This module will provide some context around the many challenges that are facing mentors as they welcome pre-service teachers into classrooms. Some of these are school wide issues that impact the workload, outlook and mental health of individual teachers. In addition, many pre-service teachers come from a generation that has very different life experiences, values and needs than the mentors they work with. Our rapidly changing world also requires a focus on the future skills required of pre-service teachers.

Foundational to effective relationships is relational trust and mutual respect (Hagenauer et al., 2023, Hudson, 2016). "A high quality relationship is expected to be supportive, with the sharing of practices and resources, as well as collaborative problem solving. Moreover, a positive relationship is characterized by high enthusiasm, high professionalism, clear expectations and shared information" (Hudson, 2016, p. 39).

In these two modules, we will further examine the pre-service teacher and mentor teacher relationship, how each conceptualizes their relationship, and the tensions and conflicts that may emerge in the practicum process.

The mentor-mentee relationship relies greatly on the distribution of power between both parties. For the mentee to feel confident, shared power between the two is advantageous. Hudson (2016)

"Forming the Mentor-Mentee Relationship", Bradbury and Koballa (2008) identified sources of tension in mentoring relationships when power exists with the mentor, where the mentee "may be unwilling to question the practices of the school mentor teacher for fear of fracturing the relationship or affecting the mentors' evaluation of their progress" (p. 31).

In these modules, we will examine the mentor-mentee practice of co-teaching and what is necessary for both parties to facilitate the process while maintaining effective learning opportunities for the students involved.