Co-teaching as an opportunity for mentor teacher professional growth
International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education
ISSN: 2046-6854
Article publication date: 24 January 2022
Issue publication date: 29 August 2022
Abstract
Purpose
A growing body of research has pointed to the potential benefits of a co-teaching clinical residency model in preservice education. Preservice co-teaching research has focused primarily on conditions necessary for effective co-teaching to occur, factors that inhibit successful co-teaching implementation, and teacher candidate development. Researchers have called for further exploration into potential benefits of preservice co-teaching models for the mentor teacher. In this study, the authors explored ways in which mentor teachers who participated in a co-teaching pre-service program experienced professional growth.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to gain insights into the perspectives of mentor teachers and ways in which they experienced professional growth through their experiences in the co-teaching program, the authors used a qualitative, descriptive approach. The authors’ primary data source included interviews conducted with 42 mentor teachers from five content-areas. Researcher communication and interactions with co-teachers over time, along with artifacts including field notes, co-teacher reflections on practice, and program documents, served as peripheral data sources.
Findings
Results indicated that co-teachers experienced meaningful professional growth in areas represented by the following themes: (1) critical reflection, (2) pedagogical renewal, (3) in situ feedback and refining practice and (4) application of learning to leadership roles.
Originality/value
This study, which is one of only a few studies focusing explicitly on mentor co-teacher professional growth, provided new insights into learning opportunities afforded to mentor teachers through a participation in a blended model of co-teaching and communities of practice.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Research Funding: This five year project was funded by the National Professional Development Grant under the U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of English Language Acquisition (award # T365Z120188). Funding was provided for project planning and development during the first year of the project, for ongoing support through the enactment of the research, and for the final year of the project in preparing reports and publications.
Citation
Karathanos-Aguilar, K. and Ervin-Kassab, L. (2022), "Co-teaching as an opportunity for mentor teacher professional growth", International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 245-261. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMCE-06-2021-0070
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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