Building a community of practice: A case study of technology -augmented mentoring for new teacher

The state of California, along with many other states in the nation, faces a severe and debilitating shortage of qualified teachers to staff K--12 classrooms. According to one source, the California shortage is predicted to exceed 309,000 by the end of the decade (Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, 2002). To help address this shortage, California has established a program of support for first and second year teachers to provide "gradual phase-in of support and assessment" for beginning teachers. This project is entitled the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) Program.;To increase the professional skills of beginning teachers, induction programs including locally available classes and new teacher mentoring have been implemented. However, the current demand for mentor teachers far exceeds the available supply of technologically skilled veteran teachers. One way to extend the ability of a given mentor teacher to work with a larger pool of beginning teachers (proteges) is through technology such as electronic communication tools.;This study explored the use of online communication between a single mentor a group of 21 new teachers, 13 of whom used individual emails, group discussions and mailing lists to support interaction with the mentor. The resultant community of practice investigated individual issues and classroom dilemmas with success. The research identified extrinsic and intrinsic barriers to use of the technology. Research questions included: critical factors required to successfully augment mentoring for new teachers through communication technology including essential conditions, new teacher skills and mentor skills; professional impact of using online communication upon beginning teachers; perceived usefulness of technology to augment mentoring.;The careful use of electronic communication to support new teacher mentoring was found to produce a positive impact on professional development. Technology augmented mentoring was perceived to have assets worth further investigation for broad use in the mentoring program. The concept of using technology tools to span time and distance, to enhance support for beginning teachers, and to provide avenues for collaboration and exchange of ideas is congruent with new technology standards established by the state.