Mentoring and Coaching: A Lifeline for Teachers in a Multicultural Setting

‘These two remarkable educators not only document the development of their own relationship from mentor/mentee to professional colleagues, they also draw from their own experiences, research studies, and the real voices of countless new teachers to provide an excellent, hands-on guide for perfecting the mentoring role in multicultural settings. Kudos!’ - Lisa Delpit, Eminent Scholar, Executive Director, Center for Urban Education and Innovation. The challenges of teaching in a culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) school, including language barriers, special needs, and teacher isolation, can be especially overwhelming for early-career teachers. This unique book on mentoring and coaching new teachers is specifically designed for multicultural school settings, although educators in all settings can benefit. The authors draw from their own experience implementing a highly successful coaching programme for new teachers in a large, urban school district. The book offers practical examples anchored in the current theoretical and research base for the professional development of novice teachers in urban as well as non-urban areas. Filled with vignettes that directly capture the real-life experiences of new teachers and their coaches, this volume: illustrates how to develop effective teacher-to-teacher coaching relationships; raises readers’ awareness of issues that might arise from CLD differences and facilitates more effective communication; and, offers reproducible resources, agendas, and other sample materials for a variety of contexts. This timely and practical book helps coaches give new teachers the support they need to survive and succeed in diverse school settings.