Connecting Research to Teaching: Mentoring Beginning Teachers

Abstract

The most crucial stage in the process of becoming a teacher occurs at the very outset, during the transition from student to student teacher to novice teacher. Many people can provide vital support to the new teacher: cooperating teachers, university supervisors, instructors of methods classes, and more experienced teachers in the school can all act as mentors. What is known about the mentoring process? What is unique to mentoring mathematics teachers? In this article we hope to outline what is known and offer some guidance for those wishing to be effective mentors.