Mentoring in Teacher Education - towards innovative school development

Mentoring usually is regarded as the task of an experienced teacher to introduce a young teacher or teacher student in his/her teaching practice. There are different models of how to perform this task effectively. We look at the mentoring relationship from different perspectives: not only the potential benefit to the young teacher but also the professional development of the experienced teacher has to be taken into account. Mentoring could empower the continuous and lifelong development of teachers. The learning partnership of the two persons embodies a considerable advantage to promote a single school's culture as well as the personal and professional growth. The study gives an overview on research results concerning mentoring in schools. Some selected models of shaping the learning partnership by means of inservice work are presented. We are in the beginning stage of an international exchange of practical experiences and theories about the professional art of mentoring.