Using a mentor system
When I started teaching, I asked everyone on the staff questions. I think a mentor system would be a great way to share ideas and foster improvement in design and delivery. Before I take this idea further, does anyone have any drawbacks that they could think of?
I think mentor programs are invaluable, both to new teachers and experienced teachers starting in a new setting. Having one person that you know you can go to & who is "looking out" for you has proved very beneficial to me in the past even though I am a seasoned instructor and practitioner.
I don't know if I would call it a "mentor" program, but I know it does help me out to sit in another instructor's classes and see how they break into certain subjects.
Hi Erica:
In an open forum, there bound to be both good and less than effective ideas shared. So one pitfall might be the idea that hasn't been proven effective, or only worked in a limited fashion. Generally, ideas from seasoned teachers are are a good way to get good approaches to teaching.
Regards, Barry
