ABSTRACT
This qualitative research was conducted to ascertain the professional acculturation of mentoring and mentorship program for teaching English as a Second Language (TESL): bases for policy recommendation. Findings revealed that teachers had experiences in classroom observation with feedback, collaborative planning, early career mentorship, culturally responsive teaching, digital integration and recognition systems. As they transitioned to the public schools, they had almost the same experience but additionally enhanced as tenured teachers mentor through providing hands-on guidance, giving constructive feedback, collaborative planning, continuous professional development and structured onboarding. These results lead to policy recommendations such as: institutionalizing a standardized (TESL) mentoring and mentorship system, implementing structured onboarding and certified mentor preparation, ensuring protected time and developmental feedback mechanisms, strengthening collaborative professional learning and continuous development, and leveraging digital tools and recognition systems to sustain mentorship.
Keywords: Professional Acculturation, Mentoring, Mentorship Program, Policy Recommendation
INTRODUCTION
Teaching in 21st century was much more than just delivering lessons; it is also about interacting with students, providing an inviting and inclusive classroom environment, and promoting both intellectual and social development.
As Darling-Hammond (2020) points out, “successful teaching requires a deep understanding of diverse student needs, mastery of content or material, ability and flexibility to adapt teaching methods or change teaching techniques so that every learner stays engaged.”
At the heart of this professional journey is acculturation - a process where teachers are adapting to culture, expectations, norms and values of school and the community that is essential when entering a new environment for easy alignment of teaching style with the norms of the institution fostering growth and ability to meaningfully contribute to the school for a continuous learning experience that could shape career over time.
For English teachers, mentoring has important role for this.
Mentorship programs offer guidance, encouragement, and constructive feedback to help teachers feel supported as they transitioned professionally for a strong bond or relationship with co-workers, learners, and other stakeholders thus enabling them to further enhance their teaching skills, personal development, growth, and confidence highlighting importance of meaningful connections between mentors and mentee. Moreover, such things help teachers understand how to navigate school systems and build collegial relationship in becoming a great part of the larger educational community (Ingersoll, 2019).
This study looked into how mentoring and mentorship program guide teachers in their profession as basic education in the Philippines has undergone significant reforms, most notably the MATATG Curriculum, which aims to streamline learning competencies, improve literacy and numeracy and strengthen values formation among learners. While this curriculum promises to ease the academic load of students and make learning more relevant, it also presents challenges for teachers who must adjust their instructional strategies, classroom management, and professional responsibilities.
One effective way to address this challenge is through mentoring and mentorship program that provides guidance, collaboration, and emotional support to help teachers adapt. Based on observations and discussions with colleagues, many educators have expressed the need for stronger peer support especially in lesson planning, assessment, and differentiated instruction in addition to the culture that teachers are exposed to in the new work environment.
Inspired by these experiences, the researcher sought to conduct this study on how mentoring can strengthen support systems and build resilience benefiting educators, learners, and the institution as a whole.
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