Patterns of Engagement and Professional Growth in an Online Mentoring and Induction Program for Beginning Science and Math Teachers
Authors: Irene Grimberg, Elisabeth Swanson, Larry Bice, DeAnna McAleer, Peggy Taylor, Anthony Villar
2. Claims Examined
- Mentor and mentee teachers engage in the online dialogues in different ways with
mentees more likely to participate behind the scenes, mainly reading; and mentors more
likely to engage more visibly, reading and posting.
- Active reflection,
sometimes leading to changes in classroom practice, may occur with either mode of
participation, i.e. mainly reading or reading and posting.
- Mentor and
mentee teachers select different discussion topics (e.g. content-focused, pedagogy- or
school culture-focused) and types (e.g. structured or open).
- Teachers'
patterns of engagement in online dialogue change sequentially.
- Improvement
in the level of engagement in online dialogue, and the "quality" of the dialogue with
respect to learning goals, can be influenced through program interventions.
- Faculty patterns of engagement are affected by their interaction with teacher
participants.