Help wanted please! Supporting beginner teachers through an electronic mentoring

Abstract

The paper describes an electronic network developed to support beginning teachers in their first year of teaching. The difference between a traditional dyadic mentoring relationship and an electronic support network are analysed and discussed. Benefits of the electronic network were the access to a wider range of colleagues, a lack of power differential, and ability to disclose difficulties in a confidential manner. Constraints of the network were lack of private access to the Internet, lack of deep relationship building and a nervousness at putting thoughts into writing, possibly to be judged by colleagues. The mentoring process was found to operate in slightly different ways to the dyadic relationship although it appeared to go through the mentoring phases identified in the literature. The study concluded that mentoring through electronic networks has much to offer the support of beginning teachers.