Mentoring teachers to research their practice
This is the website for MenTRnet – an international network / community of practice of mentors of teacher-research in the field of English language teaching for speakers of other languages.
We are an active international community of over 250 mentors dedicated to supporting English language teachers to research their practice. Whether you’re actively engaged in mentoring teacher-research or simply curious about the process, MenTRnet offers a collaborative space for sharing insights, resources, and good practice. We run regular events, including an annual conference, and an online support group. Anyone involved or just interested in mentoring teachers to research their classrooms can, with no fee, join this community of practice by clicking on the button top right here. Alternatively, to just receive news of our public activities, you can join our Facebook group.
Latest Updates
Listening, guiding, growing: A joint reflection on mentoring through EAR
What does it mean to mentor or be mentored in teacher research? Read how Chang Liu and Yanli Liu developed a collaborative mentoring relationship.
12 July 2025 joint IATEFL ReSIG / MenTRnet event – “Stories of Mentoring Teacher-Research”
This was the fourth event co-organized by IATEFL Research SIG and MenTRnet to feature experiences of mentoring teacher-research, particularly those…
Mentoring Teacher-Research Workshop Series 2025: Mobilizing Educator Potential through Teacher-Research Mentoring
Learn more about the 2025 'Mentoring teacher-research workshop series' and the impact it had on the participants.
A Personal Reflection on the Mentoring Teacher-Research Workshop Series, 2025
For Canan Köse, the 'Mentoring teacher-research workshop series 2025' was a transformative experience. Read her reflection here.
Teachers Research! Online 2025: Empowering Educators Through Inquiry
In an ever-evolving world of education, the importance of reflection and research-informed teaching has never been more urgent. This post explains why this year's Teachers Research! conference is so important.
From Myths to Revelations: My Journey with Action Research and Mentoring
While navigating my journey from a teacher to a researcher, and from a researcher to a research mentor, I uncovered some profound personal insights.
What We Do
The group was originally set up by Richard Smith in August 2019 in association with an open Facebook group (which all are also welcome to join), to support dissemination of the book Mentoring Teachers to Research Their Classrooms (2000, British Council). Since then, the network’s activities have expanded, with support from an ESRC/University of Warwick grant in 2020–2022 and a further grant in 2024–2027 (see History). First named ‘MenTRnet’ in February 2024, the network – with a 15-person strong committee – nowadays supports organization of:
(1) a free 5-week series of workshops on mentoring teacher-research in April–May, followed by a series of workshops for teachers in September–October;
(2) monthly support group meetings for those involved in mentoring teachers to research their teaching;
(3) a Teachers Research! Online conference for teachers to showcase their work, as well as an associated online event for their mentors to reflect on and share research about mentoring experiences.
During 2024–25, MenTRnet is also organizing:
(4) an International Festival of Mentoring Teacher-Research, with a series of monthly webinars by members and other invited speakers.
