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

Lessons from the road less travelled: student teachers' and newly qualified teachers' experiences of mentoring in the Irish further education and training sector

“…Some of the mentors displayed a range of characteristics conducive with healthy mentoring relationships, for example, shared values, open-mindedness and mutual respect (Hallam et al, 2012). Further indicators included the ability to nurture the mentee's transition into the institution (Cothran et al, 2008), encouraging reflection, and cultivating calculated risk-taking and openness to new ideas (Maria-Monica and Alina, 2014). In some cases, they engaged actively with their mentees via co-teaching and valuable feedback, although in line with previous work, we might question the depth and variety here (Hall et al, 2018).…”

“…Successful mentors are frequently attributed with specific characteristics. The capacity to give time to the process and relevant knowledge about the mentee's field and the setting's context are key (Cothran et al, 2008). Other qualities include commitment to the role, selfawareness, a willingness to take calculated risks and accept new ideas, and the capacity to nurture critical reflection (Maria-Monica and Alina, 2014).…”

La négociation de significations professionnelles est-elle envisageable en formation? Propositions théoriques et illustrations

“…Cette activité d'enseignement permet aux ES de signifier autrement (c'est-à-dire de façon adéquate dans la communauté) leur pratique de classe. Ce postulat semble d'ailleurs pouvoir être aussi étayé par les résultats de l'étude menée par Cothran et al (2008), montrant que les ES préfèrent «un style d'accompagnement directif» en comparaison avec une approche indirecte basée sur le modèle du «questionnement réflexif». Autrement dit, ce postulat amène à se distancier d'une position interactionniste radicale, dans laquelle la signification est envisagée comme étant continuellement renégociée dans des processus interactifs de participation.…”

Do as we do and not as we say: teacher educators supporting student teachers to learn on teaching practice

“…Focusing particularly on the role of old-timers in the community of practice, the literature on mentoring in education suggests that mentors (oldtimers) must have excellent interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence (Cothran et al, 2008), be well known as scholars and professionals (Manathunga, 2007), have secure PCK expertise (Cothran et al, 2008) and should be selected on the basis of suitability for the role, in respect of both disposition and expertise; a concept which is captured in Huberman's (1989) professional career cycle model (Zukas, 2006). However, findings in this study showed that oldtimers (CTs and UTs) were not trained as mentors and often were lacking both the expertise and disposition to support learning.…”