MENTORING IN PRESERVICE MATHEMATICS TEACHER EDUCATION

Mentoring is often assumed to be done by experienced teachers with new teachers in one-on-one settings and designed to help the mentee be successful with the tasks of teaching. In the context of preservice teacher education, mentoring usually takes place during field experiences, particularly student teaching when the mentor is the host classroom teacher. However, there is evidence to suggest that many preservice teachers are completing field experiences in classrooms that do not reflect a reform-oriented view of mathematics teaching. Thus, the mentoring they are receiving is not likely to help them craft reform-oriented teaching practices (Walkington, 2003). In addition, in many places, there is a shortage of field placements, period-whether of high quality or not (Walkington, 2003). Further, and particularly in the case of preservic