Education Commons^™

Opening The Classroom Door - A Survey Of Middle Grades Teachers Who Mentor Preservice Teachers— Lessons From Clinical Partnerships And Implications For Practice, Steven L. Turner, Carie C. Greene

Middle Grades Review

Mentor teachers that participate in school-university clinical experiences have a unique opportunity to support preservice middle grades teachers’ development and improve the schooling of young adolescents. This article investigates an early clinical experience and presents data from a survey of 38 middle school teachers who served as mentor teachers. Findings address how middle grades teachers view their role as mentors, their perceptions of the clinical experience as a collaborative learning partnership, and concludes with suggestions to improve clinical experiences for preservice middle grades teacher candidates.