teaching among colleagues. Still, mentors did play an important role in socializing new teachers into a teaching culture characterized by particular norms and standards. Dr. Feiman-Nemser and Parker predict that beginning teachers will value mentoring in particular and collaboration in general if they are able to observe classroom practices and discuss teaching with mentors in an on-going way.

What It Means to You
Does your mentoring program encourage experienced teachers to offer suggestions, materials and readings to novices? Do your mentors help new teachers see teaching as a form of inquiry? Are teachers encouraged to visit each other's classrooms and facilitate discussion among teachers about teaching? By building these kind of networks with novices and their colleagues, you can create opportunities for reform and improvement in all teachers.

More Information
To learn more about these mentoring programs, see Feiman-Nemser, S., and Parker, M.B., (1993), "Mentoring in Context: A Comparison of Two U.S. Programs for Beginning Teachers," International Journal of Educational Research, Vol. 19, No. 8, pp. 699-718.

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