Abstract
The publication focuses on mentoring as a form of teacher workplace learning. The first part defines mentoring in relation to other forms of professional development of teachers and focuses on the conceptualization of mentoring, considering the possible threats which may results from its inappropriate implementation.
It analyzes the role of mentoring within the current state of knowledge of the teaching profession and professional development, naming the conditions and processes under which mentoring can fulfill their educative role and become a growth factor for teachers as for individuals and for the profession. The second part deals with research in mentoring and presents three research reports, each of them focusing on mentoring in a different phase of teacher professional development within the Czech teacher education context.