English Journal - Volume 102, Issue 3, 2013

Members of the Secondary Section Steering Committee comment on topics of importance to English language arts educators.

While the journey to becoming an English teacher can be a haphazard and trying experience, a lot of people can help along the way, and beginners can do much to helpthemselves.

If emerging teachers are going to be something more than technicians, they need to reflect on their instructional worldviews, the mission of schools, and their role as autonomousprofessionals.

Although it is possible to cite general trends about the concerns of beginning teachers, each beginner will have specific needs and questions.

An important developmental shift for new teachers moves them away from a focus on self and toward a focus on learners.

If the experience of teaching is going to keep newly minted teachers committed to the profession, they will have to find ways to break away from the traditional isolationof teaching.

An effective mentor/protégé relationship is essentially dialogical.

Instead of thinking about teacher development as a series of discrete stages, mentors in schools and universities might re-conceptualize the process as a continuum, with thefaculty involved in the preparation continuing a partnership to support the development of beginners in the schools

In contrast to a conventional conception of mentoring as a one-to-one relationship, a model of distributed mentoring taps into the combined knowledge and wisdom of a teamto focus attention on the quality of instructional practices and the processes involved in problem solving.

If new teachers are going to do more than endure a rocky start, they need to develop a deep understanding about learners and about teaching their own discipline effectively.

A university’s seminar model suggests the design of a collaborative structure that promotes team sharing and problem solving.

A mentoring relationship that began as part of teacher preparation can evolve into a professional community that stays connected through several means of communication.

An effective mentor program matters a great deal. Such a program must focus consistently on professional development, extend the work begun at the university, andconnect newcomers to a professional learning community.

“Mentoring Matters” focuses on effective ways to support new English teachers and student teachers.