Mentoring: A constructivist approach to professional development.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This research sought to add to the literature and professional discourse on mentoring as a professional development/change strategy in the context of one comprehensive school renewal design, the Basic School. This qualitative study specifically explored the nature and the context of the mentor's role, his/her requisite characteristics, knowledge and skills, the strategies and practices used by the mentors to support teacher and principal development in their realization of becoming a Basic School, and the resulting problems and dilemmas he/she faced.
Multiple sources of data collection were used to understand mentoring from different perspectives. Interviews with 15 mentors representing eight school districts in San Antonio and the surrounding area was the primary source of data collected. Additional data were collected from principals and teachers from four school sites. The principals were interviewed, teachers wrote vignettes, the school sites were observed, and archival data were collected.
Five themes emerged from the research data: (a) mentoring as catalyst for change, (b) knowledge and distinguishing illustrative qualities, (c) critical skills for transforming practice, (d) interdependent patterns of practice, and (e) tensions of managing the change process. Mentoring is a constructivist approach to teacher and school development. The mentoring strategies did not focus on replication but rather customization. This constructivist approach to school renewal was accredited for acknowledging and supporting diversity both individually and collectively in schools.