Empowering Multilingual Preservice Teachers Through Effective Mentorship

Mentoring has a significant impact on preservice teachers' professional growth (Orland-Barak & Wang, 2021). However, research on the mentoring experiences of multilingual preservice teachers (MPSTs) and their relationship-building with mentors is limited. Attending to both mentors’ and mentees’ perspectives regarding processes and outcomes, this post explores how to empower MPSTs through effective mentorship, aiming to provide some effective relationship-building strategies. Our suggestions are drawn from an ongoing longitudinal study on mentor-mentee relationship-building, conducted with 24 multilingual preservice teachers and nine mentor teachers in a four-year comprehensive institution and local partner schools in a Southeastern U.S. city.

Mentoring in Multilingual Preservice Teacher Education: Three Themes

Our work is grounded in Dewey's (1938) concept of "educative experience," which views mentoring as a collaborative inquiry and self-development process for both MPSTs and mentors (Langdon & Ward, 2015). This approach recognizes the complexity of teacher learning and the central role mentoring can play in helping MPSTs develop expertise in enacting responsive pedagogies for multilingual learners. Three themes emerged from our interviews with mentors and mentees and our participatory observations of their classroom interactions.

1. Open and Timely Communication: The Core of Mentorship

Effective mentorship thrives on open, timely communication. All participants highlighted the importance of being approachable and responsive, ensuring a continuous exchange of ideas and feedback. Mentees valued mentors who were knowledgeable and personable, offering guidance and support that went beyond academic boundaries. One mentor remarked on the joy of blending theory and practice, noting, "It’s really cool to witness how they join those theoretical frameworks with what’s really going on....That’s really fun.”

2. The Power of Informal Mentoring

The power of informal interactions is striking and aligns with TESOL's research directions, emphasizing the need for supportive communicative mentorship. Daily informal conversations, shared experiences, and personal engagements contribute to building trust between mentors and mentees. These interactions often provide the groundwork for more profound educational discussions and foster a supportive learning environment. MPSTs highlighted the importance of being authentic and proactive in informal communications with mentors.  

3. Navigating Cultural and Linguistic Challenges

The diverse backgrounds of MPSTs often mean they encounter specific challenges in adapting to new educational contexts.

• • First, they may encounter assumptions about linguistic competence and, therefore, qualification to be a teacher stemming from monolingual and “nativist” ideologies (Ramjattan, 2019).
  • Second, they may struggle with contextual challenges related to navigating a complex landscape of sociocultural differences between the educational landscape of their schooling and the contexts in which they will learn to teach.
  • Moreover, multilingual teachers may face challenges in effectively mentoring MPSTs who have limited experience with U.S. public schools, given that MPSTs’ schooling and prior professional experience likely occurred within the systems where they now work and teach.

Effective mentoring should thus tailor approaches to address these diverse needs. Teacher education programs can help ensure mentors and mentees are equipped to address cultural and linguistic differences sensitively to support integration into the practicum school and, thus, ongoing learning at the site.

Conclusion

Becoming an effective teacher for multilingual learners is complex but rewarding. Our work highlights how effective mentoring is fostered through open communication, genuine mentor-mentee relationships, and cultural responsiveness. To promote mentoring that provides an educative experience for both mentors and mentees, teacher preparation programs can:

• • support mentors and mentees in understanding expectations early on for effective and productive mentor-mentee relationships.
  • increase collaborative opportunities among mentors and mentees.
  • emphasize shared expertise and mutual, bidirectional learning.

References

Dewey, J. (1938). Experience & education. Kappa Delta Pi.

Langdon, F., & Ward, L. (2015). Educative mentoring: A way forward. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 4(4), 240–254.

Orland-Barak, L., & Wang, J. (2021). Teacher mentoring in service of preservice teachers’ learning to teach: Conceptual bases, characteristics, and challenges for teacher education reform. Journal of Teacher Education, 72(1), 86–99.

Ramjattan, V. A. (2019). The white native speaker and inequality regimes in the private English language school. Intercultural Education, 30(2), 126–140.