Paul, Having been a teacher educator for a many years I have seen many different fads come and go in relation to instructional strategies and deliveries. I can appreciate your comments about the fact that the mentors do not prepare lesson plans yet require them of their students. Direct observation as you mention is an excellent way to get an accurate picture of how teachers are doing in their classes. Feedback from these observations really enhance the growth of teachers as well as increase their effectiveness. I also encourage my teachers in training to get feedback from their students throughout the course so they can make adjustments as needed rather than getting feedback from the end of course evaluation. These end of course evaluations serve, in my opinion very little purpose since they are done at the last minute when students are trying to finish up course requirements. The students do not really focus on giving input they just want to be done with the course, yet these end of course evaluations are often the only thing used to determine teacher effectiveness. Truly not an accurate picture by any means. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.