ERIC Number: EJ1439362
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0887-8730
EISSN: EISSN-1838-8101
Available Date: N/A
"It's Probably More Comfortable for Everyone": Niceness as a Factor in Mentor Decision Making about inside Practices
Wendy Gardiner; Nina F. Weisling
Teacher Educator, v59 n4 p462-479 2024
Mentoring "inside" the action of teaching, when students are present (e.g., co-teaching, demonstration teaching), helps new teachers understand, experience, and take up complex instructional activities. Yet, studies show that mentors largely avoid inside practices, preferring to employ outside practices that occur when students are not present (e.g., debriefing, co-planning). Researchers speculate that mentors avoid inside practices because they deviate from educational cultural norms. This qualitative study uses the framework of socialized niceness to examine the cases of two experienced mentors -- one used and one avoided inside practices. Findings reveal their decision-making related to how they navigated (dis)comfort particularly around teacher authority, leveraging expertise, risk taking, and imposition -- all manifestations of socialized niceness. Niceness seeks to maintain comfort and the extent to which mentors intentionally navigate discomfort has consequences for teaching and learning. Recommendations are provided to support mentors and to expand the practices mentors employ to support new teacher learning.
Descriptors: Mentors, Public Schools, Beginning Teachers, Poverty Areas, Experienced Teachers, Elementary School Teachers, Beginning Teacher Induction, Decision Making, Classroom Environment, Learning Activities, Personality Traits, Socialization, Prosocial Behavior, Interpersonal Competence, Teacher Behavior, Negative Attitudes, Positive Attitudes, Observation, Racial Factors
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A