NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ991005
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 20
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0077-5762
EISSN: N/A
Mentoring for Diversity and Equity: Focusing on Students of Color and New Teachers of Color
Achinstein, Betty
Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, v111 n2 p289-308 2012
The task of preparing and supporting new teachers for working with diverse youth has generated widespread interest in induction and mentoring programs (Wang & Odell, 2002). However, much of mentoring in practice falls short of equity- and diversity-focused work. It can be better characterized as "situational adjustment, technical advice, and emotional support" (Little, 1990). Part of the problem is the lack of an articulated knowledge base of mentoring for diversity and equity. Such an approach would address the cultural contexts of students, teachers, and schools in order to promote more equitable schooling. This chapter features findings from a program of research that the author and her colleagues have undertaken to develop a mentoring knowledge base with a focus on diversity and equity. To articulate such a knowledge base, they look to teaching and other professions in which a knowledge base is grounded in work of their practitioners (Shulman, 1992). Knowledge base refers to a "codifiable aggregation" of knowledge, understanding (thinking and reasoning), skill (ability to enact knowledge), and disposition (a propensity to act or not act on what one knows) (Shulman, 1987, p. 4). For practitioner knowledge to become a professional knowledge base, it must be public, represented in a form enabling its cumulative and shared nature, and continually verified and improved (Hiebert, Gallimore, & Stigler, 2002). This chapter seeks to expand understandings about diversity- and equity-focused mentoring to develop a more robust mentor knowledge base. The chapter concludes with implications for research, policy, and practice. (Contains 1 table and 1 note.)
Teachers College, Columbia University. 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027. Tel: 212-678-3774; Fax: 212-678-6619; e-mail: tcr@tc.edu; Web site: http://nsse-chicago.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A