Welcome to
MENTORINGVirginia
Virginia is for Learners
funded by the Virginia Department of Education
created by the NOVA Network and the SWVA Consortium
About Mentoring Virginia
Collaborating Across Regions to Unify Mentoring Efforts and Expand Access to Clinical Faculty & Mentor Teacher Training
A Statewide Mentoring Initiative
Mentoring Virginia is a statewide mentoring initiative intended to prepare exceptional school-based teacher educators for work in a variety of mentoring roles, including but not limited to work with 1) teacher candidates in preparation for the profession, 2) new teachers who are completing on the job internships, 3) teachers in their first three years of teaching, and 4) veteran teacher engaged in coaching cycles. Across partnerships, communities, states and international contexts, myriad terms are used to describe school-based teacher educators serving in these roles. For example, in Virginia, the term clinical faculty is used to describe mentors who work with teacher candidates, and mentor teacher to describe mentors who work with new teachers. For the purposes of this training, the term ‘mentor teacher’ is going to be used to refer broadly to ANY school-based teacher educators who are mentoring teacher candidates and new teachers.
A NOVA Network and SWVA Consortium Endeavor
This initiative is sponsored by grants from the Virginia Department of Education and was established in 2020. The Guidelines for Mentor Teacher Programs for Beginning and Experienced Teachers (summary of the guidelines), released by the Virginia Department of Education in September 2021, as well as The Virginia Standards for the Professional Practice of Teachers, provide a framework for Mentoring Virginia training. It is our hope that Mentoring Virginia becomes an integral part of mentor professional learning and mentor teacher/beginning teacher program design across the Commonwealth.
Mentoring Virginia is a joint endeavor of faculty from the Northern Virginia School-University Partnership Network (or “NOVA Network”—representing George Mason University’s School of Education and Region 4 school division partners) and the Southwest Virginia Professional Education Consortium (or “SWVA Consortium”—representing Virginia Tech, Radford University, Hollins College, Roanoke College, Ferrum College and Region 6 and 7 school division partners).
From Teacher Education to Induction
Whether working with teacher candidates in early field work, traditional student teaching, or on the job internships and/or with new teachers, the Mentoring Virginia training is relevant to mentors across the professional preparation continuum—from teacher education to induction.
Purpose & Goals
This site houses the online, fully asynchronous foundational “Essentials Training” for Mentoring Virginia, which has been developed to introduce you to the general principles and expectations for school-based teacher educators mentoring either teacher candidates (in Virginia, designated as “Clinical Faculty”) or new teachers (designated as “Mentor Teachers” in Virginia). The “Essentials Training” is designed as prerequisite content for the synchronous/hybrid “Advanced Training” modules of Mentoring Virginia.
While both the “Essentials” and “Advanced” trainings have been designed to serve Clinical Faculty and Mentor Teachers across Virginia, they are based on current, research-based best practices in mentoring and induction support for preservice and new teachers and thus might be relevant to mentors, coaches, and school- and university-based teacher educators nationwide. Both sets of modules provide space for individual programs, colleges, and states to integrate their own training objectives and relevant information.
As you work through the “Essentials” modules, you will reflect upon and begin to develop (or refresh) your mentoring knowledge and skills. We welcome you to the beginning —or the continuation— of your mentoring journey!
Training Format
This “Essentials Training” is fully asynchronous and introduces participants to key mentoring terms, knowledge, and skills. Each module requires participants to review information, complete instructional activities, and engage in applications of relevant skills to their own contexts. The “Advanced Training” modules have been designed as hybrid extensions of the “Essentials” content (with both asynchronous online and synchronous online or face-to-face elements), thus enabling participants to “spiral” their comprehension and application of the ideas and activities introduced in the “Essentials” lessons. “Advanced” synchronous training will be made available through and led by individual districts and/or institutes of higher education for mentor teachers and clinical faculty.
How to Use This Site
This video provides an overview of the Mentoring Virginia modules and tips on how to interact with and navigate this site.
Explore how to use the Mentoring Virginia website by using the slide deck to the left. Navigate using the arrows in the bottom left corner, click to view full screen, or click "Google Slides" to open in or save to your Google Drive.
Download How to Use This Site as a Word document
Video coming soon...
