Mentoring: A Support System in English Language Teaching

Abstract

Mentoring has begun to spread in the educational scene in the early 1980s. It has turned out to be a support system for teachers, policy makers and educationists, who are keen on improving teaching and education. In the US it is a favoured strategy and it has been mandated that the mentored support be given for teachers entering the teaching field. Brewster and Railsback assert, as quoted by Rosalie Mittica, that ESL mentoring is not simply resource support but it is “a means of fostering stronger connections among the teaching staff, leading to a more positive and cohesive learning environment for students.”

‘Mentoring’ derives from Greek mythology. Mentor was the son of Alcumus. He happened to be a friend of Odysseus. Odysseus entrusted Mentor with his son and palace. Subsequently, the term mentoring connotes of maintaining a caring attitude and holding responsibility for the development of the other.