Research on the stressors experienced by preservice teachers indicates that when they perceive a positive relationship with their mentor teachers, they have less stressful field experiences and become more optimistic about their roles as teachers. When the relationship is perceived as negative, the reverse occurs( Gold 1985; Murray-Harvey et al. 2000; Horgan et al. 2018; Barry 2024). Given the ever-increasing attrition rates experienced by early career teachers due to factors such as stress, feeling underprepared to enter the field, and lacking adequate support in the workplace( Ryan et al. 2017; Dunn 2018; Diliberti & Schwartz 2023), teacher education programs must center effort and attention on the mentor-mentee relationship.
Mentoring preservice teachers is a dynamic and relational process that is influenced by the triad of teacher candidates, mentor teachers, and teacher educators. We have held all three roles and experienced the challenges of each:
› As a preservice teacher, David( the first author) experienced financial pressure as he worked to fund his education. Daris( the second author) depended on a mentor teacher not only to assist him in developing skills as an educator but also to help him reintegrate into civilian life as a newly separated military veteran.
› As mentor teachers, we often forgot to explain to our mentees what we were doing as we juggled assessments, a crowded curriculum( Horgan et al. 2018), and the immediate scaffolding necessary to tailor instruction for each child( Kim et al. 2022).
› As early childhood teacher educators who teach field-based methods courses, we work to ensure that each preservice teacher experiences quality mentoring, mentor teachers feel supported and excited to host teacher candidates, and our observations of candidates work seamlessly with the site’ s schedule. We also understand the unique challenges faced by mentor teachers in settings such as Title I schools, who are often expected to do more despite lacking adequate time and resources( Knight 2019).
The Mentor Teacher’ s Role in Teacher Education Programs
Mentor teachers are part of a triad of supports that helps teacher candidates learn about and implement DAP. They play an important role in supporting preservice teachers’ identity development and their future performance as classroom teachers( Izadinia 2018; Lafferty 2018; La Paro et al. 2018). Though there are several approaches and methods a mentor teacher may employ with their mentees, research demonstrates that mentors are most effective when they receive direct, explicit preparation and guidance in how to be strong mentors( Izadinia 2018; Lafferty 2018; La Paro et al. 2018) and how their work aligns with coursework and other experiences in candidates’ preparation.
While there are many examples of the results of high-quality mentoring( Costa et al. 2015; Zeichner & Bier 2015; Wetzel et al. 2017), more attention needs to be paid to the relationship between mentor teachers and preservice teachers, an idea echoed in Standard F of NAEYC’ s Higher Education Accreditation Standards( NAEYC 2025). We argue that the framework of developmentally appropriate practice( DAP) should be applied to the work mentor teachers do with preservice teachers.( See“ The Mentor Teacher’ s Role in Teacher Education Programs” on this page.)
In this article, we describe two activities mentor teachers can implement: The mentor teacher interview assignment and the observation and documentation project. These activities align with DAP as well as with NAEYC’ s“ Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators” position statement, notably Standards 4( Developmentally, Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Teaching Practices) and 6( Professionalism as an Early Childhood Educator)
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