Chapter 18: Supporting an Emerging Identity Through a Virtual Third Space: The Informal Mentorship Between a Novice Teacher Educator and Experienced Mentor

There is a continued need in the U.S. for effective STEM teachers at all levels (National Center for Education Statistics, 2016; Olitsky et al., 2020). Moreover, there is a demand for a higher percentage of future STEM teachers to matriculate in teacher education and certification programs to avoid teacher shortages and challenges which could place U.S. students at a disadvantage globally (Aragon, 2016; Wang et al., 2020). Consequently, institutions of higher education need to provide intentional, purposeful programming and embedded experiences to attract, train, and retain effective STEM teachers, particularly for novice STEM teacher educators.

Many university-based teacher educators were once successful teachers at the PreK–12 level but encountered shifts in identity as they moved from the role of teacher into that of a teacher educator (Bilott, 2010; White, 2014; Williams, 2014). The novice teacher educator must develop a new identity which reconciles their previous demands and professional responsibilities with new teacher educator identity constructs which encompass research, service, leadership, pedagogical and curriculum evaluation (Barkhuizen, 2021; Deketelaere et al., 2018; White, 2014; Williams, 2014). Owing to the complex positioning and identity shifts of university-based teacher educators, the Association of Teacher Educators Standards (Association of Teacher Educators [ATE], 2007) highlighted the importance of the continual professional development and learning of teacher educators. They defined professional development as actions which allow teacher educators to “inquire systematically into, reflect on, and improve their own practice and demonstrate commitment to continuous professional development” (ATE, 2007, p. 5).