Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/the-real-power-of-mentoring/5021018/
As I follow the literature on quality enhancement efforts across the United States, those including a mentoring aspect appear to be the most promising. However, mentoring programs vary greatly from state to state, and some are more carefully designed and systematic than others. In many cases the mentor’s role is tied to certificate or degree completion at an institution of higher education. Some state quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS) offer mentoring with a focus on providing technical assistance to improve compliance and increase scores on their rating scales.My interest has been in looking at the promise of side-by-side mentoring within early childhood programs, which is aimed at promoting reflective teaching practices. In my view, teachers need support to closely observe what is unfolding with the children in their care and to think through possible responses and future plans. As an early childhood mentor, my goal is not to get the teachers to respond the way I would, but to have them consider their goals and values, along with the body of early childhood knowledge, as a reference point for deciding what to do. In some cases they might benefit from seeing how I might respond, but only if they ...