Specific mentoring: a theory and model for developing primary science teaching practices

Abstract

The transition from generic mentoring to specific mentoring practices can provide a stronger focus for developing preservice primary teachers (mentees) in subject-specific areas. Constructivist theory and a five-factor model towards specific subject mentoring are proposed as ways to develop mentees' teaching practices. Firstly, constructivist theory complements mentoring within field experiences (practicum/internship), as it can be used to build upon prior understandings towards developing the mentee's knowledge and skills for teaching. Secondly, the picture that emerges from the literature shows five factors for mentoring, namely: (i) personal attributes that the mentor needs to exhibit for constructive dialogue; (ii) system requirements that focus on curriculum directives and policies; (iii) pedagogical knowledge for articulating effective teaching practices; (iv) modelling of efficient and effective practice; and (v) feedback for the purposes of reflection for improving practice. It is argued that 'generalist' primary teachers in their roles as mentors will require specific mentoring strategies linked to these five factors to enable effective mentoring in specific subject areas.

Mentors Report on Their Own Mentoring Practices

“…The "Mentoring for Effective Mathematics Teaching" (MEMT) survey instrument evolved through a series of preliminary investigations on Mentoring for Effective Primary Science Teaching (MEPST; Hudson, 2003;Hudson, 2004aHudson, , 2004bHudson et al, 2005;Hudson, 2007), which also identified the link between the generic mentoring literature and the items on the survey instrument. The MEMT survey instrument was designed to gather data about preservice teachers' perceptions of their mentoring for teaching primary mathematics (Hudson, 2009).…”

Mentoring Expectations and Experiences of Prospective and Cooperating Teachers during Practice Teaching

“…Because mentoring practices in teacher education are based on a variety of contexts including prospective, in-service, or distance teacher education, the expectations and roles are not clearly and systematically conceptualized by the national councils of education (Hudson, 2004;Koç, 2012). Due to its context-dependent nature, it is difficult to set and determine a specific definition of the mentoring roles and practices (Lai, 2005(Lai, , 2010.…”

Teachers’ Preferences on the Qualities and Roles of a Mentor Teacher

“…We do not know, however, whether those same positive trends are true for physical educators. Hudson (2004) suggests that mentoring is subject matter specific, so we cannot assume that what works in general education can be directly transferred to physical education. This investigation contributes to that knowledge base as well as serving as a starting point for future research.…”